June 20, 2013
We woke up at dawn to glassy conditions in Fawn Harbor, looking like a great day to continue on to Viani Bay. We estimated it would take about 3 hours; so we weren’t in a big rush to leave. The other boats started to head off one by one through the very tranquil pass. (Below a gallery of early morning Fawn Harbor–click to enlarge photos.)
We took off and with very little wind it was rather hot as we motored along the south coast of Vanua Levu. We could see clouds off in the distance but they weren’t threatening. In fact, we would have welcomed a nice cooling tropical shower.
Lady Bug, about 30 minutes ahead of us, came up on the radio: they had humpback whales cavorting around them! We looked over and could see the whales breaching right next to their boat! We wanted in on that action and headed that way. Meanwhile, though, the whales seemed to move on. We decided to go over there anyway to see if they might return, going to the spot where Lady Bug had been.
We sat and waited patiently, and our patience was rewarded when the whales appeared once again. This time, though, they weren’t playing. In fact they came to the surface and floated like logs, maybe worn out from all the jumping around. They were maybe 20 feet from us, their occasional breaths blowing mists of water into the air. They were head to head, a bigger and slightly smaller one. We sat and watched awhile, even considered getting in the water with them. They looked to be a courting pair, though, and we decided to give them some privacy. We turned and headed once again for Viani Bay. The whales, on the move again, seemed to join us for awhile before swimming off. This little adventure had cost us at least an hour, but it was so worth it!
By the time we got to Viani Bay, our friends had all gone in through the long winding pass. The distant clouds had gotten closer, the sky now steely gray, the water dark and opaque, and the wind picking up. Maybe we shouldn’t have stopped for those whales.
We talked to our friends on Gato Go, and they confirmed that the waypoints had been good; so we took a deep breath and headed in. I went up to the bow to keep watch, but mostly I was acting as a figurehead since I could see absolutely nothing in the water. Well, if we hit something at least I was up there trying to be helpful. Rich was impressively calm, even when it started to rain. Luckily the shower passed quickly.
It took us about an hour to get through the long pass, and about the time we were through the skies started to clear. I couldn’t decide if were incredibly brave or totally nuts going through that pass in those conditions, but having those waypoints confirmed by someone who had just used them made all the difference.
Little did we know this was just the beginning of Mother Nature’s long-running joke on Legacy: she loves to sneak over and rain on us whenever we go through a pass. For us, this joke is getting old, but Mother Nature apparently never tires of it. –Cyndi
