On May 20, 2:15*pm, cruisin wrote:

*We're on the "dry" side (hasn't
been too dry lately) between Nadi and Lautoka.
Sounds like you've been here?

Mike

Hi Mike,

Yup I got to spend three months there in the late 70s. Spent most my
time in a small vil called Vatukarasa. its a few miles east of
Singatoka. sorta between Nadi and Suva. Not much there then but a dirt
road and about a dozen burre. But the underwater was unbelivable.
Govenment was a bit dicy then
Im gearing up to take my Freya down there in a couple years.
Humm, $400 FD per month ?? guess paradise has been discoverd

Thanks for the reply,
Chris

"cruisin" wrote in message
...
On May 19, 12:04 am, (Jonathan Ganz) wrote:
In article
,
wrote:
cruisin wrote:
Greetings from Fiji,

stuff deleted

Yeah Mike/Barb... nice hearing from you!

Thanks Mon, hope I didn't disrupt the off topic stuff that seems to
dominate the group too much!
You guys had a major heat wave lately diidn't ya.
Say, do you ever do any business with Swendsens Marine? Those boys
have been dropping the ball big time as far as getting me a windlass
part, and won't communicate with me as to what's going on. Kinda
frustrating being all the way over here and powerless to make anything
happen. They make West Marine customer service look good!
Mike


Sure did... just got back from Alaska to find it's been in the 90s... I
suppose that's better than the 30s. LOL


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

On May 20, 7:44*pm, Bob wrote:
On May 20, 2:15*pm, cruisin wrote:

*We're on the "dry" side (hasn't
been too dry lately) between Nadi and Lautoka.
Sounds like you've been here?

Mike

Hi Mike,

Yup I got to spend three months there in the late 70s. Spent most my
time in a small vil called Vatukarasa. its a few miles east of
Singatoka. sorta between Nadi and Suva. Not much there then but a dirt
road and about a dozen burre. But the underwater was unbelivable.
Govenment was a bit dicy then
Im gearing up to take my Freya down there in a couple years.
Humm, $400 FD per month ?? guess paradise has been discoverd

Thanks for the reply,
Chris

Oh yeah, there are lots of boats here, but even more stay away due to
the unstable local situation. Especially Aussies since their High
Comissioner (like consul) has had his life threatened twice recently,
and an Aussie yacht was attacked and robbed by thugs a few weeks ago.
They were tied up at a remote wharf near Suva, though, an area to be
avoided of late. They said they had over 8K stolen! Can you imagine
being naieve (dumb) enough to carry that much cash aboard?
Anyway, back to boat chores for me.

Mike

On May 20, 7:44*pm, Bob wrote:
On May 20, 2:15*pm, cruisin wrote:

*We're on the "dry" side (hasn't
been too dry lately) between Nadi and Lautoka.
Sounds like you've been here?

Mike

Hi Mike,

Yup I got to spend three months there in the late 70s. Spent most my
time in a small vil called Vatukarasa. its a few miles east of
Singatoka. sorta between Nadi and Suva. Not much there then but a dirt
road and about a dozen burre. But the underwater was unbelivable.
Govenment was a bit dicy then
Im gearing up to take my Freya down there in a couple years.
Humm, $400 FD per month ?? guess paradise has been discoverd

Thanks for the reply,
Chris

Oh yeah, almost forgot, the monthly rate here at Vuda is about $390FD,
translates to $261USD, really pretty cheap when you break it down to
less than $10/day for free water, WiFi, close store and laundry, etc.
Lots cheaper than many marinas in Mexico!

Mike

"cruisin" wrote in message
...
Greetings from Fiji,
big snip


They must sell some really strong Viagra over there . . .

But I'm concerned about ladysailor. Take it easy on her, huh. ;-)

--
Gregory Hall

On May 19, 1:42 pm, cruisin wrote:
On May 18, 6:05 pm, wrote:



cruisin wrote:
Greetings from Fiji,
A quick, slightly longwinded, note to report what happens to a boat
left alone with her keel in a hole for too long...not pretty.............
... The reality of things was kind of shocking, though, and I doubt I'll
ever leave our girl alone like that again. Bottom line is what we've
always known- the worst thing you can do to a boat is not use her for
too long.

Yep, gremlins invade boats that are left too long... it sounds like
you all had some bad ones, but made a speedy recovery. Glad to hear
everything worked out.

Just a suggestion: it may be cost-effective to replace the electrolyte
in your batteries. Batteries that are left flat invariably suffer loss
of capacity. It may be a relatively easy & cheap way chase out a few
electrical gremlins.

Putting the keel in a hole for dry storage may be common in the
tropics... that's the way boats are kept in much of the eastern
Caribbean. Harder to work on the bottom, easier to work on everything
else!

It's good to hear from you!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Yeah, except in this part of the world I think they're called
menehunes, polynesian cousins of the gremlins. I always like it when
they decide to fix something they've screwed up- it actually does
happen sometimes when you leave them a plate of coconut cookies at
night.
All we're waiting for now is a small, lightweight, brave soul to
ascend the mizzen mast to r/r the windgen blades, and a very laidback
NoCal vendor to ship a new contactor for the windlass.
So how does one replace electrolyte in batteries? Gotta get the old
stuff out somehow and find an all night electrolyte store for a few
quarts of new juice? I might try equalizing them first, something
I've never had very good luck doing.
Yes, it was kind of handy to have the boat set down low for getting on
and off, and polishing the hull. Also didn't have that scary feeling
of about to tip over like when she's on stands.
Any of the rest of the old regulars ever check in here anymore? I
mean besides WilNeal? Barb and I had an 11 hour layover in Auckland
and thought about looking up your old pal the Navigator as we drove by
the university, but couldn't remember his real name. Who knows if he
even teaches there anymore.
We're still hoping to take a trip south when we get to Queensland and
see if we can't find Tadpole. We're looking forward to winetasting
our way there.

If you get as far south as Tasmania, I'm still here. May not be in
another 12 months tho.

PDW

On May 22, 9:57*pm, Peter wrote:
On May 19, 1:42 pm, cruisin wrote:

.

If you get as far south as Tasmania, I'm still here. May not be in
another 12 months tho.

PDW- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hey Peter, a blast from the past! Yes, as long as we're in the under
part of downunder we'll undoubtably want to check out Tasmania. Gotta
see a Tasmanian Devil in his native habitat! Probably won't have the
boat with us, but will try to look you up for sure. Any good winerys
in Taz?

Cheers,

Mike and Barbara

On May 24, 5:57 pm, cruisin wrote:
On May 22, 9:57 pm, Peter wrote:

On May 19, 1:42 pm, cruisin wrote:

.

If you get as far south as Tasmania, I'm still here. May not be in
another 12 months tho.

PDW- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hey Peter, a blast from the past! Yes, as long as we're in the under
part of downunder we'll undoubtably want to check out Tasmania. Gotta
see a Tasmanian Devil in his native habitat! Probably won't have the
boat with us, but will try to look you up for sure. Any good winerys
in Taz?

Lots of boutique wineries that specialise in the cool climate
varietals. One is right across the road from my place.

As for wildlife, you could look on my front lawn any evening and see
wallabies, pademelons, bandicoots and a few other creatures. Grey
kangaroos are around too. Taz devils are getting scarce in the wild
but there's a park down the Arthur Peninsula with plenty, and the Port
Arthur ruins are a must-see.

Best time of year, climate-wise, is probably Feb thru April. December
& Jan can be hot & sunny or windy & rainy but by Feb it's usually
warm, calm and dry.

My hotmail address gets to me eventually, when I remember to check it.
If you do bring the boat there's good anchorage out the front of my
place and I have a mooring there for a 42' Gazelle, tho it's in fairly
shallow water. Colvin designs don't draw much.

PDW

On May 27, 10:45*pm, Peter wrote:
On May 24, 5:57 pm, cruisin wrote:





On May 22, 9:57 pm, Peter wrote:

On May 19, 1:42 pm, cruisin wrote:

.

If you get as far south as Tasmania, I'm still here. May not be in
another 12 months tho.

PDW- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hey Peter, a blast from the past! *Yes, as long as we're in the under
part of downunder we'll undoubtably want to check out Tasmania. *Gotta
see a Tasmanian Devil in his native habitat! *Probably won't have the
boat with us, but will try to look you up for sure. *Any good winerys
in Taz?

Lots of boutique wineries that specialise in the cool climate
varietals. One is right across the road from my place.

As for wildlife, you could look on my front lawn any evening and see
wallabies, pademelons, bandicoots and a few other creatures. Grey
kangaroos are around too. Taz devils are getting scarce in the wild
but there's a park down the Arthur Peninsula with plenty, and the Port
Arthur ruins are a must-see.

Best time of year, climate-wise, is probably Feb thru April. December
& Jan can be hot & sunny or windy & rainy but by Feb it's usually
warm, calm and dry.

My hotmail address gets to me eventually, when I remember to check it.
If you do bring the boat there's good anchorage out the front of my
place and I have a mooring there for a 42' Gazelle, tho it's in fairly
shallow water. Colvin designs don't draw much.

PDW- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks, Peter, for the kind offer. Maybe we'll enter Arabella in the
Sydney-Hobart and sail down! Do they have a "Furniture Class"? We
could get the trophy for slowest elapsed time no doubt.
One way or another, we will get down that way, I'm sure. We're
planning to spend at least 6 months to a year checking out Australia
and hopefully selling the boat in the meanwhile. Can't afford the
commuter-cruiser lifestyle anymore.

Mike and Barb

"cruisin" wrote in message
...


Thanks, Peter, for the kind offer. Maybe we'll enter Arabella in the
Sydney-Hobart and sail down! Do they have a "Furniture Class"? We
could get the trophy for slowest elapsed time no doubt.
One way or another, we will get down that way, I'm sure. We're
planning to spend at least 6 months to a year checking out Australia
and hopefully selling the boat in the meanwhile. Can't afford the
commuter-cruiser lifestyle anymore.

S'matter Mike? Did the old lady abscond with the contents of your bank
account like she did her former boyfriend's? If not now, sooner or later,
just don't make her mad. Remember you are now and forever her slave or else.
Keep this in mind as she gets bigger, older, lazier and crabbier. So she's
making you sell your boat and give up cruising? It figures. I tried to warn
you about that woman but you wouldn't listen. I tried to tell you she was
trouble but she managed to pull the wool over your eyes.

Wilbur Hubbard