latest news...

and this just in....winds gusting to 130 kph......heavy rains and flooding....looks like an almost direct hit on Nadi Airport....Vuda Point Marina is very close.....

Tropical Cyclone 'Mick'

The first named storm of the season is now barrelling down on Fiji!  TC Mick with winds increasing to 55 kts or more is passing over Fiji on today.  

For a satellite image try http://www.met.gov.fj/aifs_prods/00sat.html  

Hopefully Toketie is securely tucked into the 'hole'!!!

The treadmill!

Well, we are back in Victoria, BC.  We both have found short term gainful employment so the cruising kitty will be replenished.  It has been below freezing for several nights now and they are forecasting snow this weekend.  The weeks are flying by with family and friends.  All is well and we miss our cruising buddies and lifestyle!  Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

brrrrrr!

Back in Victoria!  Caused quite a stir at airport security in my new duds.....they especially objected to my razor sharp samurai sword but I claimed religious freedom rights and threatened to cut off their heads.....currently hoping to make bail if any of my friends see this.....

Seoul Tower

...not nearly as high as Toronto's CN tower but a lot more concrete stretching all around it.....

Seoul City

...the view from Seoul Tower...the tower is centrally located and the city stretches the same in all directions....

King's consort house

The king's retreat

...only the king can cross this bridge to be alone in comtemplation....

Roof detail at the Royal Palace

The figures on the eves indicate the importance of the building....always an odd number and eleven being the highest

Jogyesa Buddhist Temple

Three aspects of the Buddha.....

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, Korea

Over 600 years of history here.  The king's primary residence.

Seoul, Korea

Arrived in Seoul after 10 1/2 hour flight with Korean Air.  They were very pleasant to travel with, reminded me of when airlines did not treat you like cattle!  Incheon International Airport in Seoul is huge!  Serving a city of over 22 million and acting as a hub to Asia, Europe and N America.  The efficiency was impressive.  We picked up our bags, cleared customs (non event) and boarded a modern bus for the 1 1/2 hour ride into town.  We found our hotel with minimum fuss, people are very helpful though English is sparse.  Leaving our bags behind and a bit weary, we wandered the streets in search of a late snack.  We found a wonderful little restaurant full of locals and had a pile of bar b q chicken and other things I'm sure we'll learn the names of before we leave.  Today we are off to see the town....no small feat!

Toketie to bed!

Toketie has been stripped of all her canvas and much of her gear!  She sleeps comfortably in 'the hole' at Vuda Point Marina in Fiji.  We have packed our bags and fly to Seoul, Korea tomorrow morning where we will spend four nights before flying to Vancouver and Victoria.  See you all (back in BC) soon!!!

gecko!

this is the third guest from the lizard family we have had on board.....they are very cute and cuddly....if you can catch them...and they eat bugs!

Vuda Pt Yacht Club Bar

A wonderful view of the setting sun, Sabrina the shiny black bar cat with the emerald green eyes (must be some Irish there) rubbing against your leg and very politely asking what you are having for dinner and whether you are willing to 'share'.....and the entrance to the marina, at low tide a 10' deep channel cut through the reef.....many happy hours spent here with the sound of the geckos chirping in the beams....

"the grave"

A view of the 'hole' that Toketie will be nestled into next month to sit out the cyclone season in Fiji.  The keel rests below ground and the hull is supported on piles of old tires....

kids on Waya Island!

We met these young pirates when we were walking the beach in the Yasawas!

Back in Vuda Point Marina!

After two tsunami alerts and then the wind going round to the North making our quiet little bay a nightmare, we upped and made our way back around to the marina.....with all those amenities....like hot water, laundry, wifi, the yacht club restaurant....wow!  Now if only there was a bit of breeze and we could breath in this stifling heat!

shakin, rattlin, but still rollin

October 8, 2009

Thursday here, Wednesday back home in Victoria! The rain had passed in the night, washing the decks off for us. So we dragged the dinghy up on the beach and started walking up the hot dusty road to the highway. We were soon offered a lift by the young local Coca-Cola rep. As he turned South at the highway, we flagged down a bus into Lautoka and while making our way from the market to an internet café, we were told by a scruffy looking individual on the street that a 'tsunami' warning had just gone into effect for Fiji. Ignoring him at first, we quickly realized there was something different about the rhythm of the town. Shops were closing down, lots of people on the streets, traffic jams. We were in the grocery store and soon realized that the warning was for real. I told Linda to abandon the cart and we flagged a taxi in front of the store. The radio was blaring with the news that an earthquake in Vanuatu, just 500 miles West of Fiji, had occurred below the sea and was expected to generate a tsunami wave striking the West coast of Fiji within an hour. The taxi crawled along as everyone tried to head for higher ground. Schools were closed and children bussed to safe locations. The wave was forecast to be as high as 8 meters! We had left the hatches open on Toketie and some portholes and were anchored in a shallow bay on the West side of Viti Levu, one of the most exposed and vulnerable coasts in this case. By the time the taxi was free of the town and the traffic jam, there was only 10 minutes left till the wave was expected to arrive on the shores of Fiji. Going down to the boat at this point would be too risky so we got out at a gas station on the highway overlooking the bay. We could not see Toketie from here but had a clear view to the West where a wave was expected to appear any minute now. An hour later, nothing had happened and the alert was canceled. We walked down to the beach and gratefully retrieved our dinghy from the beach and went home.glad to be safe and still have a boat.
Never a dull moment when you live on the edge.of the world!

boat chores!

One more porthole completed! Seems to take two days to get through each one...only two left to do! Weather has gone from bright hot sun to heavy humid overcast with no wind. Feels like just before a heavy rain! But it is quiet in this anchorage and the days slide by.....