It’s Friday here – we’ve now been in Savusavu for five days and we’re starting to feel human.  Actually Ann recovered first a day or two ago.  I just started feeling back to normal today.  We’ve been “plinking” around at little boat projects and Charisma is just about back in shape herself.

So, the recap:

-10 days and 20 hours long

-We could have shortened that because we purposely started slowly, not putting up the main for two days to allow time to get in the passage groove.

-Ran the engine for only five total hours from 0100 to 0600 one very calm night.  Other than that, all our electrical needs for the refrigerator, water maker, lights, navigation gear and charging for sundry cameras, computers, etc. came from our solar panels and hydro-electric device that we drag behind us while underway (it’s a propeller on a 50 foot torque rope attached to a generator on the boat).  That means that out of the 80 gallons of fuel on board, we have so far used only 2.5 gallons for the 1200 mile trip.

-Caught three fish, but only boarded one – which was plenty since we still have a couple fillets in the freezer to finish.

-One really ugly lightning storm (I think I’d live longer if I skipped the lightning storms and just took up smoking instead).

-This was our first voyage since leaving the US where we have no moon.  Every night for the trip it was absolutely dark.  Coming on deck to pitch blackness was disconcerting.  But once your eyes became accustomed to it, you could see quite well until you needed to see some detail.

-Customs, immigration and health consumed over a dozen of Ann’s home made cookies and four Coca-Colas.

Anyway, we had some fun along the way too.  Here’s a few passage shots:

My friend Charlie Pick saw this and called it; "The Cathedral". An apt name for this most stunning sunrise.

The best visuals on this trip were the sunrises. Much of the rest of the voyage - with the exception of some starry nights - was fairly cloudy.

"Cloudy" can make for the interesting sunrises though.

Hoisting the yellow "Q" flag showing that we were in quarantine entering the country and requesting Customs, Immigration and Health to visit and clear us in.

Just one of the forms - got to make sure there's no Holy Water on board.

Beer at 0900 - You Betcha! Couple of happy campers to be on a mooring after 10 days at sea.