Sailing from Fiji to Vanuatu: We did it!

September 8th, 2024

We set sail from Fiji to Vanuatu on the 16 August at 0920 hrs. Although we had sailed from New Zealand to Fiji (our biggest ocean crossing to date), this passage from Fiji to Vanuatu would be our most challenging. Why? Because this would be the first time we would be crossing an ocean with just the two of us aboard. There was a mixture of excitement but a lot of nervousness as well. The strong south-east trade winds meant that we had been waiting weeks for a weather window to leave Fiji.

We decided to check out of Fiji at Vuda Marina. After notifying the marina of our departure date, they handle everything and contact customs to inform them of our departure. We met with customs shortly after 0800 hrs and it was a very quick process. Customs made it very clear to us that we had to leave the country, not to wait around, and no anchoring anywhere. We understood because we had just checked out of the country and New Zealand and other countries follow the same rules. Once back aboard, we notified Vuda Marina that we were departing and requested help with our lines. What happened next was very special. The staff stood at Tāiko's bow, tied a lei of flowers on Tāiko's pulpit, and sang us a farewell song in Fijian wishing us well for our passage. It was a real tear jerker and very emotional moment for us two sailors who were about to embark on our biggest challenge yet. A few tears were shed.

Vuda Marina tying a lei of flowers on Tāiko's pulpit to wish her well for the voyage

Leaving the lagoon, we had to motor. We were in the lee of Vitu Levu and the lagoon was very calm. It took us about two hours of motorsailing before we exited the lagoon through the Mololo Channel. Once out of the channel, the 3 m swell immediately hit us but the wind was still light. At this stage, it was a gentle 3 m swell but that wasn't to last. Adam said "there's whitecaps out there so there's wind"...Boy was he not wrong! We were soon out of the protection of Viti Levu and we felt the full force of the forecasted winds.

Motorsailing across the calmed waters of the lagoon sheltered by the lee of Viti Levu Island

We knew it the first 12 hours of the passage were going to be rough but by midnight, it was predicted to start calming down and the rest of the passage would be pleasant. The sustained wind was 35 knots gusting up to 44 knots. The swell remained at 3 m but what made it worse was the wind chop on top of the swells. They had breaking peaks, were a few seconds apart from each other, and at times they were slapping Tāiko's hull violently. The waves were like rabid dogs chasing Tāiko. Fortunately, it was all behind us and the Hydrovane did a fantastic job keeping up straight as we surged down the winds. It was a very uncomfortable first few hours but Tāiko handled it like a champ. This is what she was made for.

Getting comfortable in rough conditions can be tricky

The winds actually started to ease at about 2100 hrs once we were out of the convergence zone of Viti Levu and it became a bit more comfortable and manageable. The swell continued, but without any wind fuelling the swell, it too soon began to ease and by the next day things were a lot more comfortable. About 100 nautical miles off the coast of Vanuatu, we lost the wind and had to motor. It's incredible how a 4 day passage can go from such strong winds to having to motorsail. Our first sight of land was Fatuna, 30 nautical miles off the east coast of Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Seeing it was incredible.

Passing Fatuna Island to port, our first sight of land in Vanuatu

We anchored in Port Resolution, Tanna Island at 1645 hrs on the 19 August 2024. The trip had taken us 3 day, 7 hours and 20 minutes. This was our second country we had all sailed into (Adam, Vicki, and Tāiko) and we had done this as a double-handed crew. We made it and we felt very proud.

Proudly raising the Vanuatu flag after clearing into the country

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