May 3. Albert Cove

 May 3. Albert Cove

This was going to be the jumping-off point for my passage around Udu Point, the easternmost jut of land for Vanua Levu.  Decent anchorage, although I don’t think the protection was quite was good as was extolled in my sources.  Did sevusevu with three ladies, two of whom found glasses to fit.  The sevusevu was perfunctory, sort of like the quick ‘grace’ that people pray before eating.


May 4.  Off around Udu Point


Got underway at 6:30 am.  The crossing was, as the Brits would say, sporting.  20-25 knots with four foot swells.  The good news was this was all on the beam and I averaged over 6 mph for the trip.  I made Udu Point by 10:30, gybed and started down the back side with the wind now on a broad reach (from behind, left quarter).  Pulled into the bay outside Also Island, found 25 feet with mud and anchored for the day at 3:30.


This was again supposed to be a protected anchorage.  Well, Sparky, let me tell you…. At midnight I was up in the cockpit stuffing the cushions down on the floorboards.  I really thought they were going to blow away.  I didn’t lose anything, but that was due to my diligence before bed in storing stuff from the cockpit that I don’t normally worry about.  It was rocking’!  


I have a new way of fixing a snubber to the anchor chain involving a Prusik knot.  (Google is your friend.). Gives me two snubber leads, one to each bow cleat.  This way I can still use the hook snubber as a backup on deck without having to worry about losing it overboard.  Between the solid set in mud and my double snubber, I slept easy.

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