On to Fiji

Leaving New Zealand was a little difficult because we knew we would miss a lot of things there. There was so much room to run and lots of places to play. We had good friends and places to scooter around. The day we set sail there was a lot of activity to be had. We played hide and seek tag, made a train of carts 5 long to ride in and had our final ice cream at the general store together. Most of our friends are going to sail the same path but a few are taking a different course and we hope to
venture over to them again soon. All of our friends came down to the end of the dock to see us off.

The crossing to Fiji was rough. The first few days of the crossing were very calm and we got to sit outside in the warm sunlight and read our books in the cockpit. The next few days we had very tiring rough weather. No one felt very good or got much sleep. The boat was rocking back and forth and we had to be careful not to let anything sit by itself or it slides with the swells. We put our drinks in squeeze water bottles and pass it around at dinner so that the drink doesn't fly around everywhere.
The wind and waves tossed and turned us like a baby's rattle.

After the storm, when it was really calm the main sail and head sail ripped at different times. My mom and dad took the main sail down and with Tristan's help they sewed it back together by hand for the next two days. It took us 8 days to reach Suva, Fiji. Suva is a big working city and is where there are lots of jobs for people. There is also a big shipping port. Every day huge ships come in and out. Matthew was surprised at what he saw. He thought it was dirtier than he expected. It is
very busy with a lot of busses and traffic. The people are very friendly and kind here.

The crossing to get here was worth it. We are excited to be in Fiji and get out to explore. We are finishing some jobs in Suva and then are going to go explore the outer islands on the west side. We are ready to go swimming and surfing again. The temperature here is 88F/30C and the water is 84 degrees F.
email us soon or write back to the blog,
Tristan and Matthew