Our crew began arriving Thursday afternoon to Vuda Marina, some new faces and a couple familiar ones! We have two repeat offenders onboard, both of which I’ve had the pleasure of sailing with before. Denise who came sailing with us on Salt Lines around Tonga, and Robyn who has sailed on most of the boats in the fleet, and they’ve both come back for more! 

After all eight of us were assembled, we dove right into boat familiarisation and safety briefs, keeping ourselves busy up until our hot date with Te Kaihopara’s crew for a welcome dinner down the road at the First Landing restaurant. We had a lovely evening mingling and getting to know our sister crew, which ended in an inevitable dance when the band played “Sweet Caroline.”

We had an early start this morning, with a few more safety briefs to get through, and a quick refuel in the marina, then we were off midday to find our first anchorage: Waya Island. A quick 27 mile motor sail from Vuda, we enjoyed getting out into the breeze and seeing the sights. The highlight of sail was the pass between Wayasewa Island and Kuata Island, which John has renamed “Bommie Pass” for its minefield of rocks and reefs to navigate through. With Grant on the helm, we hit 9.5 knots sailing through the gap, setting speed records for the trip right off the bat. As we came into the lee of Waya Island, we furled away the genoa and all marveled at the view. Our anchorage is in a stunning bay on the Southern side of the island, surrounded by big jagged hills and clear blue water. John found us a nice snorkel spot on the East side of the bay to all jump in and cool off.

After everyone had their fill of saltwater, we headed over to join Te Kaihopara in the middle of the bay for the night. The bay is a bit deceiving in terms of an anchorage, as we’re finding the hills seem to manipulate the wind in funny ways. Nevertheless, it's proving to be a calm anchorage with a stunning view, and the Yasawas are making a very good first impression on us all.