The Fiji to Marshall Islands Compendium A Compilation of Guidebook References and Cruising Reports With Cruising Information on Wallis, Futuna, Rotuma, Tuvalu (Funafuti), Kiribati (Tarawa) and Outer Islands Tepuka Islet - Tuvalu Peter Bennetts Lonely Planet Photographer © Copyright Lonely Planet Images 2011 IMPORTANT: USE ALL INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT AT YOUR OWN RISK!! Rev 2016.2 – November 1, 2016 We welcome updates/additions to this guide from those passing through! Email Soggy Paws at sherry –at- svsoggypaws –dot- com. You can also contact us on Sailmail at WDI5677 The current home of the official copy of this document is http://svsoggypaws.com/files/ If you found it posted elsewhere, there might be an updated copy at svsoggypaws.com. Revision Log Many thanks to all who have contributed over the years!! Rev Date Notes A.0 15-Mar-2013 Initial version, still very rough at this point!! A.1 21-Mar-2013 Updated with more info from Westward II and Mr John VI Minor corrections & editing. Comments from Streetcar about A.2 10-Sep-2013 timing of the passage from Fiji A.3 27-Oct-2013 Futuna run by Island Bound A.4 18-Nov-2014 Updates from s/v Radiance A.4a 20-Nov-2014 More from Radiance (Liberation Day at Butaritari) B.1 25-Jan-2016 Updates on Tarawa from Ariel IV Included comments from Moondance on their trip through 2016.2 01-Nov-2016 Kiribati’s eastern islands (Fanning, Christmas, Manihiki), on their way to Fiji from Hawaii Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 ORGANIZATION OF THE GUIDE .......................................................................................................... 6 1.2 OVERVIEW OF THE AREA .................................................................................................................. 6 1.3 TIME ZONE ...................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 WEATHER IN THIS AREA .................................................................................................................. 6 1.4.1 General Weather Conditions ................................................................................................. 6 1.4.2 Weather Sources – With Onboard Email/SSB ...................................................................... 8 1.4.3 Weather Sources – Voice ................................................................................................... 11 1.4.4 Weather Sources – Internet ................................................................................................ 12 1.4.5 Tropical Weather (Dec-April) ............................................................................................... 13 1.4.6 Understanding the South Pacific Weather Patterns............................................................ 15 1.4.7 Professional Weather Routing ............................................................................................ 15 1.5 CUSTOMS & IMMIGRATION .............................................................................................................. 16 1.6 LOCAL INFORMATION AND CUSTOMS............................................................................................... 16 1.7 YACHTSMEN’S SERVICES - OVERVIEW ............................................................................................ 16 1.7.1 Money .................................................................................................................................. 16 1.7.2 Diesel and Gasoline ............................................................................................................ 16 1.7.3 Propane (Cooking Gas) ...................................................................................................... 16 1.7.4 Groceries ............................................................................................................................. 16 1.7.5 Water ................................................................................................................................... 17 1.7.6 Boat Parts & Repairs ........................................................................................................... 17 1.7.7 Laundry ............................................................................................................................... 17 1.8 GETTING VISITORS IN AND OUT ...................................................................................................... 18 1.9 COMMUNICATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 18 1.9.1 VHF ..................................................................................................................................... 18 1.9.2 SSB Radio Nets .................................................................................................................. 18 1.9.3 Telephones & Cell Phones .................................................................................................. 19 1.9.4 Internet Access .................................................................................................................... 19 1.10 DIVING .......................................................................................................................................... 19 1.11 HAULOUT, STORAGE, AND REPAIR FACILITIES ................................................................................. 19 1.12 TSUNAMI INFORMATION .................................................................................................................. 19 1.13 CRUISING INFORMATION SOURCES ................................................................................................. 19 1.13.1 Local Websites ................................................................................................................... 20 1.13.2 Cruiser Reports ................................................................................................................... 20 1.13.3 Circumnavigator's Yahoo Group ......................................................................................... 21 1.13.4 Noonsite .............................................................................................................................. 22 1.13.5 Seven Seas Cruising Association ....................................................................................... 22 1.13.6 Ocean Cruising Club ........................................................................................................... 22 1.14 PRINTED SOURCES ........................................................................................................................ 22 1.14.1 The Pacific Crossing Guide – RCC Pilotage Foundation.................................................... 22 1.14.2 Landfalls of Paradise – Earl Hinz ........................................................................................ 22 1.14.3 The Sex Lives of Cannibals ................................................................................................ 23 2 PASSAGE REPORTS ........................................................................................................................ 23 2.1 SAVUSAVU TO FUTUNA AND BACK .................................................................................................. 23 2.2 FIJI TO FUNAFUTI ........................................................................................................................... 25 2.3 FIJI TO ROTUMA ............................................................................................................................ 26 2.4 ROTUMA TO FUNAFUTI ................................................................................................................... 28 2.5 WALLIS TO FUNAFUTI ..................................................................................................................... 29 2.6 FUNAFUTI TO TARAWA ................................................................................................................... 30 2.7 FUNAFUTI TO NIKANAU ................................................................................................................... 33 2.8 TARAWA TO MAJURO ..................................................................................................................... 34 2.9 BUTARITI TO MAJURO .................................................................................................................... 35 2.10 MAJURO TO TARAWA ..................................................................................................................... 36 3 ROTUMA ............................................................................................................................................. 36 4 WALLIS & FUTUNA ........................................................................................................................... 45 4.1 WALLIS ......................................................................................................................................... 46 4.2 FUTUNA ........................................................................................................................................ 47 5 TUVALU .............................................................................................................................................. 52 5.1 FORMALITIES 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