Sailing from New Zealand to Fiji - Back to the Tropics - Sailing the Pacific Episode 33

[@TBPollock]

There are a lot of things I like about this vlog, the lady's smile is right up there at the top of the list.

[@CrispyMOFO91]

When my working days are over, and my kids are grown, this is where you can find me. Motivation to keep me healthy long enough to sail the oceans. Thank you.

[@mikedevlin2048]

Seafarers have been navigating a lot longer without satellites and digital aids... A chronometer, a sextant and the skills to use them. Celestial navigation is an art that is rewarding to learn and the ultimate backup 👌🏻

[@larryromany9641]

What a channel!!!!! It is just a delight to watch you both navigate the world. The story, the narration, the videography, its all so professional but yet so authentic. I can easily live vicariously through you both at every stop along your journey. I only became aware of the channel a few days ago when I first watched your visit to Tobago and because I am from Trinidad & Tobago I was drawn to it with great interest. I have now started the videos from the beginning and I’m really enjoying it. My only regret was that I didn’t know about the channel before otherwise I would have assisted you when you visited Tobago. I am truly looking forward to viewing all 6 years of your travels. Great Job!!!!!

[@bluewaterdreamin5034]

At 1 minute 17 seconds on the far left of the screen is our yacht! She is the one with the cover over the whole lot! Woohoo! We on the tele!

[@juliettedelta]

best comment ever

[@davidcalderwood4131]

Dumb question. How do you manage your laundry?

[@Adogsmate4267]

Nice, you picked it well. It's a tough place to leave in any weather. Well done.

[@45strength]

You guys are a great couple together . Keep it up don’t lose each other.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Jason, Thanks. Losing each other on a 37ft boat would be a challenge ;-)

[@bishopkinlyside8477]

Hi guys just come across your videos sailing from New Zealand to Fiji wow wonderful beautiful out there on the ocean cliff from Logan City Queensland Australia

[@georgemoore7196]

LOL. I loved the idea that you anchored for a few days in the middle of the ocean at Minerva Reef.

[@ashparmar7699]

Very interesting video thanks guys. I randomly searched nz to fiji sailing and came across your video.

[@hughburton4175]

I’ve been away from this channel for a while but I am back. You have really improved your video and story telling. Thoroughly enjoying your channel. I’ve now got some catching up to do. As a sailor myself I really enjoy how well you sail the boat. Good to see sails trimmed so well all the time. 👍❤️

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Thanks Hugh, we are always trying to improve.

[@skymartin06]

Strange to hear that you had 3 reefs in for 25kts of wind though - is Florence less stiff than most?

[@danielhoyle3546]

Thank You. You two are the best.

[@Kyleinasailing]

Informative, intelligent and interesting. A joy to watch.

[@geishlichkeit]

What a wonderful and challanging life. I like it.Hoping you are safe in your journey. Thanks

[@amilton1015]

Amazing video - thank you so much.

[@ProfIdiotFromMars]

Great episode yet again. Thank you.

[@hansb.8]

Could have mentioned that your Port of entry was Savusavu on Vanua Levu....Thanx for visiting Fiji.

[@williambunting803]

Pushed the wrong button. Beautiful part of the world. One funny thing I can remember about Opua was the local sewerage truck, called Fred’s Takeaways...”your business is my business” was his slogan. They had a tall ships race in the bay, we came 5th in a big field including a square rigger. Great fun.

[@tly7486]

Keep up with the good work. I love your videos

[@Thomas-eu6fj]

Love your beautiful theme music ❤️

[@jimmykarigan1751]

4:47 That escalated quickly...

[@devclark]

Another awesome video! Thanks for taking us with you around the world - without us being a third wheel!

[@johnbrame3023]

Beautiful, absolutely love your vids..xo.

[@kriiigern777]

Well done. But I would really love to see it with no music. Seems like all sailors are using the same tune... And the sounds of the sea etc is so much better :) Hope you do not take it as a complain. I love watching sailing, thank you for making this! :)

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Bjorn, thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately unless you have a very good microphone (which we now do) it's impossible to get the sound of the waves etc in anything more than 5knots and all you get is distorted wind noise, which is why talking is also normally hidden behind the spray hood. Music also has to be royalty/copyright free unless you pay a lot. We are excited to be able to record more natural sound in future videos (from Australia) with our new microphone thanks to our Patreon supporters.

[@SailingPivo]

We hope to make that passage sometime soon, but for now, we're just sailing around the North Island.

[@cyclomaniac9086]

Thanks guys.... nice video.

[@wadesaleeby2172]

Wow that's blue Blue!😗

[@jamespunnett7992]

Cool video, first one I've watched but will check out the others. Looks like great fun

[@kz4506]

You guys had a cake ride We had 45 knts on the beam most of the way in 10 mtr seas , but we got there

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

When we spoke to other cruisers in Fiji we realised that we had been lucky to find the weather window we had. We will get hammered by the weather again at some point, like we did off of Columbia, but we aim to avoid that for as long as possible! Happy sailing.

[@kz4506]

@@SailingYachtFlorence yes . We couldn't stand up Or walk in 42 ft to violent

[@williambunting803]

Opua. Bay of Islands. I’ve sailed from there to Sydney, just once. In those days customs and immigration came out to the boat to sign us out. Bue

[@ajsnowy1429]

Wow, you were carrying a little extra back then but looking good thesedays.

[@cyclomaniac9086]

Wow... Nice video. You guys do a great job. Stay safe and have fun!

[@rosxmba2000]

What an amazing journey !

[@Stevek552]

Great video, I`m enjoying them more and more and really nice to see you `loosening up` as your experience grows.. We`re getting to see the real you now and it can`t be overstated that ocean crossings take some Cahoonas! Well done guys, really well done. All the best from the dull and dreary UK!

[@vicentciscar]

Great video! Thank you for share. I haven´t words, simply congratulations!!

[@QF756]

How you guys avoid big swells?..I was on a cruise ship and between Australia and Vanuatu our vessel was banged for a whole good day that the front hull was dented, that’s how powerful and huge the swell was; the size of small hills I could recall! And I thought no way small ship could survive in case it goes through this kind of rough weather, let alone a small sailing boat?...until today, l never thought those boats I saw anchoring on a piers would sail the ocean, I thought it was just for a coastal fun sailings. But seeing your videos change my perception, nevertheless, it seems fun and easy. Also there’s lots of whales crisscrossing the Pacific, I have seen some just past our vessel; it’s huge and could off-balance small boats if it goes under. Are you factoring this possibility too? Have a nice and save sailing🙏🤞

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Florence bobs around on the waves like a cork, so big swells cause less damage to her than to a large ship. A large ship pounds through the waves at speed where as Florence bobs up and down them slowly.

[@emotiveenergy4598]

Another beautiful video.

[@svluckyduck5818]

Great video, thanks for sharing.

[@jimsargent7288]

thanks for sharing. Are you still sailing around?

[@Daniel-qg4mf]

I love your videos! cheers from Miami

[@jwstorey173]

Love the new theme music 🎼

[@chilly6883]

My Uncle is in NZ and sail to Fiji and back, he is an American on the Mary Harrigan.

[@RiggingDoctor]

Wow! We just crossed the Atlantic and from Bermuda to the Azores was only 1800 nautical miles. You guys just did that and barely moved on the map of the Pacific! Such an awesome voyage, but wow those islands are far apart!

[@SailingSquib]

Kap Hoorn is calling, Panama Channel with electric motor?

[@RiggingDoctor]

Haha! Yeah, the Panama Canal would be tricky with an electric motor. Luckily there is a lot to sail and see in the Atlantic and Mediterranean ;)

[@robertt9561]

I just found you guys and loved your crossing to fiji. I am learning how to sail at the moment and enjoy getting out on the water when i can. I figure you are staying up near Qld until it gets warmer. New years eve in Sydney is nice but very busy on the water. Then there is Jervis Bay down further south it is really nice down there and i get out kayaking when ever i get down there.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Robert, We are planning our Australian itinerary at the moment but you are right. We will be heading south to Sydney, we would like to see Tasmania but may run out of time given the other things we need to do. We are undecided as to whether to try and watch the new year fireworks from the boat as everybody says it is a mad house on the water. We shall see! cheers M&A

[@robertt9561]

I will be sail tomorrow on pittwater and i will ask local sailors for there input if you like.

[@chiefcliff]

Not exactly fair to only show boys nude book reading...just to be fair.... Nice job guys

[@robertgeertsen6262]

It’s great to see you back on Florence! What service do you use for your weather data? Is there anything in particular that you like or don’t like about it? Cheers, Bob

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Bob, We just use Windy when we have internet connection as it allows us to compare the European and GFS models. When we are at sea we download the GFS grib files for free from mailasail via our sat phone. Windy is really easy to use, some people use Predict Wind (a paid for service) which compares the models for them, but we find it very easy to compare ourselves on Windy. cheers Matt and Amy

[@robertgeertsen6262]

I’ll check it out. Thanks!

[@sbkr4238]

Thanks for sharing. Sure wish you were selling stickers of Joey. He’s a sweet baby.

[@MrRourk]

I think Florence missed you guys. She got jealous of the van.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

We missed Florence. It was luxury to step back on board after the confines of the Van!

[@PaintSlinger99]

Wifey knows how to cook! Yeah yeah!

[@SailingMalie]

Nice video, what a great find to be able to anchor mid ocean. Another alternative is to "hove to" you can do that mid ocean without anchor. Noticed you have a nesting dinghy, is it a Danny Green Chameleon design. I just finished and launched mine for my trip.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi, Our tender is a Spindrift 9N design from B&B yacht designs. We looked at the chameleon design but ultimately preferred this design, it would be interesting to compare them on the water. We do often heave to when waiting for day light or the right tides to enter reefs but you still need to keep watch when hove to, at anchor we can both sleep :-). cheers M&A

[@NealyLL]

Brill, what a trip. Great vids 👍

[@ronyshake9682]

Thanks

[@gv1967]

Watching from Fiji. Hope you both enjoyed the place.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Gilbert, We certainly did enjoy Fiji thank you. Spectacular scenery and friendly people. :-)

[@gv1967]

@@SailingYachtFlorence Many thanks :)

[@jasonk2984]

Loved the video guys :) I was wondering....how do you know what new time zone you're in when you're crossing an ocean if you didn't have gps? Is it a specific line of longitude that lets you know when to make the time correction?

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Jason, It doesn't matter, we change the clocks when we decide to depending on how we are feeling and when we want dinner. That is the beauty of being out on the open ocean, time is entirely of our choosing. (knowing what time it is when you arrive somewhere is slightly more tricky and we have been known to get that wrong) We live on boat time.

[@iainhunneybell]

But you do have something to take a bearing from. Enter celestial nav 😊

[@paulyoung5073]

Perfect wee videos..... yours really stands out... I personally like watching the story of the day & picking up any sailing tips 👍👍👍

[@chinoodin4735]

Lovely...you all perform everything so seasoned, even if it’s been 6 months! Truly a sweet production with information to chew on and entertaining visuals. Thanks for sharing, taking the time and effort. Your comments referencing the seas north of north island confirmed my image of a friend coming from Australia that had his boat lifted by a rogue wave, cracking his engine head and losing gear to the sea before limping in to harbor. I’m afraid he gave up sailing.

[@DooDa4201dm]

Brilliant video guys - look forward to each one

[@offthestarboardhull8913]

We will be doing the same in a few months.

[@muzzer3726]

Did you do it?

[@michaeldenicola6725]

Just found your channel thank you for sharing, it was a very nice video. I look forward the watching many more. Safe Sailing

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

Catching up...

[@stub2022]

Love the cuisine.

[@stonetoolcompany3649]

Disappointed you didn’t get a chance to hang out longer at Minnerva .... one of the more interesting highlights of the passage......

[@steveburton5825]

Great video. Nice to see both Fiji and Opua after so many years. These vids are usually quite a bit behind so I'm interested to know when (month) when you left NZ. What's your plan after Fiji?

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Steve, We left NZ in May and sailed through Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. We arrived in Australia a couple of days ago and are now working out where to go next :-). There will be a little piece about our future plans in episode 36 which we are currently editing. cheers Matt and Amy

[@xxkasperxx]

Buy some fins for swimming mate ..great video

[@izzojoseph2]

You really are an inspiration. So working to get a boat! Ice a question, though. Do you find being together constantly sometimes makes for a good bickering? Or does being on the sea nullify that?

[@netteypatch]

What is the pot you cooked the risotto in? It looked too light to be a pressure cooker

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

That is a thermal cooker, a bit like a hay box. Basically a big thermos flask!

[@dickyknees3877]

Nice to see you call it a yacht not a sailboat.

[@TheHerakin]

I would like to know the fees when you arrive in the Marquesas, as UK was still part of the EU when you arrived there. Thanks

[@codyjones1098]

My great Uncle could dead reckon damn near anything! He cold tell where an island was by the wave types he saw on his wind ward side. I to this day believe he had sea water for blood. Oh He also had a peg leg lost to frost bite in arctic sea! He was so strange. He never knew what day it was.

[@anandcpa]

Awesome

[@waynedoeblin6801]

All in all,a pretty nice passage,and a bonus couple of days at the reef to rest up a bit. So,does some of the reef become exposed at anytime? Will look forward to you exploring Fiji😊

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Wayne, Parts of the reef are exposed at low tide, you can actually walk on it then. cheers M&A

[@remcovanek2]

Looks like you both get more and more reeeelllaaaaxxxeeeddd

[@anjiyarra2690]

Nice

[@simonhantler8062]

nice passage. does the black non slip on decks get hot? watching from waihekek island

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Simon, It does get hot but not as hot as a teak deck. Anything gets hot in the tropics, you just have to walk a bit quicker across the deck! Matt and Amy

[@wadesaleeby2172]

You look like one of those Medieval knights in one of those old English films dude!

[@russellclement2058]

Florence appears to sail easily/nicely,, a couple of the sailors I follow seen to have to man-handle / drag their boats ,, and I dont know why,, I have theories haha

[@PaulBKal]

Great to have back on the high seas and posting videos. Was that antenna tree always there, or the stern of Florence?

[@constantinez.6419]

I see you are using Windy.Com...are you satisfied with it?

[@Biffties]

Hello you two..listen I was just wondering how long it to on the Crossing fromMadeira to the Carribian..?. And what was your average speed and notical miles travelled per day please.

[@ruthano769]

please can someone tell me how to get these boats from Fiji to new Zealand?

[@african7498]

Be careful of sharks - a friend of mine has the scars to prove the attack there

[@conortonman]

Excellent videos! Thank you for sharing. It is inspirational to see you have escaped the rat race and are living life to the fullest. I am looking at sailing lessons now so maybe my wife and I will follow suit. :-)

[@marshajean7908]

what was the water depth where you anchored for a couple of days? very nice sailing.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Marsha, It was about 12m where we were, there is plenty of space to anchor inside the reef.

[@captnorthern7024]

Fair winds and following seas guys! Nudge me for dinner at my host if you call Shanghai. Bon vygs! NNNN

[@dfink424]

Where do you get all of your music from? I’m trying to use Shazam to recognize the songs but it does not. Could you add a few artists or songs that I could look up on Spotify, great songs that you choose!

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Dan, We list the tracks we use in the youtube description below the video. Most of our tracks are from Hooksounds.com as they kindly sponsor us.

[@vatansalvery]

What is the music for?

[@MonMon-vy8cb]

Is that gshock ur wearing both?

[@stephenkorz8563]

Why did you guys spend 6 months in New Zealand?

[@g-sailing4427]

Hi what’s the wooden thing at the back of the boat at 2:20 used for?

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Glenn, that is part of the mechanical self steering system (Aries Wind Vane) that steers Florence at a constant angle to the wind with no electrical power needed. :-)

[@shanslam1970]

When you've done a long passage like this do you take a couple of days to rest and catch up on sleep?

[@sails3538]

After a long passage there is a rush from a new place, a successful sail and all the sights and smells of land. It lasts a couple of days, just enough time to check in and get fresh food. Then it's 2 or three days rest and relaxation.

[@nortonmolly]

I didn’t realise you stayed in New Zealand for 6 months. Did you do any part time work to add to your sailing kitty?

[@johnbode954]

😊🇦🇺

[@svluthier]

Hi, I do like your videos very much. I am a cruising sailor and I am building a Spindrift like the one you have. I am thinking to do not build the sailing part, so How often you use your dinghy for sailing?

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Hi Dorival, We use the sailing rig all of the time. However we have been dinghy sailing since we were 6 years old and used to race sailing dinghies every weekend for fun, so we like dinghy sailing a lot. It all depends on how much you like sailing dinghies. If somewhere is too far to row we will sail the dinghy rather than put the noisy engine on, we just enjoy sailing. After crossing the Atlantic on Florence the first thing we did was launch the dinghy, put the sailing rig in, and go exploring around the bay. Cheers Matt and Amy

[@wntu4]

Where have I been? Nunya. Where am I going? Still Nunya. Nosy ass bureaucrats.

[@vincentconnolly2597]

👍🌊🎣⛵💯

[@crazyjay7676]

Please can you explane the function of the board at 2:24.

[@philenglish3931]

It's an auto steering sytem. The board is a wind vane. You can rig it to hold a course, as the vane moves it moves the wheel to correct the course.

[@Sidghengiskhan]

ah, an oasis of uk sounds in a desert of annoying aussi and yank sailing chatter.

[@stevelawrie9115]

What a life. Yeah, if I was in the middle of nowhere, I'd probably do the nud too. :)

[@ralphjessen2241]

where are the videos from fiji to New Zealand

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

We stopped filming after Tonga as the passage south from Tonga to NZ was pretty rough and we didn't feel like picking up a camera. Then started filming again in the Boat yard.