The goal of this week was to travel halfway across the world - from Croatia to Fiji - stopping in San Francisco for a couple of days to change gear, do laundry, read mail, etc.

It was a long trip, nearly 13,000 miles, but I made it.

I am now in Fiji, and have reunited with Skipper Tom, First Mate Rick, and the lovely sailing vessel Avalon.  We are at Port Denerau, in the town of Nadi.  We spend the days doing lots of boat jobs, bringing Avalon out of her 6-month hibernation.  Cleaning, organizing, testing, etc.  These activities will continue all of this upcoming week.  We'll do a couple shakedown sails, too.  

The earliest we'll depart (for New Zealand) is November 8 (Election Day in the US!).  We need to closely monitor the weather to ensure a safe passage in the best possible weather window.

Off the boat, we've had a good time exploring local accommodation options.  It's too hot to sleep on the boat.  We have found a small beachfront area that has a number of little hotels / hostels. 

More next week.  I have to get back to the boat!  I forgot how bad (i.e., slow, unreliable) the WIFI is in Fiji.  So bear with me...