The sail from Fiji to Samoa took us 5 days, 21 hours.  We were able to sail the entire way and motored for only 10 hours, mostly after rounding the NW corner of Upolu Island in the shadow of the SE trades. This was an unusually fast passage for this route and we were helped by a southerly component to the trade winds.  We docked at a mostly empty marina in Apia and celebrated with coconut drinks and Samoan beer. Dave and Denise are now blue-water cruisers and hope to continue sailing on their own someday to Alaska.

Apia is a great little town and Samoans are very friendly. My new crew (Doug and Adam) for the next leg to Christmas Island flew in and joined me on the boat as Dave and Denise went to a hotel and prepared to fly back to Seattle.  We spent the next several days getting ready for another departure–provisioning, re-fueling, and fixing things.  We also did some fun things like going to church and taking a tour around the island to experience some Samoan culture.

Church Service

The church service in Apia was outstanding!  We walked about a mile to the biggest Catholic church in Samoa. Out of respect for Samoan culture, we all wore sulus to the service. The church architecture was amazing with the detailed paintings, marbled floors, colorful stained-glass windows, and high ceilings with wood carvings. The sermon was mostly in Samoan and lasted about 90 minutes. What made the service so special was the singing and how the interior acoustics amplified the voices.

Island Tour

We took a half-day tour around the eastern side of Upolu. Our guide Junior told us lots of interesting facts and stories as we stopped at waterfalls, beaches, and historical sights along the way.   One of the most fascinating places we stopped at was a swimming hole called Sua Ocean Trench.  It’s a huge hole about 200 feet deep with 10 feet of seawater in the bottom and an underground trench connecting to the ocean.  We climbed down the ladder and swam in the water with our snorkeling masks.  The ocean surge forced seawater in and out of the trench and changed the depth of the water by a few feet. We also had a traditional Samoan feast at the Taufua Beach Restaurant & Fales consisting of pig, raw marinated fish (ceviche), taro root, chop suey with chicken, taro leaves with beef, and octopus in coconut milk.