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Fiji Hurricane


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We had plenty of warning for this one so we're tied up tight in Vuda. Their response has been excellent with procedures kicked off late Thursday. Chains run to the centre ring, most boats have chains back to the shore,they put the surge boom over the entrance about an hour ago. The marina workers worked like trojans and will be well rewarded by the cruisers after it's all over (read BIG party). Only problem is the bar is closed. :( :(

We're not forecast to get more than about 50 knot gusts but if Tomas changes track at landfall it is likely to be to the west a bit more so we're ready for any ugliness. It's only blowing about 20-25 knots here at the moment but the centre is still 200 miles away.

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It is moving pretty slowly so intensifying but unless something radical happens we will miss the worst of it by quite a margin (mind you, Ului didn't stick to predictions at all) Still barbecue weather here (yum, breadfruit chips & sausages).

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It's interesting to see two storms side by side like that. I don't recall ever seeing anything like that before. I wonder if they will influence each other in anyway. I would hate to see them come together, but at the same time, maybe that would destroy them. Hmmm, interesting.

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Three storms merging like that caused the US Perfect Storm in 1991 didn't it?

 

But today's effort sounds pretty nasty, if you believe the latest reports from Fiji of av. winds 175 kmh (95kts) and max 270kmh (145kts). Plus 7-8m swells.

 

Pete - are you there?

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Three storms merging like that caused the US Perfect Storm in 1991 didn't it?

Three different types of weather fronts though. It was like three different Air temperatures, moisture contents and pressure differences that combined to create one nasty Storm Front. These Cyclones are similar fast spinning storms side by side. They draw air in from the sides and spew it up to high altitude in the centre. So one more dominant would likely tear the less dominante apart, but it is what all that warm moist air will do to the more dominant. Due to the direction of over all weather direction as the Earth spins, the majority of air tends to feed into a cyclone from the Northwest side of them. That means the Fiji storm would most likely suck in the Solomon storm. I don't know what would then happen, but the two could influence direction of one another.

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The Solomon cyclone (Ului) was stronger than Thomas but now seems to be weakening and breaking towards Oz. So it doesn't look like they're gonna get your cataclysmic reunion, sorry to disappoint you wheels. I reckon the islanders will be happy about that cos it sounds bad enough.

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We're getting about 35 knots here at the moment and it has veered about 30 degrees in the last 3 hours so unless Tomas does a hockey stick we are in the clear. We were worried about Ului as it was forecast to recurve in a big way and the 2 systems would have got close but instead it rushed away to the west. Local radio had a report of a yacht on the reef at Savu Savu but nobody knows who it is (everybody got off safely). For a developing country, Fiji seems to have its act together in a big way for disaster response and the flow of information is excellent.

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One side issue of this is I have had several emails from the NZ High Commission here regarding the storm. I have never registered with their safetravel (big brother) site as I'm sure they don't know jack about sailing so no bloody use to me. Question, how did they get my email address and can I have them prosecuted under New Zealand anti spam laws? :wink:

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Question, how did they get my email address

Hmmm, is that what the two guys in the Dark suits on a 30deg day and still wearing Dark glasses when the Sun had set where all about. Sorry Pete, they threatened me with Bamboo under the finger nails.

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Pete - never underestimate the ability of a government to track you down if it wants to. So when they said today that they have a register of all kiwis in Fiji they weren't lying - they might not have heard back from them all - but they have a register. If it was me I'd be tempted to drop them a line to say "Thanks for asking but I'm OK and no I don't want to register for permanent tracking of my movements."

 

Good to hear that you're OK though.

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Weeelll...I don't like the sneaking-around stuff any more than anyone else but it is only fair to acknowledge that this is a government department doing its job efficiently in a [potential] crisis i.e. keeping track of Kiwis in the firing line.

 

Heaven forbid that Pete & Co or any of the others up there need a ride home...potentially without passports or possessions...but this is an indication that these guys would probably have some idea how to get the job done if the moment came.

 

After all, if they were bunkered down in the High Commission working their way through the duty-free supplies and not answering the phone, we'd be outraged at the waste of taxpayers' money.

 

Emails from people you don't know are disconcerting (in terms of how they might have obtained your email address) but we all get dozens of 'em every day.

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It's more of a concern to me how they got my address as I never have a problem with spam etc. because I have been successful at keeping it private. Yes, the service is good but I didn't request it and don't like the idea of my movements being monitored and recorded without my knowledge. Last time I entered Fiji was by plane after a delivery so I can only assume they got my address through airline ticketing. Next delivery is to Fiji from NZ so I might list Uzbekhistan as my next port of call and throw the buggers off the scent.

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My response to their latest email.

"Please explain to me where you got my email address. I am concerned to be receiving an unsigned, unsolicited email from a purportedly New Zealand government agency using a Fiji server address that contains no links to establish its authenticity."

I'm bored and feel like stirring the pot a little.

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Long time since I have been lucky enough to enter Fiji but are you not required to put some [mythical, I guess, if you wanted] contact details on your arrival card? Obviously that would be for Fiji Customs but it is not hard to envisage them considering it to be OK to provide the NZ High Commission with a list of NZ citizens who have come into the country that week.

 

I'm hearing you but the alternative is not that great either: "Hi, I'm an NZ citizen, you have never heard of me and didn't realise I was in the country but anyway, I just need a replacement passport and flights home for me and my 12 relations here and we'll be on our way. What do you mean, you need two weeks to check us out? Is that any way to treat people who have been through a traumatic experience?".

 

That would get everyone posting in the immigration thread all over again.

 

Kinda seems if they are damned if they do make some attempt at caring and damned if they don't.

 

Anyway it is a healthy sign if these are the biggest issues we have to occupy ourselves with. :thumbup:

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Simple really. It will be NZ Internal Affairs and Fiji customs.

I am concerned to be receiving an unsigned, unsolicited email from a purportedly New Zealand government agency using a Fiji server address that contains no links to establish its authenticity."

However, that is a concern. It should be on some official Gvt letter head or some means of legal authoritive identification, no mater which Gvt, Fiji or NZ.

Plus the other point is sharing information from department to department and all this crap privacy law business etc etc. They say they can't share, then they say they don't act on it if they do share and well...that blows that argument out of the water doesn't it.

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