Programs Blog

Hurry Up and Wait: A Day at Port in Denarue Fiji

July 26, 2024
Who knew that Immersion suites (which are a type of emergency gear that help with flotation and warmth in case of ship evacuation) looked so fashionable? Starting from the left of the photo, Jaden, Lauren, Bryce, Emily, Sarah, Oriana, Alex, Keisha, and Lina are all looking good in their gear!

Author: Lauren Lovingood, C Watch, University of Evansville

Ship’s Log

Wednesday, 24 July 2024

Noon Position (Lat and Long): 17° 51.3 S / 177° 14.6 E

Ship Heading (degrees): NA

Ship Speed: Zero Knots

Log (nm): 0.0

Weather / Wind: Hot and humid, Cumulus clouds / Wind speed 4-6 knots / Sail Plan: Docked

Description of location: Alongside in Port Denarau, Fiji

For today’s blog I am going to share a little bit of our day waiting for departure from Denarue Fiji:

            On this particular morning, as I stood waiting for muster, I was slowly becoming increasingly aware of just how hot the deck of a boat could get. As I felt the hot sun on the back of my neck, I reminded myself that later in the afternoon we were scheduled to finally leave port and head out into open waters. However, for the time being our boat was firmly docked in the Denarue Port of Fiji and it wasn’t moving anytime soon.

I looked up at the morning sky hovering above me and noticed a few streaks of pink and orange stretching across it. These colors hinted to the sunrise that I had missed while I was still below deck brushing my teeth, eating breakfast, and getting ready for the day. Even though it was early, the port was already bustling with colorfully dressed tourists following behind tour boat guides adorned with red hibiscus flowers. With mild intrigue, I watched the troves of tourists make their way down the next pier over, parallel to our ship the Robert C. Seamans.

My attention was drawn back from people watching when the other students and crew members started to form a circle on the main deck. We were commanded to run through all emergency protocols, which ensured that we would be ready to leave port in only a few short hours. As we ran through fire drills, man overboard procedures, and learned how to abandon ship I felt more and more prepared to actually start our adventure.

An hour before we were set to depart, we pulled in the ramp to the dock, prepared the lines, and communicated with local authorities. But sadly, even though we were all ready, our time to leave never came. Our departure was pushed back due to delays because of Fiji customs.

We plan to get underway ASAP tomorrow, but only time will tell.

Fair winds to all, Lauren Lovingood