WESail

Cruising the Lau Group

When you look at Fiji on a world map, you’ll likely only see the two main islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, that are big enough to stand out at small scale. In reality, there are over 300 tropical paradise-like islands, all of which are worth visiting. But for most blue water sailors, this is not always so easy.

WESail

Published 31/07/2026

By Graham Shaw

Subscribers Only

Issue: 209

Published: oct. / oct. 2026

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Who: Warren and Erica
Where: Lau Group, Fiji, South Pacific
Multihull: Hélia 44
YouTube: @WESail

Located on a cultural boundary between the Polynesian islands of Tonga and the Melanesian islands of the rest of Fiji, the Lau Group are some of the Pacific’s most stunning islands to visit, but the trouble is there’s no port of entry until you get to the main islands, and stopping off anywhere before clearing in is strictly prohibited and rigorously enforced.
The majority of cruisers passing this way will be westbound, i.e. sailing downwind and down current from island groups to the east – Tonga, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. Once cleared in with the Fijian authorities, it would be a major trek back upwind to return to the Lau Group, a voyage not necessarily suited to today’s cruising multihulls.
But is there a solution? Well, Warren and Erica found a slightly unorthodox one. Having spent the majority of the Pacific Cyclone Season in the western Yasawa islands, close to shelter in Vitu Levu if required, a tropical depression barreling down between Fiji and Vanuatu intensified to become Cyclone Vaianu. As warnings were broadcast, the crew of Va quickly headed for Vuda Marina to ride out the storm. Thanks to intensive preparation and the work of the marina staff, the catamaran came through the storm unscathed.
While the tradewinds that blow through this part of the world almost consistently year-round from east to west, swirling cyclone winds blow from every direction, but in the southern hemisphere, the winds on the back side of a southbound system will be westerly… exactly the direction our YouTubers need. So having waited for the storm to abate, they hopped on Vaianu’s tail-end east-going breeze, finally setting sail for the Lau Group. Despite initially experiencing a lively sea state thanks to the residual swell, the crew sailed all the way with the wind aft of the beam and even managed to restock the freezer having caught a large tuna on the way.
The couple made landfall at the spectacular reef-fringed island of Fulaga, and having entered the pass and dropped the anchor, they headed ashore for the all-important sevusevu ceremony where they presented the traditional gift of kava root to the local chief before they could be ...

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