Passage Dangers

Back in 1994, Seven Seas Cruising Association Commodore Chuck Houlihan of s/y Jacaranda published a list of 27 previously unmarked hazards in the oceans between Tonga and Fiji.  We're reproducing that list here (below, left) augmented by additions from other sources (below, right).

Cruisers - If you use the MaxSea program for navigation, we've also included a 'Layer' file you can download to MaxSea that includes all of these hazards marked in red.  This file also contains many of the tracks we took in the Vava'u and Ha'apai Groups of Tonga.  Since the charts in Tonga were often out by large amounts, these tracks can be very useful.  Also, those cruising western Fiji with MaxSea might want to download another 'Layer' file that includes some tracks and notes on islands and navigational issues.

If you download either of these files, save them in a convenient place (I suggest creating a MaxSea folder under My Documents).  In MaxSea, click File, Open..., and in the dialog box that appears navigate to where you stored the Layer file(s).  Select the file you downloaded and the new data should appear.  You can modify the data using MaxSea if you want.  Selecting File, Close, (or un-checking the box under the Layer button) will remove the displayed data without affecting the chart underneath.

Note that we have not verified any of these hazards, nor can we claim any responsibility for the accuracy or validity of this list - we're just reproducing information that was presented to us as valid.  However, our passage from Tonga to Fiji looked very different after plotting these hazards.

These are listed from north to south, but I did not mix the 2 groups.  All Latitudes are South, and all Longitudes are West.  To save this page for later (offline) viewing, go to the upper left corner of your browser and click File, Save As..., and save the page.

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