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  We arrive in Fiji at Levuka. Ovalau has an old world charm of it own, and once Customs officers have cleared us, which can take a notoriously long time, we will get ashore and perhaps enjoy tea and billiards at the Royal Hotel or a gin at the Ovalau Club.
We should have 5 or 6 days to cruise the islands to the east and south of Fiji's main island Viti Levu. It will depend at the time which places we choose to go and often the chart will be laid out in the saloon and the alternative plans discussed and put to a vote - a decision making process rarely heard of in Captain Bligh's day.
In previous years we have had an enchanting day and night at either Kandavu or Mbegga lying at anchor off the village of Malureu within the lagoon. After the Captain had attained permission for our visit from the chief we invited dozens of the local children on board for a tour of the ship and we later the ship's company visited the village and joined in the traditional welcome of the kava ceremony at the chief's house. We may have stop for a bar-b-que lunch at one of the uninhabited islands close by.
The cruise around Fiji will involve one overnight passage as well as those spent anchored in peaceful bays and inlets and will finish at the port of Lautoka on the west side of Viti Levu.
 On arriving onboard you will be shown your berths, introduced to the crew, and signed on Ship's Articles as Voyage Crew members. Much of the first morning will be spent introducing you to the ship and explaining the various routines, safety procedures and equipment and how the watch system works.
During the short sea passage from Samoa to Fiji the ship is sailing 24 hours a day and as voyage crew you will stand deck watches and work within a normal 4 hours on / 8 hours off watch system.
 Our sailing between anchorages in the island groups may involve some motoring but also some quite intense sail handling. However this allows those who would rather relish the amazing scenery to stand back and let the keener sailors get involved in handling the ship under sail.
 Everyone is involved in the duty watch system as Voyage Crew which will operate while we are under way and you may have your turn at the helm, on bow lookout or helping trim sail or help tack ship. Going aloft is a unique experience but is not compulsory and everyone can decide when or if they’d like to. People of all ages join us and many have never sailed before - previous experience is certainly not necessary.
 There are 13 permanent crew who maintain and sail the ship who are there to assist and help you enjoy your time aboard. Once we drop anchor the deck watch is undertaken by the permanent crew and you the Voyage Crew are free to explore ashore.
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Samoa to Fiji 
The journey commences at Samoan capital of Apia. It is here that Robert Louis Stevenson made his final home and resting place at ‘Vailima’. He arrived in 1889 Stevenson having explored this area of Polynesia with his wife by sail and recorded his fascination with it in his travelogue “In the South Seas”. A visit to his house and estate would be an appropriate starting point to our voyage as we set out to share his experiences of the Pacific. 
and surrounding islands. Here we will cruise archipelago of tiny islands and visit Swallow’s Cave and Mariner’s Cave and make the most of the wonderful snorkelling there. 
When at an anchorage we use Soren's 17 ft inflatable boat for runs to the beach to explore ashore. The ship has masks and snorkels for all those who want to swim from the ship. 
It is 500 miles westwards from Niefu in Vava’u at the northern part of the Kingdom of Tonga to Levuka, the eastern entry port for Fiji. This should provide tropical downwind sailing at its best and will mean we have four or five nights to enjoy our ocean passage. 
PRACTICAL INFORMATION 
Now famous for providing sail training adventure voyages and as the star of the BBC’s classic series "The Onedin Line", the Soren Larsen was originally one of the last cargo carrying sailing ships trading throughout Scandinavia, northern Europe and Britain. Built of oak by the Danish ship building company of 'Soren Larsen & Sons' in Nykobing Mors in northern Denmark, she carried timber, grain and general cargo from 1949 to 1972. Purchased in 1978 by Tony Davies and his family, she was taken to Colchester on the east coast of England and lovingly restored and rerigged as the graceful 19th century brigantine she is today. Captain Davies specialised in period film work and so the Soren Larsen began her working life again in early 1979 starring in "The Onedin Line". Other projects followed including "The French Lieutenant’s Woman" and "Shackleton". In 1982 she was invited to pioneer sailing for the disabled for the Jubilee Sailing Trust in Southampton before being chosen, in 1987, to be Flagship of the First Fleet Re-enactment Voyage to celebrate Australia’s Bicentennial. She led a fleet of squareriggers on an ambitious 22,000 mile voyage from Portsmouth via Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town, arriving to a tumultuous welcome in Sydney in 1988.
After a major refit in the UK at Gloucester, Soren Larsen returned home to Auckland. She established herself as 'Flagship of the City of Sails' and has won Tourism Awards for Adventure and Experience categories. This illustrious ship celebrated the Millennium with a spectacular round the world voyage, the 2000-2001 Global Odyssey, visiting 25 countries and sailing 30,000 nautical miles. This 2009 project sets out to visit the further corners of the Polynesian Triangle and visit the very best of the untouched tropical South Pacific. 
