Day 197 Recovery

Yachts began departing today and there were lots of goodbyes and exchanged e-mail addresses. The packed marina thinned out and there were spaces on either side of Southern Star where boats had been.
We originally thought about going to Vitu Levu so we could do a last provisioning and the administrative checkout in Latoka but we realized that by the time we got there, everything would be closed. Like most of Polynesia and Melanesia, the stores and government offices close on Saturday at noon and are not open again until Monday morning.
We have agreed to “buddy boat” to New Zealand with Dave and Melanie of Talerra so we met with them to discuss options and plans. We need to go to Latoka at some point but the anchorages there are not very desirable as it is a port where they process sugar cane and black soot covers everything. Also, the desirable weather window for going south usually does not occur until mid-October so we need a place to “hang out” and watch the weather reports until the time is right. One possibility is Robinson Crusoe Island where we stopped on the way to Musket Cove but the water was cloudy from the river and not a very desirable place to swim and snorkel. Finally we settled on the Yasawa Group of islands since they are close and are reputed to have good anchorages with clear water.
The plan at the moment is to stay in Musket Cove until Monday, go to Latoka or some point near while we provision, use the Internet and complete the administrative check out procedure. After that we will find a good anchorage in the Yasawa Group until the weather is right for the crossing to New Zealand.
In the meanwhile, we passed the day by swimming in the pool, playing cards, reading our books and visiting with the other yachties who are still around.