Day 208 Navadra Island

This morning we weigh anchor and head for an anchorage that is between Navadra Island and Vaua Levu in the Mamanuca Island group at S17º27.6 by E177º04.2. Talerra left yesterday and reported on the radio that the area is beautiful.
We sail about halfway until the wind dies and turn on the motor for the rest of the way. We are accompanied by Greg and Debbie on Volaré. They live in Sydney, Australia but their boat is a Catalina 42 built and purchased in California. This is their fourth boat and Greg researched a long time before deciding on a Catalina. Volaré is clearly a fast boat and quickly outdistances us. Debbie does not participate much in the sailing so Greg is mostly single handing – another sign of very capable boat design. Later in the day, I get a tour and am quite impressed. The cabin is spacious and comfortable and the layout is very practical.
The anchorages is in a lagoon between the two islands. This island group is of volcanic origin and like the Marquises Island, they are topped with spires – remnants of the cone of a volcano. Unlike the Marquises, however, they have a barrier reef and a lagoon and this means the opportunity for a shallow anchorage and beaches. In fact, the beaches are quite spectacular – broad and covered with soft white sand. This is spoiled a tiny bit by the shards of coral and bits of pumice that are mixed with the sand – but close to perfect is still pretty nice.
There are several other boats already at anchor so we organize a beach barbecue to take place at “four fingers” and by sunset we have a cozy fire on shore with a dozen yachties enjoying grilled steaks and a freshly caught wahoo. Life can be tough when cruising