At 0700 we are in front of the TV at the yacht club to watch the favored New Zealand All Blacks play the French national team. Earlier in the morning, England upset Australia, which was another of the favorites. In a somewhat dubious play (an illegal forward pass that was not called by the ref) the French pull off the second upset of the day. We are looking forward to the 1AM game tomorrow to see how Fiji will do against the other favorite, South Africa.
Sunday is live music day at the yacht club at the end of the point, 200 yards from the boat. The band starts to play at about 1400 and yachties, hotel guests from the resort next door and local residents turn up to sit at picnic tables, drink beer and enjoy the music, sun and snacks. Because of its location on the end of the point, the yacht club enjoys a breeze whereas the marina is in a protected location – good for stormy times but hot as Hades on a day like today.
The scene is like a German beer garden on a Sunday afternoon. People are relaxed and casual and enjoying the day. The only difference is that most of the people are members of a semi-private club – the cruising community. They have in common the experiences of the sea and of owning a boat thus total strangers start animated conversations like they were old friends.
The bar is decorated with Fiji flags because of Fiji Day and in support of the national rugby team. Mark is wearing his Springbock jersey and the bartender tells him that another man on the other side of the bar is also South African. Brian is a “local” having moved to Fiji 4 years ago. He owns a business that does boat repairs and soon Mark has determined that he might use Brian’s services for bottom painting rather than waiting until we get to New Zealand. The cost is probably quite a bit less here and the weather is not right yet for the passage so there would be no loss of time. Brian invites us to his house nearby to watch the 1AM game and promises to come by on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday) to provide a quotation on the painting job.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Day 212 Latoka
We taxi into Latoka along with Dave and Melanie from Telarre, Debbie from Volaré and Tatyana from the German boat Breakpoint that is next to us at the marina.
The open-air produce market is much like the others we have seen, larger than Nadi and smaller than Suva. Saturday is market day in Fiji. In addition, Monday is Fiji Independence Day and there is a small carnival in the park and a parade planned for 1PM. Young kids are everywhere and the air is festive. Sunday at 1AM the Fiji rugby team will play one of the favorites – South Africa and the hype over Fiji’s chances adds to the excitement.
We buy some produce, wander through the carnival, buy some curry for lunch at one of the stands and are back in the taxi just as the parade is ready to start. Our taxi’s route is in the opposite direction as the parade so we see all the floats and marchers formed up and ready to begin. The weather is very hot and the sun strong so we elect to skip the parade and return to the boat.
After stowing the groceries, we walk over to the hotel that is adjacent to the marina and spend the afternoon trying to stay cool by the pool.
In the evening, we invite Volaré and Breakpoint over for Mark’s curry and end the evening talking politics with Thomas from Breakpoint. They have been sailing for 7 years and spent one year in Ushuaia on the Beagle Channel at the south end of Patagonia. Their boat is a “high latitude” aluminum hull so they were able to travel into the fjords of Chile and see the glaciers. It is quite an exciting story. Thomas’ political views are interesting as well. He postulates that Gorbochev won the Cold War by making the U.S. the last remaining superpower – an expensive position that will eventually weaken the U.S. economically. Is this one of the brilliant moves in the game of global chess?
The open-air produce market is much like the others we have seen, larger than Nadi and smaller than Suva. Saturday is market day in Fiji. In addition, Monday is Fiji Independence Day and there is a small carnival in the park and a parade planned for 1PM. Young kids are everywhere and the air is festive. Sunday at 1AM the Fiji rugby team will play one of the favorites – South Africa and the hype over Fiji’s chances adds to the excitement.
We buy some produce, wander through the carnival, buy some curry for lunch at one of the stands and are back in the taxi just as the parade is ready to start. Our taxi’s route is in the opposite direction as the parade so we see all the floats and marchers formed up and ready to begin. The weather is very hot and the sun strong so we elect to skip the parade and return to the boat.
After stowing the groceries, we walk over to the hotel that is adjacent to the marina and spend the afternoon trying to stay cool by the pool.
In the evening, we invite Volaré and Breakpoint over for Mark’s curry and end the evening talking politics with Thomas from Breakpoint. They have been sailing for 7 years and spent one year in Ushuaia on the Beagle Channel at the south end of Patagonia. Their boat is a “high latitude” aluminum hull so they were able to travel into the fjords of Chile and see the glaciers. It is quite an exciting story. Thomas’ political views are interesting as well. He postulates that Gorbochev won the Cold War by making the U.S. the last remaining superpower – an expensive position that will eventually weaken the U.S. economically. Is this one of the brilliant moves in the game of global chess?
Friday, October 5, 2007
Day 211 Vuda Point Marina
Another day, another island. That’s the life of a cruiser.
At the south end of Waya Island (the southern most island in the Yasawas) there is a small village and a backpacker resort. Connected to Waya by a narrow isthmus of sand is Wayalailai or little Waya Island. Just west of the isthmus there is a 50 foot deep lagoon surrounded by sandy beaches and this is where we put the hook after a day of sailing.
Again, the snorkeling is great and by late afternoon, we discover that the backpacker resort has cold beer – a perfect end to a day of sailing and snorkeling. The resort is named sunset because they believe that the sunset viewed from the isthmus is the best in Fiji. We try it but clouds near the horizon reduce the effect. Sunsets in the South Pacific are so spectacular that even a great one is downgraded relative to the best.
The resort is serving fish for dinner so we decide to stay. Outside the small main building some local women are selling handicrafts that are one of their main means of support beyond fishing and farming. I decide to buy the classic bone fishhook that is a signature of the South Pacific. Wearing it means that you will come back some day.
When I pay Racheal, she says “God bless you” so I ask if she is a Christian and if she reads the Bible. She says yes but she does not have a Bible of her own. Three days before, I was given a very nice Bible by Captain Mike of Good News. I promised that if I found someone who did not have one I would pass it on so I went back to the boat, retrieved it and came back with the gift. This Bible is really a very beautiful (and probably expensive) book; bound in leather with gold page edges. Racheal is overwhelmed and says that no one has ever given her anything like this before. Greg takes a picture of the presentation so you can see it in the blog album.
After dinner, Racheal returns to the resort with her 20 year old daughter to say thank you again and to get a copy of the picture. I will always remember our stopover at Waya.
At the south end of Waya Island (the southern most island in the Yasawas) there is a small village and a backpacker resort. Connected to Waya by a narrow isthmus of sand is Wayalailai or little Waya Island. Just west of the isthmus there is a 50 foot deep lagoon surrounded by sandy beaches and this is where we put the hook after a day of sailing.
Again, the snorkeling is great and by late afternoon, we discover that the backpacker resort has cold beer – a perfect end to a day of sailing and snorkeling. The resort is named sunset because they believe that the sunset viewed from the isthmus is the best in Fiji. We try it but clouds near the horizon reduce the effect. Sunsets in the South Pacific are so spectacular that even a great one is downgraded relative to the best.
The resort is serving fish for dinner so we decide to stay. Outside the small main building some local women are selling handicrafts that are one of their main means of support beyond fishing and farming. I decide to buy the classic bone fishhook that is a signature of the South Pacific. Wearing it means that you will come back some day.
When I pay Racheal, she says “God bless you” so I ask if she is a Christian and if she reads the Bible. She says yes but she does not have a Bible of her own. Three days before, I was given a very nice Bible by Captain Mike of Good News. I promised that if I found someone who did not have one I would pass it on so I went back to the boat, retrieved it and came back with the gift. This Bible is really a very beautiful (and probably expensive) book; bound in leather with gold page edges. Racheal is overwhelmed and says that no one has ever given her anything like this before. Greg takes a picture of the presentation so you can see it in the blog album.
After dinner, Racheal returns to the resort with her 20 year old daughter to say thank you again and to get a copy of the picture. I will always remember our stopover at Waya.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Day 210 Waya Island
Another day, another island. That’s the life of a cruiser.
At the south end of Waya Island (the southern most island in the Yasawas) there is a small village and a backpacker resort. Connected to Waya by a narrow isthmus of sand is Wayalailai or little Waya Island. Just west of the isthmus there is a 50 foot deep lagoon surrounded by sandy beaches and this is where we put the hook after a day of sailing.
Again, the snorkeling is great and by late afternoon, we discover that the backpacker resort has cold beer – a perfect end to a day of sailing and snorkeling. The resort is named sunset because they believe that the sunset viewed from the isthmus is the best in Fiji. We try it but clouds near the horizon reduce the effect. Sunsets in the South Pacific are so spectacular that even a great one is downgraded relative to the best.
The resort is serving fish for dinner so we decide to stay. Outside the small main building some local women are selling handicrafts that are one of their main means of support beyond fishing and farming. I decide to buy the classic bone fishhook that is a signature of the South Pacific. Wearing it means that you will come back some day.
When I pay Racheal, she says “God bless you” so I ask if she is a Christian and if she reads the Bible. She says yes but she does not have a Bible of her own. Three days before, I was given a very nice Bible by Captain Mike of Good News. I promised that if I found someone who did not have one I would pass it on so I went back to the boat, retrieved it and came back with the gift. This Bible is really a very beautiful (and probably expensive) book; bound in leather with gold page edges. Racheal is overwhelmed and says that no one has ever given her anything like this before. Greg takes a picture of the presentation so you can see it in the blog album.
After dinner, Racheal returns to the resort with her 20 year old daughter to say thank you again and to get a copy of the picture. I will always remember our stopover at Waya.
At the south end of Waya Island (the southern most island in the Yasawas) there is a small village and a backpacker resort. Connected to Waya by a narrow isthmus of sand is Wayalailai or little Waya Island. Just west of the isthmus there is a 50 foot deep lagoon surrounded by sandy beaches and this is where we put the hook after a day of sailing.
Again, the snorkeling is great and by late afternoon, we discover that the backpacker resort has cold beer – a perfect end to a day of sailing and snorkeling. The resort is named sunset because they believe that the sunset viewed from the isthmus is the best in Fiji. We try it but clouds near the horizon reduce the effect. Sunsets in the South Pacific are so spectacular that even a great one is downgraded relative to the best.
The resort is serving fish for dinner so we decide to stay. Outside the small main building some local women are selling handicrafts that are one of their main means of support beyond fishing and farming. I decide to buy the classic bone fishhook that is a signature of the South Pacific. Wearing it means that you will come back some day.
When I pay Racheal, she says “God bless you” so I ask if she is a Christian and if she reads the Bible. She says yes but she does not have a Bible of her own. Three days before, I was given a very nice Bible by Captain Mike of Good News. I promised that if I found someone who did not have one I would pass it on so I went back to the boat, retrieved it and came back with the gift. This Bible is really a very beautiful (and probably expensive) book; bound in leather with gold page edges. Racheal is overwhelmed and says that no one has ever given her anything like this before. Greg takes a picture of the presentation so you can see it in the blog album.
After dinner, Racheal returns to the resort with her 20 year old daughter to say thank you again and to get a copy of the picture. I will always remember our stopover at Waya.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Day 209 Naviti Island
Greg and Debbie on Volaré are interested in visiting an island renowned for snorkeling with the manta rays so before 0800 we are both headed north to seek an anchorage nearby. The destination is near Naviti Island in the Yasawa group.
The Yasawas are like the Mananucas, volcanic with a barrier reef and spectacular beaches. The snorkeling here is the best we have seen in the entire trip. The table corals are two to three feet across and there are numerous fan and staghorn corals as well as a variety of others whose names I don’t know.
When it comes to names, I am even more handicapped at naming the fishes. To do so here would mean knowing a hundred different names of reef fishes. All I know is that they come in a huge variety of colors, shapes and sizes and are very beautiful. There are so many in some places that surface diving easily puts you in the middle of a cloud of swirling color.
We also see a few small shy sharks and a deadly poisonous scorpion fish (or lion fish). This flower like shape swims lazily near the bottom and we admire it from a safe distance. Beach bathers occasionally step on these fish and are badly injured by the poison in their spines.
Tonight we enjoy another wahoo dinner. One nice fish like the one we caught yesterday can provide us with several generous and delicious meals.
The Yasawas are like the Mananucas, volcanic with a barrier reef and spectacular beaches. The snorkeling here is the best we have seen in the entire trip. The table corals are two to three feet across and there are numerous fan and staghorn corals as well as a variety of others whose names I don’t know.
When it comes to names, I am even more handicapped at naming the fishes. To do so here would mean knowing a hundred different names of reef fishes. All I know is that they come in a huge variety of colors, shapes and sizes and are very beautiful. There are so many in some places that surface diving easily puts you in the middle of a cloud of swirling color.
We also see a few small shy sharks and a deadly poisonous scorpion fish (or lion fish). This flower like shape swims lazily near the bottom and we admire it from a safe distance. Beach bathers occasionally step on these fish and are badly injured by the poison in their spines.
Tonight we enjoy another wahoo dinner. One nice fish like the one we caught yesterday can provide us with several generous and delicious meals.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
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
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
Monday, October 1, 2007
Day 207 Prepare to depart
The sky is as clear as it gets and there is little wind. The GRIB files show a large high-pressure system sitting over Fiji and extending almost to New Zealand. This is not the right time to leave so we decide to head north for a few days and enjoy some of the outer islands. By now, the departure preparation is routine – wash the boat inside and out, provision, plot the course and get ready to pull up the anchor early the next day for the passage.
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