Fiji – HandsOnDeck

The Final Push Home

Imagine this – you are riding a wild bucking bronco, in your beloved home, on a steep incline and you are told to cling onto the saddle for four days, holding your best china in one hand, without breaking anything. Now add to the mix the need to prepare food, wash and perform other duties without falling off the horse! That’s what it felt like for us on the passage to NZ. It all started quite differently……

We left Fiji early in beautiful sunshine with very little wind having prepared three days of meals, completed all the necessary pre-arrival requirements for NZ and carefully stowed things away for the anticipated nine-day passage. Our weather router, John, sent us a synopsis of the weather we could expect for the next couple of days and provided us with lat/long co-ordinates for points we should try to aim for based on the forecast wind direction. Each morning we were to send John our updated position via email, with details of the conditions we were experiencing, and he would then confirm our new waypoint or tell us how we were tracking and what weather we could expect over the next 24hrs. It was a service we were glad to have bought, as John was able to predict windshifts and strength before some of the weather models had updated their data. Also as a fellow sailor who regular sails between Fiji and NZ, John was a great knowledge bank we could draw on.

As soon as we were through the reef which borders Fiji’s main island of Vitu Levu, we were in the wind and heading for the first waypoint. Our friends on SV Diva, Chris and Jenn, were following us but we had no doubt they would soon overtake us in their beautiful 60ft Deerfoot yacht. This proved to be the case as the wind turned as we arrived at our first waypoint 24hrs later and they slid past us making the most of the gentle breeze and flat seas. For the next few days, we remained within 10nm of each other, talking on VHF even when we couldn’t see each other on AIS and it felt comforting knowing another boat was close by if either of us needed help.

Over the first few days we had to motor as the wind was fickle with the constant swell taking any wind that was in the sails and we soon grew tired of the constant banging of the main and jib as it filled and then was emptied again! The weather was still warm, and we took it in turns to keep a watch out for any other boats or dark ominous clouds on the horizon, making the most of any wind that appeared and turning the engine off as quickly as we could. The wind was always in front of us on our port side so, when the wind increased, we had to get used to living on a permanent lean!

Each night we participated in a SSB (Single Side Band) Net run by Gulf Harbour Radio. Patricia and David provide a nightly monitoring and communication service, free of charge, for any boats heading to NZ, Australia or anywhere in the Pacific. They are fellow sailors who love to pass and receive information to help other sailors on passage. It is a fabulous service, run from their home in Gulf Harbour with Patricia offering encouraging comments and taking position reports while David comments on weather. Each night we were able to follow other yachts’ journey and get information from those not far ahead of us regarding the conditions they were experiencing so we could understand what we may expect as we approached their location.

By the fourth day we were starting to head south west towards our third waypoint provided by John in strong winds and short sharp seas. As I look back at the emails I sent and comments on the nightly Net, I was getting increasingly concerned about how far west we were heading. At one point it looked like Australia was a more viable option than NZ as the south east winds continued to batter us. In addition to the winds increasing, the waves were also building as we bashed into them on a continuous seesaw. So now we were not only dealing with healing over, but we were also having to contend with the boat bashing into 3m swell every couple of seconds making the boat, and us, shudder each time we slammed down on a wave. I needn’t tell you how unpleasant and concerning it was as we remembered a number of friends and fellow cruisers who had experienced rig issues recently!

The weather was getting considerably cooler and in the evenings we wrapped up in warm clothes, woolly hat and a blanket to keep watch under dark, moonless skies while the one off watch snuggled under a duvet in our aft cabin. Two of the features we love about Cerulean really came into play on this passage – our lovely cabin in the back of the boat and our deck saloon which meant we could stay warm and dry below when the weather turned for the worse. Having our comfortable bed in the back of the boat meant we slept really well without the noise and bouncing at the front of the boat as Cerulean slammed down on a wave.

On day eight, as if by magic, just as we were approaching the waypoint provided by our weather router, the wind turned more east, so we were able to start turning towards NZ. With the change in wind direction came squalls and we contented with 30knot gusts right on the nose which, believe me, is not pleasant! Steve had been feeling unwell for a few days and had developed a nasty cough and runny nose. He was slowly starting to feel better when we noticed that the two strops that hold the bottom of our jib furler in place, had become loose and there was no alternative but to go forward and repair it. With the boat crashing down on building winds we stopped the boat by heaving-to and letting Cerulean sit side on to the wind with the main sail filled but the jib backed. Steve edged forward and worked stoically under huge pressure and in the worst conditions while feeling unwell. He once again saved the day, and we were soon back sailing again.

The wind started to die at midnight on the eighth day and the calm and quiet of the boat moving through the water at 6knots was fabulous after the craziness of the last few days, however with the drop in wind, the direction had also changed so we were no longer heading east and, if we continued on this course we would now be heading down the west coast of the North Island! However, the wind died a lot faster than we had anticipated so by 4am we were motoring, and this is when the advantage of having an aft cabin is cancelled out! The noise from the engine is loud and trying to sleep with the constant drone of the motor and whirl of the prop is a challenge. Our forward berth was filled with stowed items, so it was currently not an option to decamp to an alternative cabin. We still had just over 200nm to get to Opua and this meant almost two full days of motoring, so our hope now was that, instead of just a few hours earlier when we hoped the wind would abate, we now wanted to have some more wind as we can usually sail faster than motor! To make matters worse, as the sun came up, so did the waves so now the gentle rocking had become more intense as we continued our journey closer to land.

By mid-morning we were sailing again heading south east at a sedate but comfortable speed until the wind died in the late afternoon and on came the iron sail again! We motored throughout the night in a glassy sea, where the millions of stars were reflected in the water we cut through. It was a magical last night at sea after a challenging passage, even if the motor was on.

The wind increased a little during the day but not enough to turn off the engine while still maintaining speed to ensure we arrived in Opua in daylight. We motor sailed, enjoying good speed, and cleared Cape Wiwiki on Purerua Peninsula and passed the historic town of Russell making 7knots under full jib, charging towards Opua in fading light. As we furled the jib and continued motoring towards the dock, we heard a “Whoop Whoop” and cheering from the shore. Steve and I were both surprised and over-joyed to see Steve’s mum and sister, rugged up against the chilly wind, standing on the bank close to the marina, waving furiously as we chugged by on our way to the quarantine dock. Sadly we were unable to hug them as the quarantine dock is separated from the mainland and we had to remain there until check-in formalities were complete, which would start in the morning.

We had arrived. Over 20,000nm under our keel, 37 countries visited and a lifetime of memories created. As we stepped onto New Zealand soil for the first time, a huge sense of achievement and emotion overwhelmed us. This marked the end of an almost four year adventure and we had achieved what we had originally set out to do, but now our future is uncertain except for the certainty that more long distance sailing will continue to be part of our lives with many more adventures to come!

Waiting for a window

After a day of recovery after Lynn and G left, we started preparing for our passage to NZ. One of our sails needed a few repairs, the rig needed to be checked, lines replaced and the boat generally prepared for this long anticipated and, slightly feared, final sail home.

We talked to our weather router and established a possible departure at the end of the week, five days away. We decided to head to Musket Cove, a small island close by with a popular anchorage for yachties, so we could clean underneath the boat and enjoy some down time before the long sail.

Musket Cove on Malolo Island, is only 15nm sail from Denerau, and has a number of resorts, serviced by regular ferries and tourist boats. The large bay has two reefs in the centre which divide the area into three distinctive anchorage areas. In front of the resorts is a busy channel servicing most of the ferries and pleasure activities for the resort guests. A couple of mooring buoys give easy access to the beach and resort facilities, which are normally open for yachties to use. The centre area offers a large anchorage with a short dinghy ride to a good dinghy dock and a popular yachties bar. The third area is a quiet, secluded anchorage close to the big island of Malolo. We chose the centre anchorage as we were, once again, using our small outboard on our dinghy as our bigger, main engine had been out of action since Tonga and we had been unable to get the necessary spare part.

One afternoon I smelt burning while in the boat. It is not unusual, in fact very common, to see fires on the shore and plumes of smoke hanging over the anchorages is a regular event. This smelt like burning plastic and we frantically went around the boat checking wiring ana d cables to make sure it was not a fault on board. Steve went outside and reported it was stronger outside so we assumed the smell was coming from some unseen fire on land. Later I noticed something, I thought bird poo, on one of our solar panels and on investigation found that one of the cells had melted. We immediately disconnected the panel and considered ourselves very lucky that the outcome was not alot worse.

We socialized with other cruisers at a beach bar near the dinghy dock. Being aware little bity things come out in the evening I went hunting for some of my preferred repellent and, while gabbing a tool for Steve, discovered a bottle in his tool cupboard. Thinking it must have been put in there by mistake, I liberally sprayed myself with the repellent and headed out. It was only later that I discovered Steve had re-purposed the bottle and I had sprayed myself with a lubricating oil (not THAT kind…) used to service winches, not wenches! It seemed to keep the bugs away, but our bed sheets may never recover!

We spent a few days, joining a large group of other cruisers, watching the rugby world cup games and cleaning the bottom of the boat while keeping a watchful eye on the weather. Our weather router advised us there was a possible window developing in a couple of days, so we returned to Denerau to provision and make an appointment with customs to check out on the Friday morning. We decided to treat ourselves to a meal out on our last night in Fiji and checked the weather while waiting for our meals to arrive. While the weather looked good for most of the passage, the forecast for our predicted arrival day in NZ looked awful, with the tailwinds from cyclone Lola, an early cyclone expected to hit Vanuatu, mixing with a depression over NZ and causing terrible conditions on our arrival. What was most worrying was the different weather models were agreeing on this forecast and we suddenly became very uneasy about leaving Fiji the next day. We contacted our friends on SV Diva whom we were buddy sailing to NZ with, and together agreed it looked foreboding. In the morning we contacted our weather router who responded quickly telling all boats considering leaving later that day to cancel departure and wait for the next window. I was relieved as the weather on arrival in NZ was my biggest concern and with a forecast this bad, I did not want to risk the boat, or our lives purely because we were eager to start the passage. While the final decision to leave is always ours, we pay for professional advice so have to put a great deal of faith in their more experienced knowledge of the weather.

We returned to Musket Cove to watch the rugby world cup final and continued to monitor the weather from there. As it transpired, the decision to wait was the right one as extremely strong wind battered the north of NZ for two days and we would have been caught in the middle of it all. It was awful watching the progress of a few boats who had decided to continue with their planned departure and were left to face 50knot winds and huge seas as they struggled off the coast of NZ with one boat, who we didn’t know, having to be abandoned with the solo skipper rescued in horrendous conditions.

While waiting for the next opportunity to depart, we explored a few other islands in the Yasawa’s as well as snorkeling a few of the reefs. The clarity of the water was superb, and we had not seen coral as good or healthy, since Bonaire. The reefs were full of fish, and we saw Eagle rays, turtles, squid and lots of colourful fish. One morning we left Mama Island early and anchored on the NE side of a tiny sand bar called Nukuimana Reef. We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed a few hours of snorkeling the beautiful coral in crystal clear water before several tourist boats arrived mid-morning so we pulled anchor and headed to a quiet anchorage on the north of Malolo where we were once again the only boat and were able to continue cleaning our hull.

Another departure window was opening, so we headed back to the mainland, this time returning to Saweni where, unlike the previous time we had anchored here, we were the only boat when we arrived in the early afternoon. We lost no time heading ashore and walked along the railway line towards the port town of Latoka. Here, we made use of the excellent supermarkets and fresh fruit and veg market and stocked up on everything we would need for the next few weeks, intending to do one more fresh shop the day of our departure.

The next day we awoke to a beautiful, windless morning in the bay and once again returned to the beach, this time following the rail track in the other direction, towards Vuda, where there is a big marina and several friends we wanted to catch up with. One particular boat of friends was DanceMe a Belgium boat we had crossed the Atlantic and Pacific with and caught up with in Colombia, Panama and Marquesas. They were on their way from Niue to Tonga when they were dismasted and they had to cut away not only the mast but all their sails and, with enormous damage on the boat, motored the remaining 300nm to Tonga. In Tonga they were helped to build a jury rig (makeshift mast and rigging) and were donated sails and other essential items by fellow cruisers. They then sailed 500nm to Fiji – the closest place where replacements and repairs could be organized – maintaining a speed of around 3.5knots a day. Hans and Lisbeth are the most positive people you can meet and it was lovely to see them again and have the opportunity to see the temporary rig. Losing your mast is any sailors worst nightmare and often ends with abandoning ship, so to hear the story of what happened in the first few minutes after the dismasting was interesting from a learning perspective and based on what they told us, we went out and bought a thicker blade for our grinder, just in case!

Fiji has one of the strictest checking in/out procedures we have encountered and, once the paperwork is completed, insist you immediately return to your boat and leave the country. The weather was still looking ok for a departure on Saturday, although a Monday departure did currently look more favourable, but with past experience telling us that, with Monday a few days away, all that could change and we now had appointments we needed to keep in NZ, we left Denerau in beautiful sunshine one Saturday morning to commence our last passage home. This one is not the longest passage but would be the one that pushes us and Cerulean to our limits and the one we had feared the most.

Fiji – sisters and misters!

Our arrival in Fiji felt like our 3.5yr sailing journey was really coming to an end. With only one more passage to reach New Zealand and the official start of Cyclone season only a matter of weeks away, we knew our time in Fiji would be short. My sister, Lynn and her partner G, had already previously sailed to Fiji in their boat and had a wealth of experience and knowledge we could draw from while spending precious time with my wonderful sibling!

The date of our long anticipated re-union arrived, but the strong winds we had raced to stay ahead of when we left Tonga, were still pounding the south coast of Vanua Levu, making it easier to stay a couple more nights in the marina before venturing out into less protected waters. We spent a day exploring the island by car, venturing down unsealed potholed roads to find waterfalls, rainforest and other hidden treasures. Fiji has a similar problem with Mongoose as NZ has with Possums and we saw plenty of the animals as they ran across the road into the grass verge. They were introduced from Jamaica in 1883 to control a rat problem which was affecting the sugar plantations but, as is often the case when animals are introduced, those creatures become more of a problem, as they have no natural predators but get a taste for some of the native species!

The winds eased a little and, on checking the forecast, realized the weather was not going to allow us to head to the isolated and beautiful Lau Group, as we had hoped, so we decided instead, to head to the northern part of the other main island in Fiji, Viti Levu, which would protect us from the strong southerly winds. Along the way we stopped at a couple of islands, including Makogai – a small island surrounded by a reef with a traditional village hidden in the trees about 7km from where we were anchored.

Makogai was used as a leper colony from 1911 until 1950, accommodating upto 700 patients shipped there from the British colonies of the Pacific, including NZ. Sadly it was a one way trip for the patients and the neglected graveyard we walked through, is testament of the many nationalities that were housed on this small island. In 2016 cyclone Winston destroyed most of the old Leprosarium buildings but the foundations and old walls are now used to house a breeding programme for Giant Clams and we were given a quick tour of the various ponds accommodating different ages/sizes of Clams, some with vivid colours.

Lynn and G had visited the island before and remembered the Chief, so we set off, armed with a small bundle of Kava roots, to present a gift to the village. The ceremony of Savusavu consists of sharing a cup of kava, lots of clapping of hands and listening to the Chief speak. At the end, he thanked us for the gift and for honoring their tradition, saying we could stay as long as we wished and gave us permission to swim, snorkel or roam the island. Sadly, the weather dictated we needed to once again keep ahead of the next front that was approaching, bringing more strong winds from the south, so we headed to the sheltered northern anchorages of Viti Levu, with a surrounding reef protecting us from the rolly seas. As we sailed the well marked channel we put out our fishing line and much to our surprise and delight, caught a beautiful Spanish Mackerel and, with G’s fishing expertise, he and Steve managed to haul it on deck – our first catch of the Pacific and one that fed us for three meals! What a gift!

Now in the shelter of the island, we headed out to explore the Yasawa Group of islands, popular with holidaymakers from Australia and NZ. Most of the islands have resorts, or cater for day trippers, and have been given names to entice those wanting to experience tropical paradise – names like Robinson Crusoe Island, Treasure Island, Survivor Island, Castaway Island and Blue Lagoon. We were now in tourist central, the busiest place we had been since leaving Europe, but it didn’t feel over-run or too commercialized, probably because the local people are just so amazingly friendly and welcoming! Everywhere we went we were met with a loud “Bula!” and cheerful, genuine smile so you couldn’t help but smile back and feel the warmth of their welcome.

We sailed as far north as Drawaqa Island, which is in the middle of the Yasawa Island chain. There is a channel on the northern side of the island where Mantarays pass through as the tide falls. Leaving Steve on the boat to recover from a pulled muscle, Lynn, G and I went in search of Manta’s. Eventually we found one, swimming underneath us as it kept a wary eye on the numerous tourists who had joined us in the water. They are such beautiful, graceful animals gliding with effortless ease as they feed on invisible plankton. Some interesting facts about Mantarays. They are often seen in “trains” where one female is chased by several males in a mating ritual; Female Mantas reach sexual maturity between 8-10yrs old; They give birth to one pup once every 2-3yrs; They don’t lay eggs, but the eggs are kept inside the female for 12-13 months before hatching internally when the female gives birth to a pup.

Lynn and G had booked flights home so, after three wonderful weeks together, we headed to the marina in Denerau for a last night together. G and Steve gave it more of a nudge than Lynn and me, staying up all night talking rubbish and drinking the remains of all our alcohol! It was a perfect send-off to the crazy-adult-kids who left us with heavy hearts and lots of washing up!!!

Now things were going to get real as we started to prepare for our hardest passage to date, our final journey to New Zealand with unpredictable winds and changeable weather conditions during the 1200nm, eight-day passage. Things were starting to get interesting!

Vava’u quick stop. Bula Fiji!

Twelve years ago, just after the first Christchurch earthquake, I chartered a catamaran in Vava’u with seven friends. I remembered it as a very special time and particularly significant as it was the first time I had chartered, or captained, a yacht bigger than 22ft! My return to Vava’u would be the first time since leaving the UK that we were sailing in a location I had previously visited on a boat, so I was excited about going back.

After spending a week on the small, friendly island of Nuiatoputapu, we entered the pass through the protective reef at 10am on a Saturday morning, ready for the 180nm sail to Vava’u, a group of islands to the south of us. The conditions were pretty sketchy with Cerulean slamming into the heavy seas, until we rounded the northern most part of the island and were able to head south. We were once again sailing in the company of Freya and we kept in regular radio contact with Susan and Todd throughout the passage, which turned out to be in perfect weather conditions. After a fast and enjoyable overnight sail, we arrived at the entrance to Vava’u on Sunday morning, dropping the sails as a large whale breached beside us with a now very familiar heavy breathing sound, and headed up the well-marked channel to Neiafu where we picked up a mooring close to the dinghy dock.

The next day we checked in to Vava’u, a quick process as we were already checked into the country. Other boats arriving in Tonga from another country have to first head to a fisherman’s dock near the container terminal, aptly nicknamed the “Dock of Doom” as there is a sunken vessel at one end of the wharf and a shallow patch at the other which need to be avoided on approach. We were thankful we were able to miss out on that adventure, for now!

Very little had changed in Neiafu over the 12yrs since I was last there. It still had the feel of a sleepy town while being the main centre for people living on the surrounding islands. The low level structures along the waterfront were mostly commercial buildings with small houses further up the hillside. A large church, selection of schools and produce market seemed to be the main focus of the town. The cheerful children were dressed in smart school uniform, with the boys wearing a tupenu or sarong, giving us a cheerful “Malo e lelei” as they past us.

Surprisingly, the once bustling charter boat business now comprised of only two boats, both of which were not being used for the period of our stay. Covid had destroyed the charter boat industry and, together with the erratic and unreliable flights from Nukualofa, had made the business untenable. Such a shame, as the area is a beautiful cruising ground, but a bonus for us as it meant the anchorages were empty except for our friends!

The anchorages have been given numbers by previous charter boat companies, and this system of naming them has continued with even locals referring to the number when identifying them on the busy daily cruisers radio Net. We headed out to a nearby bay with our Swedish friend, Tomas who had been joined by his son, Daniel. They picked us up in their dinghy and we headed to Swallow Cave in the early afternoon – the best time to visit to allow the lowering sun to emphasize the blue water while swimming through the tall cave entrance. We waited for tour boats to leave before jumping in the deep water and swimming through bright sun rays as they played with the blue of the clear water.

One afternoon we took a long dinghy ride with Tomas and Daniel to find Mariners Cave, an underwater entrance to a large cave hidden in the cliffs. We had a vague idea where the entrance was, but Steve boldly swam close to the rocks to find it. He found a dark hole about 2m below the surface, so Tomas and Daniel joined Steve in the water to investigate. I stayed on the dinghy as diving into a dark hole through an underwater tunnel into a cave, not knowing how far you had to swim, was way beyond my comfort levels, so left it to the boys to tell me about it afterwards! I watched as first Tomas, then Steve and finally Daniel all duck dived and didn’t reappear for several minutes. I could only assume they had found the way into the cave as I sat watching fruit bats soar above me! Finally they appeared again, all full of excitement and satisfaction at what they had achieved.

We were watching the weather again as we were meeting my sister in Fiji in 10 days time and wanted to make sure we allowed plenty of time to make the two and a half day passage. One afternoon friends on SV Diva told us they were leaving the next day for Fiji as the weather was going to close in by the end of the week. We had arranged to go swimming with whales with a group of friends in two days, so were reluctant to consider leaving before that, but on looking at the weather it started to look clear we would need to leave the next day too otherwise we could be stuck in Tonga for a little while – not a bad thing normally, but when family is visiting, it does become a problem. We talked to our weather router and made the decision to leave that afternoon so spent a busy morning preparing food, us and the boat for the 417nm passage in between friends calling by to say a hurried goodbye. We were told we needed to take the boat to the “dock of doom” close to where immigration has an office in a large warehouse. We aimed for the middle of the dock, putting lots of fenders in place while we rushed to check out, hoping the process would be quick as Cerulean was blown against large black tyres on the dock. The officials were in no hurry and trying to make them increase their speed is futile so we had to practice patience in between Steve running back to check on the boat! It appears the reason they want the boat at the dock is to ensure you leave as soon as the check out procedure is complete and no amount of reasoning, and we heard a number, seems to make any difference! Eventually we were free to go and the warm smiles from the previously sullen officials, made our early impatience seem petty as we headed back to Cerulean and pushed off the dock. SV Diva called us on the radio, surprised to see us joining them as we both exited the pass out of Vava’u together. We were sad to leave but also happy to be starting our last multi-day sail before our final journey to New Zealand.

Leaving Tonga behind us we were keen to get into a rhythm as quickly as possible. This passage was straight forward accept for navigating through a group of small islands about 80nm from our destination in Fiji, Savusavu. We had calculated that, if we averaged 5knots, we would arrive at the first island in the dark and have to navigate our way through the shallows and small islands in very little light. If we could increase our speed and arrive in the late morning, instead of early evening, we would be able to get through the worst of the obstacles in daylight.

The wind was perfect and we set our two headsails, gathering speed as we left behind the shadow of the islands, racing SV Diva as we slowly overtook them. It’s always very satisfying to see how well Cerulean performs when pitched against another, bigger boat. The wind and conditions continued to be excellent and we broke our record for distance covered in a 24hr period, making 170nm on our first day. We were now sure we would make landfall at the islands in daylight and on the morning of the third day we spotted the first island in the Lau group. We would have loved to have stopped here but it is not possible to check into the country in The Lau islands and many boats have been handed heavy penalties for spending a few days exploring before checking in at Savusavu and the thought of a heavy fine was a big incentive to keep going!

On our last night we had to slow the boat down to ensure we arrived in daylight. We rounded the headland close to Savusavu with SV Diva beside us as we sailed up the harbour together.

Our friends on SV Carina, whom we had met in Nuiatoputapu, called on the radio as they spotted us approaching the mooring buoys. They gave us sound advice about the strict immigration process, waiting until we are properly processed before leaving the boat or allowing anyone to visit, warning us that the customs official are very proactive in ensuring boats comply with their process and heavy fines are administered for those who ignore them. We had already completed an extensive 13 page pre-arrival form, complete with photographs of the boat and boat papers, so hoped everything was in order to speed up the process. Four boats, including us, waited for the officials to come on board, using the time to tidy up Cerulean and ourselves! It didn’t take long for customs, health and immigration to visit and, after taping up our honey and garbage (with instructions not to dispose of it until we reached Nadi or Suva, we were given permission to leave the boat. However, our cruising permit would not be available until three working days and, as we had arrived on a Friday, this meant Tuesday would be the earliest we could leave SavuSavu.

We moved into Nawi Island Marina as we had some repairs to organise and needed easy access for the tradespeople. The marina was so new it was still being built. so we were one of just 15 boats able to enjoy the facilities including fabulous showers which were quite luxurious, while waiting for my sister, Lynn, and G to arrive – and boy did we make use of the long showers!! We snorkelled “Split Rock” with friends, feeding the fish stale bread and were amazed by the number of Soldier fish that surrounded us, nipping at our limbs as we quickly fed them! In the evening we ate out, trying many different places including one that came highly recommended by a number of friends, as it was cheap and excellent Indian cuisine. We arrived with friends and quickly ordered from their extensive menu. While we were waiting for the food to arrive a rat ran across the roof rafters over our heads. Sadly it was all over for me after that as I am terrified of rats in any shape or form – alive, dead, squashed or tame! I could not take my eyes off the hole in the roof that the rat had disappeared into, its vial tail making several appearances as I squirmed in my seat, desperate to get out of the place!

Over 34% of Fiji’s population is Indian. A military coup in 2006 removed the democratically elected PM who was of Indian decent. Frank Bainimarama led the coup, which arose due the fear that Fiji could become less “Fijian”, and declared himself PM soon afterwards. He has remained in power ever since, although ‘democratic” elections have taken place they are heavily favoured to the large political parties, making it extremely hard for those of Indian descent to win an election. You get a small sense of the cultural differences when walking around the large produce markets, as the Polynesian Fijians have a very laid back approach to sales, welcoming you with a friendly “Bula!” and warm smile while allowing you to make up your own mind whether you want to buy anything from their stall. In contrast, those of Indian descent are, in general, alot more proactive in ensuring you spend your money with them, often going out of their way to be helpful, while ensuring sales are made with them, or within their community of market stalls.

At last it was time for Lynn and G to arrive. We had added them to our crew list and sent them all the relevant forms so they would not have any issues arriving in Fiji on a one-way ticket. They had spent time sailing in Fiji on their boat pre-covid so we were looking forward to having, not only experienced sailors on board, but family who knew the country and the challenges of navigating in Fiji waters. It was time to start exploring!