07/29/2010, Vanua Balavu
In Gau, we saw a cruising boat for the first time in almost a month! The water wasn't clear because the wind had been blowing a stink for several days. The 25 knot winds made it difficult to get ashore so we didn't give Gau much of a chance before we moved on.
We soon sailed to Koro, another 20 miles to the north. From the primitive out island we had left, we would be arriving into a settlement of wealthy Europeans who have built a settlement of vacation homes. We met Merlin - a permanent resident originally from Holland. She is a gentle grandmotherly lady who lives by herself in a beautiful waterfront home of modern materials but island architecture. She has 2 of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen- long haired, white tip Siamese Angora cats...and HUGE and it is not all fur! She served us cold sweet water, and we chattered on her front deck overlooking the water. On the way out, we helped her catch some tiny chickens in her yard that seemed to be without a mother.
The next day we took a hike, over around and through the large hillside development following the dirt roads. Most of the vacation homes were boarded up but caretakers kept the grounds well trimmed. In the trees and bush we saw tons of beautiful parrots. We aren't sure what kind they are since they match nothing in our Fiji Bird Book, but they were noisy, rowdy and abundant in the tree tops and walking around in the grass to feed on some flowers that had dropped from a tree. We spent 3 days here enjoying the birds and the hike up above the homes, hearing bugs so loud we thought they were alarm clocks planted in the trees!
In the harbor we were fortunate to be allowed to pick up a mooring as the water is nearly 100 feet deep, and one day we had very consistent winds up to 35 knots.
When the wind abated a bit, we left expecting large seas. But the seas had flattened out quickly and we had a pleasant sail up to Savusavu- another 25 miles to the northeast.
We expected to be in Savusavu for about 3 or 4 days. We hadnt had internet for a month and were suffering withdrawal. We arrived 4pm on Friday, and once the coast was clear with customs we managed to go to the Digicel Booth seen above to buy our digital modem and Flex cards to get internet on the boat. This is every cruisers first stop in Fiji! We hadn't seen but one other boat for a month and many friends were in Savusavu, people we had known from Panama and New Zealand. . Phil and Leslie on SV Carina, who we first met in Panama, organized a van/taxi trip up to Labasa - an Indian Sugar cane town on the north shore. Joining us in the van was Larry on Tribute who we hadn't seen since Pago Pago, and before he got bounced around in the tsunami. Also on the road trip was Randy and Cheryl from Caribee- who we just met. It was a day of scenery out the window as we rolled over steep mountain roads which would be difficult to hike. Labasa is a small city, much larger than Savusavu though. We walked the main downtown street stopping in many stores to see if there might be something we did not know we needed. It is nice to have a boat which is not broken and needs nothing. Later in the day on the return drive we stopped at an Indian temple with outside paint the bright colors of a fast food restaurant. Inside, the main religious room is built around a basalt rock formation which emerges from the floor and rises nearly to the ceiling 12 feet overhead. The igneous rock has a vague shape of a snakes head giving it value. Worshipers say the rock is growing taller every year too, perhaps because of bowls of milk offerings that worshipers leave at its base.
We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary - our 3rd night of our honeymoon as we like to call it, at the Hot Springs Hotel- a nice hotel overlooking the harbor. The best room in the place and a nice dinner for 2 with drinks cost under 100$ US!! I can really enjoy myself with that kind of price tag. We had a great evening, and even played 3 very competitive games of Scrabble. Patrick even won one the games- I couldn't let him lose all 3 on our anniversary- where would that leave the rest of the evening celebration!?!? But when he did win, I did check his addition. We first thought we would like to stay at a beach front hotel called the Michel Cousteau Resort, son of Jacques. It is not overly special but a basically nice place with open spaces under tall thatched roofs and nice landscaping. The night we wanted, there was only one room left, a "garden" hut...worst room in the house. Included in the price were three meals and no more. When the lady at the desk stated the price is U.S. $800 Patrick asked if that included satellite television. "No, we have no television." was the response. "Then you must have some very good air conditioning." Patrick mentioned. "No, we just have a ceiling fan." With few water toys on the beach and very expensive drinks at the bar and a small fresh water pool we declined. Sorry Michel.
So depsite plans of 43 or 4 days, after almost 3 weeks in the small city, we set sail again. Securing a cruising permit for the Lau group of islands is a hit or miss adventure. The people writing the permits are in disarray so the rules and fees change weekly. The people in Lau want cruisers there. They need the bit of tourism dollars that cruisers offer. Through Waitui Marina, we were able to get a ranking villager from Vanua Balavu to sign the cruising permit. Vanua Balavu is the most easily accessible island and the main attraction for cruisers sailing out of Suva or Savusavu. After securing the permit, we set off, about 100 miles to the southeast.
Actually, after dropping the mooring in Savusavu, we just sailed around the corner and dropped the anchor off the Michel Cousteau Resort for the night. Before the sun went down we went snorkeling on the nearby reef. I was glad that Patrick and I were holding hands when a black tip shark appeared out of nowhere. I squeezed his hand a bit vigorously. Patrick just happened to clear his throat or water from his snorkel and that sound sent the shark off at top speed. I always enjoy seeing sharks when holding Patrick's hand, but not so much when he's on one end of the reef and I'm all by myself. The reef was pleasant but we see so many reefs. There were no big fish or lobsters.
Because of the south east trade winds, we hadn't planned on sailing directly to the Lau group. But we got an unusual south wind just as we were departing, and decided to make a run for it. The Monitor self steering wind vane kept us sailing as close into the wind as possible no matter how the wind shifted. This paid off...we got to sail the whole way there with but one tack. Many had to motor most of the way there so we were very fortunate to get this wind, and it was just luck that it came at precisely the right day.
We arrived in Vanua Balavu at about 10am and followed the bright white leading posts on shore in to the reef, and settled in for a long nap...
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07/29/2010, Vanua Balavu, Fiji
These are actually two beacons, but if they look like 2, one on top of the other, you know you are approaching on the right heading to avoid reefs all around.
Keep hiiting the "OLDER" link on the bottom of each page to see more pictures of Vanua Balavu, Bay of Islands, Lau Group and of SavuSavu.
In a few days we will post another Lau Group, Bay of Islands Blog, so check back frequently!
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