"good morning Savusavu"
04 September 2013 | Savusavu, Fiji
Heather Manfredi
"Good morning Savusavu!"
This is the cry on the VHF radionet run by local boating guru Curly every morning to start our day here. It's a great service and allows us cruisers to get up to speed on the weather and whats going on in the area.
Savusavu is a very protected anchorage from all directions and an official port of entry. Because of this it is often the first port of call for people sailing from Tonga or Samoa.
We had the choice of two marinas here up in the Nakama creek and had already approached the Copra Shed marina for a berth or mooring bouy. We were a bit early so picked up what we thought was a free bouy but then had to move a bit further up the creek when the marina office opened. No problem, it was just a short dinghy ride to the dock either way .
The Marina is very nice. It's a small concern but there are a couple of places to eat, a money exchange, a small travel agents, gift shop plus laundry and showers. Now normally I wouldn't be excited about a laundry but one thing it does well here in Savusavu is RAIN! Not just the odd shower, it seems to be a permanent fixture and the boat is starting to get spots of mildew inside again which I had conquered last in Panama. Once we had had the usual eating out and drinking too much celebrations associated with the end of a passage (yes I know it was only 3 days but it's a tradition now) we set about cleaning Chilli Cat. A diluted mix of white vinegar soon put paid to the mildew but cleaning down every single surface takes some time. We had also become a bit sloppy in the main living areas and so some order was restored there too. There really is only one place for anything on a boat and that is where it belongs. It doesn't take long for a confined place to look a mess when you don't follow this.
Whilst doing this we enjoyed the town. The provisioning is good. There is a lovely farmers fruit and veggie market, a couple of supermarkets and a fantastic butchers which has the meat shrinkwrapped and frozen. With the Indian influence the choice is more extensive than we have been used to for a while and we all enjoyed a good curry and a cold beer!
You wouldn't jump in the water here as its too close to town and not at all inviting. A few miles down the road however is the Cousteau resort with the reef close by and a couple of swimming pools in the towns hotels. Megan, Karline and I did the 5 mile walk down there one morning and just had to pop in for a refreshing juice and a nose around.
One other attraction are the thermal springs. On the morning we arrived it was low tide and we could see the steam rising from the numerous small outlets all along the foreshore. The medical centre here has harnessed the water into 3 thermal baths so the girls and I booked all three of them plus a cold bottle of sparkling something and enjoyed an hours soak in the very very hot water, bliss!