On October 4 2008 at 4:30 AM we arrive at the dock in Opua, NZ. all is well after a 6.5 day passage. 2 days of rough weather at the beginning with 20 knots on the nose and confused seas. the rest of the ride was uneventful as we watched for a possible low forming over NZ. We have been doing the party thing in Opua with many welcoming events hosted by the town and the marine stores in the area. We watched the election of our new president, Obama, on the internet. The following day we were congratulated by people from a variety of countries -who were sailing in our current cruising community or living in NZ as immigrants- on America's choice of leadership. Some cruisers received anonymous bottles of wine in gratitude (regardless of how they voted) and others of us were invited to parties hosted by a variety of nationalities to celebrate this world event. I was struck by the emotional relief expressed by a world community in our choice of new leadership. He is indeed a world president and it matters greatly who we in the US choose to lead our nation. Our flag flys proudly off the stern of GOSI. At the time of the posting of this note, we are relocated in Auckland and have returned to a land life for a time. Tom and I are returning to work as we wait and see abut the US economy. All is good here.

Tom and I are still in paradise in Fiji, Musket Cove. Today the sun is out, no rain for the last 3 weeks. we could use some to wash off the boat. The sun awning is on GOSI now to keep the sun heat at a minimum. We are settled in here and will be here for the next 4 weeks. Check out our web page for latest photos of life in the islands.

We are still in Fiji and are now in the thick of things as we enjoy the "other side" of life here. How do you spell "five star resorts"? Anchored off of some the worlds finest resorts, the GOSI crew are getting over colds and enjoying the good life. Village life now has a new meaning to us as the villages on this side of things are built around swimming pools, beach bars, and spas. We will stay here until we can't stand ourselves any longer. We have learned that over indulgence has its limits too. We will test that limit in the upcoming weeks. cheers

We are anchored off of Robinson Caruso Island, a backpacker resort near Lautoka. there are about 6 other boat here and we are gathering to help a fellow cruiser's children get married. They are having a Fijian wedding and have invited all cruisers in the area to attend. So here we are. GOSI is scheduled for a bottom painting job August 4th so we will be moving her to Vunda Point soon. In the mean time, we are enjoying the festivities of this lovely island complete cheap dinners and a happy hour bar.

After a quick trip to Budd Reef and then back to Sauvsavu for a week we are now preparing for a trip to Suva and then on to Lautoka on the West side of Viti Levu. We are heading west to regroup with the cruising fleet and a early haul out. Our return to Savusavu was like coming home and we relaxed in the company of new friends. Mucket Cove will be our next stop in early Sept and then we fly back to the US for a visit with family and a trip to the Boat Show. We are moving around again and like it that way.

Picture perfect in every way is this place called Albert Cove. White sand, beautiful coral gardens, aqua waters and friendly village people who barter with us for food. We have learned a lot watching they way they live and we have a better understanding of the issues which shape their way of life. First, the only road on the island is accessible by going ,y dingy to the next bay which is 2 kms away. The road had been washed out by recent rains and there is no one or money to repair it. So to travel on it requires a 3km walk along the coast through bush and mud. The locals are forced to walk or take their boats to get to the next town to see their copra and to buy food. Needless to say, the children are unable to get to school in this town when it has rained as the walk is prohibitive. The world situation regarding fuel and food has affected the local people on the outer islands of Fiji . It has forced them into a subsistence lifestyle of growing their own food and fishing aggressively for reef fish. It has also made them avid copra growers-coconut oil being the cash cow for biofuels. Everyone grows copra for cash. which takes them away from growing food. Instead they take the cash to buy expensive processed foods in cans and plastic which requires expensive gasoline to bring these products to the islands. One wonders how long this economy will last. There is no power in the village in Albert Cove. So when the sun goes down at 8 PM all is quiet on shore. Fishing starts at 10 Am when the reefs are visible and goes on all day with the men returning in their dug out canoes by 7PM. The women pend the day harvesting copra-a hard job of cracking open the outer skin of the coconut with a machete. Once open the brown nut is cracked with an ax and the coconut meat is put ion racks in a huge oven to dry and bake. The oven is constructed of corrugated steal bolted together to make a hut. The copra fires are fueled by the coconut husks and burn all day everyday. Copra is sold for 600 Fijian dollars a ton. So a 70lb bag of copra will pay 25 Fijian Dollars or 16 dollars US. Yesterday I saw 2 bags being brought to market and that represented a weeks work. 2 dollars an hour is the going rate for copra cutting if you are rich enough to hire someone to help. There is no shortage of coconuts, the challenge is having enough people and hours to harvest and process the product. Now i understand the term, "coconut economy", which is often used to described this difficult work. This way of life has been going on for years and with the current government (military coup 2006) there looks like there will be little in the way of improvement. . Tom and I are here for one more day and then will move the boat to a place called Budd Reef-an atoll out in the middle of Fijian waters on the way to the northern part of the island, Tavenui. There is a promise of rain, so we will wait it out there in the protected anchorages of the off shore islands. By July 4 we will be back in Savusavu to catch up with friends, update our web page and prepare for our trip to the Western part of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji.