Rabi island (pronounced Rambi) is unusual in Fiji, since it is inhabited by Banabians. Fijians are either Melanesian or of Indian extraction. The Banabians are Polynesians who were given the island to settle when their own island became unihabitable due to excessive English & Australian phosphate mining.

We sailed up its Western side this morning. The route is surrounded by reefs so as the tide comes in you get all sorts of strange whirlpools and overshoots across the flat water. The wind increased as we progressed and we were soon sailing quite fast despite being in the lee of the islands. Eventually we threaded our way through the reefs at the North of the island into a delightful little cove called Albert Cove. The palm trees have lost a lot of their lower leaves in the hurricane earlier this year, but it is still a beautiful setting of sandy beach, palm trees and coral reefs. It's a lovely spot for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking.

When we arrived we found a few things needed repairing, a reef line almost snapped and a reefing block almost broken. So a few repairs needed. The next morning the weather has turned cloudy and quite windy but enlivened by the arrival of a large pod of dolphins who checked out the bay before heading out to the reefs.