10/17/2007, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Lautoka is the second largest city in Fiji and is the major port for the export of sugar. Today I rode the bus into town for provisions and sightseeing. There is not much to see but the public market is the best in all of the South Pacific. Besides the regular tropical fruits and vegetables there were apples from New Zealand and paw paws from Hawaii. Some fruits I did not recognize but bought them to sample. The people are friendly and helpful but not as much so as in the smaller towns like Savusavu.
All else is well onboard and I am slowly getting accustomed to marina life again.
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10/16/2007, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Sand Dollar is actually moored at a marina where I can step from the boat onto shore. This is the first real marina I've visited since leaving Mexico in late March. What a luxury! All the essentials are here: laundry, showers, restaurant, swimming pool, bar, internet, chandlery, fuel, water, and lots of other sailors to trade yarns with. One could spend a few days here which is what I plan to do before cruising to some of the outlying islands.
All else is well onboard. Laure, my crew person, will be looking for a boat to Australia while I will be looking for crew to New Zealand.
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10/15/2007, Tomba Noloma Bay, Viti Levu, Fiji
There continues to be a dearth of wind today, forcing us to motor-sail to the next anchorage along the north coast of Viti Levu. The landscape is mountainous with lush vegetation on the windward side of the hills but only dry grass and shrubs on the arid, leeward side. There are a few villages here and there along the coast highway and sugar plantations inland. The snorkeling visibility is not good here as there are many rivers bringing silt into the bays and lagoons. There is a large cruise ship anchored a couple of miles from us so we must be approaching the tourist region of Fiji.
A word about the political situation: Fiji has had its troubles in recent times because of a power struggle between the two main ethnic groups which each make up about 50% of the population, They are the native Fijians on the one hand, and the East Indians on the other, who were brought here hundreds of years ago by the British to work on the sugar plantations. The strife seems to be concentrated in the capital of Suva and appears to have little effect on foreigners. When I ask local people about the situation they reply that it does not involve them and that they have become used to the coups d' etat. It does not seem to be stifling real estate and resort development.
This morning I finally caught a fish, a 10 lb. wahoo which makes succulent table fare. We had chilled sashimi on rice with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce for lunch and grilled fish steaks marinated in teriyaki sauce for dinner. There is enough for three more meals.
All else is well onboard. Tomorrow we head to the port of Lautoka, the second largest city in Fiji.
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10/14/2007, Nananu-I-Ra Island, Fiji
Today we motored 35 miles through a maze of reefs and small islands on the north coast of Viti Levu, the principle island of Fiji. The wind was very light, never over 10 knots. The route was marked with poles and sticks but they are poorly maintained and can never be completely trusted. Fortunately, we had good light all day so that the reefs were very obvious.
Our anchorage is in a small bay next to an island which appears to have a real estate development for foreigners, probably Kiwis. There are about a dozen very beautiful beach houses and some large opulent homes on the tops of hills. Also, there is a small "eco" resort on the bay.
All else is well onboard. Tomorrow we will continue heading west as long as the weather is good.
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10/13/2007, Naingani Island, Fiji
We left Makongai at 9:30 this morning for the short sail to an island called Naingani. The wind was 10-12 knots on the beam and the waves were very small making for nice sailing. From this point on in Fiji there will be very little swell because all the remaining water we will cover is protected by islands and thousands of reefs. That's the good news. The bad news is there is lots of real estate to run into. Navigating here is more challenging than in the Tuamotu.
Naingani is a small island with steep sides and a barrier reef. The village, on the other side of the island, is inaccessible from the anchorage so we did not present "sevu sevu" to the chief. The snorkeling was not spectacular and I saw no fish of edible size. This is, however, a very pleasant, quiet and beautiful place to spend time.
All else is well onboard. Tomorrow we will leave early to travel west along the north coast of Viti Levu, the principle island of Fiji.
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10/12/2007, Makongai Island, Fiji
The former leper colony here has been transformed into and ecological research station for the purpose of restoring a species of giant clam which suffers from over-harvesting. Baby clams are incubated in special tanks and then grown to adult size in designated areas of the lagoon. They are then transferred to various locations in Fiji in the hope that they will repopulate the reefs. These huge clams are almost three feet long!
The underwater visibility is quite good for snorkeling. However, most of the coral is dead and the fish are small. I did see a large sea turtle basking on the surface near the boat. There were no sharks of any size which is surprising.
All else is well onboard. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will leave for another island 18 miles to the south.
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