Surprise
10/14/2008, Sawa-i-lau, Yasawa Islands, Fiji

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday we motored from Musket Cove to the Queens Wharf in Lautoka to "clear out" with the Customs office prior to our trip to the Yasawa Islands. It was a gray day with little breeze, and something took half the feathers off one of my fishing lures without finding the hook. The wharf is not a favorite place for cruisers; you anchor in slimy mud that is hard to remove from the chain and the ash from the burning of the sugar cane fields is like black snow on the boat. We arrived mid-day and found Customs closed for lunch so we took a cab into town for more fresh veggies. When Customs reopened the told us we needed a Cruising Permit to visit the Yasawas, so another cab ride to the ugly little town for a piece of paper that costs nothing and contains only information already on our Customs document. They learned this from the English.

Up early for a 7am departure for a 56 mile passage through a maze of reefs, motoring for the first three hours and then a nice breeze that built to the high teens and we reached along at 8+ knots. About 5 miles from our destination we hooked and landed a big barracuda named Sarah (photo). Anchor down, dingy launched and into the small native village for permission (Sevusevu ceremony) to stay. This involves finding the chief/elder and introductions and a gift of Kava, a plant root that they use to make a mildly numbing drink. We also brought him the fish; 40-50 lbs of barracuda is not on our menu. Nice day.

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Surprise
10/12/2008, Musket Cove, Fiji

We were happy to finally leave Vuda Point Marina; shore power, wifi, and running water are nice amenities, but it was very hot and the trees block the prevailing breeze. There is also the small issue of the scum ring that accumulates on the waterline and the crud that blocks up the strainers on the water intakes.

The sail out to Musket Cove was interesting; we started with 15 knots of breeze from the NW and then that died and was replaced by 20- 25 from the SE. It quickly shook out any cobwebs that we had regarding sailing and exacted a toll for not securing the hatches before we set out; our bed was soaked. We picked up a mooring at the Cove with the help of another cruiser who saw us coming in and knew we would need help. The mooring balls don't have a loop or tag line and they cannot be reached from the bow of the boat; with 20 knots of breeze it would have been a real challenge to secure a bridal without help. Two cold, frosty beers for the assist.

Yesterday Surprise got her waterline and hull cleaned. We have a "hookah" rig that is like scuba, but uses a compressor and hose instead of a tank. She looks much better today.

We'll head out soon to begin our tour of the Yasawa islands, a line of small islands along the NW side of the main island in Fiji. The photo is from the reef here at Musket Cove.

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Surprise
10/09/2008, Vuda Point Marina

The flight from LA to Nadi, Fiji arrives at 5:10am, and it was nearly 7am before we retrieved our bags and wrestled our way through Customs. The Customs folks ignored the fact that we are on a boat in transit and assessed us duty on $500 (their number) worth of boat bits. The only alternative would have been to get a Customs broker who would have charged us more than the duty. Welcome to Fiji.

It's hot here; October is spring in the Southern Hemisphere. By 10 am yesterday it was close to 100 and it didn't start cooling off until evening when it rained and the wind picked up. The refrigeration system is struggling to get the refrigerator and freezer back down to the right temperatures, as it was shut down while we were gone. Another day of projects and then we hope to slide out to Musket Cove and the Yasawa Islands to start our Fiji cruising. Our plan is to cruise here until mid-November and then have James and Amber sail Surprise to NZ where Davie will pull her out of the water and make her new again.

Photo is from our earlier trip to Musket Cove.

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