The Saga of Ursa Minor: SailBlogs

Jack

Bryan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:44:59 -0600

One of the rewards of cruising is the variety of interesting and sometimes unusual people you encounter. This morning we were awakened by Jack - a third generation (mostly) English emigrant - in his aluminium skiff. Jack is the major domo of Viani Bay. He has a dive shop, runs poultry and porkers, serves as a trekking guide to the interior, works as a boat captain and delivery skipper, and farms fruits and other commodities of commercial value. (Continued...)

Oh Deer!

Bryan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:05:00 -0500

Following a delightful evening and dinner as guests of Greg Taylor, general manager at Jean Michel Cousteau Eco Resort, we left Savusavu Bay and continued our exploring along the east coast of Vanua Levu. We're anchored at Fawn Harbor, unusually named as I don't believe there are any deer in Fiji. Anyway, Fawn is a nice circular bay surrounded by mangroves on the inside and reef on the ouside. Looks like a potential cyclone hole if we need one while up this way. (View Post...)

A Weekend We'll Repeat

Bryan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:58:00 -0500

At the urging of cruising friends Gwen and Don, formerly of Tackless II, and Deborah and Scott aboard Viva, we took the bus this weekend to the north shore of Vanua Levu to spend a few days at Palmlea an "oeanside eco-agritourism lodge". This was a totally relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable experience. First, the property sits on a hill facing Fiji's Great Sea Reef and looks down upon a lush mangrove and coconut palm forest along the beach. The lodge which doubles as a farm is solar-power` driven and draws its own water from one of Fiji's many underground aquifers. Palmlea grows its own fruits, vegetables and herbs and is adorned by every tropical flower and blossoming plant we know of. The variety of plants and riot of colors is truly remarkable. They are also in the process of assisting the Fiji Dept. of Agriculture in raising a herd of Boer goats, renown for their size and high-quality meat. (Continued...)