With no alternative and many stops along the way, we made it back as the sun was setting, and my legs were just about done for.

The three children still had springs in their legs. We asked them to wait on the beach while Patrick took the dinghy to Brick House. He came back with sunglasses, magazines, small bags of candy and tooth brushes for the kids. They were pleased with their gifts and we were pleased with their antics and day of entertainment which helped distract the agony in my legs. It was early lights out on Brick House and the boat remained quiet well into the next morning.

Several months prior to our dropping anchor here, it was cyclone season. The 50 foot yacht "Moonduster", made by Swan yachts, remained in the Yasawa group for that season for which most other cruisers make the long trip south to New Zealand or north to the Marshall islands to escape. With the approach of a cyclone, Moonduster chose to stay in this anchorage which is totally open to wind and ocean waves from the west and south. A week before we arrived, the owners of the shore burned Moon Duster (we could see the original Swan yachts were made of stainless steel ribs and mahogany planking. Everything was fastened with stainless steel bolts and glue. First class work, a very strong boat.) as the hull was obstructing the wash of waves causing severe beach erosion in one area.

Long before our arrival, the owner of the yacht had taken his personal belongings off of the boat and walked away from everything else. Winches, outboard engine, plastic cases of boat parts and hundreds of boat items were stored in a number of thatch roofed sheds, "donated" to the village. We picked out a bunch of spare hose clamps, a container of silicone grease and a few other things for which we paid a few dollars. Some of the best things like the life raft, running poles etc. had been spoken for shortly before we arrived. Too bad that big beautiful, high performance jib was too big for our boat. One day a group of cruisers got together with wrenches and saws to help dismantle parts of the charred lower hull which the fire could not complete before the tide came back in. The villagers are trying to recover the lead keel from the sand and sell as scrap metal in Lautoka. But it is like having a huge mound of gold that is so much it is near useless as it cannot be moved by hand. There are no torches available to cut it into small manageable pieces. That keel is slowly settling deeper into the sand with every tide change.

In the Yasawa group, there has been a drought. The worst in fifteen years. Patrick hiked with the manager of the Octopus Resort, "Freezer", an hour into the mountains to the source of the water which supplies the village and resort. There was hardly any water left. Maybe two days worth. After cleaning the wire filter into the 3" PVC pipe, there was nothing else to be done. When the water runs out the tourists will have to use the ocean for a bath.

The next day we sailed on to Manta Ray Bay. We quickly learned the manta rays which swarm here are very seasonal and had moved on several weeks before. Since we were anchored between two islands the current was strong, sounding like rapids all night. There is a small resort near this spot. This is why some cruisers like sailing this area; hotel food and a beach bar is always close by.

Over head the storm clouds were building and we wanted to get to a snug anchorage before the bad weather dumped on us. We chose Somosomo Bay on the north side of Naviti. The wind never came, but 48 hours of heavy rain came and filled our water jugs, our water tanks, our pots and pans, our dinghy, and all of our buckets. All our laundry got a very thorough washing, all the snorkeling gear was generously rinsed, even the bilge and engine room got a fresh water washing. What to do with all this fresh water? Certainly, Freezer, at Octopus Resort, was wet with happiness.

Tribute anchored near us. Delaney, Larry and I managed to go ashore between the drops and give sevusevu with the chief and meet a few of the locals. One invited us in to their home for tea and conversation. We went home with lemon leaves for our tea, and each of us girls with a homemade shell necklace, with the definite statement that he would like a battery or two in exchange. One of them had mentioned that if we need any fruits or vegetables to come ask him.

At night a boat went by in the dark, cut their engine then called to us. When we went out to the cockpit, they pulled up to show us the lobster they had caught. It was a nice big lobster, ready for the pot. They told us that they wanted to sell it, the price? $30. I would have thought $5. Obviously these people have been negatively influenced by their exposure to tourists. Patrick shined the flashlight in to the bottom of their boat. He could see a dead manta ray and a small turtle turned upside down. There were no worthwhile fish. Even night fishing in Yasawa produces little. They motored off to Tribute but didn't make a sale there either. There is a ban on catching turtles in Fiji but there is no enforcement.

The next morning, in between some raindrops, the same man we met on shore the day before rowed out with 5 nice papayas, and 4 bunches of bananas. We had him on the boat for tea, for he was cold from being wet by the rain. We sent him home with new line to replace the string on the front of his kayak, a T-shirt and a fillet knife. He was also given a DVD on the difficult life cycle of the Hawksbill turtle. About one in a thousand hatchlings might make it to adulthood. He was thrilled.

The rains continued. We watched movies, finished reading books and rewrote articles and rewrote them again. It is amazing how a person can stay busy in such a tiny space.