We decided to check out of Savu Savu on Saturday. You have to clear customs, even though it is an internal trip. Then you clear back in again when you return. Our plan was to head out a couple of miles and anchor off the Jacques Coustea resort and then leave on the Sunday morning. Saturday it poured with rain but we headed out in any case, and enjoyed a pleasant swim as well as the quite refreshing rain. Quite a few other boats, Liberation, Ivory Quays, Destiny and Just in Time, came out for the weekend so we thought we would see out the rain and move on on Monday. In fact it would have been a perfect day for heading East since there was a light Westerly wind. Unfortunately the Westerly wind made the anchorage very uncomfortable, so we all retreated back into Savu Savu for the Sunday night and had a party on board our boat.

Monday morning arrived and we headed off again. Deployed the fishing lines, sadly to no avail. Last year I caught two mahi mahi near here. However, we had a lovely relaxed sail in light winds and calm seas, only doing about 5 knots to a place called Fawn Harbour.

As you head towards the anchorage the waves start to pile up. You're looking for a small gap in the reef marked by a couple of poles. Despite the hurricane the poles were still there and with some relief we slipped through the reef. The harbour is basically a series of mangrove lagoons behind the reef with calm water. We dropped the anchor and enjoyed the roar of the waves on the reef and watched fish breaking water, chasing and being chased. Further in there are a few small houses but there is not much here apart from the sandy cays and mangroves. The wide horizons give a 180 degree panorama of reefs and ocean behind which we sat safely anchored enjoying the peace and calm.