We are now anchored in a lovely bay named Naivivi, in the Island of Qamea. It was a short sail from Katherine Bay, about 3 hours, and with light winds. Naivivi Bay has 3 small Fijian villages and it had 6 other sailing vessels anchored in the Bay when we arrived. Their crew was waiting for a weather window to sail to the Islands in the south. They all left next day. 2 other boats came in and it has been quiet. The entrance to the anchorage is narrow and surrounded by reefs in both sides. Only one sign marks the channel. We had good waypoints given to us by Curly (this is another story) but even then we had all eyes on the water trying to spot bomies as the waters in Fiji are poorly charted. We were guided to the end of the bay by a lovely Fijian, Peter, who also arrangeud for us to meet the Village Chief to do the Sevusevu. Sevusevu is a Fijian tradition that is still followed today. It is a visitor obligation to meet the Chief and bring as a gift a bundle of kawa root. If the Chief accepts your gift, you are welcomed in the village and you are under his protection and are treated as one of them. To do Sevusevu we had to dress with a sarong or long dress or skirt. No shoulders uncovered, no sunglasses, hats or shorts or bikinis. Peter, as our spokesman, introduced us to the Chief as we sat crossed leg in the floor in his house, and Jerry, as the "Chief of our tribe", placed the kava in front of the Chief. He gave a small talk in Fijian, then in English he welcomed us to the Village. We are so glad we did the Sevusevu. Many cruisers do not. It is the right thing to do as we are anchoring in their front yard. We would not like anyone traspassing in our property without asking permission would we? The Chief thanked us for honoring the tradition. Jerry had purchased a sulu for the occasion, a traditional man's skirt that the Fijians wear, and he looked good in it.
Today we visited the school and had the pleasure to meet the children. They have 140 kids, age 12 and under. So much is needed and so little is given. We will see what we can do to help. Tomorrow the children will be performing a play and we were invited to attend it. We can't wait. Aloha to all and until next time.