Sail to Rabi Island
16 July 2015 | Albert Cove, Rabi Island
C. Farias

Bula. We left Naivivi Bay a week ago. We said Moce (good bye) to our generous good friends Pita and Anna who live in the Bay and welcomed us with open hearts. They brought us manioc, coconuts and papayas from his small farm and they were always ready to help us out with anything. We will go back there for sure in a few weeks. Jerry went to NZ once more to have his eye checked again and upon his return we decided to explore other areas around. We motored to Matagi, just an hour away, which is a privately owned Island. It is another picture perfect one, and the horseshoe bay where we anchored had the gorgeous turquoise waters that we see on photos. The snorkeling was good, lots of small tropical fish but the coral is in bad shape. I don't know if due to the crown of thorns startfish that has caused so much damage to other reefs in Fiji, or from cyclones, or man caused destruction. The Island has a very nice small resort, very private and $$$. Jerry and I took the dinghy there for a special lunch. We had lots of rain while we were in Matagi but the anchorage was good. After a few days we went to Taveuni to get fresh fruit and veggies. I took a cab to the small town of Somosomo where I was surprised to find in the little stands along the road, a good variety of vegetables. There was fresh harvested cauliflower, tomatoes, bokchoy, green beans, eggplants and lots of tropical fruits. Mango is not in season nor is avocado. My favorites. Yesterday, taking advantage of the wind, coming from the right direction, we sailed to Albert Cove in Rabi Island. We had a great sailing, no drama nor surprises, in pretty comfortable seas. We were expecting to get fish as the area is known for being good fishing grounds, but we were sailing a little too fast to catch fish I think. I had to resort to our frozen fish for our dinner. Albert Cove is the most beautiful anchorage we have been to in Fiji. We went for a quick snorkeling today. The reef is all around us, and the small area we saw is covered in soft corals. I got really cold and didn't last long. Need to go back with a light wetsuit. There are a few small houses on the beach but there is no village nearby. Tomorrow we will take the dinghy to explore the idyllic sandy beach and maybe talk to someone local to get the know a bit of the ways here.. We do not need to the Sevusevu here because the people of Rabi are not Fijians.They are from the Kiribati. I wrote a little about them in the Katherine Bay post. We have no internet connection here nor cell phone reception. I am delighted. I will try to post this via our trusted SSB radio. The photo is of a clam in the reef. Aloha to all and until next time.