Fiji Mamanuca islands
02 August 2015
First Mate Linda
We have a soft spot for the Mamanuca islands and Malolo-Lailai in particular, as this is the first place we visited in Fiji back in 2010, and Musket Cove was where we found out all about the ICA in 2013 and our dream of this adventure began.
After leaving the beautiful Yasawa islands we headed for the Mamanuca’s and Mana Island where we spent 2 nights anchored in front of the Mana Island Resort. They are very welcoming to yachties and it felt like we were cheating the system a bit because we had use of the pool, a few drinks at the bar, dinner in the restaurant and use of the laundry facilities without the huge resort accommodation costs.
Then it was on to Lautoka for provisioning and we spent a couple of days anchored in Saweni Bay. The cheapest option for getting into town is by the local bus. As we missed the bus from the beach we proceeded to walk out to the main highway to catch one and it was a matter of seconds when we were given a lift by a local in the back of his truck. From there it was a 1 minute wait until a local bus came past to take us into town. All a part of the adventure!
Lautoka is the second biggest town in Fiji and a major sugar producing area. While travelling on the bus we sat behind trucks loaded up with sugar cane, and trains alongside making their way to the mill.
The produce market and bus station sits in the heart of the town centre with all other shops surrounding this. We did a major stock up on all things fresh as well as the supermarket provisioning for our trip on to Vanuatu. We took the taxi loaded with our provisions back to Nika.
After a short stopover in Denerau for fuel and water, it was off to Musket Cove. As Musket Cove is our final stop in Fiji, it is the muster point for all of the ICA fleet. A few of the rally yachts had arrived and we managed to secure a very comfy spot in the marina which is great for us and the kids, giving all the freedom to get on and off the boat as we please. The only down side is the island bar about 30 feet from Nika! The kids spent hours playing with new found friends on Quintessence (Kelly, Mia and Emily) with Rose spend hours playing under the palm trees on the beach, and myself taking the opportunity to go for a run around the island each morning.
Having Nika snuggly parked in the marina made it hard to leave so we used Nika Banana a fair bit to explore the area. A highlight was snorkeling at the sand-bar where the fish were plentiful and eat from your hand, a trip out to Cloud-9 (floating surf bar) which is like a day time night club and the place to hang out if you are in your 20’s, for beer, cocktails and pizza. Another highlight was taking the dinghy to spend a day at the absolutely beautiful Castaway island (no, the movie was not filmed here!) where we walked the island hiking track, explored the resort and pools and enjoyed our lunch on the beach.
We are having a great time in Musket Cove and while here we have taken the opportunity to re visit our old haunt of Plantation Island, as well as enjoy the facilities at Musket Cove resort. The girls spent time in the many swimming pools, and joined in on the Kids Club activities (necklace making, basket weaving, and coconut cracking), and caught up on a bit of school work in between all of the fun and games and playing with new friends. The ICA had a fun day with a ‘tryathlon’ for the fleet which included a swim, run and kayak. Lots of fun and laugh’s.
Now, the reality of cruising is setting in.. Our final briefing shows that while the wind is from behind, it not the best weather to be heading out in so the decision has been made to delay our departure by a couple of days. What this means is that we will have less time in Vanuatu, and depending on timing, we may have to head directly to Vila rather than clearing into Anatom. At this stage our best weather window is looking to be this coming Friday (a week later that expected). So until then, we have some extra time in Musket Cove, and as lovely as it is here, rain and the wind howling is not my idea of paradise. My challenge is to keep the kids occupied (Craig included!). At least the wind makes great kite surfing for Craig.
Nika is all ready to leave, I have made meals for the passage and we are all set to go... now we wait.
The joys of cruising!