It is mid evening on Thursday four days after we last posted a blog. Sorry we just get caught up in the moment.

So to catch up, I will go back a couple days. Lets see that should be around 2 June 14 after Walt left for Maui. We spend another day in Paradise and then get up early on Wednesday the 3rd and sail across the Koro Streight to Savusavu. A blustery sail but on the aft beam quarter so not too bad. Quite quick for that matter. We arrive mid afternoon and take up a mooring with Waitui marina because Copra Shed forgot to put us on the board for our personally scheduled reservation. No matter we are here in Savusavu. Tried to catch fish on the way across but no luck. I think the water was too boisterous for the fish to think about eating.

So other than sailing across the Koro Streight what really took place. The last day at Paradise, Lisa was coaxed in between two Fijian musicians and handed a guitar. They played for a while and then we joined Mark and Stacy for dinner and retired late for us. The next morning we woke and at around 0730 I saw Mark jumping into the water to swim over and retrieve our shackle for us and release us for our departure to Savusavu. Arriving in Savusavu and taking the mooring at Waitui, Ann from Charisma calls on the VHF and we schedule a beer at the Copra Shed and dinner at their very nice restaurant. The next day, or yesterday we schedule a birthday dinner for Lisa at the Surf and Turf restaurant but she changes the schedule and we all go over to the Waitui Yacht club for a jam session and some beer. Around 9pm we finish with the jam, Lisa having a great time, and head across the street for dinner.

The restaurant is a Chinese restaurant with the normal dish selection which really equates to about 5 real selections. Damned if we didn't have an absolutely delicious meal with a bottle of red wine. Flabergasted at the price..... $75.00FJ including the wine and each of us having a main course and a couple appetizers. That equates to about $40 for four people which included the bottle of wine. Great birthday gift. Well earlier in the day while BOB was taking a nap, We "me, Lisa and Ann" walk down to the local pearl farm sales office. Happy birthday Lisa with four in the raw pearls for a birthday present. We all be happy but need one more thing to top off the birthday evening. No not the Happy Birthday song because at the jam session they sang it twice. It is called a birthday cake.

Darn, we walked back to the Copra Shed and to our surprise the Café was still open with several deserts just sitting there waiting to be consumed. The order was for one cheese cake, two Death by Chocolate and one Black Forest. The only thing missing was the candles but that didn't stop any of us from eating the Birthday Dessert.

And here we are today.... Cooled our heels with Bob working on some hatches, Lisa and Ann taking a hike and John trying to chase down some 3inch flexible ducting and an inline fan to vent the stupid battery charger. John was successful on half of it, finding the fan but no duct.

We are sitting here after watching a very beautiful sunset having a cocktail, cooking some rice and re-heating a chicken curry for dinner.

Oh one more thing before we sign off. For the last two nights there has been a four meter launch or Mexican type panga tying up to the mooring buoy just behind us fishing for the family. Last night we didn't really comprehend what was going on but tonight we got clued in. Lisa say to me, hey when you go out to the Dinghy to remove the keys why don't you take a zip lock bag of cookies out to the fishing boat as a surprise. I did and they were overly surprised and Vinaka'd us until I paddled back to the boat.

What a wonderful time.

Best to all.

John & Lisa