Beth sits with some of the many Mitchell family kids, writing down all their names and ages. We have just been walking the beach together at sunset collecting shells.

As we pulled our dinghy up on the lovely sandy beach, Horace Mitchell came to greet us with a hearty "Bula" (hello in Fijian) and welcomed us to his home in Namata Bay on Qamea Island. It's a picturesque spot with palm trees lining the beach and a coral garden sparkling in crystal clear water of the bay. A number of houses sit on the slope behind the palms with magnificent views looking out over the sea. Children ran down the beach to meet us, laughing and skipping. What a beautiful place to call home!

Namata Bay is on the NW corner of Qamea Island which lies to the east of Tavenui Island, the third largest island in Fiji. The Mitchells have lived in Namata Bay since the early 1900's. Their family history is an interesting story. Frederick George Mitchell arrived in Fiji on a boat from Australia in 1870. He fell in love with a Fijian princess, Adi Matalita, from the ancient village of Lovoni near Levuka on Ovalau Island. They married and had a son named Frank in 1883. Frank, who was to become the patriarch of the Mitchell family, married a Fijian woman named Emma Valentine. They settled on Qamea Island and so began the Mitchell family of Namata Bay.

We strolled along the beach and met Sheila, Tommy, Maria, Floyd and Frank Mitchell. We also met Kasa Mitchell who is the matriarch of the family. She was lovely and welcoming. "Our home is your home" she told us. Her husband, George, passed away just recently in March and although he is sorely missed she is surrounded by her children and 7 grandchildren: Kasa 12 yrs, Matilda 10, Poama 10, Irene 7, Mela 7, Alfred 5 and Charles 3. The school boat picks the kids up every morning to take them around to the next village to go to school. There are no roads on Qamea - only trails, so they rely heavily on boats for their transportation. The nearest store is on Taveuni Island, a 30 min boat ride away.

Many of the adults in the settlement work at the nearby resorts on Matagi and Laucala Islands which are good employers of the local Fijians. Most of the men fish for food for their families, often at night when the barracuda are attracted to the lights on their boats. One fellow is a farmer of taro root (like a potato) and kava plants. The Mitchells have sold off some of their land to Americans and are employed by them to maintain the homes in their absence.

Tommy took us over to Taveuni in his long boat to visit the Bouma National Heritage Park for the day. Namata Bay is a very protected anchorage and was a good safe place to leave our boat. His friend picked us up in his truck and drove us to the Tavoro Waterfalls where we hiked through the lush tropical rain forest and swam in the cool fresh water in a pool below the falls. Accompanied by our friends on "s/v Sidewinder" we also hiked the stunning Levena Coastal Walk past remote villages, the local Fijians shouting "Bula Bula" as we passed. In the village of Lavena the men were cutting open coconuts with their machetes and grinding out the coconut. Women were washing clothes in the river and children were playing in the primitive playground by the school. A board on a stump served as a teeter totter.

Even though they have very little, the Fijians in these villages are welcoming and appear happy and content with their lives. They are extremely generous as well. Maria in Namata Bay baked us coconut scones which were delicious and offered us papaya fruit from her trees. They always have the time to stop and talk to you, inquiring about our home and our children. They are also genuinely interested in our life as nomads on the sailboat. Maria told us about one boat that was moored in their bay for many days. The people aboard didn't come ashore. In our world this would be similar to someone parking their campervan on our front lawn and not knocking on our door to introduce themselves. She was obviously disappointed by this. It's evident they like to meet the "yachties" and hear their stories. The Mitchells have a special log book that visiting boats sign, often including art and memories of their time in Namata Bay. We printed photos we took of the family and put them in the log book. When we returned the book to Kasa she sat and read the most recent entries with all her grandchildren gathered around her. It was a precious sight.

On board Sarah Jean we carry gifts to offer the local people in return for their hospitality. Instead of candy we gave each of the children of Namata Bay a new toothbrush and toothpaste. We also gave the kids a Frisbee. To the adults we gave tea, biscuits, tins of corned beef, and fishing line. These were only small tokens of our appreciation to thank the Mitchell family for sharing their bay and home with us.

As we sailed away from Namata Bay I waved goodbye to the figures on the beach with a lump in my throat. I truly loved this Fijian family and feel so lucky to have met them. They have enriched our lives with their warm, welcoming and generous ways. This is the best part of cruising, having the opportunity to live with people like the Mitchells if only for a short time. Thank you Mitchell family and may we be lucky enough to meet again someday. Namata Bay is our favourite Fijian anchorage so far, both for the beauty of the place as well as the wonderful hospitality of the people.