The Final Countdown
23 September 2014 | Blue Lagoon, Fiji
Mark
August was a relaxing month full of leisurely activities in the beautiful winter weather of Musket Cove and wiling the hours away with surfing, snorkeling, and good friends. September has been a very different kind of beast, though just as fun. Our good friends from Double Diamond arrived at Musket Cove for Fiji Regatta Week just at the beginning of September. The Regatta was fantastic, filled with activities ranging from Coconut Bowling to a full on race around the island. Huck was represented in a 6 mile paddle board race, a Hobi-Cat elimination-style race, a Best Dressed Dinghy contest, a small-scale sailboat race around the sand-bar, Pirate Day, and of course many, many parties.
After the madness of Regatta Week, Huck and Double Diamond dropped mooring balls and we have been spending our time exploring the beautiful Yasawa Island chain north of Musket Cove. We have caught 3 fish (Two Skipjack Tuna and a Great Pacific Barracuda) and dolphins are frequent companions on our daily jogs from island to island. These islands are truly gorgeous, we have seen uninhabited islands with beautiful blue water, snorkeled on some incredible coral reefs, and swam with a shark (just a little one!). There are islands with great peaks of black volcanic stone rearing out of tropical forests and expanses of crystal water. Resorts where the guests are gracious and local Fijians are friendly, hospitable, and willing to share their fantastic culture with us. We looked for Manta Rays unsuccessfully, but were not disappointed with the resulting fish snorkel.
Sadly, today marks the beginning of my final week in Fiji. I've discovered a great interest in sailing and tropical places I never knew that I had, and have learned and seen more in these two months than I could have ever imagined. It's truly been an incredible experience in the complete opposite environment to what I've been used to, and its one that I hope to repeat and build on in the near future. As we sit here in beautiful Blue Lagoon, we are all very grateful for this fantastic trip, and will be making the most of Huck's last month in Fiji this year. Cheers everyone, see you stateside real soon!