03 May 2020
To Go or Not to Go

We called the Navy on Friday afternoon and got a confirmation we are okay to leave Suva Harbor and proceed to Vuda Marina or Lautoka so long as we stay in local waters. Saturday we woke early only to find no visibility due to monsoonal winds and rains again. We decided to stay put another day and feed the yacht club cats. We did take down more shade canopies and the rain water collection system as it continued to pour.

Third taxi driver that told us how sorry he was for America right now. Two drivers have mentioned Paw Paw or Papaya root medicinal use for Covid 19 in the clinics here. Too bad you have no PawPaw in New York he said to us.

Sunday morning visibility is better but the seas and pass out of the reef here are at 2 meters and from the wrong direction tide wise for us to exit. We have a four hour sail to the nearest island Beqa which may also have entry reef problems with winds this directions. The surfers are very happily out playing the swells. We start to doubt ourselves and spent a couple hours this morning looking at predict wind and others trying to stay logical about our decision to stay. Our hearts totally want to get going but we need to stay safe. This level winds and chop would not normally stop us. Its more about getting to one location in time and IF it is not feasible having enough time to get to a back up anchorage on the mainland. Anyhow, looks like we stay another day but there are some blue skies between squalls.

Monday morning sunshine greets us and away we went toward the closest point Beqa Island. Turned out all that worry about the swell and surf entering the reef was bogus. When will I learn that the worry is usually just a waste of energy. We had our back up plan should the entry be gnarly but ended up back with our fruit bats behind a small reef guarding a dive resort. It is in very close to mangroves which always means mosquitos, especially in this wet season, but close enough to the entry there is fairly consistent wind to keep the mosquitos at home in the mangroves. Above our anchorage is a "plantation" or farmed area that the locals are desperately trying to replant after TS Harold. We requested permission to anchor here a couple nights and each morning they arrive with bags of taro root starts - or in Fijian daro root. The leaves are huge and edible and the roots are used like potato and very sustainable except when the get blown away by cyclones - much like the chickens. Also noted from our prior visit to TS Harold, the trees along the ridge have been stripped of their leaves, so now the fruit bats are delegated to the lower undamaged trees and quite visible to us. I am working with the camera Mom sent us back with to attempt a better picture than the iPhone's capability.

So thankful to be in these quiet swimmable waters again. Will spend a couple days here before heading back to Vuda as we need to work on our new Fij cruising permit as ours expires shortly. Hard to believe we have been here for six months.

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all! We saved the last of our tequila for today and made ourselves margaritas that don't even come close to Maya Palenque.