4am earlier today and it was just the red light of a fishing boat to port and a distant loom on the horizon that gave the first signs of approaching land, wifi and, most importantly, spas. We slipped quietly past the entrance to Bligh Passage into Kadavu Passage, following in the wake of the great navigators, Bligh and Cook.

Last night we had the loom of the lights of Suva, a chart, one of four GPS and the chart plotter to show us where to go. Quite how these guys of old got around the world more or less unscathed is simply amazing. The reefs extend hundreds of metres or even miles offshore, no lights just a faint line on the near horizon showing there might be something hard out ahead. Mind you. given last year at least seven modern day, GPS clad cruisers on our route through the atolls parked their boats on the reefs, perhaps bowling along in your barque with some wee bloke up the crosstrees, certain of a good keel hauling if he misses a rock, is the better approach.

Anyway, 10 days and 1,068 miles later we are finally anchored in Suva and have just completed and passed inspection from the five officers from customs, immigration, health and bio security who came to visit and fortunately gave us a clean bill of health.

"Has the boat been fumigated recently?"

"Oh yes, in the Galapagos." That bit of name dropping seemed to pass muster and just as we're about to hear the magic ker-clunk of the official stamp, Bruce makes his appearance. Now, Bruce has been with us since Opua. He set up home on a freshly built, comfortable looking web between the solar panel and the pushpit. He hung on grimly there for the last ten days, through wind and rain although I think I did see signs of spider puke one morning. However, despite the fact we fed him on dead flys and ants it seemed we'd lost him when yesterday, after a bit of a breeze, come daylight, the web was destroyed and no sign of Bruce. Right until the moment the bio security woman asks if we've any animals when guess who appears making busy fixing his web.

Welcome to Fiji Bruce.

Oh, and the great news. Scotland are playing Fiji here in a week or three. Better dust off my kilt.

S&A