The Fijian people have this lovely habit of joyfully singing/whistling a high note if they like or are impressed by something. We guess it's like we would say "ah" in appreciation but it sounds much more melodic. It really is true how friendly and welcoming the Fijian's are and we can't help but smile back at this sound. Already we're talking about sailing back here one day.

After the village we headed over to Nananu-i-ra for a bit of kite-boarding. Nananu-i-ra is known as 'adventure' island in Fiji because of a handful of backpackers / kite schools but we found the place extraordinarily quiet. At the one kite resort we visited there was only about 4 guests and while nice there was just no atmosphere. I had a kite boarding lesson with a really nice Dutch guy but the conditions weren't great so soon after we moved on. This central north coast of Viti Levu is a bit bland and the nearby city of Lautoka ugly but we're making our way towards the western coast where all the best known fijian islands are.

Right now we're in a marina called Vuda Point (one of the gateways to the western islands). We've hauled out to renew the anti-fouling paint and polish the white topsides. We'd booked in weeks ago but everything is very relaxed here, our booking was lost, then found, "yes you can haul out tomorrow", "actually we don't have any supports for you, could you wait until another yacht is finished?" Finally the big day arrived and we were moved from our berth to a holding mooring near the travel lift (big crane to lift boats out) at 8am only to wait there until 3pm to be lifted! In what we're sure would be massive breach of workplace safety laws we got to stay onboard during the lift out of the water, great fun!

We'd always assumed we'd paint Whippersnapper ourselves to save money but the labor component is so cheap we can have the job done professionally for about the same price we could source just the paint ourselves (and seeing the amount of work involved very thankful!). Polishing too is a real treat as it would cost thousands in Australia but here it's just a few hundred. The polish is slightly abrasive and will remove any oxidisation/stains from the hull making it bright white again and then a wax will make it glossy and protected from UV. We have a team of 4 Fijian workers all friendly and working well. Mike also spent a full day yesterday cleaning and polishing our brass propeller, it's now gleaming and sure to improve our fuel economy. All in all Whippersnapper is going to be very handsome and even more slippery through the water.

The usual gang of yachts have all arrived now, Ganga, Virigo's Child, Island Fling and Happycat, making sunset drinks in the bar very enjoyable. We plan to be back in the water on Monday and it's just a short sail out to see the beautiful islands of the Mamanuca Islands and the Yasawa Group.