Friday July 15
There’s no wind so it’s a slow motor to Navadra. Two other boats here, one scruffy Italian boat and and another Benetau looking 50 footer– Stellar. Stellar motors off in the afternoon and an Ovni flying an Italian flag
comes in. They chat with the other Italian boat and then anchor. Scruffy Italian ups anchor and motors off. Pursuit, a 40 something Nicholson comes in. We seen them before..English skipper and two women..one kiwi, one brit…awfully awfully proper.
Later in the day they swim over to say hello…nice little chat, thanks very much and off they paddle. We have steak and sausages on the BBQ and settle down for a rolly night…again.
Saturday July 16
Still rolly in the morning…poached eggs on toast for b’fast ; the Italian Ovni leaves ; no sign of life on Pursuit. We up anchor and motor out past the reef..there’s a breeze so sails up and we’re off, 5-6 knots .. it doesn’t last…but we persist and don’t turn on the motor. A pod of whales pass us to the west…too far away to identify or get pictures. As we dodge the reefs and shallow patches up the west side of Waya Is, the breeze comes and goes; no clouds, a slight swell and bright hot sun; opposite Octopus Is resort, a cat called Surreal motors past . The wind almost dies as we approach Nacilau Pt at the NW tip of Waya. We manage to just make it around the reefy clump off the point and we get a nice breeze to sail in to Nalauwaki Bay and drop anchor in 9m. Tide is right out and the shoreline looks extremely inhospitable. The scruffy Italian is here, anchored about half a mile along the beach from us. There’s something going on …or has been ..in the village..the girls particularly are very well dressed..bright colourful skirts and tops…something’s happening, but no idea
what it is.
A boat comes over with 6 guys in it…you want lobster ??..fresh!! how much ? $15…. $15 ?...one five ?? yeah yeah !....so find the wallet…only have 20s so he makes a profit…F$20 for a lobster !!! that’s A$10 roughly !...so tonight were having lobster for entrée and barbequed walu and tuna for main course….sheer luxury !!
Sunday July 17
We decide to go north to Somosomo Bay one last time, it’s a slow sail…just like yesterday…tide is right out when we arrive…impossible to go ashore..so we wait We dinghy in to see Viny and Jack..Gunilla has made a CD of the photos she took last visit. We are hailed by some boys in a whale boat wanting a tow into shore…we do it with some difficulty. On shore we walk to Viny’s house but no-one’s home..oh well, we can always post it to her.
Later a small red boat roars in and within 30 minutes theres the sound of music and singing from the direction of Viny’s house…their church is behind the house…we assume that they have been away and just come back and church is the first priority…it is Sunday after all !
Monday July 18
Up early for a sharp start at the 50 mile trip south...and it's blowing 30 knots !!!
Well we have to go, so up with the main and motoring out of Sosmosomo in a fairly heavy sea...wet, but at
least not cold.
Round the tip of Naviti island and we settle down to an easterly breeze of 20-25, just the main up and we're doing 7 knots in a 2m swell...very nice...but it doesn't last..after about 30 miles the motor is on and it stays on for the next 3 hours until we anchor at Mana Island again...47.5 miles today...tomorrow we'll go to Musket Cove, so that’s an easy hop to Lautoka to do the customs and immigration stuff and then down to Vuda Pt, maybe stop at Saweni Bay for Wednesday night...tide at Vuda Pt is 1030 on Thursday...sounds like a good time to arrive !
Tuesday July 19
Left Mana Is under motor, but by castaway resort we’re sailing close hauled in 12-15knots..beautiful, takes us all the way to Musket Cove where we see the same boats still sitting at anchor…been here for weeks !
Wednesday July 20
Off motoring again to Lautoka to clear in and do the crew sign off….customs is closed when we arrive, we have to wait until 1400 and even though I’m first in the queue, somehow I’m last to clear….oh well..off to immigration to sign off Gunilla from the crew and see about getting a one way ticket letter for later…well taxi ride to immigration and its sll too hard, the woman in charge, who is the only person authorised to do such things is not there…you have to go to Nadi, says the counter clerk…no no..we can’t do that…can I do it by email..of course she says..so that can wait.
Back to the boat and a slow motor to Saweni Bay for the night.
Thursday July 21
Tide is 1030 this morning so up and off to Vuda Pt..we arrive at 0945 but there’s no space for us so we’re
swinging on the mooring buoy in the middle while we wait for things to get sorted out.
This is the end of the idyll for now. Gunilla flies back to Sweden via Brisbane, and I go to Sydney…leaving
DIVA here in the marina for 3 months…in the height of the cruising seashingon to come back in October for a few weeks before putting her in a cyclone pit for the cyclone season.
So that’s it…..More pics and things will be uploaded from home next week.
Thanks for watching
There’s no wind so it’s a slow motor to Navadra. Two other boats here, one scruffy Italian boat and and another Benetau looking 50 footer– Stellar. Stellar motors off in the afternoon and an Ovni flying an Italian flag
comes in. They chat with the other Italian boat and then anchor. Scruffy Italian ups anchor and motors off. Pursuit, a 40 something Nicholson comes in. We seen them before..English skipper and two women..one kiwi, one brit…awfully awfully proper.
Later in the day they swim over to say hello…nice little chat, thanks very much and off they paddle. We have steak and sausages on the BBQ and settle down for a rolly night…again.
Saturday July 16
Still rolly in the morning…poached eggs on toast for b’fast ; the Italian Ovni leaves ; no sign of life on Pursuit. We up anchor and motor out past the reef..there’s a breeze so sails up and we’re off, 5-6 knots .. it doesn’t last…but we persist and don’t turn on the motor. A pod of whales pass us to the west…too far away to identify or get pictures. As we dodge the reefs and shallow patches up the west side of Waya Is, the breeze comes and goes; no clouds, a slight swell and bright hot sun; opposite Octopus Is resort, a cat called Surreal motors past . The wind almost dies as we approach Nacilau Pt at the NW tip of Waya. We manage to just make it around the reefy clump off the point and we get a nice breeze to sail in to Nalauwaki Bay and drop anchor in 9m. Tide is right out and the shoreline looks extremely inhospitable. The scruffy Italian is here, anchored about half a mile along the beach from us. There’s something going on …or has been ..in the village..the girls particularly are very well dressed..bright colourful skirts and tops…something’s happening, but no idea
what it is.
A boat comes over with 6 guys in it…you want lobster ??..fresh!! how much ? $15…. $15 ?...one five ?? yeah yeah !....so find the wallet…only have 20s so he makes a profit…F$20 for a lobster !!! that’s A$10 roughly !...so tonight were having lobster for entrée and barbequed walu and tuna for main course….sheer luxury !!
Sunday July 17
We decide to go north to Somosomo Bay one last time, it’s a slow sail…just like yesterday…tide is right out when we arrive…impossible to go ashore..so we wait We dinghy in to see Viny and Jack..Gunilla has made a CD of the photos she took last visit. We are hailed by some boys in a whale boat wanting a tow into shore…we do it with some difficulty. On shore we walk to Viny’s house but no-one’s home..oh well, we can always post it to her.
Later a small red boat roars in and within 30 minutes theres the sound of music and singing from the direction of Viny’s house…their church is behind the house…we assume that they have been away and just come back and church is the first priority…it is Sunday after all !
Monday July 18
Up early for a sharp start at the 50 mile trip south...and it's blowing 30 knots !!!
Well we have to go, so up with the main and motoring out of Sosmosomo in a fairly heavy sea...wet, but at
least not cold.
Round the tip of Naviti island and we settle down to an easterly breeze of 20-25, just the main up and we're doing 7 knots in a 2m swell...very nice...but it doesn't last..after about 30 miles the motor is on and it stays on for the next 3 hours until we anchor at Mana Island again...47.5 miles today...tomorrow we'll go to Musket Cove, so that’s an easy hop to Lautoka to do the customs and immigration stuff and then down to Vuda Pt, maybe stop at Saweni Bay for Wednesday night...tide at Vuda Pt is 1030 on Thursday...sounds like a good time to arrive !
Tuesday July 19
Left Mana Is under motor, but by castaway resort we’re sailing close hauled in 12-15knots..beautiful, takes us all the way to Musket Cove where we see the same boats still sitting at anchor…been here for weeks !
Wednesday July 20
Off motoring again to Lautoka to clear in and do the crew sign off….customs is closed when we arrive, we have to wait until 1400 and even though I’m first in the queue, somehow I’m last to clear….oh well..off to immigration to sign off Gunilla from the crew and see about getting a one way ticket letter for later…well taxi ride to immigration and its sll too hard, the woman in charge, who is the only person authorised to do such things is not there…you have to go to Nadi, says the counter clerk…no no..we can’t do that…can I do it by email..of course she says..so that can wait.
Back to the boat and a slow motor to Saweni Bay for the night.
Thursday July 21
Tide is 1030 this morning so up and off to Vuda Pt..we arrive at 0945 but there’s no space for us so we’re
swinging on the mooring buoy in the middle while we wait for things to get sorted out.
This is the end of the idyll for now. Gunilla flies back to Sweden via Brisbane, and I go to Sydney…leaving
DIVA here in the marina for 3 months…in the height of the cruising seashingon to come back in October for a few weeks before putting her in a cyclone pit for the cyclone season.
So that’s it…..More pics and things will be uploaded from home next week.
Thanks for watching