gecko!

this is the third guest from the lizard family we have had on board.....they are very cute and cuddly....if you can catch them...and they eat bugs!

Vuda Pt Yacht Club Bar

A wonderful view of the setting sun, Sabrina the shiny black bar cat with the emerald green eyes (must be some Irish there) rubbing against your leg and very politely asking what you are having for dinner and whether you are willing to 'share'.....and the entrance to the marina, at low tide a 10' deep channel cut through the reef.....many happy hours spent here with the sound of the geckos chirping in the beams....

"the grave"

A view of the 'hole' that Toketie will be nestled into next month to sit out the cyclone season in Fiji.  The keel rests below ground and the hull is supported on piles of old tires....

kids on Waya Island!

We met these young pirates when we were walking the beach in the Yasawas!

Back in Vuda Point Marina!

After two tsunami alerts and then the wind going round to the North making our quiet little bay a nightmare, we upped and made our way back around to the marina.....with all those amenities....like hot water, laundry, wifi, the yacht club restaurant....wow!  Now if only there was a bit of breeze and we could breath in this stifling heat!

shakin, rattlin, but still rollin

October 8, 2009

Thursday here, Wednesday back home in Victoria! The rain had passed in the night, washing the decks off for us. So we dragged the dinghy up on the beach and started walking up the hot dusty road to the highway. We were soon offered a lift by the young local Coca-Cola rep. As he turned South at the highway, we flagged down a bus into Lautoka and while making our way from the market to an internet café, we were told by a scruffy looking individual on the street that a 'tsunami' warning had just gone into effect for Fiji. Ignoring him at first, we quickly realized there was something different about the rhythm of the town. Shops were closing down, lots of people on the streets, traffic jams. We were in the grocery store and soon realized that the warning was for real. I told Linda to abandon the cart and we flagged a taxi in front of the store. The radio was blaring with the news that an earthquake in Vanuatu, just 500 miles West of Fiji, had occurred below the sea and was expected to generate a tsunami wave striking the West coast of Fiji within an hour. The taxi crawled along as everyone tried to head for higher ground. Schools were closed and children bussed to safe locations. The wave was forecast to be as high as 8 meters! We had left the hatches open on Toketie and some portholes and were anchored in a shallow bay on the West side of Viti Levu, one of the most exposed and vulnerable coasts in this case. By the time the taxi was free of the town and the traffic jam, there was only 10 minutes left till the wave was expected to arrive on the shores of Fiji. Going down to the boat at this point would be too risky so we got out at a gas station on the highway overlooking the bay. We could not see Toketie from here but had a clear view to the West where a wave was expected to appear any minute now. An hour later, nothing had happened and the alert was canceled. We walked down to the beach and gratefully retrieved our dinghy from the beach and went home.glad to be safe and still have a boat.
Never a dull moment when you live on the edge.of the world!

boat chores!

One more porthole completed! Seems to take two days to get through each one...only two left to do! Weather has gone from bright hot sun to heavy humid overcast with no wind. Feels like just before a heavy rain! But it is quiet in this anchorage and the days slide by.....

tsunami!

We woke up to talk of a tsunami warning in Fiji yesterday! It was cancelled a few hours later with no noticeable surge here. Have heard brief reports of death and destruction in the Samoas and devastation of a village in Nuatoputapu in N Tonga. Reminds us we are travelling in an area of geological instability where volcanos and earthquakes are a reality! By the way, how is that San Andrea Fault line holding up? :)

Sevu-Sevu

This traditional ceremony is still practiced in the remote villages. We were anchored in Yalobi Bay on the South end of Waya Island, which is part of the Yasawa Island chain in the Western part of Fiji. Some of these small islands are uninhabited, many now have rustic 'backpacker' resorts. Yesterday, on arriving, we rowed to shore and asked for the 'Tui Waya' which I assumed meant the chief or headman of the village. The children pointed us to an elderly man sitting on the beach under the palm trees lining the shore. We approached him and were invited to sit on the sand with him. He was sitting with a young woman named Tamma who operated a backpacker resort in the village. This was the first time since we have been in Fiji that we have attempted the Sevu-Sevu ceremony. We placed the bundle of Yaquona root before us on the sand. This plant, sold in most markets in the cities, is ground up and mixed with water to make kava, a mild narcotic that men, traditionally, though western women have been seen to participate, consume socially. Our brief encounter with it in Tonga found it to be very mild. Tui ignored the proffered gift at first and smilingly asked us questions about where we came from, where we had been, our families and Toketie. He told us the village did not have a chief at the moment but after sharing conversation for a while, he agreed to accept our gift, clapped his hands three times and welcomed us to the village. We were now formally under their protection and as guests could wander freely. Tui asked us what we would like to do while visiting and we mentioned hiking, as the island was mountainous, much like some of the volcanic islands in the Marquesas. He said there were many trails and advised using a guide.
Today the sky is clear, the sun is very hot and there is no breeze. It is very peaceful in the bay. We rowed ashore and decided it was too hot a day to attempt a hike. On seeing us, Tui and Tamma waved us into a grass hut with open sides with a long table. He asked if we were interested in any crafts they made and began to spread out before us an assortment of necklaces of amacite, shells, seeds, sharks teeth, as well as some decorative cloth made into sulus or wraps. We picked up a few gifts to take home and walked the length of the beach along the village. Several other families welcomed us, one young man knocking a coconut from a tree and hacking the top off for us to drink. Another older lady took us into her grass hut to show us her crafts, of which we bought a small blue beaded necklace, supposedly mother of pearl.
Later in the day, the wind came up from the South and was blowing directly into the bay. We swung on our anchor close to the reef lining the shore and the swells started to build, foretelling an anxious night on anchor watch and little sleep. Nature had once again intruded into our tranquil paradise.
By first light, we were bouncing in the large swells rolling into the bay and the anchor alarm was going off indicating less than six feet between our keel and the reef. We pulled up the anchor and motor sailed our way back to the big island for the shelter of Saweni Bay where we had been so comfortable before.
So we are back in our quiet little bay and the sun is shining again. We will probably stay here and work on the list of boat chores Toketie seems to endlessly acquire. It is peaceful and sheltered and good holding. There is only one other boat in the bay at the moment but last night several came in for the night and left early in the morning. We can swim here and there is a beach to explore and if really desperate, we could walk up to the highway and catch the bus into Lautoka. But for now we are relaxing and thinking of people and places far away. In November, we will be back in Victoria and that may be a shock to our tropically acclimated systems!
For the moment, we are out of wifi range so we can only be reached via winlink!

September 22, 2009 – Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

After 7 relaxing weeks at Musket Cove, we have finally slipped our mooring and motored in very light air the three hours back to Vuda Point Marina.  Our water tanks were getting low and potable water is a luxury on the outer islands.  Running out of beer and wine had nothing to do with the decision!

The last week in Musket Cove saw torrential tropical rainfall for about 12 hours straight, followed by brisk 30 kt winds.  We had a couple of movie and reading days on board and when the sun came out again, the dozen or more boats in the bay converged on the Island Bar to fire up the barbq pits and share stories about how none of us know exactly where we will go to next!  Musket Cove is a wonderful place and they make it very easy to stay.  A protected anchorage with plenty of moorings, most supplies readily available, reasonable drinks at the Island Bar, and of course the swimming pool.  Not to mention great hiking trails and friendly people.  Our favourite bartender, Vasiti, took these pics of an octopus right at the edge of the bar.  I had seen a larger one in the same area a couple of weeks before, but did not have the camera along.  And we saw the biggest turtle we have ever seen several times out in the bay, not to mention the small fish antics as they ruffle the surface of the water, probably running from barracuda or mahi-mahi.  

But now we are sweltering in the heat in the marina where very little breeze can penetrate.  Yesterday we rode the chicken bus into Lautoka and stocked up on supplies.  Last night was $10 pizza night at the resort next door so a whole gang of people descended on it.  Today, filling water tanks and tidying up!

Only 6 more weeks and Toketie will be 'put to bed' for 6 months while we fly to Seoul for a few days on the way home to Victoria.  Looking forward to family and friends and Mikey's wine!!!!

Octopus at Musket Cove

Our favorite Island Bartender, Vasiti, took these wonderful pics at the edge of the water! (remember that if you click on a pic, it will enlarge it)

Musket Cove Regatta Pirates Day!

After the 'rum' inoculation, things started to get 'out of hand', at least for those who still had their hands!  When this wench tried to steal me, well things just got sillier from there....

Spectacular skies!

The sunsets have been performing well lately!  Weather is fairly settled right now with hot sunny days and a breeze if we are lucky.  At night it cools off comfortably.  Our daily routine of boat chores to swimming pool to showers to sundowners is mesmerizing us into apathy!  So we have signed up for the festivities next week when the annual Musket Cove Regatta kicks off.  About 80 boats have registered so there should be lots of partying with trips to outer islands and silliness all around.  As the only Canadian boat registered this year, we will have to represent the country!

Linda is off kayaking with a kiwi friend so I might get ambitious and clean the long green slimy stuff off the prop!

another hike on Malolo Island!

It was an overcast day, threatening to rain, so perfect for hiking!  Tide was extremely low this morning so we crossed between the islands and followed the beach......this young fellow dogged our footsteps along the way....

Musket Cove anchorage!

Beautiful view from the top of the hill!  The light coloured bits are reefs!  You can just see Toketie....dark hull to the far right!

On a hike!

....miles from nowhere....

Take a hike!

Eh!

Coconut Plantation!

The ubiquitous coconut!

....great with rum!

Andre, Sivo & Manasa

These young pastors were collecting sea cucumbers on the reef at low tide!