Fiji - The Land of
Mystery, History and Incredible Joie de Vie - October 15 2014 – Present
We arrived in Fiji
after a wonderful three day passage from the Hapai Group of Tonga. The winds were strong, the seas were fair and
the fishing fantastic. As we passed into
Fijian Waters travelling thru the pass just north of the Lau Group we were
carried along by swift moving current and strong winds aft the beam and
KaijaSong danced over the waves with great delight. As we came upon our first Fijian islands the
sun was setting and we sailed into the sunset amidst the beautiful lush
landscapes, tall and rugged reef rimmed islets that held so much history and
mystery as a far away place long dreamed of and now so ever present in our
view.
During that last night
of passage we were aware of the many hidden reefs with breaking water abundant
as we skipped between the islands. When
morning broke the fishing began in earnest and it wasn’t long before we landed
our biggest yet Wahoo…a whopping 4 footer, full of life and fight and some of
the tastiest eatin you can imagine. Not
long after that we hit and landed our biggest yet Mahi Mahi…another 4 footer…WOW…it
don’t get much better than this folks…but wait…there’s more…moments later we
hooked and landed a beautiful tuna…a Trifecta of Fishing…what a welcome to
Fiji!
We arrived at Savu Savu
late afternoon and were welcomed by Princess and Dolly…you think I’m making
this up??? They are the contacts for the
Copra Shed Marina and they were as pleasant as their names. They made all the arrangements for customs,
immigration, health and the Bio hazard folks (they are very careful of any food
or plant material), but alas, they could not have been nicer and the paperwork
was done within minutes…WELCOME TO FIJI!.
We spent our first week
in Savu Savu getting caught up with friends we had not seen for some time…Mike
and Liliane Sv Makeo whom we had not seen since the San Blas, and Richard and
Fran Sv Red, last seen in the Marquases and Bev and crew Sv Kokoh who we saw
last in Tonga.
Savu Savu is located on
the island of Vanua Levu and is a great place for diving, shopping and safe
little hurricane hole used by many a cruiser as an alternate to hauling their
boats during cyclone season as we were about to do in Vuda Marina on the big
island of Viti Levu. One of the long
standing residents/cruisers is Curly who provides a plethora of local knowledge
of navigation to the newbies…like us…thank you Curly.
We departed Savu Savu
for Namena which is hailed as one of the top 10 diving locations on the
planet. We were not disappointed despite
less than perfect weather and water conditions…diving/snorkelling Grand central
station and the Pinnacle were outstanding.
Next we travelled to Makogai to see the giant clams and again we were
not disappointed. They are regenerating
the giant clam population in the islands and we look forward to going back.
This is year 10 for us
in the cruising lifestyle which is a milestone and also a point when things
start wearing out and breaking down on the boat. This is the main reason we decided to haul KS
for the season and effect as many refit repairs as are required to keep our home
safe, comfortable and looking good. It
is also an excellent opportunity to purge the boat of so many things we have
picked up and packed along the way…looking forward to having the waterline back
where it belongs.
We are now sitting safe
in a ‘cyclone pit’…a design quite unique in our sailing experience, but once
you see how it works it makes perfect sense.
Our first month has
been one of tearing things apart and working on the big jobs…we have the diesel
tank repair behind us and glad of it.
Next is redoing all the canvas including sail repairs, new stackpack,
new dodger/bimini blah blah blah…and I can tell you that the pockets are
quickly ridding themselves of any loose change…hahaha…this will be an expensive
time, with bottom painting, topside touch-ups…prop rebalancing…new cutlass
bearings, new new new…WOW!...don’t laugh if you get one of those emails from us
saying we are in FIJI and we don’t have any money please send us some hahahah….I’m
laughing now but by about March It may not be quite so funny.
We have already made
some great new friends and so far enjoying our time here in this beautiful
paradise…altho..must admit…I can honestly say…it will be better when we are back on the water and not just
looking at it.
We keep you posted on
our progress. Till then,
Keep dreaming your life
and living your dream…IT’S ALL POSSIBLE IF YOU ONLY BELIEVE!
KAIJA & GARY
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