Bula visitors!
The passage over the top of Viti Levu was much as expected. The easterly winds continued to blow pretty strongly, but this made for an easy passage westwards on flat calm water within the reef. We stopped overnight in a sheltered anchorage, surrounded by shallow reef & mangroves near Vatia, then continued around the NW of Viti Levu towards Lautoka.
By the afternoon, the wind was beginning to howl from the NE which meant our intended destination in Saweni Bay, just south of Lautoka, completely untenable as it was far too exposed to the wind & fetch. Fortunately we spotted another boat head to a narrow inlet not much further south, where we were able to tuck in behind a reef & find some shelter. We put down plenty of chain anticipating a muddy bottom which doesn’t offer such good holding for our anchor as sand. I’m pleased we did, the wind howled throughout the night at one stage blowing from the west, (not forecast!), at up to 30knots putting us on a lee shore & making it a rather a restless night.
The weather was marginally better the following day & we took the opportunity to go to Lautoka to stock up before our guests arrived. Lautoka, the second largest city, (after Suva), is hardly the tourist Mecca of Fiji, but much more a large provincial town with a lot of character. It is the centre of the sugar cane industry in Fiji and is also known as the Sugar City. There is a high proportion of Fijians of Indian descent living in Lautoka, no doubt related to the fact that tens of thousands of Indians were brought over from India during British colonial times as indentured labour to work in the sugar cane fields. The town certainly has many Indian outlets – great for buying a sari, a handcrafted Ganesha statue or bhuja mix!
The last time we’re visited Lautoka was in 2009 at the end of our first trip & I had a clear memory of a thriving central market. We weren’t let down – it was massive & brimming with lots of luscious fresh produce at bargain basement prices. We stocked up with lots of goodies, supplemented by some supermarket staples & headed fully laden back to the boat.
Fully provisioned, we decided to head to Navandra, an anchorage about 20nm away which we loved on our last visit. Navandra is one of 2 islands in fact, arranged in a V-shape with an anchorage between them. The islands are uninhabited, which is unusual so close to the mainland, but they offer beautiful clear water, excellent snorkelling & deserted palm-fringed beaches.
We motored out there, (which we subsequently learnt was often the norm on this side of Fiji, as we are in the wind shadow of the big island), and whilst dropping the anchor were greeted by the local reception committee. This consisted of about 12 black tip reef sharks constantly circling the boat. They are apparently attracted to the boat by the sound of the propellers as in the past, I believe some recipient of the Darwinian award thought it would be a good idea to feed them. So much for a long awaited dip – although I’m sure they wouldn’t harm you it was a bit off putting!
The snorkelling was great around the edge of coral that lined the anchorage, (only the occasional disinterested shark too), & it was good to take the dinghy to explore around the island. The only downside was that the swell seemed to creep in around the headland which was not too bad for a catamaran, but certainly made it pretty rolly for a monohull.
We returned to the mainland in anticipation of the arrival of our good friends Piet & Kirsty who we have known for years. We booked a berth in Vuda marina overnight to make it easy to get onboard with luggage – not that they were heavily laden, although they thoughtfully brought an abundance of duty free! It was Kirsty’s 50th birthday & I hoped to make it memorable! We had sundowners at the Sunset Bar in the marina & then walked down the road to the restaurant at the First Landing resort where I had booked a table. Of course, they had no knowledge of the booking but it wasn’t busy & they very obligingly set up a table in a quiet corner overlooking the water’s edge. The meal was great & when the staff cottoned on that there was an auspicious birthday celebration they bought out a cake with candle on a plate decorated with flowers, a big 50 & ‘Kristy’ – name a little lost in the translation! Then to Kirsty’s embarrassment – the whole band & wait staff came over & serenaded ‘Happy Birthday’. It was lovely, very thoughtful & I hope Kirsty’s 50th remains a pleasant memory of happy times with friends in Fiji!
Piet & Kirsty were only staying a short week but we planned to visit the southern Yasawa islands if the weather permitted. Our first stop was Yalobi village on the southern side of Waya Island, where we went ashore to the village to find the chief & offer our sevusevu. We were shown around the village by one of the local inhabitants who filled in a little of the island’s history. As has been our previous experience, the village was very neat & tidy with a magnificent backdrop of lushly vegetated mountains – a little reminiscent of Moorea but on a less grand scale. It was certainly a pretty anchorage and although reasonably protected from the prevailing wind, overnight the wind bulleted like hell off the hills! We had a snorkel in the bay, although visibility wasn’t great & then headed around to an anchorage off Octopus resort on the NW of the island. It was a really pretty bay with a long sweeping bay & nice looking resort, but the swell entered the bay & precluded us visiting the shore. We did however enjoy a swim & snorkel off the beach & lots of laughter over dinner that evening.
The wind was still blowing strongly, (we were later to discover this seems to be a constant in the Yasawas in the prevailing trade winds) and we had a boisterous sail south to our favourite spot: Navandra. It actually ended up being the only decent sail we had the whole time Piet & Kirsty were with us – in fact we flew along with a very modest rig at 7kts+ close-hauled in up to 30kts of breeze. The wind began to settle as we headed south – in retrospect I realise this is because we were beginning to get some effect of the wind shadow cast by the big island of Viti Levu.
As always, Navandra delivered- the welcome party of reef sharks, picturesque surroundings, excellent snorkelling & a pleasant walk along the beach. So nice to do this in the company of good friends & to be able share a sense of our lifestyle with them. Finally after a tranquil night in Saweni Bay, we returned to spend Piet & Kirsty’s last night in Vuda marina and welcome our next guest, Liz onboard. It was great to have all of us together to celebrate the good things in life – we had a lovely meal at the Boatshed restaurant in Vuda marina & enjoyed laughter & friendship (& a few too many glasses of wine!).
It was sad to farewell Piet & Kirsty the following day – unfortunately someone (Kirsty) has to work! That is now a bit of an alien concept for Bill & I! Nevertheless, after our goodbyes, we headed back out to the Yasawas to enjoy some cruising time with Liz.
First stop off the small island of Kuata. A peaceful bay with a beach & nice coral. On the other side of the island is a resort which advertises the ‘Awakening shark dive’ – I made sure I checked where this actually was geographically, as they feed tuna heads (on long poles) to bull sharks with the divers looking on. I mean what would possess you? Main thing is sharks were lured to the other side of the island – well that was my rationale which enabled me to get in the water!
Next we headed north to Drawaqa island – hoping to see the manta rays which swim in the passage just north of the anchorage. The wind continued to blow hard & although the anchorage was reasonably sheltered, it was a bumpy dinghy ride to the passage. We stayed a few days – the winds not abating, but despite the wind we did enjoy some incredible snorkelling along the drop off in the passage. No mantas unfortunately but no really conditions conducive to finding them. The wind dropped off a little and we headed to Nalauwaki Bay, on the northern side of Waya island. It was a picturesque spot with high hills & white sand beaches. We attended the village to present our sevusevu & then walked over the hill to Octopus resort to have coffee – what a treat! We liked the low key ambience of the resort which had great facilities & a long beach with a bit of a wave for bodysurfing as Bill pointed out. We would consider coming back if we ever felt the desire for a holiday in Fiji in the future. And I’m sure we will return as we really have enjoyed Fijian hospitality and the beauty of the islands.
Our final stop in the Yasawas with Liz was of course, Navandra. Always such a great place to bring guests. Liz found some great shells to take back for her grandson, Tas – I subsequently heard that he was very excited to receive them!
On the way back to the big island we did manage for the first time to sail some of the way. We had to point out to Liz that having the full main and jib up was a rare treat in these waters!
As a final change of scene we decided at the last minute to take a mooring in Port Denarau for a couple of nights. Post Denarau is a busy port & super yacht hub, but also has marina & moorings for smaller yachts. The area around has been developed a bit like the Gold Coast with houses adjacent to canals, (not that I would swim in them) with a central hub of shops & restaurants. We did have the most delicious Indian meal at Indigo before Liz left, which was a lovely end to a very enjoyable trip with Liz, the perfect boat guest!
So finally we dropped Liz off to catch a cab to the airport & Bill & I returned to the boat to get ready for the haul out the following day. We certainly enjoyed the interlude of having guests aboard & will be pleased to continue to host our friends further down the track.