Peter stepping back as they dove in to the beer and pizza
It was nice to get back in the water and have running water, so we could cook onboard, and have our heads working. We went to the market and did the provisioning for what we hoped would be a 12 day trip to Pacific Harbour and back.
Di shopping in Nadi market
We were going to Pacific Harbour because it is Peter’s birthday this Monday and I had planned something really special. It was going to be hard to top swimming with the humpbacks in Tonga last year. My plans included meeting up with Scott and Anja from Beachhouse and then going together to do the world-renowned shark dive. This dive is listed as one of the top 10 in the world, because you see 7 different species of large sharks including bulls and tigers. The divemaster does a shark feeding while we are underwater holding on to a rope. This attracts lots of large fish, which of course, attracts the big sharks. I can’t wait – and afterwards the four of us will have dinner out to celebrate.
Beautiful scenery everywhere you look
We headed out for our 4 day trip to Pacific Harbour, with anchorages to stop at each night. Our first anchorage was very private and lovely. Captain Peter was choked though that they were burning sugar cane on land, so when we woke up our freshly waxed and polished boat was covered in ash! From here, we went out of the reef and in to the open ocean, which was necessary to head towards Pacific Harbour. This turned out not to be a great decision, as the winds were up to 30 knots – right on the nose. This caused swells of 10 – 15 feet with 3 foot waves on top of them. We were pounding straight in to these large and angry waves. At times we felt like we were on a teeter-tooter as we would hover on the apex of the wave and then have a spine-jarring drop in to the trough. It was uncomfortable and nerve-wracking, with waves crashing over the dodger and soaking us in the cockpit. To make matters worse, we lost a pin from our bimini (with the pounding) and then when I was releasing the traveler down I got the line jammed in our electric winch. Not a great situation, but Peter was able to fix it and we jury-rigged the bimini.
At the end of four hours of this, we had to enter a narrow unmarked reef. This is difficult to do with the waves so high – it is hard to truly distinguish the reef from the rest of the surf. Finally we could spot the crashing waves on either side of the pass. It was not a good time to be remembering the sailor from last year who lost his life when his sailboat crashed in to the reef here in Fiji. Anyway, we made it in safe and sound, with only minor damage below – Peter’s computer had gone flying so it had a crack in it (but didn’t crash it), and the coffeepot had fallen over on the gimbled stove and soaked the burners, so they aren’t working very well. Even though we had stowed most things away, there were books and stuff all over the galley. We anchored in 30 knot winds and I can’t remember the last time I was so happy being in an anchorage that had white caps and was so rolly. It was just nice to be out of the violent sea.
Peter checking on the anchor and holding on for dear life in the wind
The anchorage we were in was post-card perfect, surrounded as far as the eye could see with pristine beaches. As the forecast was calling for more of the same high winds and swells for the next few days, we changed our plans and decided to stay an extra night at this anchorage and then to turn tail and head back to Denerau. This is the key to safe sailing – you have to be flexible and respect the weather. If you insist on sticking to a hard and fast schedule, that is when you get in real trouble. We will still be doing the shark dive on Monday, but we have gone to Plan B and we will take a 2-hour bus to Pacific Harbour, spend two nights in a hotel, so we can get up for the dive at 0800, have dinner out that evening and stay over again before heading back on the bus. Hopefully we won’t get eaten and I can tell you about the dive next Friday in the blog.
Beautiful beaches in this anchorage (and yes, we are missing our granddaughter Addy, A LOT)
We made the most of our change in plans by exploring the island. Four years ago the Inter-Continental built a 5-star resort here, which is magnificent. As soon as we landed the dinghy near the village we were met by a local, named John, who said of course he could take us horse-back riding and then to his village. So we spent the day walking the endless beach and going horse-back riding into the hills and on the beach, and then ended up in the village.
Di walking the beach
On horse-back. It certainly isn’t SunDance Guest Ranch. The horses were “nags”, but it will still fun.
Peter trotted his horse up to the top of the hill, where Peter thinks he is “The Lone Ranger” looking back at me.
The highlight for me, and my favourite part of cruising, is going in to the villages and meeting the locals. John’s son Jo took us on the horse-back ride and afterwards we took him out to our boat as he had never seen the inside of one before. He then took us to meet with his Dad and to meet the Chief so that we could present the sevu-sevu, which as I’ve mentioned before is the formal presentation of Kava to receive permission to be in their land. The Chief was unfortunately out, but we made the presentation to John who accepted on the chiefs’ behalf and he will give it to Chief when he comes back. We also bought some local handicrafts because it is the polite thing to do while accepting their hospitality.
Peter presenting the sevu-sevu
We admire how hard this village works to make an honest living through horse-back riding, crafts, etc. Many of the people have jobs at the hotel, so they are happy with their neighbour hotel and have a very good relationship. The villagers get up at 4:00 every morning and sing in the church (which we could hear all the way to the boat). At the end of every workday, they meet again and sing in the church before having dinner and Kava. Lights out for them right after dinner. Makes me look like a night owl.
So, although, we did have to change our plans, we had a wonderful day, ending with another fabulous sunset.
We are almost back at Port Denerau where we have to take a bus for an hour to check back in – since we had already checked out to go to Pacific harbor. This check in and checkout procedure is the only downside to cruising in Fiji, as it means we always have to arrive on a weekday in enough time to make it to customs. However, small price to pay, and no, I’m not complaining…I know how very lucky we are!
P.S. Peter just called me on deck to help with bringing the main sail down, getting the lines ready and the bumpers on. I was driving and all of a sudden we hit something and stopped dead in the water (now I know truly what that saying means). It turned out okay, as it was only a sandbar because it is low, low tide and we just motored through it. Minutes afterward, we were ready to tie-up on the dock, however, the wind continued to howl, so two guys from the super-yacht came to assist us with docking. The wind was blowing us right off the dock and we almost hit the solid, 2-level dive boat beside us. Peter and I were holding QuickStar off of it, while the two guys on the dock wrestled with tying the lines. Quite a gong-show! Anyway, always fun to end with a little excitement. We are now snug as a bug here at the dock.
We celebrated our son, Danny’s 27th birthday this week and also our Step-Mom Liz’s 70th. Hope you both had a great time.
On a sadder note, Peter’s father is now in the hospital, as is Joe, my brother-in-law. We have kept close to our email to get daily updates, but we feel useless being this far away. On Sunday, we will be missing the memorial for our dear friend Barry who recently passed away. Kylie will be there to represent the Bruckmann gang and we will be there in spirit. We miss you every day Barry. Friday nights at SunDance will never be the same without you!
Until next week….
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