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| Slow Dance and Noble House in Point Denarau marina, under the full moon |
Dead Reckoning is a nautical term for getting from point A to point B,
however, there are variables such as wind, current, and weather that
effect the journey. Very much like life, yes? I took the photo below early
one morning on the way to Latoka in the tender; we were scouting out the mangroves where large boats hide from cyclones. The morning was ethereal, you couldn't tell the ocean from the sky. We never actually found the alleged safe haven, but as fate would have it, Slow Dance departed Denarau from Vita Lavu just before the worst rain in 300 years. Now that's what I call being in the rhythm of things.
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| Where does the ocean meet the sky? A True infinity pool! |
Vanna Lavu means "Great Land" and although the northern island is half the size of Vita Lavu, there is much to do. Peppered with many islands and even a few Atolls, the north offers varied landscapes, friendly people, and virtually no tourists. We were a spectacle for all the small villages and towns we visited. The weather prevented sailing to the Lau Group, which was a disappointment for all of us, but bad weather turned really bad and Slow Dance headed back for SavuSavu as a hopeful haven from the cyclone that was building in Vanuatu and headed for Fiji! That story yet to be told.....
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| Sailing up north, we escaped Denarau just before the heavy rain. |
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| Viani Bay, JJ hacienda |
After provisioning in Savusavu, we headed north to explore the smaller islands and atolls. We waited out some weather in Viani Bay; a beautiful place not far from rainbow reef abounding with sea turtles, fish, underwater cliffs, and walls of live coral. Sean and Corrie did a dive on the reef, while Ron and I opted for a snorkel. Ron did a free dive to 25 feet; he hasn't lost his mojoe!
"You say hello, I say good-by, I don't know why you say hello, I say good-by." Quote; The Beatles. We said good-by to Sooz-E-Q in Nandi; she returned to the great lake of Superior, to create and explore the rest of her life. We miss you sweet Suzy blue eyes, see you on the flip side.
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| You jumped the marina to save that hat! The hat sits atop the books in the wheel house. (a bit of you lingering) |
Corrie arrived with the New Year and helped crew Slow Dance to the northern islands. Welcome Corrie, so nice to have you back.
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| Ron and the girls! |
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| Welcome back Corrie, you got out just before the deluge! |
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| Captain Sean and Corrie navigating the reefs. |
Ron, Corrie and I went on an expedition to take Trinidad to shore and had the great pleasure to meet JJ and his lovely wife Jamine. JJ captained a grand ship around the world and Jamine served as galley goddess. Now retired and enjoying there own private slice of paradise. We were invited in for coffee and good conversation. Trini was a hit with the house dogs, who were a hit with us!
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| The beach out front, Viani Bay |
Navigation is serious business and captain Sean does it well. We have charts installed on the main frame which show the ocean layout Also we have two radar systems. Fiji is surrounded by reef and the charts have not always been accurate for the remote places we have traveled. Good thing we have good eyes and lots of knowledge aboard!
The weather was rainy with bursts of warm tropical sun, at which time, we all enjoyed the delicious South Pacific waters.
We headed out for the remote islands and atolls. First landing was Kloa, home to 300 Polynesian's from the island Vaitupu. This was interesting as the people purchased the island in 1946, just after the war. There were no Fijians here, just Peace Corp guys. The women are famous for their basket weaving and Ron bought a new shoe basket for the boat. We spent a day here, talking to the elders, playing with the kids and the new litter of puppies.
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| JJ, Jamine, Cookie, and Tee. |
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| Rescued Lady |
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| Coco, 4 months |
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There are many small resorts around Viani Bay and we hit them all (those that were still open) to be social and drink some Fiji bitter.
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| The Garden Isle, Taveuni |
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| Ron, Sean, and Corrie. This was a nice resort and we had fun playing pool and swimming in the pool! |
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| Nap Time |
The trees are magnificent and I just couldn't capture their graceful beauty.
From spreading banyan, to flowering mangosteen, to beloved palm forest, gotta love them trees.
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| Bulu, Bulu Bar |
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| Some island bar up north |
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| I caught them drinking girly-man drinks! |
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| Captain Ron crashes yet another remote island resort! So cool traveling by boat! |
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| Beach on Viani Bay |
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| Beach on deserted island |
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| Trini's favorite beach. There was a trail that wound around the bay. |
We also visited a small island called Rambi that was purchased by the people in 1945. These people were Melanesian as opposed to Polynesian and although they were all Fijian citizens, no Fijians inhabited the island. The Banaban people on Rambi are from Banaba, a six square km raised atoll 450 miles from Tarawa in the Gilbert islands.
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| Jack fish, known in the Pacific as Yellow-tail. Best darn fish I ever ate! |
The waters around Taveuni are famous for deep sea fishing as well as top world diving sites. We caught an ugly guy known as Jack or yellow tail, (not tuna) as the tip of his fin is yellow. This was by far the best fish any of us had eaten. The meat was firm and white, flaky and non fishy. I grilled him, made fish and chips, sauteed him Mediterranean style with lemon, capers, and artichokes, and served grilled slices over Quinoa with black beans. Yummiest fish ever...hope we catch another.
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| B J reeled him in at 25 LBS. |
Taveuni is lush, 20 shades of green, third largest island in Fiji, has the highest mountain in all the land,Tangimauthia flowers that bloom only in December and grow only around Taveuni's 900 meter high crater lake, (awesome flowers) So cool!
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| The river in Waiyevo town. |
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| Roadside stand with bushiest pineapple tops i ever did see. |
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| It all started here with Trini |
The rain had subsided and we were going to take a guided hike to the waterfall; then change of plan led us to move the boat closer to the harbor at Taveuni. As things turned out, the waterfall was 2 hours from the town so we canceled and went to the market instead. Things work so funny here; the cab was $10.00 Fiji dollars to the market, so the cab driver asked Sean if he had a drivers license, which Sean replied yes, so the guy just gave Sean the key to his "very nice new" SUV. so we could drive ourselves to the market. These folk are very trusting and genuine.
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| Soul Man |
Waiyevo, is the name of the town and after our trip to the market I decided to take Trini for a small walk about. We hadn't gone far up the road when this nice fellow appeared and invited me into the family home for a visit. (Fijians are insanely friendly) I had just entered the house when Ron showed up and we were both offered a chair. The big man of the house did not speak a word of English so soul man interpreted. These folks were convinced that God had sent us because it had been storming for weeks and we appeared along with the good improved weather. I mentioned Bob Marley and received a very favorable response. Bob Marley is highly regarded and considered a prophet in all the islands, as well as all the world. The big man spoke slowly and his words carried weight. He took our chance arrival as a very good omen. He said Ron and I reminded him of his parents? Hum mm.
The family asked if we would like to see Date Line. Ron and I thought they were talking about the TV show. We were led outside expecting to see a big screen TV but instead we were taken to the official marker where each day begins; that would be the "International Date Line"! People come from all over the world to find this site and we just stumbled on it by accident! One foot in Tuesday and the other in Wednesday!
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| Ron with the family |
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| Swing in the living-room |
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| Cookie and Trini |
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| Grace |
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| The Big Hookah |
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| The official site where each new day begins |
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| Sunset at SavuSavu |
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| The sunsets are outrageous here |
Oh yes, about the hurricane; we found ourselves out in the open ocean with a huge storm brewing. All weather forecasts were waning of a cyclone building and potentially hitting the Fiji islands. The closest place to run was SavuSavu and we made a beeline back there to safe harbor. It rained hard for a week and as luck would have it, the storm fell short of a full blown cyclone. The big island of Vita Vanu was hit hard with flooding and many of the main roads were flooded out. So overall, we are in a good place here in northern Fiji and will stay put for the next 30 days.
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| Slow Dance in the safe harbor at SavuSavu |
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON! |
Nice thing about having your birthday here is that you get to have it twice!
