Bakana Island More catch up posts from Fiji. We are still alive and well in Majuro. Will post an update soon.
Vuda Point and northward Sept 21 Back to land to prepare for the next leg of our journey, westward around the top of Viti Levu. After a night anchored at Sawene Bay, we sailed for Vuda Point Marina. We navigated the now familiar narrow shallow coral pass and tied up to the fuel jetty. Diesel topped up, we got a berth in the inner harbour. This was a big round pond, a former mining pit, now filled with seawater and several dozen yachts, some tightly packed around the sides and some tied up in the middle.
This was tricky to maneuver in and avoid getting the prop snagged on a line.
With only two nights there we worked hard, doing laundry, shopping, watering up and purchasing an industrial sewing machine, very useful tool on a boat. We can now do our own sail repairs and canvas work. Unfortunately we can't use it till we get a 110 to 240V converter which we can't get till we reach Majuro.
*** September 18th was my 58th birthday. I still feel so much younger than that. My father died at 58 when I was only 25. I thought that was old then, not old enough to die, but back then I didn't really realise there was so much more life to be lived after 58.
We invited Wayne and Christine, who you may remember we met in Suva, (and bought the sewing machine from) for drinks and cake to celebrate the day. I made the cake, my favourite Molten chocolate cake, and David iced it. We sat on the shore watching the sunset and toasted me, then went back to the boat and ate sushi, a rare treat in Fiji, before blowing out the candles.
Ever keen, we squeezed in two more Rugby World Cup games, a New Zealand one, and Japan spectacularly beating South Africa. It was so much fun watching with other boaties.
Sunday we had Mala and David over for lunch. Mala is sister-in-law, and secretary to Raghu Reddy who we toured with last month, and was just delightful. She is on our list to visit when we return to Fiji. We'd like to have taken them out sailing but the weather was bad. Mala, Indo-Fijian, made a fish curry - just divine.
*** Next day we headed to Bakana Island just off Lautoka. It was lovely being in a marina - showers, rugby, company, no weather worries - but its great getting out again too, having some breeze, enjoying the openness. It was 25 degrees in there and the humidity 85%. (I laugh to myself as I'm editing this five months later sitting in Majuro where the temperature drops to a mere 28, at night. 25 would be bliss).
When I read this out to David he asked me to say: EDIT "I almost always feel, 'Oh, ocean, sailing how do you do this?' when we leave a marina. Its almost embarrassing." I know how he feels.
At Bakana we met up with Vanille, a French Canadian boat, who we'd met at Kadavu, and NZ boat Acrux, who we'd met at Malolo. So lovely to see our 'old friends'. We shared the remainders of the birthday cake and talked boat with them.
*** Mon 21 We walked to Lautoka in the sweltering heat to renew our Fijian visas for two more months. I licked my arm, it was salty, I'm always salty.
"You know I'm glad we are going to live in a small town when we get back," I said to David as a fire engine screamed past us. Nine months out of Wellington and now even small towns are too much for me.
The immigration man was very curt and officious till I asked him about rugby, then a smile lit his face. They are all into it here.
Heading back out to the boat the poor dinghy was nearly swamped with all our groceries and a box of beer, but we were set for a few weeks now till we got the next shops on the other side of Viti Levu.