We had intended to go for a dive yesterday, but the weather turned windy and the seas lumpy, so instead we decided to explore the southern reef of Vanua Levu, from the western entrance to Viani Bay. From a distance, this lump of land could be mistaken for the Coromandel peninsula. Patches of pasture with folded green hills and bushes nestling in the folds, large areas of dense bush-clad mountain range. But from closer up, you can see a rim of reef running along the shore. For almost 10km of this shore line the reef is about 1km off the edge of the land. This creates a natural sea wall which protects the southern edge of Vanua Levu over this 10km strip. There is an entrance on the western end and one on the eastern end. Both are narrow passes and the western end pass is very narrow, between sold reef structures. Once inside you can navigate your way along the southern shore in the protected lagoon. It is amazing to see large waves crashing on the reef beside you, but be in completely still calm water. The only trick is, the charts showing where the reefs are do not match reality! So with Karl on bow watch and Heather at the helm, we navigated our way around each rock and reef, though this stretch of beautiful water. We stopped half way and snorkeled the reef, which was pretty - the highlight was swimming with turtles! Eventually we made out way into the Viani Bay area for another snorkel. Then the wind turned to the south so it was coming straight in! It was 3pm, so we made a quick decision to move around the other side of the peninsula. As light was fading we dropped anchor in Nasau Bay which is completely protected from the southerly wind. By morning, the wind had turned to the north and the boat was stern in towards the rocks. After a snorkel along the wonderful coral garden we realised just how close the rocks were to the boat. The yacht itself was still in 14m of water, but the dingy on a line off the back was just inches above the top of the reef! Time to move. As we came out of Viani passage the sea was flat calm and the wind had dropped away. As soon as a little bit of wind came up we decided to have a nice sail towards Fawn Harbour. After getting the sails set the wind got stronger and stronger until we had about 35 knots blowing and big waves slapping against the side of the boat. We reduced sail and continued at a fast clip into the sheltered waters of Fawn Harbour. The rest of the day has been grey and blustery - one of the few bad weather days we have had in the last 3 months. A good time to read books and prepare roast chicken for dinner!
The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.