Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Havannah Harbor
We're making baby steps around the islands of Vanuatu. Check out below pictures of village life complete with dugout canoes at Havannah Harbor, Efate Island, Vanuatu. Our charming tour guide was five year old Tanya!
Hello Vanuatu! (August 13, 2012)
After a slight delay in taking off from Fiji due to a windlass problem which was easily fixed, we departed Fiji on Thursday, August 9 and arrived in Port Vila, Efate Island, Vanuatu on Monday, August 13. We had a delightful four day passage with gentle trade winds and calm seas - we could even do jumping jacks on the bow!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Goodbye Fiji (August 6, 2012)
So many islands, so little time! We're sad to leave all of our wonderful friends from New Zealand, Laos and Japan but wish them all a wonderful time in Fiji! We're off to Vanuatu today. Vanuatu or Bust!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Levuka, Ovalau Island, Fiji (July 2012)
After our tour of Suva, we took the Patterson Brothers
bus/ferry to Levuka on Ovalau Island. The
town of Levuka was Fiji’s capital until the shift to Suva in 1882. Founded as a whaling settlement in 1830,
Levuka became the main center for European traders in Fiji, and a British
consul was appointed in 1857. The cotton
boom of the 1860’s brought new settlers, and Levuka quickly grew into a
boisterous town. Escaped convicts and
debtors fleeing creditors in Australia swelled the throng, until it was said
that a ship could find the reef passage into Levuka by following the empty gin
bottles floating out on the tide. The
honest traders felt the need for a stable government, so in 1871 Levuka became
the capital of Cakobau’s Kingdom of Fiji.
Eventually, in 1874, the Deed of Cession, handing over Fiji to Britain,
was signed here. Today, Levuka is host
to the Pafco cannery, a number of small stores and a couple of
restaurants. It is an extremely friendly
place where we were welcomed warmly by the mixture of indigenous Fijians,
Indo-Fijians, Chinese Fijians, part European Fijians along with a few expats
who inhabit this sleepy town.
We stayed at the Royal Hotel, Fiji’s oldest hotel, dating
back to the 1860s and it’s got character to back it up. Definitely worth the stay in this charming
hotel with wood floors covered with oriental rugs, rattan sofas, potted plants,
historic photos, and even a billiard table.
We loved the charming guest cottage with hardwood floors overlooking a
tropical garden and pool.
Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji (July 2012)
While our jib sail was being re-stitched and we were waiting
for our sail glides to arrive, we decided to get off Lardo for a week. So we
treated ourselves to a bus trip to Suva where we stayed at the South Seas
Hotel.
According to Master Poni, the young school teacher from
Mbutha Bay, you ain’t seen Fiji until you’ve seen Suva. Suva is home to half of the country’s urban
population and as the largest city in the South Pacific, it’s an important
regional center. Swimming in the urban
milieu is the influence of every island and background, a vibrant Indo-Fijian
community, university students from around the Pacific, Asian sailors on shore
leave, and a growing expat community of Aussies, Kiwis and yes Americans too.
We saw many sights, including the Presidential Palace, Fiji
Museum, Thurston Gardens, University of the South Pacific and the downtown
shopping mall. Aside from the normal
sightseeing attractions, we took time out to play tennis, go to the movies,
shop at the mall and even go to McDonalds.
Trip to Viti Levu/Cruising with Japanese Friends (July 17 to July 22, 2012)
Makogai (pronounced Makongai)
We sailed a fifty mile passage from Savusavu to Makogai with
20 to 25 knots of wind. Left early
around six a.m. and arrived about three in the afternoon. We caught a lovely Mahi Mahi that was nearly
as big as MaryLee!
From 1911 to 1969, Makogai was a leper colony staffed by
Catholic nuns. As you can see from the
pictures, many of the old buildings still stand. Over the years, about 4500 leper patients
were sheltered here, including many from various other Pacific Island
groups. Included in the pictures are the
remnants of the movie theater, hospital, prison and the burial grounds. After the closure in 1969, the island was off
limits as it was under quarantine for ten years.
Today, Makogai is owned by the Department of Agriculture,
which ran an experimental sheep farm where they cross-breeded sheep from
Britain and the Caribbean. As you might
have guessed, this wasn’t a very successful venture, so they gave up. Fortunately, the Department of Agriculture
put this island to better use and is now raising clams and turtles in order to
save these dying endangered species. So
far this program has been successful.
While walking around the island, we spotted the collared
lory - a chunky and extremely active little parrot; green, dark blue and
brilliant red.
Naigani (pronounced
Naingani)
We caught up with our Japanese cruiser friends Tsuneo and
Kazuko (S/Y Dolce) on Naigani. Naigani
is a lush tropical island near Makogai and Ovalau. It’s a very small island with pristine beaches
and the clearest water that we have seen in all of Fiji. We spent a lovely evening watching the nearby
villagers fish in kayaks other small boats.
Nanana and Nananu-I-Ra
Islands
We anchored off of Nanana and Nananu-I-Ra Islands. Tranquil Nananu-I-Ra Island, next to Nanana
Island, was originally owned by Procter & Gamble heiress Louise Harper of
Southern California who bought it for a mere US$200,000 in 1968. There’s now a few resorts nestled among these
islands with plenty of white sandy beaches and no roads.
On arrival to the anchorage, it was a bit hairy for Tsuneo
and Kazuko as their steering cable snapped just as they were anchoring. As they lost their steering, he had to
immediately drop his anchor. Fortunately
for Tsuneo, he had a spare cable and was able to make the repair the following
day.
That night after making the cable repair, we were treated to
a fantastic sashimi dinner by chef Tsuneo with the fresh Wahoo (Ono) and Mahi
Mahi that we had each caught along the way.
I think the pictures show what a fantastic meal that we shared with
Tsuneo and Kazuko!
Vatia Wharf
The next stop enroute from Nanana to Vuda Point Marina was
Vatia Wharf. We arrived late in the
afternoon at Vatia Wharf and left early the next morning. Not much to say about this anchorage other
than it was a nice sandy bottom with depths of about 20 to 30 feet – easy! That evening as we were sitting at anchor, we
watched many fires on the hillsides; we figured that the plantation owners were
burning the sugar cane fields.
Vuda Point Marina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)