On Monday, September 2, we left the Denarau Marina and headed west to Musket Cove, which is part of the Mamanuca Islands west of Viti Levu. We arrived in the middle of the day with lots of wind and chop and anchored until 4:00 p.m. At that point, the tide was high and we could head into the marina. Knowing we had to med-moor in the marina, I was quite nervous. But there was plenty of room on both sides of us. I started backing the boat toward the dock and Jeff dropped the anchor when the harbor master signaled him to do so. As I kept backing up, fortunately in a somewhat straight line, Jeff ran back to the stern to throw the lines to the harbor master and Brad from Ndebt, who was there waiting as well. It went pretty smoothly.
Musket Cove is a very popular place amount the cruisers. Although we were on the dock, most people anchor or pick up a mooring ball. We were there because the Citizens of the Sea organization was about to hold a two-day workshop to share the findings of the data collection we had done on the way from New Zealand, and to get our feedback. But many other boats were there in anticipation of the Musket Cove Regatta, which was to commence the following week. The Musket Cove Regatta is a big party opportunity and even during the week leading up to it, things were very social.
Jeff and I both attended the Citizens of the Sea workshop on September 4th and 5th. On the first day, a coral-restoration scientist gave a talk and then took us out to an artificial reef where he was cultivating coral. It was so windy that day that we had to cancel other activities and have lunch back at the marina. The next day, we were in a conference room, hearing from local scientists about coral restoration in Fiji and about what they were learning from the very early analysis of our data collection. A very eye-opening day.
Coral growing on the artificial reef, the black algae has to be removed for the coral to thrive
The fish and the coral need each other
The next day, Jeff and I had lunch before he boarded a ferry to go back to the mainland to catch a flight back to the U.S. and then to his home in Mexico. He had been on the boat for eight weeks and had been a very valuable crew member
The next day, on Saturday, September 7, my sister Wendy arrived on the ferry. We stayed for a few days and hung out with the other cruisers. Then on Monday, September 9th, we checked out of the marina and headed to Navadra Island, arriving about six hours later. It was quite crowded and we had to anchor in deep water. It was also pretty rolly. We spent one night there and didn’t go to shore.
The next morning, when we tried to pull up the anchor, we discovered that the chain was stuck on a coral head. Added to that, another boat had anchored too close to us and prevented us from being able to maneuver well. As we tried to motor and make turns to free the anchor chain, a couple on another boat came over to see if they could help. In the end, I put on my dive gear to investigate. We were in 70 feet of water and I had to go down once just to understand the problem. Then I went up to give Wendy instructions on what to do once I was down on the bottom again. (I needed her to let out about 20 feet of chain so I could quickly pull it off the coral before it got taut again.) I tried to surface slowly after the second dive, but once I surfaced, they told me that the husband from the other boat had dropped his phone. Without thinking it through, I went down to the bottom again to look for the phone. (If I had taken a pause and asked questions, I might have figured out that this was a bad thing to do. First, it was a cheap phone and he was used to losing his phones. Second, the chance of finding it was slim. Third, I needed to wait before doing another dive at that depth. But I was feeling guilty so I went down again. I searched and searched but could not find the phone. Finally, I started ascending slowly, crawling up the anchor chain and stopping for safety intervals. I didn’t have my dive computer or a watch on, so I was just guessing at the times. Fortunately, I surfaced without incident. But it was still not a good move on my part.
Once we were free and I removed my dive gear, we motored north to Yalobi Bay on the southern side of Waya Island. We tried anchoring three times and couldn’t find a spot that was shallow enough without being too close to a reef. As we were going through these machinations, Womble appeared from the south. Hearing our feedback, they detoured to the west side of Waya, to the Octopus Resort. We followed. It’s a bit tricky because you have to go out through a pass with submerged reefs on both sides, but we crawled along slowly and got to the anchorage in the late afternoon.
With stiff steering and no autopilot, we each steered for a half hour. Wendy got lots of practice at the helm. The bluetooth headphones are great for communicating when someone is on the bow.
The anchorage in front of the Octopus Report was windy and quite rolly and uncomfortable. Womble was already there. We anchored and were followed in by Justina, a boat we had been on the radio with when we were in Yalobi Bay. They also had tried to anchor there and had given up.
The next day, we went ashore to the resort. John and Marsha from Justina were there and we chatted. Later RaLa, and Ted and Jenny on Southern Star showed up. All the boat crews went ashore than night for cocktails and dinner. On Thursday, September 12, we explored on shore and went snorkeling. That evening, after cocktails on Womble, I was down below and the watermaker and the motor were running. I heard Katrina callng my name and I rushed into the cockpit. Aldabra’s anchor had dragged and we were floating by Womble’s transom as Dale and Katrina looked on in horror. We gave them a tiny bump as I put the transmission in forward and drove away from them. I called Wendy into the cockpit and she drove the boat while I pulled up the anchor. We motored around the anchorage until we found a spot that was far enough away from other boats before we dropped anchor again.
During the next few days, we snorkeled, hung out on the boat and socialized with RaLa, Womble and Justina. Then on Sunday, September 15, we motored up to the anchorage in front of the Paradise Cove Resort on Naukacevu Island. Womble and RaLa led the way. After we anchored, we took a couple of dinghies north to a pass where giant mantas can be found. We didn’t find any mantas but the coral was beautiful in places. The next day we walked on the island behind the resort and had lunch with RaLa and Womble. We snorkeled near the boats after lunch. The Paradise Cove Resort is very nice. The food is good. The accommodations seem nice. The diving is good. And the staff is welcoming to cruising boats as long as we don’t inconvenience any of the guests.
On Tuesday, September 17, we got up early, pulled up the anchor, and followed Womble and RaLa north to the anchorage in front of the Nanuya Island Resort. It was windy and rainy so we stayed on the boat all day. Our friends Bob and Sarah on Rhapsody were already there, they had been anchored for a few weeks after their motor died. They were waiting for a new motor to arrived in Denarau from Australia, at which point they would get a tow from a local boat to Denarau.
On Wednesday, the crews from Womble, RaLa and Aldabra went to shore and hiked across the island to Lo’s Teahouse. We had juice and donuts and wandered around before hiking back to the resort for lunch. That night, Wendy and I joined a couple of other boats at a nearby house for a Fijian dinner, Semi and his wife cooked us a very nice meal and we chatted with Semi and the other cruisers (Peter and Susan from Opal Lady and Graham and Bev from Bellisima.)
The next day, Wendy and I joined Sarah from Rhapsody for a repeat of the walk to Lo’s Teahouse. After we visited Ian and Laura on RaLa during the afternoon, we joined the crews of a couple dozen boat on the beach for sundowners. We met a lot of boats from New Zealand and Australia. On Friday, we had tea on Womble with RaLa. It was a windy day and the anchorage was filling up.
On Saturday, Wendy and I went in the dinghy to meet the ferry that was bringing her husband Pat. They ushered him onto the resort boat, so we went to shore and picked him up there. He had had time to buy some veggies in Denarau before boarding the ferry, so he cooked us his chicken and vegetable curry that night. On Sunday, we walked on the beach, had lunch at the resort, and then walked over to Lo’s Teahouse, followed by a quiet night on the boat.
I should mention that it’s pretty hard to get fresh vegetables in these outer islands. The resorts serve fresh vegetables at the restaurants. And if you’re in one place for a bit, you can have them brought in on the daily ferry. Plus, you can buy papaya from locals who come around on paddle boards. But we felt lucky that Pat could shop for us in Denarau and get a few things.
On Monday, Pat, Wendy and I went to the resort to join a boat trip to the caves on Sawa-I-Lau Island. The open boat sped over shallow water atop gorgeous coral reefs. The trip also provided a beautiful view of the islands along the way. Once at the caves, we went with our group to the entrance, where we dropped into the water of an outer chamber. It was really crowded inside but the guides of the various tour groups cooperated to keep everything organized. To enter the inner chamber, you had to go under water and aim toward the beam of a flashlight held by one of the guides inside. The guides gave you a bit of a push so the underwater part wasn’t really that risky and you were at the surface in an instant. Inside the chamber, we explored the caverns and experimented with the acoustics. Exiting the cave was equally as organized. A guide gave you an all-clear signal, you took a breath and went under water, and he gave you a push to get you out to the other side. Another feature of the tour is a collection of vendors selling local handicrafts and Pat and Wendy found some gifts for their grandchildren. The trip back to the resort was as gorgeous as the trip out. We followed it with lunch at the resort.
On Tuesday, September 24, we motored back south to Somosomo Bay at the top of Naviti Island. Our friends Chip and Kristina on Second Set were anchored there, along with our friends from Rayfiki, and a boat we hadn’t seen since the Tuamotus, Infinite Grace. We visited with Chip and Kristina and then went to shore for sevusevu, along with Jeff and Michelle from Infinite Grace. A man named Fremmie escorted us to the chief’s house for sevusevu (the presentation of our kava root) and then helped us procure some fruits after a brief tour of the village. The village was bigger than a lot of the other villages we had visited and seemed more unkempt. Although we didn’t linger long enough to find out more, it is likely that many of the people in the village work in the local resorts and are exposed to the outside world far more than some of the other villages we have visited.
That night we had cocktails on Second Set, along with Infinite Grace and the family from Paradise Falls. The next day was windy and rainy so we stayed on the boat doing projects. Pat refined the wiring on a new radio I installed in Musket Cove. And we fixed the pump in the forward head. The night was calm and we had to run the motor a couple of times because we weren’t getting any wind energy and the day had been so overcast that the solar panels hadn’t been effective.
On Thursday, we picked up Kristina in the dinghy and went over to an area on the east side of the bay. We anchored the dinghy and snorkeled in a spectacular collection of coral on the reef. After lunch, we walked along the eastern beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with just a slight wind. That night, it got very windy.
The next day, we pulled up anchor and motored back to the Paradise Cove Resort anchorage. It was very windy. Second Set followed behind but didn’t find a good spot to anchor so they continued on to the Octopus Resort. Rainbow Child came in and anchored next to us. (Rainbow Child is the new name of Pulsar, which had been owned by Graham and Karri Alderson. When Ray and Debbie lost their boat Thursday’s Child, they bought Pulsar and renamed it. This was the first time we’d seen them since leaving Savusavu.)
Saturday was still windy and sunny. We went to the resort and had lunch with Ray and Debbie, then snorkeled in the anchorage with Debbie. The next day, Rainbow Child left and we went to shore and took a long walk over the length of the island, then had lunch at the resort. We stayed on the boat in the afternoon. Phil on Sliver came over and brought us some freshly caught Walu. We had it for dinner with rice and it was excellent.
On Monday, September 30, we motored sailed south with the jib out on a beam reach in 15-18 knot winds, arriving at the northwest side of Kuata Island. A small trimaran was in the best spot but we anchored behind them, between a moored boat and a reef. Peter and Susan on Opal Lady came in and anchored on one side of us. And Second Set came in and anchored nearby. After snorkeling on the reef, we all had sundowners on Opal Lady.
Cocktails on Opal Lady. Pat took the picture.
On Tuesday, Second Set left and Opal Lady and Aldabra took our dinghies around to the windward side of the island for lunch at a small dive resort. It was windy, and even windier on the other side, and getting through the reef to the shore was tricky. We got caught on some coral and got scolded by the local guys. Lunch was a buffet with more to sample than we could eat. It was good. We had planned to hike but ended up getting back in our dinghies and returning to the anchorage. We were the only two boats in the anchorage that night.
On Wednesday, we left Opal Lady alone in the anchorage as we motored south to Mana Island and successfully wound our way through the tricky channel to the anchorage. We anchored near Second Set. There were not a lot of boats there. We went to the beach with Kristina and walked around the island and found ourselves on the other side, at a beautiful spot called Sunset Beach, where we enjoyed a dip in the ocean. Then we continued walking around the island, stopping for beers at a small dive shop. Mana is well known because a version of Survivor is often filmed there. During our walk, we passed by areas where the TV show’s equipment was either being stored or abandoned. We walked through one resort that seemed somewhat uninviting. We never came upon any restaurants that drew our interest. Had we been there for diving, the experience would have been different. Other boats enjoyed many spectacular days here, but we were underwhelmed.
Sunset Beach on Mana Island
Walking around Mana Island
On Thursday, we pulled up anchor at 9:30 a.m. after waiting for enough sunlight to get through the narrow, winding channel. We had tracks to follow but Pat and Wendy were on lookout at the bow and I was at the helm. The channel markers were very confusing and we went too far to the left at one point, ending up on the reef. Second Set was exiting behind us so they went back and anchored and brought their dinghy over. They decided to go to shore to see if they could find a boat with a powerful motor to drag us off. Meanwhile a dive boat was coming in and offered to give us a tow. Unfortunately, the tow line snapped off their cleat and got wound around my prop. I was about to dive under to cut the line free when another dive boat showed up. A young man grabbed my knife and swam under the boat and quickly cut the line free. I then gave the main halyard to the first dive boat. They pulled Aldabra sideways while the young man in the water gave me guidance on which way to steer backwards. In moments we were free of the reef and underway, with no time to extend a proper thank you to the guys who had made it happen. Without their help, we would have had to wait several hours for the tide to change to float off the reef.
Once out of the Mana Island channel, we motored for the rest of the day around the reef surrounding Malolo Island and back into Musket Cove. It was really windy and the anchorage was fully populated with boats. We anchored on the far side with a reef between us an the shore. We took a wet dinghy ride to shore and had an early dinner with Rhapsody and Second Set. The ride back wasn’t too bad and we had a relatively calm night at anchor.
On Friday, we pulled up anchor really early and motored over to a mooring ball we had spotted the night before. It was right in front of the marina so dinghy rides to shore would be far easier. After visiting with Rhapsody for a few minutes, we went to shore to buy provisions. Later we went back to shore to enjoy a dip in the pool with Chip and Kristina, followed by dinner at the cafe.
Hanging out at the cafe at Musket Cove
Sunset in Musket Cove
On Saturday, October 5, we went to shore in the afternoon for showers and lunch and then to see Wendy off on the ferry. She would take the same ferry she arrived on, landing in Denarau and then making her way to the Nadi airport for a flight back to California.
Wendy getting ready to leave on the ferry
There is always a farewell song as people depart
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