Taveuni, Fiji... Plans in the Sand....

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 to Lake Ontario Click this link:
  SOUTH CAROLINA

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After such an amazing week in Namena, we wondered if Fiji had much more to offer....  After a Quick stop back near Savusavu for some supplies, we motored some 50 nautical miles to a very protected bay called Viani Bay.  

In its own micro-climate the rain can be falling and the wind can be howling just a few miles away and here in the bay....  perfect weather... 

We first stopped here for a few days to dive some of the more famous Fiji dive sites like The Purple Wall, The White Wall and The Cabbage Patch.  We saw some lovely things, but were ready to move on...

You should know that cruisers always write down their plans in the sand at low tide, so it was not surprising that we had originally intended to position ourselves at the north east side of Taviuni so we cold catch the elusive wind we needed to visit the seldom seen Lau Group of islands...  To get to the Lau, you need to sail south east, and that is the way the wind blows about 95% of the time, so we were not sure how long we would have to wait for the "right" wind....

After a brief stop in Miati at the far north end of Taviuni, we circled around the top of the island and found a protected bay just off Qamea Island called Namata Bay.  As we were anchoring we realized there were a bunch of bommies that were going to reek havoc on our anchor chain, so I dove and placed small floats (fenders) along the chain to keep it off the reef...

Satisfied all was well we retired to the main salon to make dinner.  About an hour later I noticed that one of the fenders that I had used was missing from the anchor line... NUTS!  Fenders are not cheap, so I frantically started looking everywhere for where it might have drifted...

As I am looking out the bay I see a tiny aluminum rowboat coming toward us with a man and small boy in it....  Minutes later the boat pulled up and I was presented with the errant fender...  The man introduced himself as Thomas Mitchel, and that he has seen our fender drift off so gathered his son, and gone after it....  Rowing almost a mile from shore her retrieved the fender and was coming to return it...

After profusely thanking him, I asked how much he wanted for his services...  Nothing, was his answer, other than would we come to shore before we left and sign his "log book".

Agreeing to visit the next day, we gathered some small gifts and school supplies for his family, we went to shore the next day to meet one of the most fascinating families we have met so far on our journey...

His parents, George & Casa began welcoming cruisers to Namata Bay many years ago, and since 1995 had logbook entries in two well worn cloth wrapped books...  His dad passed a few years ago, and with Casa still living next door, Thomas and his wife, Sia, continue the legacy of kindness...  Their two older children were at school in the next bay, but their youngest son (who I met the day before) was thrilled with his new pencils...  We left pencil cases for the older kids, and gave our small gifts to the adults...

Sia and their youngest son.

Thomas

Our entry into the "Logbook"

With the logbook as a catalyst, we were regaled with many stories of visiting yachties and of of them and the world they live in.  Just before we headed back to our boat, Sia presented Shelley with an armload of veggies from her garden, and Casa (Thomas' mom) brought us 2 litre ice cream container full of cooked casava, breadfruit and beans... YUMMY STUFF!

Part of our care package!

The next day (Saturday) we met the older children on the beach when we went on yet another sea shell collecting expedition....  Thomas' two older children and one of their cousins joined us on our hunt and told us all about so many of the things they knew...  like, what trees gave fruit that was good to eat, and which ones were poisonous...  smart kids...  They also asked us what felt like a million questions and seemed genuinely interested in our answers...

Just before we went back to Blowin' Bubbles, Thomas invited us to go to church the next morning, then join the family for lunch... We agreed quickly and on the way back to the boat discussed what we might bring to the lunch.

We settled on Cherry Bars with drizzled chocolate because when we were talking fruit with the children, we learned that they had never eaten a cherry before, and while we did not have any fresh cherries, Shelley did a have a few cans of cherries stashed in the larder....  We also decided that macaroni salad might be something different, so made a big bowl of that.

On Sunday morning we dusted off some decent clothes and made our way to shore where all the children met us for our walk down the beach to the Methodist Church.  Tucked up behind a few houses down the beach was a simple frame building.  Inside, there were no pews, no musical instrument and an imposing pulpit at the front of the sanctuary...

It wasn't long before we were offered chairs, that appeared (presumably for us)...  Thinking we already stood out, we politely declined and joined everyone else on the floor.  The service started and ended entirely in Fijian, but was none the less a wonderful experience.  They sang all their hymns acapella and sounded amazing.  While the words were completely foreign to us, we recognized some of the tunes...  

After we stopped back at the boat, we arrived with our salad and desert to an amazing spread offered by the Mitchell family... I can't begin to tell you all the thing I ate that day, but I can tell you it was delicious!  The children clearly did not think too much of the macaroni salad, but devoured the two trays of cherry bars!  I will say, Thomas had 3 helpings of the salad, so it wasn't a complete failure....

We were sent "home" with a hand made mat!

After lunch we taught the kids how to play Boci Ball...

Remember, I said plans were written in sand...  Well, it turns out that Monday was going to be a perfect window to the Lau Group, but in the mean time we learned that our friends, Lanny and Ginger from S/V Swiftsure were just a few days away....

Since we had not seen each other for over six months, we decided not to go to the Lau, but to head back to Viani Bay and wait for them.  

They arrived and have gone to Savusavu to check into Fiji, so we are enjoying the beauty and serenity of the bay for a few more days.  

We met the owners of a new dive operation (Adventure Dive, Fiji).  Marina and Jonne took us with them in their dive boat to town yesterday for some provisions.  We had a great day!

More Soon!