Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

Author: KC2RIY

  • Pools and Petroglyphs

    Around 10am we went ashore again. This time it was a lot easier as it was close to high tide. We were able to take the dinghy right in and tie it to a buoy. From there we were able to wade ashore. We soon ran into Chris who’d hosted us the day before and, it turned out, was the grandson of the village chief.

    We expressed interest in seeing the falls and petroglyphs which we’d heard were somewhere behind the village. He was glad to take us along with a couple of 12/13 year old boys from the village. It took about 20 minutes to reach the falls which were exceptionally pretty. It was really a whole section of cascading pools of different sizes. He said that after church and lunch the village would come up to wash.

    From there it was another 5 minutes of climbing to the petroglyphs. The origin of the rock carvings has been forgotten unfortunately. Some memories have been passed down. Apparently, at some point the rocks had been vertical and joined up. In the years since they have fallen and broken.

    We ate and shared our lunch at the petroglyphs. We gave Chris a packet of fishing hooks which he appeared very pleased with. We also gave a sewing kit and a bag of boiled sweets. We’d given them all a few boiled sweets along the way which they really liked.

    We hung around the petroglyphs for about 30 minutes sucking in the atmosphere. We were embedded in the deep bush with trees and foliage all around us. Overhead, through the gaps in the trees the sky was clear and blue. It was a nice feeling being there.

    Eventually we had to move on. Chris and the boys took us back down to the village where we bade our farewell. They invited us back in the evening so Sam could play some more guitar. Unfortunately that would be low tide and really awkward so despite wanting to we didn’t return.

    We spent the rest of the day on the boat reading and relaxing and finishing off with a movie over dinner. By 8pm we were spent and, at least Helen and I, crashed out.

    Today we may have some wind but for the next few days prospects are poor. So it looks like we’ll head west today. The crew like the idea of heading back to the end of the peninsular by Savusavu where we can get free internet. Sounds like that’s where we’re heading.

    I’m still suffering from dizziness. It made parts of the walk yesterday awkward. I’m still on the antibiotics and maybe getting better but it’s hard to tell.

  • Dakuniba

    We left Somosomo mid morning. The winds were quite strong where we were so we put a reef into the mainsail. Even then we headed off with the head sail out only. We soon encountered very variable winds which ended up down to nothing, all due to the effects of the heights of Tavenuni.

    With a combination of sailing, motor sailing and plain motoring we made it to Dakuniba in about 3 hours.

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    We anchored near to where we knew the village to be even though it was out of sight. We rested for an hour or so before heading ashore in the dinghy. It was just before low tide so we anchored the dinghy in the mud of low tide and walked into the village. We brought cava so we could perform sevusevu. It turned out all the elders had gone elsewhere but the younger men along with their counterparts from a nearby village were all there. One of them accepted our gift of cava, performed the sevusevu ceremony and welcomed us into the village.

    This was all done in a hall where the younger men of the two villages had gathered to listen to a few play guitar and to drink cava. We were invited to join in. We spent about an hour there. Sam played about 6 songs for them on one of their guitars which they all appreciated. (The women were all outside cooking)

    Worrying that the incoming tide might take our dinghy away we bade our farewells and headed back to the boat. We had no worries as the dinghy was sitting out in the mud and we had to haul into the water.

    Once on the boat we just chilled the rest of the day. The cava we’d drunk had mellowed us out, the weather was fine and so were we.

  • Fawn Harbour

    About 7am, just after dawn, we raised our anchor and headed off. The wind was under 2 knots and the seas flat so it was pure motoring. We ran most of the way on the starboard engine in order to postpone the port engine oil change. We only ran the port engine when raising the anchor and entering the reef at our destination, Fawn Harbour.

    On the way we encountered a pod of pilot whales which were just hanging out not doing much. We radioed back to Lardo, a boat we know, who were behind us and let them know where the pod was. They also managed an encounter with them and were happy to have had the heads up.

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    We arrived shortly after midday then ate lunch before resting through the heat of early afternoon. Just before 3pm we went ashore. The timing was good as this was just before high tide allowing us to make it almost all the way ashore through the tunnel in the mangroves that led to the Pickering property.

    Ashore, we headed off to Arthur and Sandra’s home to pay our respects, say hello, catch up and ask permission to visit the hot springs. On the way up to their property we passed through Mona’s home (at least her brother’s home where she stays). She was on the fishing boat when we went out last year. She invited us in for tea but we said perhaps later on the way back as we were on our way to her uncle Arthur’s.

    Arthur and Sandra were home and invited us in for tea. We gave them some cava and some biscuits. They had one of their daughters there with them and a two year old who they’d adopted.

    After some time there we bade our farewells and headed off to and up the river to the hot springs. The trail was quite muddy but we made it. The spring felt hotter than last year but we all spent time in there. The top pool was particularly hot. It was nice for a bit but soon we had to get lower down where the hot spring poured into the cold river.

    It was beginning to get dark so we headed back down the river to the road and then back to the village. We stopped by Mona’s to say hello but she was out. Her older son John invited us in as it was beginning to rain. We stayed and chatted for a while but as it was getting darker outside and the rain had stopped we again bade farewell and headed back to the dinghy and then the boat.

    We had a BBQ for dinner and watched a couple of shows on TV which rounded off a nice day.

    There is no internet here so we’re cut off from the world again. Kind of nice to be unable to do anything about anything. Let’s us off the hook for a while. No doubt things are already piling up.

    Overnight we’ve had a lot of rain, perhaps associated with a front which hopefully will bring some wind today.

    We plan on moving on making our way to either Viani Bay or Taveuni. But for now we’re staying put as the overnight rain continues to fall. It’s just over 17nm to Viani Bay so we have time to wait for better weather.

  • Landfall

    Our last day at sea was less eventful than the forecast had led us to expect. The winds had moved a little to the north so our recent easting was beneficial. There were a couple of times when the wind dropped enough so our ETA went beyond 3pm. Rather than risk arriving late we ran a motor to help us along. In the end we arrived at 1:45pm. Within a couple of hours we’d been boarded by all the officials and cleared into the country, wine cellar and all.

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    All that was left was to spend the rest of the day decompressing from the trip. We all needed it. We took the dinghy to the Waitui dock and checked out the marina. We visited the butchers and had some meat set aside for today when we can return with cash. Next stop was the cash machine and then a chat with the folks at Courts to get access to the chap who can fix the internet connection on my PC. I had managed to grab and respond to some emails as we passed the resort at the tip of the peninsular but my old Fiji Vodafone dongle is not working. I need some local help.

    The restaurant where we planned to eat that night was full up with some function so we retired to the Coprashed Marina to decide where to eat over sunset and some drinks. In the end we all ate burgers there. Great spot.

    Today we have to get busy sourcing parts, fixing internets, paying bills back home, etc. No rest for us.

  • NZ->Fiji: Day 7

    Land was first spotted by Paul shortly after 10am. Off in the distance Matuku faintly emerged from the mist. It took sevaral hours before we made our closest approach by which time Totoya and Moala were both now visible too. It gave us a sense of arrival but reminded us we still had a days sailing to go. We are all getting fed up of falling over while putting our underpants on.

    Being Sam’s birthday Helen cooked up some treats for lunch and dinner. For lunch we had some steamed pork dumplings and dinner was one of her superb curries.

    The seas in this area are subdued compared to out in the ocean, almost certainly due to the islands around us. The winds have died down a bit too. Not wanting to miss our Tuesday arrival we agreed to put on the motors whenever our ETA went beyond 3pm . That resulted in about 3-4 hours of assisted wind yesterday. All worth it. We need to stop.