Boree « Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

25th, East of the Line

by steve, on June 15th, 2011 (Boree, Callisto, Dreamtime, Fiji, Gerimar, Jarana, Kilkea II, Tahina, True Companions)

Once the sun was well up I headed out to say hello to some of the new arrivals in the anchorage and make sure the folks who hadn’t received my earlier email knew they were invited. I didn’t have to go too far as we ended up with a few dinghies/kayak congregated around Gerimar so I managed to get the word out.

While there, six local officials/policemen came out in a fishing skiff to inspect the paperwork of the boats here. We came to the conclusion they were bored and wanted to see the boat show in the anchorage. Only one fellow did any paperwork / inspection and all were very friendly and keen to look around.

After this unexpected interlude Helen and I went out to snorkel one of the nearby coral patches. On the outside of the reef the water was fairly clear and the coral diverse and abundant. The fish were small but colourful and we managed to see a beautiful but dangerous (to the reef) crown of thorns starfish.

After our swim we went over to the lobster pot. The only thing in it was the extremely stinky fish frame which had now collapsed and got stuck in pieces in the netting. It was a disgustingly smelly job to clean it all up. It took me a while to get the awful smell off my fingers.

In the evening we had our public anniversary party. Along came the Borees, Callistos, Dreamtimes, Gerimars, Jaranas, Kilkeas, Tahinas and True Companions for a fun evening. Bert from Boree made us all smile with a bit of a speech presenting Helen and I with hats they’d made earlier in the day appropriate for the celebration.

Quite a few of us are interested in going down the coast to the Bouma National Park, some to see the falls we’ve already seen and some to do the coastal trail. So it looks like today a crowd of us will go down on the public bus returning by taxi. Should be fun.

Cava

by KC2RIY, on June 3rd, 2011 (Boree, Fiji, Tahina, True Companions)

To the sound of the occasional cockerel ashore we all awoke around dawn and roused ourselves shortly after. Colin wasted no time and had his fishing line in the water catching a foot long trevally on his first cast. We decided this would make a good gift for the family ashore instead of additional cava root.

The weather was none too brilliant at first but by around 8am the light rains had eased. Frank from Tahina was keen to go ashore so he picked us up in his higher powered dinghy and the five of us went ashore. As the tide was going out we left his dinghy about half way up the mangrove tunnel and waded the rest of the way before climbing the muddy track to the ‘main’ road.

We climbed up to Arthur and Sandra’s house and we introduced the newcomers to them. Again we were invited in for tea and biscuits and a long chat with our hosts. As we already knew the way to the hot spring we were allowed to head off there ourselves. Arthur offered to share some cava with us on our return which we accepted.

As a result of the previous nights rains the river was a little deeper than before and the trail certainly more muddy. We reached the hot springs and all found our spots alternating between hot and cold as we did before. On the way back we first went down to the dinghy to move it further out as we could see the area already drying out. We then climbed back up to Arthur’s and were treated to a sharing of cava. We sat around a mat and Arthur prepared the cava in front of us and then shared it with us. A single coconut cup was used, filled then passed to each of us in turn. As each of us drank we’d clap three times. Not quite sure if we were doing it right it was still fun to do. The cava in Fiji tastes a lot better than that in Tonga which tastes a lot more like mud. After each round we’d pause for a few minutes before another round was handed out.

Soon we all had tingling lips and tongues and were feeling somewhat relaxed. Concerned about the tide we bade our farewells. I’d offered to share some music with them as they used their phones for listening. I took a memory chip from one of their phones with me back to the boat. Unfortunately it was of a kind I could not access despite all the electronic junk I had aboard.

After lunch Judy and Colin took the dinghy out to the pass to snorkel. They had a good time seeing a lot of fish. Through the afternoon three more boats came in including True Companions and Boree. I went over to each and shared what I’d learned of the place. As I was planning to go back ashore one final time to return the memory chip I offered to show them the way.

This resulted in the five of us heading ashore around 4pm. I’d warned them about the mud but I think there was some surprise as to the actual amount. We made our way up to the house and I introduced the next set of cruisers. They all headed inside while I returned the memory chip. It turned out their other phone had a chip I could access and as Bert and Ingi were definitely coming back I took this chip back to the boat. I was able to put a few songs on it. I also had a similar memory chip spare so I filled that with similar music and bagged that up with the original.

Bert and Ingi showed up later to pick them up and we invited them aboard for beer and wine. We shared their company up until dinner. They’d had a good time ashore. They’d learned one thing from Arthur which is worth knowing if you’re reading this blog and intend to come to the bay and visit the hot spring. Quite a few cruisers in the past have gone into the village of Bagasau and given sevusevu there then walked over Arthur’s land without permission to visit the hot spring. Arthur won’t do anything about it as he doesn’t want to confront folks but we all feel that if you’re coming to visit something on someone’s land they should be formally asked and permission obtained via the local custom of sevusevu.

Once dinner was ready we turfed Bert and Ingi off the boat. By now the skies were totally clear, the stars were out – a fine evening was had.

The current plan for today is to head east to Viani Bay. That thinking is based on yesterday’s weather forecast. This may all change following today’s which I’ll get when sending this blog entry out.

R&R

by steve, on May 30th, 2011 (Boree, Fiji)

Sunday ended up being a very nice and relaxing day. The sun was out for most of the day and a gentle breeze kept us mostly cool. Just before lunch we went snorkeling making the best of the overhead sunshine.

As you can see from the pics above the sea life was abundant. A great swim.

Back on the boat, while eating lunch, we were visited by the Borees who were escaping town for a swim. They were looking for directions. While we were chatting, crewman Paul who had been visiting the nearby resort, swam out to say hello and borrow a facemask and snorkel. He ended up going snorkeling with the Borees.

I finally managed to finish reading Nobel House. This has taken me over a month. I’ve enjoyed it but it was a long book and until recently I haven’t had large chunks of time to really get stuck in.

We’re now about to set sail for Fawn Harbour. Moving on.

Crew Departure

by KC2RIY, on May 25th, 2011 (Boree, Fiji, Kilkea II, Passages, Tahina)

It turned out Tuesday was to be Paul’s last day aboard. I’d promised him a ride up the mast and as I wanted to inspect my rigging and to untangle our shredded NZ courtesy flag we had an opportunity to kill a couple of proverbial birds. While I was up the mast I took a few pics of the area and Paul did the same. Soon, we’ll be posting pics again and we’ll include a few.

Next, Paul and I went ashore to do our various chores. I took an empty propane tank via Taxi to the Fiji Gas station out of town. It took a while for them to figure out how to fill our tank as their primary delivery device couldn’t fit past the plastic handles on our can. However, a means to cross fill from one of their other tanks and we were sorted. I took details of the taxi driver as we have a soon to be needed ride from Fawn Harbour to the east of us back into town.

Meeting up again with Paul we officially disembarked him from the boat and I paid our customs overtime fees. Paul was now officially, though not yet physically off the boat. Paul had sorted out his PADI course and had his books and DVDs to study. We went back to the boat to relax. At least Helen and I did. Paul got busy packing, cleaning his room then studying.

Just before 1pm I received a call from Albert from the Courts store in town who had a tech guy coming. He asked me to be at the Copra Shed in 10 minutes to sort out our internet connection as the tech guy was in town. I quickly packed my laptop and bit n pieces and was off. In the bar I met the Kilkeas who were also waiting for him. It turns out Albert had brought the tech guy over on his day off. Can’t imagine that ever happening at home. We soon had our USB stick working on the internet via the telecoms service. The main problem is that right now the data service is only GPRS which is incredibly slow. In a months time it should go 3G and we’ll see an immediate improvement. It’s incredibly painful using the internet at these speeds and everything takes time. But we’re rich in time right now so that’s less of an issue.

After testing the service by downloading my emails and a quick scan of the news (end of the world postponed and all that) I bought a chip off the guy there and then with the promise to do the official registration paperwork at the store today.

It was now time to take Paul ashore. I returned to the boat and dropped off my gear. Back ashore we walked with Paul to his hotel on the side of the hill as we wanted to explore a nearby path. From the hotel public balcony over the bay we had a great view of the anchorage. At this point Helen spotted something awry. Tahina was adrift and heading out of the channel. We could see folks going to the rescue. I was prepared to run down the hill and join in but it looked like I’d be too late to make a difference so instead I tried to contact Frank to let him know of the problem. It turns out he was in town trying to sort out his phone and had the chip out or something so he couldn’t be contacted. All was well in the end but apparently it was a close shave with a near miss on the reef. It was a fine example of the cruising community in action. We took some pictures from our vantage point which we’ll give to Frank and Karen later today.

After saying goodbye to Paul we set off to find the alleged path up to a viewpoint. We succeeded in wading through lots of long grass but didn’t get anywhere in particular so headed back into town.

Heading back to Dignity we ended up on Kilkea instead and were plied with G&Ts. By now the news of Tahina was spreading and was much the topic of discussion. We understood that the Borees were very much involved with the rescue. John and Pam from Passages soon joined us but eventually we had to tear ourselves away as we needed to shower then go ashore to eat.

Our plan for the evening was to eat at a nearby Chinese on our own. The Borees soon turned up with the same idea and we shared the table with them. The food turned out to be mediocre and the service lousy but the company great. Bert and Ingi persuaded us to come back to their boat for a while. We did not get back till very late.

Back on the boat we were tired but I could not resist catching up on some of our emails. We’d received a great message from Ben about his new job and wanted to reply to that. I’d also learned that our google ads account had been suspended due to inappropriate clicking. No details were provided and seeing as this happened on the day we arrived in Fiji it couldn’t have been anything we did as we were not connected. I filed an appeal.

In the mountain of email was some other rubbish crashing into our world which I need to sort out. It’ll get done but it was nice to be ignorant of all this for a while.

When we first arrived we were told by a few friends of a local salon who did a terrific massage for a very low cost. We’re both booked in on this for this morning. Looking forward to that.

Feet on the ground

by KC2RIY, on May 24th, 2011 (Boree, El Regalo, Fiji, Gerimar, Jackster, Kilkea II, Tahina)

First full day on land after a hefty passage is always a nice experience and Monday was no exception. Shortly after breakfast I dinghied over to the Jacksters who had arrived the evening before to say hello and give them the low down on greeting the officials. Once back on the boat, we gathered our things and we all dinghied ashore. Paul headed off to do his own thing and sort out his next steps.

Helen and I went to the Copra Shed office to announce ourselves and order our Fiji cruising permit. We then made our way down the high street (the only one of consequence) to explore Savusavu and find the various places we had to pay our bills. Helen, as usual, visited most of the Supermarkets to case out what foods are available and the prices. Most items are available at a very good price so once we’ve depleted our vast New Zealand stores we know we have plenty here.

We bought a SIM card for our phone so now we can make local calls. My phone is discharging it’s battery rather quickly so I may have to do something about that but for now it will do. Sorting out an internet connection became somewhat more awkward. The Fiji Vodafone website claims they have 3G services in a lot of places and 2G for a lot of the rest but this is not the case in Savusavu. I can’t use my phone to bridge data services and need a data card for the USB stick given to us in New Zealand. However, the store that sells the data cards wasn’t sure if the stick would work and asked us to wait for their tech guy who will be here Tuesday or Wednesday. No rush on getting connected is ok.

We bumped into Frank on Tahina who was also on similar errands to us and we walked together to the hospital to pay for the health inspection. We parted company with Frank when we reached town as we had different ideas about where to eat. Helen and I ended up eating at a restaurant quite close to the Copra Shed which served an excellent chicken curry. During lunch the heavens opened. May is usually the onset of the dry season and that hasn’t happened yet.

After lunch we explored the high street in the opposite direction before returning to the boat for the afternoon. Not long after, Paul was dropped off at the boat by John and Pam from Passages and we invited them aboard for a beer and a chat. Paul has now worked out his plans for the rest of his stay in Fiji. He’ll be leaving us on Wednesday to start a very well priced Scuba Certification course here in Savusavu before heading to the mainland on the Sunday night ferry. He’s going to sort out his flight today and once those details are ironed out we can officially disembark him from the boat.

Later in the afternoon I went back ashore with Paul to drop off some laundry. The services here are very cheap and we have many loads to do so we’re splitting the effort. It turned out our cruising permit was already prepared (we had been told it could take days) so I collected that and set about obtaining a permit to visit the Lau group to the east. As we were heading back to the dinghy I bumped into Bert from Boree who was not looking overly happy. He mentioned he was having trouble connecting his PC to his TV again (I’ve already helped him out once before with this) and I said I’d be happy to help out again. The real reason for his discontent is he’d just been given an outrageous price for a ventilation fan for his engine room to replace the one that had failed in passage. I looked at the spec sheet he had in his hand and gave him the good news. Ages ago I’d erroneously ordered a wrong sized fan for a spare and had exactly the part he needed. What a coincidence. He dinghied over to our boat to check it out and it was just the right thing. We did a deal which was good for both of us then headed over to Boree to fix his TV. It took about 10 seconds to find the problem.

By the time I was back at the boat it was time to head back to the Copra Shed to hang out. Brian and Jodon from El Regalo were there having just arrived and soon more piled in. After a couple of beers we all headed to the restaurant over the road where Helen and I had eaten earlier. We ended up joining all the tables in one section of the restaurant. Apart from us, we had the True Companions, El Regalos, Tahinas, Garimas, Jacksters and Kilkeas at the table.

The evening turned out cool and dry. Did we just witness the start of the dry season?

We’ll be here in Savusavu for a few more days to sort things out and recuperate from our passage. We need to fill a propane tank and there’s our internet to sort out. We also need to disembark Paul. If we stay too long we’ll get fat, particularly if we keep on eating two meals per day. If the weather stays good we’ll probably hike to the top of a nearby hill where there is supposed to be a good look out.

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25th, East of the Line

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Feet on the ground