As sun rose on the morning of Helen’s birthday we were treated to a beautiful ‘red sky at morning’. According to the rhyme, it was time for us to take warning. However, according to the weather forecast we should be able to put some sailing in before any adverse weather should hit us.
By 8am we were off. We had the wind right behind us so we popped out just the head sail while we made our way out of the anchorage and through the area patched with small reefs and bommies. Once we were in deeper water we furled the headsail, turned the boat into wind and raised the main. Turning back down wind we set the boat wing on wing and ran down wind.
There was little swell so the ride was very comfortable and we had no fear of accidentally jibing the main which is always a worry when running wing on wing. We could tie a preventer but that takes extra time and we weren’t planning on running in this configuration for too long.
As ever we had a couple of lines out. Before long the reel was zinging with a fish on. It had a bit of fight but I knew it wasn’t huge. It turned out to be a 
moderate sized wahoo. I landed it without using a gaff and got a line around the tail to secure it to the boat. The fish had chomped off the entire skirt of my lure before getting the hook caught through the top of it’s right eye socket and out the top of it’s head. When I removed the hook the poor things eye came out with it. The fish really fussed at that moment and as it thrashed it managed to gouge a deep 
cut along the back of my finger which began to bleed freely. I cut the fishes gills and dumped it’s head back into the water to bleed out while I looked after my hand.
I offered the fish to Helen as a birthday gift but this didn’t come over too well. Near the Blue Lagoon there is a farm where fresh produce can be bought. I suggested we may be able to trade the fish for veg. This idea was better received.
The winds turned out to be quite light for most of the journey. After the fish was cleaned we turned the boat and put her on a broad reach as we sailed down to our destination. With the land shielding us from the wind the direction and strength of the wind was quite variable but we managed to sail all the way to the end before turning on the engine for the first time and motoring in. We picked a spot to anchor with plenty of room to swing as we’re anticipating more change.
On arrival we broke out some fresh bread rolls Helen had made on the way down, some cold meats and cheese for lunch. As it was Helen’s birthday we broke out a bottle of red to go with it. After lunch and one glass each we stuff the fish into a plastic bag and dinghied to the farm. We first stopped off at a village to ask the way and then a school for further instructions. We eventually found the farm up a creek which could only really be accessed at high tide. There we met Tocky (sic) who was very pleased with the idea of trading our fish for vegetables. Tocky took us down to his farm and picked fresh tomatoes, cabbage, spring onions, sweet corn, radishes, peppers, cucumbers and bananas for us. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so no pictures of the farm.
We ended up with two bags full of fresh vegetables. Helen was very happy with her trade in for a birthday present. Tocky was pleased as he had planned to fish in the afternoon to feed his family and now he could spend his time on the farm. In talking to Tocky we learned that he doesn’t drink cava like most native Fijians. Perhaps this is why he is so industrious.
Back on the boat we polished off the lunchtime bottle before retiring for a lazy afternoon.
In the evening we went ashore for a very delicious meal in the great setting they have here. On the way in we popped by and said hello to the Jaranas who are here in the anchorage. We had spring rolls and samosas for starters and each had a filet steak with garlic mash and fresh veg for our main. We retired to the boat for bubbly and desert. Helen’s final present involved plenty of moisturizer and finger strengthening exercises for me.irthdayt
Big thanks to all who sent Helen birthday greetings via email, comment and Facebook.