We decided to get a bit of exercise in the morning. Given that Cobia is an old volcanic cone exposed to the sea to the north east we figured we may get a good view from the rim. We dinghied to a nearby beach and hauled it up to the water line. The sand was soft and the new dinghy wheels just sunk in so this time they were no help. There was no obvious way up so we started our scramble where it looked easiest and just made our way up the goat trails. As long term residents they’d left paths through the ferns and worn easy paths up through the muddy areas which were easy to follow. There were many fallen trees to climb over but nothing too taxing. We made it to the rim and were rewarded with a nice view. Where we were there was no clear view to see everything so taking pictures didn’t really work.
We descended a slightly different route with the last section being steeper and more slippery than the route we chosen to go up. We were hot and sweaty by the time we reached Dignity so we went for an immediate snorkel on the nearby reef. I took my hawaiian sling just in case I found any lobsters hiding in holes. None were found and I discovered the sling was not really good against anything willing to have a go at getting out of the way.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing. We had plans to move the boat over to the village on one of the nearby islands and do sevusevu with the headman. As far as we could tell the village was exposed to the swell, particularly at high tide so we passed on this. Hopefully we can come back this way and do the honours.
I did do some more limited tests on the drive chargers. Things may not be quite as bad as I first thought. We may have 5/6 of our charging capacity rather than 1/2 as it seemed earlier. This still doesn’t change the picture painted yesterday in terms of our needs to address the immediate problem and ultimately replace the system. However, it may mean we have greater freedom while awaiting spares. More diagnostics are required before we fully understand our current position.
So, it’s back to Taveuni and the connected world today.
Sorry to hear about your possible setback. But, glad to hear it might not be as bad as feared.
Tahina will be coming back east tomorrow. We finished our dive course successfully yesterday. We’re planning to make it as far as Viani Bay tomorrow, then maybe head for Mitagi. Maybe we’ll stop by and visit if you’re still at Taveuni.