Sailing along the north coast of Viti Levu
Monday 12 September to Wednesday 14 September - we left Levuka, had a lovely sail and spent two nights anchored around Voli Voli just us, not a soul or boat in sight, so peaceful.
We allowed ourselves a day just lazing around, reading and catching up on all of the sad news of the passing of the Queen and the in-fighting and hearsay about Meghan and Harry. The photographs showing the pageantry with the Royals dressed in their various military uniforms and the guards of honour of the Battalions around the various Ceremonies and Services in Scotland and London are quite breath-taking, such vivid colours and everything done with such precision.
Wednesday we had a working bee on the boat, it’s amazing how dirty it gets all the time and we have lots of guests arriving on Saturday so I have done all the cleaning of the cabins, cockpit, hatches and salon whilst Geoff has been doing all sorts of jobs that crop up between the passages. We always manage to down tools at sunset though, so we can sit in the cockpit with a pina colada or G&T and admire the sunset and wind down. We’ve also moved along the coast a little bit, it’s a very barren coastline here and there isn’t a lot to see really.
Thursday 15 September – we’re on our way sailing to Denarau today, another busy one – I’ve scrubbed all the squabs on the cockpit seating so they are looking nice and bright again and we’ve just sailed passed Lautoka. The big item on our agenda later will be finding a bar that is showing the All Blacks/Wallabies Test tonight! We’re confident we will with Fiji also being a rugby-loving nation.
We anchored just outside Denarau marina (also saw Sir Michael Hill’s yacht, The Beast, which looks like a military boat, painted in camouflage, very odd) around 4.30pm and had a lovely evening, a very tasty Fijian curry in one of the many restaurants in the marina. Lots of shops to look at, a supermarket and bakery too. We’ll be in there tomorrow as we have to do a big shop before all our guests arrive on Saturday.
Friday 16 September – we went on our shopping expedition this morning! Armed with loads of shopping bags we caught a taxi and went off to the fruit and vegetable market in Nadi. Lots of gorgeous produce on offer and, we filled three bags. Geoff also bought some kava, very important for us with our sailing plans around the Fijian islands*
Then back in the taxi to the supermarket in the marina to do a huge shop, including wine and beer, to cover us for the next few weeks. It was quite a mission I must say, then we loaded it all into the dinghy and onto the deck to put away. We were knackered at the end of it all, so had a lovely cool drift around in the water by the boat. We thought we would make the most of being in Denarau and have a look at a few of the resorts, so at 5pm we went back into Denarau marina and hopped on the Bula Bus which does a round circuit of all the resorts and main sightseeing places, and got off at the Wyndham Hotel.
We had a lovely walk along the beach front looking at all the resorts, and as sunset was almost upon us, we stopped at the Sheraton for our nightly cocktail before heading around to the Radisson Blu Hotel as I had spied a Lebanese restaurant called Byblos which I was keen to try out. I wasn’t disappointed, I love Lebanese food and had the most delicious mezze, so much flavour and spices in all those little dishes, it brought back memories of my first trip to Beirut when I was just 21 years old – a long time ago! Back to the boat and the end of a satisfyingly perfect day.
*Presenting sevusevu - In almost all anchorages away from the main metropolitan areas of Fiji, you are in waters belonging to the local village. It’s like being camped in someone’s back yard and it carries a similar responsibility – namely that you ask permission. The analogy is not so ridiculous when you consider that the waters in which you anchor are an important food resource for the local village. Presenting sevusevu is the accepted and traditional Fijian way to gain permission to anchor and to temporarily be part of the local scene. In general, sevusevu is the presentation of a gift of kava to the location village chief, it is not simply a form of payment to anchor, rather it carries much more significance as well as being a centuries-old tradition. Anyone and everyone who visits a village presents sevusevu when they first arrive. We have 5 wrapped bundles for our ongoing trip around the islands. The tradition is that the captain and crew, dressed appropriately, ask to meet the village chief as soon as you anchor in order to present sevusevu.
The ceremony is brief and friendly. Normally you sit on the floor of the chief’s home and usually there will be a spokesman who will make the presentation on your behalf. Geoff will then place the bundle of kava in front of the spokesman and he then tells the Chief a bit about you and places the kava in front of the Chief. Once the Chief picks it up and says a few words, you and your boat have permission to be there.