Bula or Cola (pronounced thola, in western Fiji).......Hello.
We arrived late last Monday afternoon in Vanua Balavu (Long Island) in the northern Lau islands, Fiji. The Lau group of islands are remote and there have been restrictive permits in the past - as a special dispensation the OWR fleet were cleared in and out of Vanua Balavu. The islands are off the tourist track - no shopping, stores, restaurants, bars or resorts - completely unspoilt. The Fijians on these islands follow strong traditions passed down over the centuries and as visitors, we had strict guidelines to respect their culture.
We navigated the picturesque Tongan passage into the lagoon using old fashioned navigation skills - binoculars and eyesight. The electronic charts are not accurate for this area and there were plenty of hazards to avoid i.e. rocks, coral heads, shallows and the stunning reef.
We anchored in the fjord type harbour called the ‘Turquoise harbour’, Mbavatu, surrounded by the Bavatu plantation. After customs clearance ashore at the ‘Royal Exploring Isles Yacht Squadron’ (the only yacht club in the world that doesn’t sell beer, in fact it doesn’t sell anything at all but the welcome was exceptional) which was opened and given royal approval by the late King of Tonga in the last decade, we settled down on board for an early supper and a good night’s sleep.
The following day we relaxed visiting other OWR yachts and enjoying their hospitality. Our welcome party to Fiji was organised ashore and we were honoured with tribal dances from the men and women from a nearby village, followed by a delectable banquet of coconut crab, pork, clams, taro and locally caught fish - a truly beautiful evening.
The following day we joined the snorkelling safari in ‘M’ and visited the fabulous Bay of Islands - fantastic snorkelling, caving and swimming in cool waters. The rest of the week was spent snorkelling, a particularly special BBQ on a nearby beach sharing food and wine with our friends and generally relaxing with plenty of laughter.
We were encouraged to walk through the plantation to the western outlook over the Bay of Islands. Several wrong turns and retracking our footsteps brought us to the most magnificent sight (see photograph) erupting from our viewpoint amongst the rocks and trees. Along the way we came across huge spider webs with red/black stripy monsters in the middle looking menacing and hungry - apparently they are harmless. We kept our distance!
We left the anchorage on Sunday morning with the sun high in the sky to view the hazards and tentatively motored through the tricky Qilaqila passage. A very roly night sail followed but Amelie passed the half way around the world mark - what an achievement.
Amelie and crew are heading for Port Denarau marina on the western side of Viti Levu island for repairs to the main sail and yankee plus two new D1s (part of lower rigging) if they arrive in time! Stephen and Debbie intend to put in three days of hard work to make Amelie clean, comfortable and organise additional repairs to ‘Wally’.
After this we will take a ‘well earned break’ and visit the Yasawa group of islands before checking out of Musket Cove, Malolo Lailai island on the 4th of July to sail to Vanuatu.