Following our flurry of activity in Port Denarau Marina, completing some of Amelie's maintenance, we headed off to Navadra Island. We gingerly navigated the reef and entered the protected bay by mid afternoon. We had been advised that the electronic charts should not be relied on in this area and the paper charts showed areas of 'unchartered information'.
It is imperative to have the sun behind you; a 'coral head spotter' on the bow and abort all journeys if the visibility is poor or the sky overcast.
The radio schedule with the OWR fleet took on new life with skippers sharing waypoints between the islands which were free of unmarked hazards. Also Yantina with her forward looking sonar became a popular lead boat when making passages through tricky reefs. The essence of the rally camaraderie is now fully established.
Navadra Island is outstanding in it's rugged beauty. Wild goats bleat along the shoreline - the avenue of trees are all nibbled at the same height by the goats. The water is sapphire blue with the corals poking their treacherous heads out at low water.
We were woken to a small cruise liner asking us to shift our anchor to allow them to swing safely on their anchor. We duly did so, hoping for a bottle of wine for our neighbourly efforts - nothing materialised. After a few hours the vessel and passengers motored off to see the other islands, leaving us with the anchorage to ourselves again.
Local fishermen from Waya Island visited Amelie requesting water and food, as they were stranded on Navadra until the sea state improved. We traded these items for their next catch of lobsters - once again, nothing.
Snorkeling around the reef was excellent as the coral was varied and looked healthy. Fiji is renowned as being the 'soft coral capital of the world'. The fish were plentiful and we observed a Nurse shark dozing on the seabed.
We ended up diving in the bay to release our anchor chain that had become wrapped and trapped around an enormous coral head. The exertion used up our air and a few coral lacerations later we were ready to lift the anchor. The sky had darkened and visibility was not perfect, so we re-anchored and stayed another night - a real hardship!
The following day we followed other members of the OWR fleet to a bay off Naviti - one of the Yasawa group. We swam with Manta Rays in Tokatokaunu Pass, between Drawaqa Island and Naviti. Apart from the tiny stingers that constantly irritated us, we observed these huge, majestic creatures gracefully swim over and past us.
Later that evening, Amelie hosted a Roast Lamb supper for several of the OWR fleet. We went to bed when the alcohol ran out.
A much quieter crowd left the anchorage the next day and travelled to the Blue Lagoon anchorage, Matacawalevu (where the film of the same name was made starring Brooke Shields). Near by the sea planes took off and landed on the water adding to the feeling we were in a film set. Although a tourist haven, the area has maintained it's beauty and the tourism wasn't intrusive. We had a wonderful supper ashore in true Fijian style. Semme and his family prepared a typical Lovo for sixteen of us. Semme's accommodation is situated on the beach and he prepares these feasts for passing yachts. Pork, chicken and fish are contained in coconut frond woven baskets and placed on the heated rocks buried in the ground. Banana leaves and more coconut fronds are placed over the top and buried in the ground for a few hours. The food was succulent and plentiful with a selection of sauces and vegetables plus home baked bread. We sat crossed legged on the ground and devoured our feast, with flame torches and the stars for light while Semme and his family serenaded us. We returned the next day to offer gifts for their hospitality and warm welcome. It was an absolute delight to see the children gnawing on ice cold chocolate from Amelie's 'fridge - even Auntie got a piece.
We made one last visit to the Manta Rays, although they were shy this time and then had a magnificent sail to Musket Cove, Malolo Lailai Island. Amelie became a lifelong member of the Musket Cove Yacht Club on arrival and we had a memorable stay in yet another beautiful spot. We moored stern to overlooking the bar on the sandy island opposite. We had our final Fijian party on the beach with a buffet dinner and a live band. We danced the night away on the sand with the additional sight of Debbie with a tambourine dancing to Mustang Sally and Dancing Queen. Unfortunately she peeked early and retired to bed, waking the following morning fully attired from the previous night - fantastic evening.
Our penultimate day featured our least exhausting provisioning ever. We completed a shopping list, handed it to Sophie at the marina office and the goodies arrived on Amelie ready to be stacked away. We managed to get almost everything we ordered except for apples and BBQ coals.
After another day of chilling, we left Fiji with heavy hearts, promising to return, to sail to Vanuatu for more exciting adventures - watch this space.