Great To Be Back

It was time to stop sailing and start working. One of the realities of owning a yacht is that the to-do list never gets any shorter. There is an old saying among cruisers that cruising is simply fixing your boat in exotic locations. I used to think it was an exaggeration. It isn’t.

Thankfully, FELIS had looked after us remarkably well during the passage to Fiji. Apart from a few minor issues, we had escaped without any major breakdowns, something I was quietly grateful for. The biggest job was repairing a tear in the boom bag, caused by rainwater pooling where it shouldn’t have. A simple repair in theory, although, like many boat jobs, it required a minimum of two people. One to hold, one to remove, one to observe from another angle and somehow still not enough hands.

Before Jono flew home, we removed the boom bag and borrowed a wheelbarrow to transport it to the local sailmaker. I may have politely suggested that having it repaired before Kim arrived would be greatly appreciated. One job off the list.

With the sailmaker working his magic, I turned my attention to servicing the engines. It was time to rediscover mechanical skills I hadn’t used for years. The generator required a custom hose and pump to extract the oil, while the main engines required a vacuum extraction system that I didn’t have. Naturally, another item was added to the ever-growing shopping list. Boat ownership seems to consist of two lists. One contains the jobs, while the other contains the tools needed to perform them.

Once the maintenance was underway, it was time for what every cruiser eventually does in a new country. Find transport and visit the compulsory supermarkets. In Fiji, three supermarkets seem to be the magic number, followed by a hardware store and somewhere to refill the LPG bottles.

Fortunately, my driver Bobby, knew exactly where visiting yachties needed to go. He had obviously made this trip many times before. He also introduced me to the Lautoka markets, where I bought several bundles of kava.

If you’ve never encountered kava before, imagine drinking muddy water strained through an old sock. Surprisingly, that’s not far from the truth. The powdered root is mixed with water and strained through cloth before being shared during ceremonies. The taste takes some getting used to, although the locals seem to enjoy its relaxing effect.

Kava

Our kava wasn’t for drinking. It was destined to become sevusevu, the traditional Fijian ceremony in which visitors present a gift (typically kava) to the village chief as a sign of respect and to request permission to visit or anchor nearby. It is one of Fiji’s most enduring customs and something we were looking forward to experiencing.

With the maintenance complete, the cupboards full once again and the shopping list finally shorter than when we arrived, it was time to escape the marina.

Our destination was Musket Cove on Malolo Island, about two hours west of Nadi in the Mamanuca Islands. We had last visited during our Pacific crossing back in 2008 and were looking forward to seeing it again. The island is famous for its golden beaches, crystal-clear water and nearby Cloudbreak, one of the world’s best-known surf breaks.

The first surprise was how busy it had become. Finding space to anchor required a little patience as yachts filled almost every available patch of water. Cruising has certainly grown in popularity since our last visit. There were dozens of New Zealand yachts, plenty of Australian boats, sleek Maritimos, serious sport-fishing boats and several superyachts that made FELIS look modest.

Before long, we settled back into life at anchor. Joining the Musket Cove Yacht Club gave us access to the restaurants and swimming pool, which seemed only fair after weeks of boat maintenance. Days became wonderfully uncomplicated. Morning coffee in the cockpit, walks around the island, meeting fellow cruisers and watching the endless procession of tenders coming and going.

Then cruising reminded us once again just how small the world really is. Anchored just ahead of us was a yacht named SiFar. The name sounded familiar, although at first I couldn’t quite place it. Then it clicked. Back in 2008, we had spent time cruising with Geoff and Merel, who managed a beautiful Oyster yacht. They had previously owned a yacht called SiFar, which we later saw at a marina in Manly. We hadn’t seen Geoff since meeting up in Brisbane several years prior and assumed he had long since returned to Canada or perhaps the Caribbean.

Instead, we had unknowingly anchored right beside him in Musket Cove. He was just as surprised to see us as we were to see him. We have since spent some lovely time together, catching up. Cruising has an uncanny way of reconnecting old friends, often thousands of miles from where you first met. Sometimes the world really does feel remarkably small.