Berlin’s 3rd trip to Fiji
Friday, July 6th – We are returning to Port Denarau to get Avante and ourselves ready for Berlin’s arrival on Sunday. The few marinas in the South Pacific with berths of a size and depth able to accommodate the increasing number of large cruising yachts now plying the oceans are reaching capacity. Over the years, we have built up a well-respected relationship with the Port Denarau Marina, but this season, try as they might, they do not have a berth for Avante. Thus, upon our return from the Lau Islands, we must anchor in the waters outside the dredged channel that guides one into the marina. The holding in this area is quite good, so despite the heavy winds and the wakes from passing boats, we are relatively comfortable. The real negative is that it is a long, bouncy, splashing dinghy ride into the marina area where all the necessities we need are located.
Reggie, a local taxi driver we have come to know and whom we hire whenever we are in the area, takes us shopping for the groceries we need. Provisioning completed, we turn to boat maintenance and cleanup. Done! The remaining task is fueling. With the continued heavy wind, we decide not to motor Avante into the marina area where the small fuel dock is located. Instead, The Captain offloads our auxiliary fuel tanks down onto the wonderfully flat bottom of our OC Tender and motors ashore to fill them. Back on Avante, they are hoisted up on deck and siphoned into our fuel tanks. Voilá! 300 liters and set to go!
Sunday, July 8th – 0500 – In predawn darkness, we dinghy into the marina where Reggie, whose claim that he is “always 100% on time” endears him to us, is waiting. He knows for sure this is an “on time” appointment, for we are headed out to the airport to meet Berlin’s flight. Customs completed, she bounds through the glass doors eager to begin her next Fijian visit.
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This is her third trip to Fiji. Much of the area she has seen and explored with us, but this time, we plan to sail further north up the Yasawa Islands to Sawa-I-Lau Bay where there is a very interesting cave to visit. With our SUPs, too, a new sport has been added to our water activities.
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“Face-in-the-Rock” anchorage, as The First Mate has christened it, is where we are headed. This is a small bay on Kuata Island which is often our first stop out of the marina. Interesting snorkeling awaits us here, and a small cave ashore calls to be explored. As fate would have it, however, the wind picks up as we start anchoring. During lunch, we note that the wind funneling between the hills is now gusting between 15 – 25 knots. Even though we are securely anchored, we all decide a more comfortable, calmer anchorage would be best for the night.
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Just north of us is Yalobi Bay whose orientation will provide us more protection from the wind. We try one possible anchorage, but it is way too deep. We then motor towards the village where we know that below the school we will find good holding and some protection. We do, though the direction of the wind is variable as it funnels down from the hills. The bay is a bit choppy, but, undeterred, we launch the SUP’s for Berlin’s inaugural run out here in the Pacific.
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Monday, June 9th – We are anchored in 50 feet with very good holding, but the winds have shifted so that they are blowing us onto a lee shore. That is never a comfortable position, and with a shallow reef directly behind us, we waste little time getting going in the morning. A pleasant anchorage off Great Sandy Beach on Naviti Island is our next destination. To get there, we will be sailing up the west side of Waya Island, one of the most impressive vistas out here.
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By noon, we are anchored below Great Sandy Beach Resort. To everyone’s delight, it is much calmer here. After lunch, we launch the dinghy to snorkel on a good reef just south of us. Berlin delights in somersaulting through the water as much as she does viewing the coral and fish. Back on Avante, the SUPs are deployed. Before one can blink an eye, The Captain and The Second Mate are in a contest to upset the other.
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She’s down! But not for long ….. In 2 seconds, her quick agility gets her back on her board, and she is after him with determination. What fun! Watching from the deck of Avante, The First Mate wishes we had a third SUP!
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The two next take off to cruise the shoreline. We have always thought the name “Great Sandy Beach” to be a misnomer. There is a long strip of beach visible at high tide, but at low tide, grey rock and jagged coral are exposed just below the sandy beach edge. There is no possible way for a resort guest to gracefully walk into the water for a cooling dip in the heat of the day. The resort has a shallow pathway scraped through the rocks to deeper water. Resort guests arrive by a hydrofoil ferry that circles in the bay while the guests and their luggage are transferred to long boats. The long boats get the guests as close to shore as they can, but the guests have to wade the last bit into shore over the rocks. What a surprise for the unwary vacationer expecting to see and swim off a great white sandy beach!
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Okay, she’s got the balance and the locomotion down, but can she do a handstand on the thing? What about a few yoga positions?
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Well, she could, you know, if the water would stay still!
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Tuesday, July 10th – Today we’re going to Sawa-i-lau Island where there is a wonderful cave with a cool subterranean pool. A fantastic shoreline of interesting coral uprisings awaits to be explored. The tourist cruise ships stop here to visit the cave, but it is our objective to find a way to visit the cave when the flock of tourists are not there. The problem is that this is a tourist operation for the villagers. One pays to go. Thus, no tourists, no go. Timing is going to be everything for this visit!
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It’s a good 5 hour sail up to Sawa-i-lau. With a breeze running between 10 – 15 knots, we are able to sail with the jib out except when maneuvering around reefs. Then, an adverse wind angle sometimes requires that we furl the sail and turn on the engine. Berlin, typical of most 15-year olds, is mostly uninterested in our sailing gyrations. Fiji is blessed with good internet across most of these more populated and tourist-visited islands. Poppy and Nana may happily go for long stretches with total internet cut off, but not this gal. She is in touch with her world!
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Motoring into the bay, we skirt around the centrally located reef and slowly enter the area where we intend to anchor. Berlin has not been this far north, but we have anchored here twice over the years, and each time the winds across the bay have been significant. Today, it is calm. With the sun shining, the water is a clear azure blue, and the dramatic, jagged-edged up-thrusted rocks and cliffs along the shore are as arresting as we remember.
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It is still early afternoon, and though we know we must go ashore for sevusevu, we decide to wait until later in the afternoon. Island people do tend to lay low in the heat of noonday. Launching the dinghy, it’s off to snorkel and explore we are.
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We swim over toward the beach and explore the underwater bridges and secret pockets of sand tucked in between the jagged rocks.
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Back on Avante, we dress in more appropriate wear for sevusevu and head ashore. We locate the chief who turns out to be a woman, which is a rare occurrence.
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Reggie, our taxi driver back in Denarau, had told us that his sister lives in this village, and that she wold be able to tell us who best to talk to about a good time to visit the cave. After the ceremony, we ask the chief where we might find Reggie’s sister. Winding through the village, we follow her to the small hut where Reggie’s sister and husband live.
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Three adorable youngsters smile at us from behind branches of a wonderful climbing tree outside their home. We ask if the children are theirs. Yes, they are, but a sad story unfolds. They are their daughter’s children. Unfortunately, her husband recently died, and she must work in Nadi to make money for the family. She sees them very infrequently whenever she is able to return home. This is not an uncommon story in the islands where there is little opportunity to earn money in these small villages. Parents often have no choice but to leave their children with older relatives while they migrate to the cities to find work.
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Reggie had mentioned that his sister would appreciate some fresh bread from a local bakery in the marina and some butter. Delighted to have something to offer that we know will be appreciated, we give her our gifts. She is thrilled with the loaves of bread and butter, and eyeing the youngsters, we know our gift will be gone in a flash. How we wish we had known the story behind the children! We would have brought so much more. We do have a pleasant time talking to the sister and teasingly eyeing the curious youngsters. Upon hearing of our desire to see the cave without lots of tourists, she tells us who is the headman with the guide group to the cave. He is the one we should talk to about finding a less crowded time to see the cave.
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An exuberant puppy follows us back to the boat. To our dismay, his sharp claws give Berlin a few bloody scratches. Normally, this is something hardly to be thought about, but out here in the moist tropical air and the warm ocean waters, it is a concern. Growing up, we were told the salty ocean water was good for cuts, but that is not so in the South Pacific where the heated waters are laden with bacteria just waiting to attack open wounds. Back on the boat, we wash the cuts with antiseptic, and for the next several days, keep applying antiseptic until we feel confident the scrapes are healed.
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Wednesday, July 11th – A cruise ship is in the bay this morning. Locals have been ferried over from the village across the bay, and they have been busy setting up shop for the tourists. When we see the boats from the cruise ship arriving on shore, we wait until the first groups are taken up the stairs leading to the cave entrance and then head ashore ourselves. Our hope is to find the head of the guide group to see whether we can go into the cave at the end of the larger groups. We find him. We tell him that we saw the cave several years ago and how special it was. We want the same now for our granddaughter. He understands and tells us to wait to the end. He will let us know.
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Berlin heads over to the line of tables displaying shell jewelry, wood carvings, printed fabrics and woven articles. She buys a few pieces for herself and friends. Nothing is very expensive, but we know the little bit of income these islanders get will go a long way for them.
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Shopping done, we all sit in the shade waiting for the line of tourists to complete their visit to the cave, but it soon becomes warm, even in the shade. A walk along the water’s edge is a great way to cool down as the heat of the day increases.
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As the last group of tourists start exiting the cave, the leader of the guide group tells The Captain that now is a good time to climb the stairs that lead to the mouth of the cave. We pay him the entrance fees and head up the stairs.
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Yes, one first climbs up to get to the cave, but to actually enter the cave entrance, a series of steps going steeply downward have been cut into the stone. Holding to rails, we carefully descend into the cool dimness below ducking our heads to avoid the rocky roof above us.
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Always handy with the camera, The First Mate asks Berlin to turn around while there is still enough light to capture the glint of the water below and the rocky walls reflecting shades of grey, yellow, green and blue.
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With The Captain already in the water, Berlin climbs down a few final vertical metal stairs drilled into the rocks and plunges into the cool water inside the cave. Turning around, both she and The Captain yell up to The First Mate to hurry up and join them.
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The only ones in the cave are us and a family from a catamaran they had chartered. Fortunately, the captain of the cat had been to this cave many times and knew one of its secrets. There is a another secret large subterranean cave with many lobes to explore. There are, of course, two tricky obstacles about it. One is that its entrance is through an underwater tunnel in the cave wall. As it is not readily apparent, one must know where to look to find it. The other is that the huge cave is a hollow inside the rock mountain. There is no light. Rien! Nada! Absolute dark! We had experienced this hidden cave when we were last here, but this is a totally new experience for Berlin. Is she game to try it? Sure. Okay. Take a deep breath, dive under to the opening tunnel through the rock wall, quickly swim through it and pop up into absolute pitch blackness. Of course, one does not do this unless one has wisely brought a waterproof flashlight. We had totally forgotten about that, but the owner of the cat has a huge flashlight. He offers to show us the way. Some of his group are still inside this cave with another flashlight. One just has to dive down, swim through the dark hole and toward the light.
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The Captain swims through on his own. Our new friend shows Berlin where the opening is. Then taking a deep breath, she dives under with our helper holding her back down so she doesn’t pop up too soon to scrape against the top of the rock tunnel. He does the same for The First Mate. The first time The First Mate did this, it was a huge leap of faith for her, but she trusted and she did it. How proud she was that her granddaughter had not a qualm! She made it, and it’s unbelievable to be in this vast underground cave. The light is turned off to show us how absolutely black it is in here. Feeling like we have been swallowed up into the center of the earth, it is a relief when the light is switched back on. Following the flashlight, we all slowly float our way through the labyrinth of passages. Without the flashlight, it would be easy to get disoriented down here and never find one’s return path to the small tunnel leading out of this darkness. The First Mate wonders whoever and however this cave was found in the first place!
Returning to Avante, we grab lunch and then set out to explore around the other side of the island. More small isolated beaches are found. We venture into narrow openings along the rock-walled shoreline. It’s just the three of us out here, and the feeling of exploration and discovery is exciting. What will we find?
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Sometimes a small strip of sandy beach awaits us. We have to step out of the water making solo foot prints in the sand. It feels like we are discovering new and secret places. Sometimes a pool of crystal clear water, warmed by the sun, beckons us to float around its edges.
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We spend another full day in Sawa-i-Lau. What a wonderful place! The weather is Pacific island perfect. We snorkel off the reefs. We venture forth on SUPs to explore the shoreline. Knowing we are off again tomorrow, we enjoy our sojourn here to the fullest.
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Friday, July 13th – Having traveled as far north as we plan in the Yasawa Islands, it is time now to turnsouth and begin our trip back to Denarau. Our first stop will be to Blue Lagoon, an expansive area of relatively shallow water whose brilliant blues give it its name. Anchored below Nanuya Resort, we head ashore to make reservations for dinner at the resort and to ask whether Lo’s Tea House on the other side of the island is still in business. Both accomplished, we head up the hill above the resort and across the top of the island. On the other side is Lo’s Tea House, famous for her decadent chocolate cake. Berlin remembers it well from her last visit.
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A small gathering of huts greets us as we descend to the beach on the other side. Simple in construction, the homes are mostly of one or two rooms with an attached porch or veranda. As is typical throughout the tropical Pacific, it is outside on these porches that most of the living is done. The Captain stops to talk to a woman sitting on her porch. Lo is her sister, and yes, she is in her tea house and open for business.
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Lo’s bright green Tea House is easy to spot on the beach.
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Inside a chalked menu displays today’s offerings. What? No chocolate cake? We are disappointed, but Lo assures us that her hot, fried donuts with chocolate sauce are every bit as good. We order a plateful along with warm (because there is no refrigeration) soda for Berlin and The Captain and lemon tea for The First Mate.
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Saturday, July 14th – Around us on the lagoon, we enjoy watching the busy activity with seaplanes swooping in, small islands ferries trundling tourists to nearby resorts, and overloaded flat bottomed barges precariously disgorging overladen pallets onto tipsy long boats. In between the viewing, we snorkel in an area full of tropical fish who swarm the spot expecting handouts from tourists. Our favorite are the clown fish who love to swim up toward our wriggling fingers. That evening, we head ashore for dinner at the resort. As darkness comes around 6:00 out here in the tropics, it is dark by the time we are pulling the dinghy ashore. The Captain takes a step and scrapes his ankle on some underwater coral. We continue onto dinner where we enjoy a final evening out here in Blue Lagoon and, as is customary at the end of the meal, the staff assemble to offer us their parting songs. Though a delightful evening, The First Mate is concerned about The Captain’s scrapes. He already has about 5 small scrapes and the one he got tonight is more sizable. Coral can contain toxins that will quickly infect a cut, and the warm tropical waters increase that possibility. Back on the boat, we liberally wash his scrapes with antiseptic and plan to keep an eye on them.
Sunday, July 15th – Our next stop is Manta Ray Passage where we hope to spot those graceful animals as they swim through the passage between the islands during a flowing tide. They use the flow of the water to scoop up the small plankton which are their food source. Spot them we do, and how The First Mate wishes she had had an underwater camera!
Early Monday morning, we motor out to the passage. Is this the right time? Will this even be the time when the manta rays show up to feed? It is always guess work for us to know whether our timing is right and whether the rays will have returned, but seeing a flat boat of tourists from a nearby resort already scanning the passage, we know that at least someone else thinks there is a possibility of a sighting. A young guide from the resort is standing up on the bow of the boat eyeing the water around him. Suddenly, he points ahead into the water. Fins already on, masks are quickly pulled over our faces, we slip into the water. What a surprise! Not one, not two, not even a few …. maybe 20 of these huge, graceful creatures are swimming around and below us! Swirling, turning and diving, ignoring us completely, we are right in their midst. It is impossible to count them all or to differentiate one from another. How gracefully they swim through the water, turning perfect somersaults as they swoop the plankton into their mouths! One amazing creature, however, does singularly draw our attention. As it executes its backward circles, its strikingly white underbelly is displayed. None of the other rays are as dramatic in coloration. Circle after circle it does right below us. We are mesmerized. Silently, it circles. Silently, we watch in wonder. For almost an hour, this very large pod of manta rays swim around us and treat us to a sight that very few are ever fortunate enough to encounter.
Tuesday, July 17th – Back to the passage we go in the morning, but this time only one manta ray is spotted. One, two or just a few is the usual sighting, and definitely not the very large group we saw yesterday. Timing is everything, they say, and we certainly had timing on our side yesterday. We content ourselves with another activity this passage offers when the tide is flowing: drift snorkeling over the coral beds where large schools of tropical fish put on their own displays. We take several passes through the area enjoying the myriad of fish and the interesting coral below us.
Wednesday, July 18th – Navandra, a favorite anchorage, is our last stop before we head into Musket Cove where we will stay until Berlin’s flight out on Saturday evening. The Captain’s scrapes are not looking good. The area around is red and inflamed, and, as if in sympathy, a few other minor scrapes are not looking great either. The First Mate is concerned, and, though The Captain affects indifference, he does say that he is not going to go in the water until these sores are healed. After a busy few days, we are all content to sit quietly on the boat each involved in his or her own interests.
Thursday, July 19th – Anchored in Musket Cove, we find other boats we know. There are Annie and Chuck on Exit Strategy and Annette, Ron and Steve on Freewheel. Tonight is the weekly Pig Roast dinner with Fijian entertainment following. Annie and Chuck are game to give it a try. Having seen this show before and partaken of their dinner, we know it’s not the best, but we decide it will be a diversion for all of us. With The Captain unable to go in the water and Berlin now happily ensconced with her internet connectivity, it is quiet time on the boat.
All is not totally peaceful on Avante, however, for The First Mate is concerned about the festering state of the sores on The Captain’s calf and ankle and is taking action. Mother Hen she may be, but with these sores looking more like skin ulcers than scrapes, she feels we should be hunting up a doctor. The Captain admits that they are painful and that they sting, but still sees no need to head to a pharmacy, much less a clinic. She needs to call in reinforcements!
Photos are taken and sent off to John and Lyn Martin, our knowledgeable and experienced island cruisers. An immediate response is received from John: “We’ve seen these ulcers before. Coral is the most likely cause, and they need treatment NOW. Start him immediately on the strongest antibiotics you have and double the first day’s dose. Creams won’t work on these and if not treated can turn to septicemia within 36 hours. Fiji is currently affected by Bactirius Marinarus in sea water caused by the very warm ocean temperatures which is exacerbating the coral cut. A friend recently returned from the islands and had a week in hospital to recover, nearly lost the leg. Please don’t hesitate on this, and don’t let Bill say it’s okay, it’s not.”
Thank you, John! The Captain will listen to him. We have Z-packs (Azithromycin) on board. They are started, but resistance to seeking medical help remains. The First Mate perseveres.
We dinghy over to the resort for our evening of food and entertainment. As we walk through the dining area to our table, Berlin spots a boy she knows from school. What a surprise! The family has been in Fiji for the last several weeks while the mother, who is a doctor, was volunteering medical help in a remote village area. They invite us to join them for dinner, but with Annie and Chuck soon to arrive, we cannot. Berlin can, however, and happily she enjoys an evening with her peers.
Friday, July 20th – Poo-pooed The First Mate is by The Captain, but he needs to see a doctor she tells him. We will be in the Port Denarau Marina tomorrow. There may even be a clinic open on Saturday. Either the marina office or Yacht Help should be able to direct us to a doctor. They might even have one on call. It doesn’t hurt to try. Finally, she gets an agreement from him. We will try, but he is sure the soonest anyone can see him will be Monday. It’s the weekend, don’t you know?
Saturday, July 21st – We weigh anchor in the morning to motor to the Port Denarau Marina. As we near the entrance to the marina, The Captain calls them to see if a berth has freed up for us. To our delight, they have a berth. Tied up, we next call Yacht Help to see if they know a doctor we could call. They not only know a doctor, they call the clinic for us. An appointment is made for this afternoon. A royal pain this may be for The Captain, but it is an immense relief for The First Mate.
Berlin has little interest in accompanying us to the clinic. She would like to wander the shops in the marina in search of gifts to bring home. With its load of tourists and bustle of activity, the marina area is a safe place for an almost 16-year old to explore. With extra money to buy lunch, she’s a happy camper. Off she goes while we head up to meet Reggie, our faithful taxi driver. The clinic in Nadi looks more like a train station with hard wooden benches running down either side of a long concrete hall. The front desk, however, is expecting us so that is hopeful. We wait about a half hour before being called into the doctor who turns out to be an Indo-fijian trained in India and who speaks English. We’re in luck. Examining the sores, she tells The Captain that immediate and strong action must be taken.
Two different types of bacteria are at work here. For the next two days, the sores are to be washed with Hydrogen Peroxide and kept covered. After that, a prescription cream is to be used. She is pleased he is taking the Z-pack. We are to continue that. For the pain and inflammation, a mega-doze of Advil is prescribed. We are surprised, however, when she tells us that he needs several days’ treatment of intravenous antibiotics. A port is put into The Captain’s left hand. Antibiotics are dripped in, and he is scheduled to return tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday for further treatment. He is told to rest, keep the foot elevated and not move around more than necessary. Yes, this is serious, and yes, this needs strong intervention, but as The First Mate had been fearful he might need to be hospitalized with an antibiotic drip 24/7, this regime is a blessing.
We return to the boat and to Berlin who, having scoured the shopping area, is happily back on the boat and back connected with her friends via internet. She’s also getting herself packed up and ready to leave. Her flight is not until almost midnight tonight. Our usual plan for her departure is to have a nice dinner at one of the marina restaurants followed by a 7:30 taxi ride to the airport. Reggie drives us to the airport. He’s almost as sorry to see Berlin leave as we are, for he has gotten to know her over her last 3 visits. While The Captain waits in the car, The First Mate and Berlin head into the terminal. What a crowd! We have never seen so many at the terminal at this hour. It takes forever to get through the check in line, but that done, off she goes through the border gate with nary a qualm. For us, it is wonderful to see how confidently she handles herself with this international travel. We’ll miss her, but with her sophomore year of high school soon to start, she’s on to new adventures.
Sunday, July 22nd – Back on Avante the next day, we are relieved to learn that we can stay on our berth for the next few days. Reggie arrives to drive us to our medical appointment for another intravenous dose of antibiotics, and we continue with our washings of the sores with Hydrogen Peroxide. It is quiet on the boat without Berlin’s presence and with The Captain’s enforced confinement. Our main activity is going out to dinner at one of the marina’s restaurants.
Monday, July 23rd – The final antibiotic drip is given. The doctor is pleased with the results and tells us to continue the washings and the oral antibiotics until they are finished. Off we go, cleared by modern medical intervention and thankful we took action when we did.
Wednesday, July 25th – Lyn and John Martin arrive this afternoon. When we could not get a berth in the marina for our annual 2-month summer return to Telluride, the four of us had come up with an ideal arrangement. Due to tight scheduling, the Martins did not have time to sail their boat to the islands this year, but oh, how they were going to miss their island sojourn! No problem. What if they used our boat while we are back in the States? That would solve our problem of no marina berth, and they would get to spend 2 of New Zealand’s cold, wet, dreary winter months in the tropics. Done deal! The Martins are one of a very few number of people with whom we would trust Avante, and with their life-long sailing and cruising knowledge, we know she is in good hands.
We spend the next 6 days cruising between Navandra and Musket Cove giving the Martins time to familiarize themselves with Avante’s idiosyncrasies (every boat has them) and the location of supplies and spare parts. At sunset on our last night in Musket Cove, the setting sun puts on a memorable show for us. How we love cruising around the islands of the southern Pacific Ocean! It will be wonderful to be back home in our mountains of Colorado, but it is also good to know we’ll be back here again.
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On a very positive note, the scruffy facial growth The Captain has been sprouting since we left New Zealand has been promised to be removed once we are back in the States. The First Mate was not a fan, and even Berlin pronounced it acceptable only out here in the islands, never in Telluride! “This trip to the barber can’t come soon enough,” thinks his ever-loving spouse!