Savusavu to the Yasawas

Back to the town of Savusavu, where we dock at the lovely Nawi Marina and wait for the tradewinds to chill a bit (below 20 would be nice!) so we can continue on to western Fiji. We need to go through Nasonisoni Pass and the waves stack up around it if the Trades are greater than 15. Looks like it would be do-able with the bigger winds, but definitely not fun. Also there is a band of thunderstorms moving through and we don’t fancy being amongst reefs with poor visibility and an unstable forecast. But for some reason, we are having trouble deciding when to go. In our cruising life, we make so many decisions daily based on weather, local geography, the morale of the crew; but, at times, we are struck with unexpected indecision. This was one such situation where we looked and re-looked at this chunk of water and conditions a few times daily, changing our mind. At times like this, I feel lucky that we have a weather router we can “ping” with our indecision to offer another set of eyes. They looked and said, yes, you could do it, but you wouldn’t like it (that’s the nutshell of their very thorough evaluation of the weather, sea state, and route).

So, we stayed put for 6 nights in Savusavu and used this time to do some chores (Chris fixed the dinghy engine and the boat got a good cleaning), eat Indian food (at Delhi 6 where we are now “regulars”), reprovision the boat, fill up our propane (after a ride in a souped-up taxi), meet some new cruisers, and play Farkle with friends.

It brings me happiness to see Cora and a friend take the passenger ferry to town, returning a couple hours later with stories of shopping for henna and waffles eaten, seeing this step toward independence and confidence in a foreign environment. Nawi Island Marina painted the boat names of those who arrived this year on their decking and it was fun to have the kids find Terikah!

We also started our new school year in the SV Terikah Pacific Ocean Boatschool. Calder is heading into 10^th grade and does a mix of online school (for Honors Geometry, Marine Biology, Spanish 2), text-based study (for American Literature and US History), and a combo of the two (for his yearlong elective in Seasmanship). Cora, now in 8^th grade, opted for a mostly online based curriculum for her Language Arts, Science, Global Studies, Pre-Algebra, Spanish 1, and Theater/Film Studies. Mornings at anchor are usually school mornings, with afternoons time for exploring. We don’t do school on passage and lighten it up when guests are here or for special events, but otherwise go year-round.

Howling windy gusts finally calmed, so time to head out for an overnight to the Yasawa Islands. This passage has to be carefully timed due to reefs. First, we had 20 nm to the outer reef and Nasonisoni Pass then, once through, another 25 nm to the next reef passage. Both these need to be completed with light for visibility. All went well with the timing, just getting through the second pass with the sunset and with warm snickerdoodle cookies compliments of Cora. It’s lovely being out here on an overnight with a buddy boat, Interlude IX, their lights of comradery in the dark. We have slowed way down for the overnight through Bligh Water, with hopeful arrival to the reef protecting the Yasawas with the morning light. Our timing was perfect, but unpredicted winds and waves picked up just as we entered the reef channel into the Yasawa group.

The fishing rod whirred and it appeared we had caught a type of barracuda, which we let go (as they can carry ciguatera toxin). However, as we rounded the corner, the fishing rod whirred again. It was another one of the same fish but gave us pause. It didn’t look like a typical barracuda, but we couldn’t identify it quickly enough to allow it to return to the sea unharmed with our delay. So, we let the fish go, which swam quickly away. Turns out it was a walu, a Spanish mackerel…the best eating in Fiji. We’ll know for next time. Our freezer is void of fish,  so we eat chicken and beans.

The Yasawa Islands are a chain of volcanic islands in northwest Fiji. They are home to small villages and around 12,000 residents, many of whom live a traditional lifestyle alongside a growing tourism industry of eco-resorts. Yasawa Island is the northernmost and largest island in the Yasawa group, stretching about 22 kilometers long and known for its unspoiled beaches and remote setting. We were excited to be at the furthest NW corner of Fiji, having been at the further SE corner (Ogea in the Lau Group) at the start of our Fiji explorations, about 280 nm apart.

That evening, we anchored off the village of Yasawa-i-rara (population 130), heading to locals Nix and Sera’s house on the beach for a Fijian meal. The family started doing this in order to help pay for school for their daughters in Suva, explaining that their subsistence life does not provide a way to make actual money.  Locals in the Yasawas have to go to Suva, on the southeast coast of the main island Viti Levu, for high school and beyond. The straight-line distance between them is about 270 kilometers (170 miles). In practice, travel involves a boat or small plane transfer from Yasawa to the main island, then either a flight or long road journey to Suva, so it takes most of a day to get there. On shore, we learned that Sera was actually in Suva with her daughters, while her other daughter Rebecca (having two days off from the resort she worked at on the other side of the island to come home and be with her son) was cooking the meal for us with a few friends. The spread included small barracuda, two seagrass dishes (our favorite), cabbage-carrot dished, cassava fries and coconut water.

Nix accepted our offer of sevusevu and we had a few good laughs at the amazing walu we let go, as he confirmed our suspicion that it was indeed a delicious Spanish mackerel, even calling over his family to see the pics. Humor is such a great way to connect! As we ate, we watched goats climb the hillside, kids playing in the surf, a beautiful sunset, and Nix take off to catch more fish.

Next morning, we had a quick sail down to Champagne Beach, an idyllic crescent beach guarded by quite the surf. Between gusts of wind, we explored the area, wing-foiled, and hung out with old friends and made new ones.

On a walk, we found ourselves in the beginnings of an abandoned resort, piles of galvanized steel pre-fab left behind mid-project; a casualty of COVID and local politics. Fiji tourism, like elsewhere, took a hit with the COVID pandemic that they talk about frequently, just now getting back to the prior level. For the most part, we have found that Fijians speak positively about the resorts, tourism, and new airports.

We momentarily were lost on our walk, ending up in a small village but eventually finding the obscured trail through the jungle back to the beach. In the morning, I watched a panga of kids get dropped off for their walk to a bigger village nearby.

Next anchorage in Vunindamanu Bay where the winds continued, swinging from 15 knots to 30 knots, making nights gusty and noisy and wing sports challenging. The kids hiked up the nearby recently burnt hillside, returning covered with ash, scratches, and stories to tell. Chris and I were introduced to the game Euchre, and played lots of cribbage. A local stopped by, kindly offering us his fish, and expressed that this bay was connected to nearby Tamusua Village. He offered to take our kava root to the chief rather than have us walk. The experience of sevusevu is so different from village to village, and from one cruising boat’s experience to another. Between gusts of wind, we braved our way to the shore to celebrate Cora’s 14^th birthday with sweets, friends, and games. I end this entry with the celebration of Cora!