Yasawa Islands: Our 2 year Cruise-a-versary!

Still sailing through the Yasawa Islands, we headed for the Blue Lagoon (Nanuya Island)—part shelter from the rising winds, part playground. Calder was in his element, wingfoiling with friends.

When we arrived, George, the caretaker of a stretch of beach used by Blue Lagoon cruises, stopped by and kindly let us know that we’d need to move from our anchor spot when the cruise ship arrived in a couple of days. We shared some kava root and a fishing lure with him. The next day, he returned, calling Chris “my friend,” and mentioned that he had taken the kava to the village across the way to share. He also reassured us that it was fine to remain anchored where we were, just at the edge of the no-anchor zone.

It was a little intimidating to watch the cruise ship drop anchor just off our boat, making us feel very small in comparison!

At that point, only the passengers were allowed on a large stretch of private beach—a pattern we’ve noticed more as we explore the more resort heavy areas of Fiji. Some resorts are delightfully “cruiser-friendly,” going out of their way to welcome us into their restaurants, pools, and facilities. Others are decidedly not, politely asking us to stay offshore. And then there are those that fall somewhere in between, offering a warm welcome only when they’re not at full capacity.

The hiking on Nanuya Island is excellent, with clear jungle trails leading to a nearby house that sold organic coconut and pineapple fruit popsicles out of their freezer.

We also stopped at Lo’s Tea House, where Lo made us her famous Fijian donuts, washed down with fresh lemonade.

Her daughter also makes delicate jewelry out of small bits of coral that washes up on the beach, taking up to 4 hours to make one piece.

When we go to new countries, I look up media (movies, books, music) of the places we visit. We do not recommend the 1980 movie Blue Lagoon, which had been filmed here. I do recommend Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao, a historical crime novel set in 1914.

We had a lovely day sail (dodging coral reefs) to our next anchorage, Korovou on Naviti Island. En route we caught and released one small barracuda with impressively sharp teeth. That night at anchor, we turned on our underwater lights, hoping to lure in some giant mantas. Instead, something that first looked like a shark appeared, only for us to realize it was a massive fish. Calder dropped his fishing hook, and the fish attacked it, putting up a fierce fight before finally spitting the hook out. We suspect it was a huge dogtooth tuna. The winds have left and it is hot and still. Calder enjoyed playing volleyball with the locals and other boat kids during our two nights there. Our entire family enjoyed some intimate shallow snorkeling where I saw my first…nudibranch!!!

It was a lovely 3cm long phyllidia exquisita, black and white striped with raised yellow bumps. Once I saw one, I knew what and where to look for them and saw 4 more nudibranchs! Nudibranchs are small, colorful, soft-bodied sea slugs with striking patterns and shapes.

We received a phone call from the New Zealand agency investigating the jet boat accident we were involved in earlier this year. They found no criminal liability, closed the investigation, and plan to release the report soon. The issue was traced to two exposed conductor wires on the pedal position sensor—not a routine maintenance problem. We were relieved to learn that no negligence was involved, and that the U.S. company responsible for the sensor is updating its protocols as a result of the accident. Throughout the process, we’ve been impressed by New Zealand’s thorough response and consistent follow-up. We admit that all of us are still apprehensive about being in fast-moving vehicles in any form, namely driven by others, from taxis to small planes. I guess it’s good that we’re sailing at a leisurely 5 knots most of the time as we continue to heal.

Next stop, Nanuya Island (home of Paradise Resort) where we snorkeled around remarkable coral structures covered in a colorful variety of soft corals, thousands of fish including small feisty clown fish that charge out of their anemones, their courage bigger than their size. Unfortunately, we also saw too many Crown-of-Thorns. The Crown-of-Thorns starfish is a large, spiny sea star that eats live corals, leaving white, dead coral skeletons and promoting algal overgrowth when there are too many of them. Fiji is currently battling outbreaks of COTS in several areas, and local groups are trying to control them by physical removal, injecting them with vinegar, and working with resorts and volunteers to keep numbers at sustainable levels. Crown-of-Thorns starfish outbreaks occur mainly due to nutrient runoff that boosts their larvae, loss of natural predators, and warmer ocean conditions that together allow their populations to explode and devastate coral reefs. Calder and Chris got another dive under their belt, more challenging with tough visibility and currents, but really cool underwater rock structures.

Chris and I went for a hike on the island, discussing the future of our cruising and the need to have a hobby or form of self-betterment on board. Some days we are stuck out at anchor, weather too rough to go to shore or no approachable shore to go to; these days we get a bit stir-crazy. Chris has recommitted to foreign language, currently working on French with our upcoming trip to New Caledonia. Cora and I picked up piano (keyboard) again.  

The sublime anchorage off Yalobi village on Waya Island was my favorite of the Yasawa Island, with towering cliffs (up to 1,873 feet) reminiscent of the Marquesas. In the morning, Atu greeted us at the beach and took us to the Chief for sevusevu with plans to hike and get fruit the following day.  There are about 300 residents with 55 houses here, the biggest village on the island. That afternoon, the Yasawa Flyer boat came through and we were able to pick up our Farm Boy food delivery of fresh veg and eggs. The Yasawa Flyer makes a roundtrip daily from the hub of Denarau to the resorts of the Mamunucas and Yasawas, dropping and picking up goods and people. The Farm Boy company provides an option to order groceries and have them delivered to one of those stops, where you simply dinghy up to the boat as it drifts to pick up your box, one of ours marked “Jonifer, Terikah.”

It was like Christmas opening up the two boxes of fresh food!  Calder also went fishing with a few friends in their dinghy, catching a barracuda they shared with thankful locals, as well as a delicious walu (Spanish mackerel) that we ate that night for dinner; so wonderful to have fresh seafood!

I woke up the morning of our 2-year cruising anniversary to the sound of the Fijian school children singing, the sun streaming in as I had my cup of coffee in this lush and dramatic setting. All the children of Waya Island go to the primary boarding school here, one teacher’s challenge is the varied dialects that the children speak from their individual villages.

Off we went on a hike to the lookout, led by the good-spirited Misi at the hottest time of the day.

From afar the face of a man and silhouette of a woman were clear in the steep rock wall.

Misi shared stories of hunting, from stabbing large wild hogs with a knife and climbing up a tree to protect themselves, to setting up nets barefoot on the cliffside to trap the goats. That afternoon, we said good-bye to the Yasawa Islands and headed to the next Fijian island group to explore, the Mamanucas.