Bula, Bula from Fiji!

After one of our best sails ever from Tonga to Fiji we cleared into the lush town of Savusavu on the northern island of Vanua Levu where we planned to spend a few days re-provisioning and feasting on the delicious curries we'd heard so much about! There is a large Indo-Fijian population who are mostly descended from the indentured labourers brought to the islands by Fiji's British colonial rulers in the late 1800's to work on Fiji's sugar cane plantations.

We loved our week in Savusavu - eating out, doing boat work and generally relaxing but unfortunately one of the downsides to Savusavu is the amount of precipitation - it rained non-stop, cats and dogs for 6 whole days! This was not turning out to be the sunny paradise we were expecting so it was great that the 5 star Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort was only a few miles down the road!

Enjoying fresh fruit cocktails poolside after a long dip in the local mineral baths.

The rain didn't stop the beautiful sunsets.

Fiji has some of the best diving in the world and is particularly renowned for its soft corals located in the Somosomo Straight between Taveuni and Vanua Levu Island. The Great White Wall (part of Rainbow Reef) has been pegged as one of the world's top 10 dive sites so Megan was eager to get under the water! It was fantastic - at a depth of 28 meters there is a near vertical wall of mostly white coral, something truly unique! Watch the video here! 

After 2 nights we had to press on as we were meeting good friends in the Yasawa Islands on the western side of Fiji. Fijian waters are known for their unchartered reefs so moving between the island chain needs to be carefully planned and only attempted during daylight. It would take 4 days of sailing to get to the Blue Lagoon Resort on Nacula Island.

On passage we caught another fish for the tally board! This time a Spanish Mackeral or 'Walu' as they're known in Fiji. We made a spicy but delicious laksa with the meat.

The beautiful beaches of Nacula.

This was the perfect place to anchor for a week - protected from most sides and very shallow, clear water.

 Views of the beach from the Blue Lagoon Beach Resort 

Our friend's Sam and Julieanne were joining us in Fiji for 6 days and they were bringing with them 5 month old Lucy who we hadn't yet met. We were SO excited!!!!

Fijian/Lazy Bones welcome - fresh drinks and a blow of the emergency air horn!

 Introductions!

 Reunions!

 The women at the resort were so wonderful with Lucy - they loved to hold and dote on her.

 Fun times in the outdoor shower!

One of the impressive things about cruising in Fiji is the amount of islands and potential anchorages. Throughout our time in the Caribbean and the Pacific we had always shared anchorages with numerous other boats but in Fiji it was rare for there to be more than 2-3 boats at any one time. Blissfuly private!

Julieanne, Sam and Lucy decided early on that they would spend their time on land in the resort as Julieanne was not great on boats so we used the opportunity to treat ourselves to meals and activities ashore with them - including the welcome kava ceremony.

 Enjoying a traditional Fijian 'meke' of song and dance before dinner one night.

Julieanne and Sam scored a great 2 bedroom villa with a hammock and fantastic day bed - perfect for chillaxing and catching up.

 First time in the pool and someone loveeedddd it!

 Also first time in the ocean - it was a big week of 'firsts' for Lucy!

Shade anyone? What service Mr. Gentry!

We were keen to explore some of the local area and decided to take a morning trip to the Sawa-I-Lau caves, which involved a deep swim through into total darkness. Good thing Chilli Cat brought their underwater torches. It's reported that the caves run all the way underwater to the Lau Group of Islands 150 miles away. It's possible to scuba dive them as well, which sounds horrifically scary to Megan.

Inside of the caves - not great light for taking pictures!

Our 6 day visit with the Collins family flew by and it was again time to make our way down the Yasawa Island chain. We stopped along the way at a few nice anchorages and had what was probably our last swim with a manta ray. We also indulged in another 3 nights anchored off the Octopus Resort on Waya Island and enjoyed dinner ashore, sunrise yoga and a couples massage.

The Fijian 'resorts' we visited were a real treat as they were casual and not too developed - usually accommodating no more than 70 guests. The snorkelling right off the beach was some of the best we encountered on the whole trip and there were always hikes or visits to the village available. We would definitely recommend the Yasawa Islands as a land based destination and we hope to return one day as guests!

Whale Videos - Vava'u, Tonga

These are a few underwater video delights which we took while in Tonga. It's a mixture of swimming with the whales, the audio track of a 'male's whale song' and finally some neat footage of the caves we visited. Enjoy!

This is a video of our swim with a mother, calf and chaperone. It's difficult to get a sense of their sizes but they were huge - at least up to 15m in length. The calf was trying to feed several times near the end of the video.

This calf was so inquisitive - amazing!

This is the audio that I recorded from a male whale which was 15 meters below me. The sound was so strong I could feel it vibrating through my body

These are two videos of my swim in Swallow's Cave - a beautiful place in Vava'u which if you time the afternoon lighting correctly is magnificent!

A 'Whale' of a Time in Tonga!

After another tiring 6 day/night passage from Suwarrow in the Cook Islands, we entered Neiafu Harbour in Tonga after sunset. Thankfully our friends on Chilli Cat and Maloo were on hand to guide us through the narrow channel. After securing a mooring and catching up over a bottle of wine and a few beers we were ready for a full night’s sleep.

The Vavau Group of islands in northern Tonga has built itself a reputation of being one of the premier cruising grounds in the world. With sheltered waters, over 90 anchorages as well as being a breeding ground for humpback whales, we were excited to get out of town and explore!

During the months between June and November hundreds of humpback whales migrate from the cold waters in the Antarctic to breed and calf in the Tongan waters and Vavau is one of only a handful of places in the world where you can get in the water and swim face to face with these giant mammals and we weren't about to miss out. As Sunday is a strictly observed day of Sabbath, tours are not allowed to operate so we decided to make the most of the tourist free waters by taking Lazy Bones out and trying our luck with the whales - and what luck we had! After 45 minutes of cruising along, we spotted a mother, her calf and a large chaperone in the calm waters off one of the islands. Not wasting a minute, Megan suited up and jumped in the dinghy and headed out to see if they would be relaxed enough to let her swim with them... they were!

This calf was so gentle and inquisitive! He/she was about 3 meters long.

The calf was continually diving down and feeding from the mother

We spent all morning with these amazing animals. It was truly the most incredible experiences of the trip so far.

Our friends from Chilli Cat joined us as well.

This is a picture Chilli Cat took from their boat - look how close they come to the boats!

Mike was unable to swim with us due to his perforated eardrum so he was our whale spotter and boat support! 

He did get some amazing pictures from above the water!

Other than swimming with whales, there are loads of interesting snorkeling opportunities in Vavau, including Swallows and Mariner’s cave. In waters too deep to anchor in, Mike waited on the boat while Megan jumped out and explored on her own.

Timing is important to enjoy the caves properly. Luckily all of the tour groups had left and the afternoon sun provided beautiful lighting for the thousands of small fish.

Just as stunning, Mariner’s Cave can only be accessed by diving down and through a large opening. Having Charles and Luca from Chilli Cat on hand, provided some great picture opportunities!

Beautiful, uninhabited islands. We anchored here for a night.

We also spent several days anchored off the small island of Lape, which is home to a village of only 26 people. In an effort to raise money for community projects, the villagers host a Tongan feast every second weekend for all of the yachties in the anchorage.

We were warmly greeted on the wharf with fresh flower leis and the hearty Tongan smile of Coolio – our host for the evening. We spent an hour walking around the island while Coolio gave us explanations of how they live day to day. We met several children, saw the school and the simple methodist church and finished with a coconut husking demonstration. All while dinner was being roasted on an open fire. In addition to the suckling pig, there were numerous local fish dishes and a variety of salads. Plenty of food for all 30 of us!

After waiting in the outer islands for a weather window, we set sail for Savusavu in Fiji, which is approximately 400nm. This was THE best passage we've ever made. Consistent winds of 15-20 knots, calm seas and a lot of bites on the lures kept us happy.

 Our very first yellowfin tuna. This fish has been elusive to us until now and we caught two in one day.

 Poisson cru and sashimi were on the menu for dinner.

Not wanting to disrupt our winning streak, we put out a few more hand lines and were rewarded with this huge sucker. This is the biggest bull mahi mahi we've ever caught and our freezer is now full.

We were sailing in close proximity with friends of ours on Bella Via, who were able to take some great shots of us while underway with our spinnaker flying.

We arrived safely in Fiji after a great 3 day/night sail and are looking forward to the next chapter in our journey. Bula!