The next several days will be spent sailing east from Savusavu, stopping at Rainbow Reef and bays where we are the only boat, a big advantage of getting to Fiji early in the season.
We provisioned at the local market. I stopped to buy more papaya from a lovely Fijian woman, Olivia, that I met the day before. I had bought plantains from her and described the way I cook them with cinnamon and sugar. Yes, the same for her. "See those banan over there? Try one. Now, go back and take the bunch. Now take this po po and three limes. No, I don't want any money. Cook them up and share with your friends". Aah, Fiji. I have enough plantains and papaya for the whole week.
On Friday, we sailed to Fawn Harbor, a lovely protected harbor with some sort of plantation at one end, and surrounded by mangrove. I motored the boat through the cut in the reef to our anchorage spot.
Somewhere in the mess ahead is an opening. How would you do this without a chartplotter?
The air even on the water is so heavily scented with sweet flowers as to be distracting. Once we were settled in, I rowed the dinghy to the quickly disappearing shoal and mangrove island. The little island was ringed by coral reef, just about popping out of the water. A small fishing boat motored by and I waved them over to see if I could buy some fish. "Bula, Bula! My name is David." Lots of hand shaking, big Fijian smiles. "My name is Carol, can I buy some fish?" David holds up a beautiful jack fish and hands it to me. He won't take anything for it. I brought the fish back to the boat, fileted it and we had enough fish for two meals. Vinaka, David.
The little island surrounded by mangroves. I think this is a rain tree.
Local fishermen at Fawn Bay.