ende

2022
23
Jul

Photos of Vanua Balavu

2022
23
Jul

Guests in Lomati

Cruising in Fiji you can’t just anchor somewhere and do your own thing, you’re supposed to visit the main village of the island, introduce yourself to the chief, bring a present (sevusevu, a bundle of kava) and then you’re accepted in the village and allowed to roam around ashore and in the coastal waters. In guide books and on the internet we read how-to’s and… Continue reading »

2022
20
Jul

Sailing day

5 a.m., it’s still pitch dark and we’re heading out of the pass of Matuku. It’s blowing hard from the SE (like always here it seems), so it should be a fast ride downwind. 190 nm to Musket Cove!

2022
19
Jul

Who’s rich and who’s poor?

Unlike French Polynesia, where the rich colonial mother country France finances a very advanced level of infrastructure, Fiji is independent and has to fend for itself. Outer islands like Matuku (where we’ve spent one and a half weeks now) have no airport and the supply ship only calls once a month. The shop here is very basic and has run out of sugar weeks ago…Sat… Continue reading »

2022
09
Jul

Fish!

We had indeed a fast ride averaging 6 knots in winds from the ESE between 18 and 23 knots. The islands here in the Lau group are so close together that you sometimes have two or even three in sight at the same time–quite a change after the big distances in French Polynesia. The waters are also much more lively than we’ve seen in other… Continue reading »

2022
07
Jul

Vanua Balavu to Matuku

We have spent two windy weeks in the shelter of the the island maze of Vanua Balavu. Today we head out again, destination Matuku, a little island in the southwestern Lau. 130 nm with winds of 20+ on the beam will be a rough, but fast ride.

2022
02
Jul

Fruitbats

There are huge colonies of fruitbats (also known as flying foxes) here in Vanua Balavu. They spend their days (literally) hanging out in trees, at dawn and dusk we see hundreds of them flying over the boat. So cute!