A Nordic Breeze

We had a
very nice time in the small town Savusavu. It´s great coming back to a place
you´ve been to before and catch up with people again, it feels like coming
home. After a couple of weeks with small town life, hikes up the green, visits
to the market and dinners with friends, we left. We headed further west, to some
new anchorages and island before going “back home” to Vuda. We were looking
forward to the dry islands and blue water life. We were heading to the Yasawas.
First stop
was Yadua and a visit to the village for sevusevu. In the village they had
three houses of traditional style, the best for this climate said the Turaga
who took us to the chief with the kava and then on a walk around. Almost
everyone in Yadua has moved to the more modern houses a bit further from the
ocean, the houses that the government helped them build after the cyclone Evan
a few years ago.

The teacher
with the youngest children started the school day by the beach, practicing
writing letters in the sand. It gives the cruising phrase “It is written in the
sand” another meaning.
At least
ten boats from the village went out diving for sea cucumbers. Almost every day they go out to dive for
them. No one here eats them, but they are a good income, sold further to China.
Whenever we
see the harvesting of sea cucumbers in the ocean we wonder how it will affect
the marine life. The sea cucumbers are not really our favourite objects in the
water, neither very beautiful nor interesting to look at, but when you start to
think about this form of life they are fascinating and also they are really necessary
for the ecosystem in the ocean.

They are a
type of animal despite the name, living worldwide, with more than 1700
different species. Some of them can get 10 years old in the wild, and they can
have the size of anything between half a centimetre up to three metres. They
communicate by sending hormone signals through the water to reproduce. The
deepest down one is found is at more than 10 000 metres depth. Some of
them have a defence with discharging snares to ensnare their enemies. Though they
are mostly left in peace from the other ones living in the ocean because of the
toxins they contain. The biggest predator for them is man.
Fishing for
sea cucumbers is a pretty easy and practical way of making ones living for the Fijians.
It is just to pick them, boil them and then let them dry for three, four days out
in the sun. No fridge, well no electricity at all, is needed. The fishing for
sea cucumbers have helped the villages with income for school, housing,
community development and other obligations for the villages and for the
church.

But everything
good has also got a downside, and with the fishing for sea cucumbers it is overfishing.
If the population of sea cucumbers gets too low, and they will be too far
apart, fertilization is unlikely. For some of the species the fertilization
success will fall to zero when the animals are spaced only 20 – 40 meters
apart. Some numbers say they are so overfished there are less than one of them
per hectare in the Lau Province. And since they are more and more difficult to
find, the Fijians need to dive deeper and deeper to find them, and risk their
lives. Two young men died when diving for them a couple of years ago.

What are
those cousins of the sea star and sand dollar good for then? The sea cucumbers
eat sand and mud and filter it, they recycle nutrients and break down organics
so that the microbes can fulfil the ecological cycle. They help the bacterial
abundance to increase, to decompose organic material more quickly and redistribute
it into the water. They recycle algae, tiny aquatic animals and waste material back
into the ocean ecosystem and help with life for the coral, the ocean and the whole
sea.

So, if
ever, you will find the beche-de-mer on the menu… think again. Where do they
come from, and how are they caught? They might be tasty when cooked right, but
they really don´t work as some believe as an aphrodisiac, nor are they the only
option for arthritis or tendon. Order
something else and be glad when you think of all the other marine lives and
creatures you help by that 😉

We went to
the other side of Yadua and dove in. The water was warm, no wet suit needed. The
small fishes were colourful, they were quick to turn when they thought we got a
little too close, but always swam back to their backyard when they noticed we
were not chasing them.

Wonderful
coral. Even though the coral represents less than 0,1 % of the worlds ocean
floor, it helps support 25 % of all marine species. It is always good to dive
in and see what is to be found there, and also tempting to look for something
that we haven’t seen before; any little fish or a new kind of coral is great.

Though it
was a very nosy white tip reef shark who thought that we looked a little too
close on his backyard by the reef. It did not at all want to leave us alone
when we intruded on its territory, or to go on its own swim somewhere else
because of us. On the contrary, it really showed us who was the master of this
reef. We picked another coral head with less bossy fishes.
We had been
told that the coral reefs had been affected by this last el nino and so we
could see. El Nino 2014 – 2016 is by far the longest in recorded history and is
announced as the third global bleaching event on the coral reefs. The corals
are unable to cope with todays prolonged peaks in ocean temperature, and since
they can’t adapt to the too high temperature they bleach and die. The bleaching
occurs when the corals expel the algae that live in their tissues. Without
algae the coral loses an important source of food and gets more vulnerable to
diseases. In a severe bleaching event, large swaths of reef-building corals
die. This makes the reefs erode, destroys the fish habitat and exposes
shorelines to destructive ocean waves.

A coral
should not be white (unless it is the special white one outside Taveuni), white
coral is a dead coral. We saw quite many of them… especially this type, the
stony acropora subulata

When we
left Yadua our next stop was Yasawa-I-Rara, the island furthest north in the
Yasawa group. Beautiful!

We were so
lucky we went to the village Votua with the sevusevu. Votua used to be the main
village until it was a cyclone that hit it badly. The new main village was then
rebuilt further north on the long beach. But here in Votua we met Ima, Lucy,
Moses and Moses, they were really great young people to visit. They invited us
for a walk around their land and a good lunch. They are in the dive clan and
had many different small fish cooked. Chico got spoiled, he did not want any
dog food at all after the lunch.

The
sevusevu is a very good fijian tradition. When you come to a village you shall
bring a bundle of kava, or yagqona, the dried root of a pepper plant. You buy
it the market and can keep it on your boat for a long time, just keep it dry. Just
think about that you probably would bring a bottle of wine or some flowers when
you are invited to a friend for dinner. But here you come, quite often
unexpected and uninvited, and want to anchor in their water, enjoy their beach
and maybe walk their land. A sevusevu is the only thing you need.

When you
arrive at the village (properly dressed) someone will greet you at the beach and
take you to the turaga-ni-koro, or the chief. The turaga will ask you to sit
down on the woven mat and take your kava, he will put his hands on it and start
to speak in Fijian about who you are, that you are welcomed and now a part of
the village. You should sit cross-legged and face the turaga, women often
behind the men. Some other from the village will also sit on the mat and they will
clap their hands when the turaga has had his speech. You don´t do anything but
wait until the quick and easy ceremony is over, then it´s conversation and you
will probably start to answer their questions about who you are, where you come
from and what you think about Fiji. After that they will ask you if you want to
have a walk around their village and land, and someone will take you and show
you. The kava is most often not grinded the same time, they might ask you if
you want to come in some other time, a weekend evening maybe, for a
kava-session.

We love the
sevusevu. It is a very good way to be a welcomed unexpected guest, and a part
of their culture and life. Let´s hope this good tradition will last.

We wish we
could help more… Our young hosts had a very small size solar panel that
worked, but an inverter that had gone bad and batteries that were dead. What
they needed it to work for is only for lights at night and charging their
phones.

One of the
Moses brought two of his horses so that Ella could have a ride on the beach.
She loved it.

Moses took
the young stallion and Ella got the mare Tolu. Her name means three. She was
foal number three of her mum, and Moses third horse.

The day
after, a Sunday, so a not-to-do-anything-but-church-and-relax-day for the
Fijians, we got a good hike up on the ridge of Yasawa-I-Rara with the crew of Spirit.
It was hot.

And we also got
a beautiful view over the bay.

Heading
further south to the Blue Lagoon, Ella and Chico under the spray-and-sun-hood.
We had
heard and read about the limestone caves where you can go snorkelling. Of
course we wanted to try them since the Fiji-book ranks it as one the things to
absolutely do here. We hired a ride by a local man and his boat. The typical
Fijian boat sure cuts the waves like an arrow.

Like a
cathedral…

We had met
Mose and his wife Ranadi (means queen, she happily told us) on the beach when
we went for q walk with Chico. They were then fishing by the beach and told us where
we could go for a good walk, and that if we would meet someone we should always
say it was Mose who told us to go there. The day after he came by with pawpaw
for us. This is one of the very highlights of this country; the people.
Wherever we go and whoever we meet they are always so genuinely friendly and
helpful and so happy. It does give a perspective of what to look for, of what´s
important, and it gives a hint of what it is that makes you happy. It is a
different perspective and way of living than the one we have back home.

Next stop
was Manta Ray Resort, or Drawaqa Island as it is called in Fijian. We had heard
that the mantas had gotten back for the season so of course we wanted to swim
with them again. First try, no mantas but plenty of fish.

And a very
BIG Bumphead Parrotfish. The very biggest one we´ve ever seen. Must be as big,
130 cm, as they can get, almost as long as Ella is tall. Hmm, did we write
anything about how great it is to find any little new fish on the coral…? This
is greater.

The day
after, at outgoing current, the mantas were there. Wow, they are majestic, they
hardly move their fins at all but just swim at good dinghy-speed through the
current to filter the day’s breakfast. They really don’t seem to bother at all
about us snorkelers. And we could never keep up their speed, just wait for them
to come back or catch up with them with the help of the dinghy. They got so
close sometimes that we could touch their backs, felt like sandpaper.

Bula!
Vinaka! A couple paddling home at the very calm bay at Malolo lailai. They use
the SUP-board for the boxes with supplies for the week to come. The paddle
boards are great!We took the
dinghy to a small island somewhat prepared to get stranded on. Not the one for
Castaway or Survivor or Robinson Crusoe or the Blue Lagoon, but in the same
island chain, the Yasawas, as all four of them were, or as Survivior now are, recorded.
The well-worn rocks by the beach looks like fossilized dinosaur skin, but no, it´s just the old volcanic rocks.

Oh, look what we found stranded on the beach. Made us long for Daim chocolate…

And the no-treasures stranded on the beach. On this side of Fiji it is much more floating around than it is on the east side, mostly plastic. Which five are the ones to take away? Only one of the stranded floaties is more or less meant to be here. Can you see it? Right, the jelly-fish belongs here, though it is the end of its life.

Highlight for Chico at Musket was catching up with friend Koli.

We took them to the long
beach on the other side of the island, the side where it is more ok to bring a
dog. Really good for them. They were happy, getting playtime and long walk.Breeze at
sunset by Musket. Us at the bar, meeting other sailors and catching up what has
happened since we met the last time.

Then back
to Vuda. Some work and preparations are waiting. Getting ready for new waters. Felt really good. 🙂

In the very earliest morning, even before sunrise, we left Robinson Crusoe Island on the southwest side of Viti Levu. The weather forecast had promised calm weather with no wind, and we looked forward to run the engine the whole trip. Calm sea makes the trip so much more comfortable.
About thirty hours later we reached our target, Fulaga. Felt good.
Inside the lagoon, rocket mushrooms covered with palms and other greens. How can it grow on just the rock?
We went to the “wrong” village, Naividamu the smallest one, with sevusevu when we arrived. But it turned out really good, almost everyone from the island was there on a meeting. We were invited for food and kava.
The non-working day, Saturday, we got guided by Sai across the ridge of the island to the outside. Though there is almost no soil at all, just rocks, it is amazingly green and lush. We would not have found the trail without him. On the way over we met some men lumbering with their heavy working Huskvarna-machine. They were really impressed that we were citizens of the country that makes these good machines 😉
Beautiful green and blue view from the ridge. Breeze anchored, she looks small.
The hike to the other side done, now a break with biscuits and water. Looking for the shade. Dogs have almost perfect camouflage colour. There are three of them somewhere…
Lovely beach.
“Look Chico! Such a tiny little crab!” “Hmmm”, said Chico, “I would like to try it, may I?”
Per challenged by Sai to carry the coconuts back to the village. The coconuts were heavy, and the trail up steep, Per had the days workout with the eight coconuts. On top of the ridge we took a break and Sai told us that the stones on side of the trail are a memories of the woman that one day carried one hundred coconuts from the plantation, heading back to her house. She was really strong and wanted no help from anyone. But on the ridge she fell down, she died. The people in the village carried up the stones as a memory of the lady.
Sai and his wife Rosaline had invited us for lunch after the church service. They had cooked fish, chicken and kasava in the lovo.
Rosaline is setting the table in their pretty house. The day before she had picked a really good big-size crab. She told us she always picks on her secret spot. Any time she takes one, there is another one in there the day after. It was really delicious.
We re-anchored and went to the main village, Muanaicake. This is where the school is on the island. This year there are 55 children between five and 14 divided in four classes and pre-school. The children from the furthest away village Naividamu stay at school from Monday to Friday with one parent from their village staying with them and doing the cooking for them.
We passed on the suncaps given from another boat; China Grove, to the schoolchildren and for the teachers.
Last lesson on Fridays is sports, everyone re-dressed from school uniform and full speed outside.
Almost all of the older pupils played rugby, boys and girls together. We brought a couple of new rugby balls from our friend-boat. The school was really happy for them. Rugby is the sport in Fiji.
Heading back to Breeze, the trolley was empty going back so Ella hitched a ride.
Our hosts in the Muanaicake; Sikeli, house builder and Sera, nurse of the island. We were invited to them for lunch, good lunch.

“The seeds
will be divided for the four families in the village” said Sera when we brought
the different seeds from Sea Mercy for plantations.

“Four
families?” we wondered quietly. “Are there really only four families in this
pretty big village?”

The four
families, or clans that might explain it a bit better, are much more than
nuclear families. Everyone in every village belongs to one clan, being born in
to who you are when it comes to clan. If someone stays out of the village for
years, might be because of studies or work somewhere else, that person is still
in the same clan, has the same role, when it comes to who you are in your
village. Clans are in all villages in Fiji. In the island Fulaga there are
three villages and four clans; two turaga clans (the headman and the
spokesperson), the vadravadra (the fishermen) and the vaka (the caretakers or
warriors).

This is how
Sikeli explained it to us:

It is only
when it comes to some decisions or responsibilities the clan makes a
difference. The fishermen might decide, with the turaga ni-koro (spokesman), if
it would be any restrictions regarding fishing, but the fishing for family
needs is done by the man in the family, no matter clan. And if there are some
commercial fishing for the village (when we were in Fulaga they were picking
sea cucumbers that would be prepared and sold to China) everyone is asked to
join the mission.

To become a
spokesman of the village you must be born in the turaga clan. Though it is not
necessarily the oldest one who takes over, it is just the clans best man for
the job. And who is best is decided by all men of the village.

Being a
member of one of the clans does not restrain from doing all duties for the
family or in the village. The fishermen have their own plantations and they
would help to protect the village if it would be attacked. But when a fisher
catches a big fish, about arm´s length, he needs to give the fish to the headman
who will then share it with his family. Smaller fish, half arm´s-length, is for
the fisherman’s own need or wishes.

The
warriors take care of the village, make sure everything is run smoothly and
everyone is happy. They are also the men who blow the shell when the
spokesperson or headman dies. They take turn and blow the shell day and night, from
death till funeral, a way of restraining the widow from crying, and they might
need to keep on blowing the shell for days and days. The warriors are also the
ones deciding and planning the cooking when a new turaga ni-koro will take
over, though the women are the ones doing all. When a new turaga ni-koro is
crowned there is another clan, the vaka, who will blow the big shell as
announcement. That clan only lives in the village Naividomu.

When a
woman marries she will presumably change clan. A marriage does not at all need
to be with someone from the same clan-background but when a woman gets married
she moves with her husband and is taken up in his clan. That clan is the one
they, and their children, belong to. If the husband would pass away the woman
might move back to her old village or island and then she would move back to
the clan she was born in to. Their children would also be part of her clan
background in her village.

When
someone moves in to a village, without any family connections, that person and
his family is taken in to one of the clans, decided by the villagers at a
meeting. And as long as that person stays, he and his family, belongs to the
same clan. The teachers in the village all come from other islands or towns and
are divided up between the clans.

And for us,
just visitors for a short time, we were part of the vaka, the
warriors/caretakers, since we were adopted by Sikeli and Sera. But everyone we
met took just as good care of us and shared their time, no matter the clan.
Ladies from Muanaicake well-dressed for one of the three days a year when they walk around for a village-, garden- and house-check competion. Everyone in the three villages are so well prepared with the cleaning both inside and outside, both their own houses and the village. We saw almost everyone the last week being busy with preparations.
“Lets go and see how it looks in the village by the ocean.”
“And how does it look in this house? Good, very tidy and nice.”

Men do not join the competion, in Muanaicaki they were busy with wood carvings and Marley.

And in the next village, Monera, they played cricket since it was a Thursday.
Getting to the last village, Naividamu, by boat. Everyone in the same boat.
The villages take turn beeing the last one, and the ladies in the last one are the ones preparing all the food for the late lunch early dinner.
But only the guest ladies sit down and enjoy the good food, the host village prepare and take care of everything.
Then a competition in dresses, different dresses every year. Some of the participants really gave us a god show and laughter.
And the men of Naividamu were happy to sit down and drink kava.
When the competion was done and the prizewinners had gotten their prizes for dress, garden, village and woven carpet it was a meeting about contribution to another island that belongs to Fulaga. And a big discussion about the next day in November.
Day is over, time to go home
Soft sand! One of the beaches on one of the small islands on the western side. Almost everyone in the village told us we must go there.
Alifereti paddled by Breeze and gave us a really good sized crab, the second one he gave us. Nothing tastes better, beats any lobster.
Wakeboarding by the Sandspit.
Heja Ella!
Not ready yet, the next time the ferry comes in these sea cucumbers will be ready and sent to Suva for further delivery to China. “Have you tried them?” we asked. “No! I would never eat those, everyone answered”. But they are really good to sell to China. The price is between 20 and 100 FJD per kilo, depends on what kind of seacucumber it is.
A way to wait for the delivery ship to come in. Fishing. The ship with supplies comes once a month, but when is always a question. Some people carried down their goods early morning and sat waiting for a whole day but with no ship coming in. Some of the ladies went picking shells and mussels instead.
And finally, same time as we left, the ship came in. Everyone in Fulaga had waited, for the ferry with supplies, they were all prepared to pick things up and re-load with deliveries for the main island. Some of them would also go on board to get to Suva, catching up with family, doing business, church matters or maybe medical questions. Them, who left, would all try to get the next ferry back, next month.

The first of April we were back on Breeze after a little more than thirty hours of flying and waiting at airports. Travelling by air is different than by boat. When being used to travel by boat, and the time it takes to get somewhere and always checking the weather and waiting for the good window before departing it is really another thing flying. You more or less just sit down, watch movies, eat food, try to sleep, and no matter of the weather; you are still travelling, getting closer to your destination. Some hours up in the air is nothing compared to weeks, months, or years by boat. So, the thirty hours of travelling by plane took us twice as long as the three years with Breeze in the Pacific.

Anyway, we landed at seven o´clock in the morning and were greeted with hot and humid air as soon as we stepped out of the plane. It felt wonderful! And we were just as happy as we are when arriving from a passage by boat.

Första april kom vi tillbaka till Breeze efter trettio timmar av väntan på flygplatser och uppe i luften. Att resa med flyg är så annorlunda mot att resa med båt. Seglingen är tid, tiden för avresa som måste anpassas efter väder, tiden det tar att komma fram, avstånden blir så mycket längre med båt, och vad du fyller tiden med under resans gång. I luften sitter du bara still. Du ser på film, äter mat, försöker sova. Och oavsett väder så kommer du fram när din resplan säger att du ska vara framme. Några timmar uppe i luften är ingenting jämfört med veckor, månader eller år till sjöss. Så trettionånting timmar tog oss dubbelt så långt som de tre år vi seglat Breeze i Stilla havet.

Hursomhelt, vi landade klockan sju på morgonen och möttes av het luftfuktighet så fort som vi klev ur planet. Det kändes underbart! Och vi var lika lyckliga som när vi kommer fram efter en passage.

We had our friend, doctor Jan, joining us for a
month. We all wanted to get Breeze ready as soon as possible to go out with
help for them in need after Winston that hit Fiji February this year. We knew there
were people, villages, settlements and islands in need for almost any help. Winston
is the strongest tropical cyclone ever hitting Fiji and the South Pacific Basin
in recorded history. Via the SeaMercy, a benevolent program for disaster and
critical care needs for remote islanders, we would get things and food to bring.
One thing that we wanted to focus on was health care since we had Dr Jan with
us and we actually could even bring a blood pressure monitor. But first, we had
to wait Zena out, the next tropical cyclone hitting Fiji.

Med oss till Fiji flög vår vän JanÅke som är läkare och mycket
lämpligt hade en månad ledig. Vi ville alla få Breeze färdig så fort som
möjligt för att kunna ta oss ut till öar, byar, bosättningar med hjälp till dem
som hårdast drabbades av Winston. Winston är den starkaste cyklon som någonsin
träffat Fiji och den kraftigaste någonsin på södra halvklotet. Via SeaMercy, en
ideell organisation, skulle vi kunna ta med oss saker och mat. Vi ville gärna
fokusera på medicin och hälsa eftersom vi hade JanÅke med oss och kunde t o m
få med en blodtrycksmätare. Men först måste vi vänta ut Zena, en till tropisk
cyklon som siktade på Fiji.

Zena strengthened to a cat 3 cyclone. We had done all the preparations, tied up as much as we could, felt as ready as we possibly could get and just waited. Good thing for us was that Zena didn´t bring much wind to where we were, but rain, lots of rain.
Zena was a storm full of warm water. She sure added some more to the working list, and showed us if we have any leaks. But as long as she visited we stayed indoors and waited. Everyone was busy with more or less important things to do.

When the weather was good to leave with supplies we took a two-day
trip to Navuniivi, a village on the north-eastern corner of Viti Levu. The first nights anchorage gave us a beautiful sunset at Nananu-i-Cake, tomorrow Navuniivi.

När vädret blev bra nog att lämna tog vi en tvådagarstur över till
Navuniivi, en by på nordöstra hörnet av Viti Levu. Det var hit vi ville gå med varor och hjälp till dem som inte har någon väg till sin by. Den första natten ankrade vi i Nananu-i-Cake och fick en underbar solnedgång. Dagen efter: Navuniivi.
We were in Navuniivi last year, and in January this
year, and every time we have been so taken of this village and the people
living here. It is the absolutely prettiest village, well organised, well taken care
of with plans for generations to come. This time it looked like we had gotten
somewhere else. All the trees were gone, even the palms had fallen in three different directions.

Vi har varit I Navuniivi förut, ett par gånger förra året och i januari i år, det är vår absoluta favoritby och varje gång blir vi lika imponerade över dem som bor här. Det här är en by där dagens generation försöker bygga upp både ett bra liv nu och en ekologiskt hållbar plats för kommande generationer. Den här gången när vi kom fram såg det ut som att vi kommit någon annanstans. Alla träd var borta, t o m palmerna hade fallit i tre olika riktningar
When we here in January they worked on the roof of the church, renailed it and painted it. Winston took half of it, everything inside is packed up where there still is roof. This is now, compared to January below.
In the village Navuniivi we brought all the things we had gotten via SeaMercy. We had food, sanitary articles, buckets, school material and reading glasses. The ladies were the ones helping us carrying everything up from the beach.
When we had everyting up by the turaga Joes house all the women and children were called on to come and ask the doctor questions about health and wounds. Trying out reading glasses.
“Yes! Now I can read again! And see what I´m cooking, or sewing.” Happy ladies.
The ladies, all dressed up, in line for checking blood pressure and maybe asking Jan a medical question or two.
Lai checking blood pressure. “Yes, you´re all good.” And she was also really fit, she was the strongest woman helping us carry all the big bags with supplies. Her family now lives in the pre-school house in the village, theirs were taken by Winston.One of the few houses still standing, repaired after Winston. The pre-school in the village is closed after Winston, so the young ones still have time off from school. They greeted us, and would happily have followed us when we walked to the settlement, had it not been for one of their moms telling them “no, too far”.We walked over to Joe and his wife in the settlement Namonamo. When Winston came only Joes father was here. He opened all doors and windows in the house to let the wind run through. Maybe that is why there house is the only one still standing in the settlement, all the other houses and sheds are gone. Joes father also desperately tried to run and hide from the wind, he tried under the house, in the little bathroom strongly built and finally ended up trying to hide from the wind on the leeward side of the big watertank. But the wind kept on changing direction so he spent hours moving moving. Joe said his father, an ex-military with services almost everywhere, never had been so afraid in his life. After Winston they had to walk far in the valley to search for things blown away from their house. Now we wish them the very best so they can start building everything up again. And since they are so good and really hard-working they will hopefully succeed with their plans.
Nothing, but a chair and clothes line, left of this house.One of the empty houses, the dog still belongs here and watches over it.
Look at the size of this huge uprooted tree. Can you see me?

Some days later it was another Tropical
Depression giving us more rain, and wind. The last night in Viti Levu Bay we
had 40 knots of wind, we dragged and had to re-anchor in blackest night with
rain pouring down. The day after we took off, started sailing back to the west side of
Viti Levu. The second day back was all clear and the ocean the very most
pacific, both the sea and the sky was all blue.
The day after we got a truly pacific ocean on the way to Malolo…
… that finished with perfect wind by the sunset.Since we were at Musket we wanted to be a bit more like tourists and we took the dinghy out to Cloud 9, the very most touristic barge with young bon vivants. We got truly wet both getting there and getting back, but only by the sea water.

Snorkelling, yes, sometimes you mustn´t expect too
much but take your time and look close. Even the little things are great. But we did also notice more bleaching on the reefs after the hot summer. Hopefully they can recover when the water temperature gets cooler in the winter.

Snorkling, ibland får du inte förvänta dig för mycket utan
ta tid och titta nära. Även de små sakerna är vackra. Men vi märkte också en hel del blekning på reven. Förhoppningsvis kan de åtminstone till en del återhämta sig när vattentemperaturen snart sjunker under vintern.
When Jan had left us the weather changed, and the next tropical depression went further northeast. We sailed down to Robinson Crusoe Island with Outsider. Another wet ride.

När JanÅke lämnat oss så ändrades vädret, nästa tropiska depression höll sig nordost om Fiji. Vi fick fint väder och seglade ner till Robinson Crusoe Island tillsammans med Outsider. Men vi fick en blöt färd.

Outsider outside the reef on their way to Robinson Crusoe.

Robinson
Crusoe Island is a very good spot to go to for a sailor. It is a good anchorage
with some breeze and long beaches to walk at low tide. There is a small resort
with bar and restaurant, nice crew and atmosphere. We enjoyed both the food and
the dance and fire show.

Robinson Crusoe är ett riktigt bra ställe för seglare. Det
är bra ankring med uppfriskande bris och långa stränder att utforska vid
lågvatten. Det finns en liten resort med bar och restaurang, trevlig personal
och skön atmosfär. Vi fick en bra lördag med både god mat och dansshow.Playing with fire.

Before we went back to the main island we went
to Mana, another lovely anchorage. Had it not been because they are filming a
reality-show, Survivor, and most of the island was completely closed, we would
probably have stayed a little longer… Or not, we had to go in to Denarau to
re-stock food and supplies for our next trip, and start some of the work that
needs to be done thanks to Winston.

Innan vi åkte tillbaka till huvudön tog vi också en tur till
Mana, ännu en vacker ankringsplats och en härlig liten ö. Om det inte hade varit
så att de håller på med inspelning av Survivor, en reality-show typ Robinson,
hade vi nog stannat längre… Eller inte, vi var nog nästan tvungna att gå in
till Denarau för att förbereda de jobb som måste göras tack vare Winston, och
även planera inför nästa tur ut med hjälp till dem som drabbades hårdare.

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The two days of sailing from Minerva Reefs to
Fiji were two days with strong wind, 25 – 40 knots, and rough sea. It was a
fast passage, it took us less than two days, and we had to reef as much as
possible to not arrive in the night, but it was not the most comfortable one.
It felt really good to arrive in the grey capital of Fiji.

De två dagarnas segling från Minerva till Fiji blev två
dagar med hård vind, 25 – 45 knop, och stora vågor. Det blev en snabb passage,
knappt två dagar, trots att vi revade så mycket som möjligt, men det var inte
den mest bekväma. Det kändes skönt att komma fram till Fijis grå huvudstad.

Fiji is a country of 322 islands, and more than
500 smaller islets, that range from large volcanic ones with high mountains and
lush forests to sandy dry ones with limestone cliffs. Some say that you can get
the same variety in landforms and seascapes in a couple of days travelling
around Fiji that would take you months in the whole continent of Africa. So
whatever you are looking for, if not snow and ice, you will probably find it
here in the middle of the Pacific.

Fiji är ett land som består av 322 öar och mer än 500
holmar. Här kan du stiga iland och utforska höga gröna berg med frodiga gröna
skogar eller sandiga torra öar med kalkstensklippor. En del säger att du kan få
samma variation på landskap om du reser runt ett par dagar i Fiji som skulle ta
dig månader om du reste runt hela kontinenten Afrika. Så vad du än söker, så
länge det inte är snö och is, kan du säkert hitta det här i mitten av Stilla
Havet.

The capital Suva was our first stop in Fiji. The
British decided, 1877, to build up a new town on the largest island in Fiji and
make it the capital of Fiji instead of keeping the old one on the small island
Ovalau. Who else but the British would choose the rainiest side of the island
and start building the capital where only a few settlements were? Nowadays
however, it´s the largest city in the Pacific with a third of the population in
Fiji.

Huvudstaden Suva blev vårt första stop i Fiji. Britterna
bestämde 1877 att bygga en ny stad på den största ön i landet och göra den till
den nya huvudstaden istället för att behålla den gamla på den lilla ön Ovalau.
Vilka andra än britterna skulle välja den regnigaste sidan av ön och börja
bygga upp en huvudstad där det bara fanns ett par bosättningar? Nu,
hursomhelst, är Suva den största staden i Stilla Havet och har en tredjedel av
Fijis befolkning.

The reason for us to check in at Suva was
Chico. Chico, our dog who has travelled halfway round the world, who is filled
up with vaccinations and treatments and who also got a couple of exceptions
from Biosecurity regarding sailing to Fiji, was brought to the only place for
quarantine. He spent a week at the quarantine as the only dog, which meant he
spent his days at their office or in the big garden. Only sleeping time
in the cage. He got spoiled. And we had a great time in
Suva, stocking up with fruit and veggies and getting spoiled taking the taxi
every day.

Anledningen till att vi checkade in i Suva var Chico. Chico,
vår hund, som har rest halvvägs runt jorden, som är fylld med vaccinationer och
behandlingar och som fått ett par undantag från Biosecuritys regler om att
segla till Fiji, skulle sättas i karantän. Han fick en vecka i karantän som
enda hund, vilket gjorde att han spenderade dagarna på kontoret eller i den stora
trädgården. Buren användes bara för att sova i. Och vi hade en bra vecka i Suva,
vi handlade upp oss på frukt och grönt och blev bortskämda med att ta taxi varje
dag.

When Chico was released from quarantine and we had stocked up with everything we wanted or needed (found a great book shop by the Unversity of Fiji, the best book shop so far in the Pacific), we took off to the dry islands in the Yasawas and touristic Denarau. After some great time with friend boats we went to the marina Vuda Point. Vuda will be our base in the cyclone season but this time the reason was a new
gearbox. Does the boatwork never comes to an end?

När Chico blev frisläppt från karantän och vi hade handlat upp oss på allt vi önskade eller behövde (hittade den bästa bokhandeln vid universitet i Suva, den bästa hittills i hela Stilla Havet) så seglade vi västerut till de torra öarna i Yasawas och till turistiga Denarau
(kändes som en turistort i Medelhavet) Efter en del tid med gamla båtvänner blev vårt mål marinan Vuda Point. Den kommer att vara vår bas under cyklonsäsongen men den här gången var det för att byta till ny växellåda.
Tar båtjobb aldrig slut?

We travelled around the island by car when we were stranded on the hard, and got a
good look at the inland, the dry west side and the lush east side. The differences
in the eco-systems and the differences in cultures are clear; maybe the
comparison to experience the African continent in a couple of hours is correct.
When it comes to the wildlife though, you don’t see much, well the birds, the butterflies,
the frogs and the introduced mongoose are everywhere. The mongoose was
introduced to control rats at sugar fields. But they are agile predators which
choose their meals and that made them implicated in the extinction, or decline,
of several bird species, some endemic, in the islands. Since the 1950s control
of mongoose has been under investigation, but at least at Viti Levu we saw them
happily crossing the roads everywhere.

Vi körde runt Viti Levu med bil när vi ändå var strandade på land, och fick uppleva såväl berg
och floder, den torra västsidan och den frodiga östsidan. Skillnaderna i både
natur och kultur är tydliga, så kanske stämmer det där med att uppleva Afrikas
kontinent på ett par timmar. Men när det kommer till det vilda djurlivet fick
vi inte se mycket, jo det är fåglar, fjärilar och grodor överallt, och den
introducerade mungon överallt. Mungon togs hit för att fånga råttor på
sockerfälten, men de är snabba rovdjur som väljer sin egen mat och har därför
bidragit till att utrota, eller i vissa fall drastiskt minska, många
fågelarter, vissa endemiska för Fiji. Sedan 1950-talet har man försökt utrota
eller kraftigt minska antalet med mungos, men vi såg dem nästan överallt
lyckligt obekymrade springa över vägen.

The animal that Ella kept looking for was not
any of the wild ones but the horses. Horses are everywhere. They are a good way
of transportation in a country where a car is really expensive compared to the
salary. They carry men and they carry tools, they earn their own living. They
walk more or less free in between the jobs and the mares foal almost every
year. What else could be better?

Det djur som Ella höll utkik efter var inte något vilt, det
var hästar. Och hästar finns nästan överallt. De är ett bra transportmedel i
ett land där bilar är mycket dyra jämfört med löner. De fraktar och förflyttar
både män och deras verktyg. Mellan jobben går de mer eller mindre fria och
sköter sig själva, och stona fölar nästan varje år. Vad kunde vara bättre?

Fiji is a country with shops within walking distance almost anywhere. We drove a very remote dirt road between the sugarfields and found the smallest shopping centre. Perfect! What a great chance to get an ice cream or a cold drink. Per knocked and tried to call them, but no one heard him. The only other soul was their dog sleeping outside the entrance. We probably came the wrong time when they didn’t expect anyone to stop by, we had to drive on with nothing cold or
refreshing.

Fiji är ett land med små affärer inom gångavstånd nästan överallt. Vi körde den mest avlägsna grusvägen bland sockerfälten och hittade det allra minsta shoppingcentret. Perfekt! En glass eller något kallt att dricka skulle sitta fint. Per knackade och ropade, men inte en själ kom fram. Den enda, förutom vi, var deras sovande vakthund utanför dörren. Vi kom nog dit fel tid, mitt på dagen när det aldrig brukar komma förbi någon kund. Vi fick vi
köra vidare utan något kallt och uppfriskande.

In the old days, 500 BC to late 19th
century cannibalism was considered the ultimate revenge. Bodies of enemies were
either consumed on the battlefield or brought back to the village spirit house
where they were offered to the local war god before butchered, baked and eaten
on the gods’ behalf. We drove by the tomb of Fiji’s most notorious cannibal
outside Rakiraki, the northern part of Viti Levu. Udreudre, who lived in the
early 19th century, was probably one of the most notorious cannibals
ever. In his grave every stone represents a victim eaten by the chief, which
adds up to 872. Udreudre had an enormous appetite and consumed every piece of
his victims, he ate little else and didn’t share any parts of the bodies.

Från 500 f.Kr. till sena 1800-talet var kannibalism den
fulländade hämnden på en besegrad motståndare. Den besegrade blev antingen
uppäten på stridsfältet eller så togs kroppen hem till byn där den offrades
till den lokala krigsguden innan den styckades, kokades i jordugn och sedan åts
upp till gudarnas ära. Vi körde förbi graven där Fijis mest ökände kannibal
ligger begravd. Udreudre levde på första halvan av 1800-talet i norra Viti Levu
och hans grav ligger längs vägen i Rakiraki. Varje sten i Udreudres grav
representerar en av de kroppar han åt upp, det blir 872. Han hade en enorm
aptit och åt varje del av hans fienders kroppar, han åt nästan inget annat och
delade aldrig med sig.

When the job on Breeze finally was ready
and she was floating in the water again we set sail. We sailed along the north side
of Viti Levu and dropped our anchor at Viti Levu Bay since the weather forecast
said a cyclone was maybe building up. We took the dinghy to the little village
Navuniivi for the sevusevu and were welcomed and blessed. Navuniivi is a little
Methodist Fijian village with the friendliest calmest atmosphere and very well organised
and also the cleanest little village we´ve seen. We really liked it and were happy
that the weather gave us a reason to make an unplanned stop here.

När så arbetet på Breeze äntligen var klart och hon åter låg
i vattnet hissade vi segel igen. Vi seglade längs Viti Levs norra kust till öns
största bukt, Viti Levu Bay, väderprognosen sade att en cyklon kanske skulle
byggas upp och här ankrade vi säkert och skönt. Vi åkte in till byn Navuniivi
med vår sevusevu och fick vår välsignelse och vårt välkomnande. Navuniivi är
den allra finaste renaste lilla by vi sett med de allra vänligaste fijier. Vi gillade
verkligen vår tid här och var glada att vädret fått oss ankra här.

The people in the village told us about the road behind the village that led to their different fields and growings, and whenever there is a road or trail leading somewhere it is so tempting to see what
is on the other side of the hill or behind the curve, just to see where it
goes. So we decided to take a walk one of the days. And we walked to the other best side of the hill where we met Jakob.

Folket i byn berättade också om sina fältoch sina odlingar, och om vägen som leder till andra byar, och när det finns en väg eller stig är det så frestande att
se vart den leder och vad som finns på andra sidan berget eller bakom krönet. Så vi bestämde oss föratt ge oss ut på utflykt och kom till ännu en bästa sida av bergsåsen där vi träffade
Jakob.

Jakob invited us to his house where also his father, Joe Senior,
lives. Joe senior was in the army when he was young and had been doing his duty
in the Middle East and India. Now he was recovering from a stroke and went for
a walk every day, checking up the fields and how everyone was doing. In the
other houses in the settlement lived cousins, brothers, sisters and uncles. We
met Jakobs siblings Joe Junior and Samu and his sister Mary who just moved back
from Auckland. We were also invited for second breakfast by his uncle. We loved
the atmosphere and decided to come back the day after and go for a walk to the waterfall
with Jakob and his brother Samu.

Jakob bjöd in oss till sitt hus där hans far, Joe Senior,
också bor nu. Joe Senior var i arméen när han var ung, han hade haft sina
uppdrag i Mellanöstern och Indien, men aldrig under strid. Nu hade han flyttat
ihop med sin son och försökte återhämta sig efter en stroke, varje dag gick han
på promenad längs fälten och tittade till både odlingar och släktingar. I
bosättningen bor Jakobs farbröder och kusiner, bröder och systrar. Vi träffade
hans farbror som bjöd in oss på senfrukost, hans syster Mary som flyttat hem
från Nya Zeeland, hans bröder Joe Junior och Samu. Vi hade gärna stannat hela
dagen men bestämde att vi skulle koma tillbaka dagen efter för en tur upp till
vattenfallet med Jakob och hans bror Samu.

When we arrived the day after Samu and Joe were
ploughing, preparing for growing cassavas. They grow almost everything on their
land; aubergine, bananas, beans, cacao, chilli, corn, cucumber, herbs, lemons, potatoes,
tarot and tomatoes, well anything that grows would probably grow here; they also
have their fishponds with fresh water fish for everyone in the settlement but
mainly for selling to shops and restaurants.

När vi kom tillbaka dagen efter höll Samu och Joe på att
plöja, de skulle plantera kassava. Här odlar de nästan vad som helst, de odlar
aubergine, bananer, bönor, chili citroner, gurka, majs, potatis, tomater och
örter; nästan vad som helst kan växa här. De har också sin egen fiskodling med
färskvattenfisk, fisk för de som bor här men främst för att sälja på marknaden
och till affärer.

When the fish for dinner was taken up and the
plough was put aside we were all ready for the hike.

När dagens fisk var upplockad och plogen ställd åt sidan var
vi redo att ge oss av mot vattenfallet.

Joe and Samu Jr, four years old, showing the
way. Samu Jr sat on a horse before he was half a year old. And he really looked
like he was born in the saddle (no he couldn’t be, they don’t have any saddles,
they are all bareback riders who might have a jacket or a blanket to sit on). Samu´s
brown horse however listened to everything little Samu did with the rope instead
of snaffle and his very short legs.

Joe och Samu Jr, fyra år, visar oss vägen. Samu Jr satt på
hästrygg innan han ens blivit ett halvår. Och han såg verkligen ut som att han
var född i sadeln (men nej, det kunde han inte vara, här har de inga sadlar,
kanske en filt eller jacka bara att sitta på). Samus fuxfärgade häst lyssnade
och lydde sin lille ryttare hela tiden trots att han hade ett rep istället för
ett träns och så korta ben att de knappt räckte att skänkla med.

In the pond under the waterfall we could see
some fish and prawns, there are also eels living here. Jakob and Samu told us
that they sometimes walk up here in the evening, they wait for the moon and
then walk the little river back down to the settlement fishing the prawns. In the
morning they have their buckets full.

I dammen under vattenfallet kunde vi se en del fiskar och
små räkor, det finns också ål som bor här. Jakob och Samu berättade att de
ibland vandrar upp till vattenfallet på kvällen, väntar tills månen gått upp
och sedan vandrar ner i bäcken och fiskar räkor. På morgonen när de kommer
tillbaka till husen har de hinken full med färskvattenräkor.

In the pond under the waterfall we could see
some fish and prawns, there are also eels living here. Jakob and Samu told us
that they sometimes walk up here in the evening, they wait for the moon and
then walk the little river back down to the settlement fishing the prawns. In the
morning they have their buckets full.

I dammen under vattenfallet kunde vi se en del fiskar och
små räkor, det finns också ål som bor här. Jakob och Samu berättade att de
ibland vandrar upp till vattenfallet på kvällen, väntar tills månen gått upp
och sedan vandrar ner i bäcken och fiskar räkor. På morgonen när de kommer
tillbaka till husen har de hinken full med färskvattenräkor.

We took another trail back from the waterfall. Joe
picked us fresh cacao. It tastes quite good, like fresh toffee, the hard inside
of the seed is what is dried and prepared for cocoa.

Vi tog en liten annan väg tillbaka. Joe plockade färska
kakao till oss. Bönorna är goda att suga på, som en färsk karamell med hård
kärna, den hårda kärnan är vad som torkas och görs till kakao.

When the cacao fruit is yellow, it´s ready for
harvesting.

När kakaofrukten är gul är den klar att skördas.

It felt sad following the wind and leaving wonderful Navuniivi
in Viti Levu Bay. It is absolutely a place that we want to return to, hopefully
with our daughter Amanda, we wish that the weather will make it a place to go to when she arrives.

Det kändes nästan lite sorgset att segla ifrån guldkornet
Navuniivi i Viti Levu Bay, men vi kommer att segla tillbaka, förhoppningsvis
när vår dotter Amanda är med, så att hon också kan få ta del av vår absoluta favoritby på Viti Levu.