July 2, 2015 Waya to Naviti
Once again we are up at the crack. This getting up early business is getting on Alan’s nerves. Each time we anchor he says we are going to stay for a couple of days and each time he is talked into moving on with the others the next day. This time he swears when we get to Somosomo we are not moving for at least 2 days. Meanwhile, there is a strong northwest wind blowing. 20 to 25 knots with gusts to 30 and we are heading right into it. There is no thought of putting up sails. We will just motor all the way. Luckily the engine seems to be running fine although a little hot.
This is the first time we have really sailed with other boats and it was interesting to compare the three of us. Rhapsody is performing wonderfully, as she almost always does. Her narrow flared bow throws the water away so that even though we are in an open cockpit we seldom get wet, just occasional wind driven spray. The other two boats are diving into the waves, almost burying their bows. It would be fun to have a video of the three of us.
IT is 5 miles across the channel from Waya to Naviti. It should have taken less than an hour but it took almost 2. No one could make much headway going straight into 25 knot winds with big swells. We finally make it to the waypoint where we are to turn into the channel. The expectation is that once we get on the other side of this chain of small islands we will have some protection from the wind and the reef to our other side should break up the swells. But first we need to make our way through this very narrow pass. We cannot see it until we are right at it. It looks very narrow and shallow but here we go. Wind Cutter takes the lead while we wait for Jean Marie to get close behind us. Little by little we make our way along between high green cliffs through sparkling blue water. Radio chatter is about the reefs and shallow spots, It is gorgeous, except that there is no time to enjoy. I have to keep a sharp eye on the water looking for shallow spots. There is one last little very narrow and shallow bit and then we are through, one by one.
Now we have the island on our starboard side and the reef on our port side. We should be protected from the wind but it is not happening. It is an east wind but somehow it is wrapping around and coming through the passes and blowing almost as strong as before. We can see spray leaping twenty feet into the air on the reef. And there are still shallow spots on the chart to keep an eye out for. This is getting to be very hard work. Not the lovely sail we were expecting. Alan’s cut hand is hurting and Walter’s cracked ribs ache. We had intended to go to the top of Naviti and turn into Somosomo Bay, which is supposed to be a well protected anchorage, except that the wind is from the north. This means that the wind will be blowing straight into the bay. Not so much protection after all. Although we got an early start, it is taking us much longer than we expected and we don/t have time to make it all the way to Blue Lagoon today.
Then Wind Cutter spots what looks like a good anchorage, a wide bay with what looks like a resort on the shore. It looks good on the charts and sounds good in the cruising guide so we decide to call it a day and anchor. Hopefully if we get in close to the shore we will finally get some protection from the wind. The charts show shallow spots here and there but one by one we thread our way in and drop anchor in 30 feet of water. We are quite close to a reef along the shore but it is low tide now and we are in deep water so we should be OK. Carol and Craig take their kayaks and go ashore to investigate. We opt for a nap and an early dinner. Jacqui is making sure Walter gets some rest. That night, the next day and the next night the wind blows, and blows, and blows and blows. At one point gusts hit 40 knotsAnd Rhapsody jerks and tosses on the chain. Everyone is dug in fine and the anchors hold but it makes for restless nights. We never do go to shore. Craig reports back that There is a cute backpacker resort with a pool but no beer. They have run out and the ferry is not due for several days.
It looks like there will be a break in the wind tomorrow morning but after that it gets cloudy so we decide to go. One last push to Blue Lagoon. Everyone says it is wonderful there and protected from any kind of weather. Absolutely calm. I hope it lives up to its reputation.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
July 1, 2015 Waya south to Waya north
July 1, 2015 Yalobi Bay, Waya to Rurugu Bay, Waya
The decision was made to move from the south end of Waya to the top of the island. The weather reports predict strong winds and large swells and that looks like a more protected anchorage on the charts. So we are up and underway by 8:30 again. It is a beautiful day with almost no wind. Good thing, because our route takes us through and over numerous reefs. We take the lead with Alan at the helm and me on the bow as lookout. We are also keeping a close eye on the water gage after the fan belt disaster. It is running a little hot, but within an acceptable range. Jacqui and Walter follow in Jean Marie and WindCutter with Carol and Craig bring up the rear. Alan says he feels like an the Admiral leading the fleet. There is lots of radio chatter about depths, speed, wind , possible shallow spots, etc. We are getting used to working as a team. As usual, our Navionics program on the iPad works perfectly. At some point, while I am on the bow, a decision is made to alter course and go straight across a patch marked in green on the iPad. We have no idea how shallow it is going to be but at one point it is marked as 10 feet so I intensify my lookout. The water is a glorious deep blue, lightening to aqua, then green, then brown as it gets more and more shallow. Finally we are through and the depth drops back to 150 feet, just as the chart says it should. Jean Marie stays with us and come through OK too, but Wind Cutter decides to take an alternate route much closer to the shore. Before long however, we see them turn around and head back this way. What ever track they had been following was not going to work.
The trip was only 15 miles and we arrive at the anchorage by noon. Just as we turn into the bay there is a shout on the radio. Walter on Jean Marie has caught a fish and apparently it is a monster. He wrestles with it for about 15 minutes until he finally lands it. This is even more of a feat than normal because he apparently cracked some ribs this morning and is in great pain. But you can’t keep a real fisherman down when there is a fighting fish on the line. As we move into the bay to anchor both the wind and swell pick up, not too much but a little. We had originally talked about possibly going on if we did not like this anchorage but now that we are here we really don’t want to keep going so every one drops anchors.
We are anchored next to green cliff with little village at the head of the bay in crystal clear blue water. It is low tide and there is reef all along the shore that calls for exploring so we unfold the dingy, dig out a bundle of kava root and head in . There is a brief detour to pick up 4 enormous fish steaks from Jean Marie and leave them on the boat and again to invite Wind Cutter to join us. They provided the kava at the last village so we figure it is our turn this time. However, when we land and tie up the dingy they have disappeared so we make our way to the chief without them. There are apparently six sous-chief on this village. the one on duty today is Captain Ame and we learn that he used to be the captain of an ocean going tugboat. He once towed an oil tanker from Indonesia to Panama for repairs. Even he was not quite sure why they did not just fix it in Indonesia. We were given the usual tour of the village and left the obligatory donation for the school but his real interest was in charts, real charts with latitude and longitude and compass rose showing variations. He wanted to teach the young men of the village navigation so that they could pass their captains exam. We actually had some duplicate charts that we could give him so we invited him out to Rhapsody for a visit while I dug them out. He was quite taken with Rhapsody and pronounced her a very fine, well fitted boat. I found several charts that we were not using or could replace back in Lautoka. Then we showed him our iPad navigation charts. He was amazed and delighted. A whole new world since he had been captaining.
That night we had fish for dinner, far more than we could eat but wonderful. The left overs were mixed with mayo and spices and rolled in roti for lunch the next day
There was a fairly strong swell running and the boats were rocking and rolling, but Rhapsody has such an easy motion that it was like being in a hammock. Apparently those on the other boats had a harder time of it because we heard in the morning that they did not get any sleep. Maybe we are just more use to putting up with stuff and making the best of it Anyway, the decision was made once more to leave at dawn, even though I had promised myself that we would stay here several days.
The decision was made to move from the south end of Waya to the top of the island. The weather reports predict strong winds and large swells and that looks like a more protected anchorage on the charts. So we are up and underway by 8:30 again. It is a beautiful day with almost no wind. Good thing, because our route takes us through and over numerous reefs. We take the lead with Alan at the helm and me on the bow as lookout. We are also keeping a close eye on the water gage after the fan belt disaster. It is running a little hot, but within an acceptable range. Jacqui and Walter follow in Jean Marie and WindCutter with Carol and Craig bring up the rear. Alan says he feels like an the Admiral leading the fleet. There is lots of radio chatter about depths, speed, wind , possible shallow spots, etc. We are getting used to working as a team. As usual, our Navionics program on the iPad works perfectly. At some point, while I am on the bow, a decision is made to alter course and go straight across a patch marked in green on the iPad. We have no idea how shallow it is going to be but at one point it is marked as 10 feet so I intensify my lookout. The water is a glorious deep blue, lightening to aqua, then green, then brown as it gets more and more shallow. Finally we are through and the depth drops back to 150 feet, just as the chart says it should. Jean Marie stays with us and come through OK too, but Wind Cutter decides to take an alternate route much closer to the shore. Before long however, we see them turn around and head back this way. What ever track they had been following was not going to work.
The trip was only 15 miles and we arrive at the anchorage by noon. Just as we turn into the bay there is a shout on the radio. Walter on Jean Marie has caught a fish and apparently it is a monster. He wrestles with it for about 15 minutes until he finally lands it. This is even more of a feat than normal because he apparently cracked some ribs this morning and is in great pain. But you can’t keep a real fisherman down when there is a fighting fish on the line. As we move into the bay to anchor both the wind and swell pick up, not too much but a little. We had originally talked about possibly going on if we did not like this anchorage but now that we are here we really don’t want to keep going so every one drops anchors.
We are anchored next to green cliff with little village at the head of the bay in crystal clear blue water. It is low tide and there is reef all along the shore that calls for exploring so we unfold the dingy, dig out a bundle of kava root and head in . There is a brief detour to pick up 4 enormous fish steaks from Jean Marie and leave them on the boat and again to invite Wind Cutter to join us. They provided the kava at the last village so we figure it is our turn this time. However, when we land and tie up the dingy they have disappeared so we make our way to the chief without them. There are apparently six sous-chief on this village. the one on duty today is Captain Ame and we learn that he used to be the captain of an ocean going tugboat. He once towed an oil tanker from Indonesia to Panama for repairs. Even he was not quite sure why they did not just fix it in Indonesia. We were given the usual tour of the village and left the obligatory donation for the school but his real interest was in charts, real charts with latitude and longitude and compass rose showing variations. He wanted to teach the young men of the village navigation so that they could pass their captains exam. We actually had some duplicate charts that we could give him so we invited him out to Rhapsody for a visit while I dug them out. He was quite taken with Rhapsody and pronounced her a very fine, well fitted boat. I found several charts that we were not using or could replace back in Lautoka. Then we showed him our iPad navigation charts. He was amazed and delighted. A whole new world since he had been captaining.
That night we had fish for dinner, far more than we could eat but wonderful. The left overs were mixed with mayo and spices and rolled in roti for lunch the next day
There was a fairly strong swell running and the boats were rocking and rolling, but Rhapsody has such an easy motion that it was like being in a hammock. Apparently those on the other boats had a harder time of it because we heard in the morning that they did not get any sleep. Maybe we are just more use to putting up with stuff and making the best of it Anyway, the decision was made once more to leave at dawn, even though I had promised myself that we would stay here several days.
June 24, 2015 Navdra to Waya
June 24, 2015 Navadra to Waya
Up early and ready to take off. Radios on. Clear sky but brisk, cool wind blowing. Just as we are about to pull up our anchors we see a large cruise ship rounding the point, obviously intending to enter the bay and anchor right where we are. Quickly I get on the radio to find out his intentions. They are indeed planning to drop anchor for the day right where we are. They will gladly stand by for a bit while we get the heck out of their way. There bit turns out to be a bit shorter than the time it takes to get all 250 feet of chain hauled in and they are bearing down on us as we finally get underway.
Meanwhile the other two have gotten their anchors up more quickly and are already well out of the bay. We are just getting settled when Alan realizes that the engine is running hot. We take it out of gear, radio the others and Alan goes below to see what the problem is. When he opens the door to the engine room, smoke billows out. Uh Oh! Engine shut down, we drift along with only the little jib up while he tries to see what the problem is. Eventually he diagnoses a problem with the water cooling system, somewhere. It is too hot to do anything about it right now. We will have to sail to the next anchorage on Waya about 10 miles away and sort it out there.
It is a lovely sail but I am exhausted by the time we arrive. You will remember that all of our sail handling is done manually. Someone has to go up to the bow, remove the sail covers or bags, run the lines, attach the halyard and pull the sail up hand over hand. In this case, it is going to be me on the sails, since I would rather do that than steer through these reefs. We had just the little jib (staysail) up when the engine overheated. We had expected to just use it as a stabilized with the engine on. it does not give enough power by itself and is difficult to steer. with it So the first job is to put the mizzen up. This lets Alan actually steer the boat with some degree of confidence . Next the main jib needs to go up so we can get some more speed. The other two boats are well ahead of us. Getting the bag off, the lines run and the sail hoisted takes some doing in the tossing seas but finally it is done and I can sit down to relax. Before too long, however, Alan decides that the staysail needs to come down. Theoretically both sails together should give more power but it never seems to work that way, and we do not have a double set of winches so the lines for the little one are tied onto cleats. We are coming up to a turn and it needs to come down before we make that turn so back up to the bow I go, holding on tight. Got that down, lines coiled and all stuffed back into it’s bag and we sail smartly on into the anchorage at Waya. Time to drop the main jib. Much bigger, harder to handle but eventually it is also stowed.
We had planned to anchor off of the main village in Yalobi Bay, where we had stayed once before but the other two boats, who were well ahead of us, has scoped it out and decided that the anchorage on Wayasewa, a smaller adjoining island, was less rolly. Since we need to be with the other two until we get the engine problem sorted, we had no choice but to follow. As we move into the bay the wind drops and finally the mizzen comes down too. Walter comes out in his dingy from Jean Marie to give us a tow until we are close enough in to anchor. As Walter is towing us with his little inflatable, a boat comes out from the village to help. Between the two of them we are finally settled and the anchor dropped. Once again, we are looking at 50 feet of water. Once the anchor is down it is not coming up until the engine is fixed because of the amount of battery power that the windlass uses. Although it has been a short sail, we are both exhausted. Time for lunch and nap. We will deal with the engine tomorrow.
That afternoon Craig and Carol from Wind Cutter came by in their dingy on their way ashore to do sevusevu with the chief so we decided to tag along. School had just gotten out and there were dozen kids on the shore, along with teachers. When they verified that we had brought kava root, we were led to the house of the chief. The cave was handed off and he said a short prayer of blessing and welcomed us to the village. Once again, we were free to explore. Joe, the chief, was a delightful man of about 60 with 5 kids, 25 grandkids and 20+ greats. So pretty much the whole village was related to him somehow. I wanted to stay and visit with him but the others were eager to see the village and the school. So off we went, with a promise to come back tomorrow. Unfortunately the next day was spent working on the engine and we left at dawn the day after so I never got a chance to visit. Hopefully we can stay longer on the way back. When he met us he said that when he was a child he had never seen a white man. That would have been in the 1940s and 50s. TransPacific air plane flights did not start until the 1960s and Fiji was not high on the list of must visit destinations. I would love to hear his stories.
The school was large and lovely and, as always, in need of donations. They have a large sports field with a sign saying that they have one of the best Rugby teams in Fiji. There is also an active boy scout program. I was escorted for a while by a young man who was the head boy/proctor, an eagle scout and the grandson of the chief. Destined to be chief himself one day, I expect. He is looking forward to the Boy Scout Jamboree to be held this summer in Suva hosting scouts from all around the Pacific and Australia and New Zealand.
Next morning we tackled the engine. Luckily it turned out to be only (!) a broken fan belt and wonder of wonders, we not only had a spare, we had three. So it should be a quick and easy job. Except nothing is quick and easy on a boat. First you have find the right tools. Then you need a flash light because the bolt you need to turn is underneath. Of course all the bolts are stuck because the fan belt has not been replaced for 10? years so then you need the canon penetrating oil. Finally got the old one off but would the new one go back on? Of course not. Finally had to take the alternator off and then could not get that back on with the fan belt around it. Eventually, hours later, working together, we finally got it all put back and fired up the engine. It works! This was definitely a breakthrough day in working together.
That evening we had fish that Walter had caught and learned that he had cracked a rib and was in great pain. Jackie is keeping him well doped up but the wind is still blowing hard and the boats are all rocking and rolling, making it hard to sleep. After studying the weather and the charts we decide to leave here tomorrow and move to the top of the island where we think we will have more protection. The goal now is to get to Blue Lagoon, which everyone says is a completely protected, always calm anchorage.
Up early and ready to take off. Radios on. Clear sky but brisk, cool wind blowing. Just as we are about to pull up our anchors we see a large cruise ship rounding the point, obviously intending to enter the bay and anchor right where we are. Quickly I get on the radio to find out his intentions. They are indeed planning to drop anchor for the day right where we are. They will gladly stand by for a bit while we get the heck out of their way. There bit turns out to be a bit shorter than the time it takes to get all 250 feet of chain hauled in and they are bearing down on us as we finally get underway.
Meanwhile the other two have gotten their anchors up more quickly and are already well out of the bay. We are just getting settled when Alan realizes that the engine is running hot. We take it out of gear, radio the others and Alan goes below to see what the problem is. When he opens the door to the engine room, smoke billows out. Uh Oh! Engine shut down, we drift along with only the little jib up while he tries to see what the problem is. Eventually he diagnoses a problem with the water cooling system, somewhere. It is too hot to do anything about it right now. We will have to sail to the next anchorage on Waya about 10 miles away and sort it out there.
It is a lovely sail but I am exhausted by the time we arrive. You will remember that all of our sail handling is done manually. Someone has to go up to the bow, remove the sail covers or bags, run the lines, attach the halyard and pull the sail up hand over hand. In this case, it is going to be me on the sails, since I would rather do that than steer through these reefs. We had just the little jib (staysail) up when the engine overheated. We had expected to just use it as a stabilized with the engine on. it does not give enough power by itself and is difficult to steer. with it So the first job is to put the mizzen up. This lets Alan actually steer the boat with some degree of confidence . Next the main jib needs to go up so we can get some more speed. The other two boats are well ahead of us. Getting the bag off, the lines run and the sail hoisted takes some doing in the tossing seas but finally it is done and I can sit down to relax. Before too long, however, Alan decides that the staysail needs to come down. Theoretically both sails together should give more power but it never seems to work that way, and we do not have a double set of winches so the lines for the little one are tied onto cleats. We are coming up to a turn and it needs to come down before we make that turn so back up to the bow I go, holding on tight. Got that down, lines coiled and all stuffed back into it’s bag and we sail smartly on into the anchorage at Waya. Time to drop the main jib. Much bigger, harder to handle but eventually it is also stowed.
We had planned to anchor off of the main village in Yalobi Bay, where we had stayed once before but the other two boats, who were well ahead of us, has scoped it out and decided that the anchorage on Wayasewa, a smaller adjoining island, was less rolly. Since we need to be with the other two until we get the engine problem sorted, we had no choice but to follow. As we move into the bay the wind drops and finally the mizzen comes down too. Walter comes out in his dingy from Jean Marie to give us a tow until we are close enough in to anchor. As Walter is towing us with his little inflatable, a boat comes out from the village to help. Between the two of them we are finally settled and the anchor dropped. Once again, we are looking at 50 feet of water. Once the anchor is down it is not coming up until the engine is fixed because of the amount of battery power that the windlass uses. Although it has been a short sail, we are both exhausted. Time for lunch and nap. We will deal with the engine tomorrow.
That afternoon Craig and Carol from Wind Cutter came by in their dingy on their way ashore to do sevusevu with the chief so we decided to tag along. School had just gotten out and there were dozen kids on the shore, along with teachers. When they verified that we had brought kava root, we were led to the house of the chief. The cave was handed off and he said a short prayer of blessing and welcomed us to the village. Once again, we were free to explore. Joe, the chief, was a delightful man of about 60 with 5 kids, 25 grandkids and 20+ greats. So pretty much the whole village was related to him somehow. I wanted to stay and visit with him but the others were eager to see the village and the school. So off we went, with a promise to come back tomorrow. Unfortunately the next day was spent working on the engine and we left at dawn the day after so I never got a chance to visit. Hopefully we can stay longer on the way back. When he met us he said that when he was a child he had never seen a white man. That would have been in the 1940s and 50s. TransPacific air plane flights did not start until the 1960s and Fiji was not high on the list of must visit destinations. I would love to hear his stories.
The school was large and lovely and, as always, in need of donations. They have a large sports field with a sign saying that they have one of the best Rugby teams in Fiji. There is also an active boy scout program. I was escorted for a while by a young man who was the head boy/proctor, an eagle scout and the grandson of the chief. Destined to be chief himself one day, I expect. He is looking forward to the Boy Scout Jamboree to be held this summer in Suva hosting scouts from all around the Pacific and Australia and New Zealand.
Next morning we tackled the engine. Luckily it turned out to be only (!) a broken fan belt and wonder of wonders, we not only had a spare, we had three. So it should be a quick and easy job. Except nothing is quick and easy on a boat. First you have find the right tools. Then you need a flash light because the bolt you need to turn is underneath. Of course all the bolts are stuck because the fan belt has not been replaced for 10? years so then you need the canon penetrating oil. Finally got the old one off but would the new one go back on? Of course not. Finally had to take the alternator off and then could not get that back on with the fan belt around it. Eventually, hours later, working together, we finally got it all put back and fired up the engine. It works! This was definitely a breakthrough day in working together.
That evening we had fish that Walter had caught and learned that he had cracked a rib and was in great pain. Jackie is keeping him well doped up but the wind is still blowing hard and the boats are all rocking and rolling, making it hard to sleep. After studying the weather and the charts we decide to leave here tomorrow and move to the top of the island where we think we will have more protection. The goal now is to get to Blue Lagoon, which everyone says is a completely protected, always calm anchorage.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
June 24, 2015 Musket Cove to Navadra
June 24 2015 Musket Cove to Navadra
So, time to go. We get up early and run through the casting off checklist. it has been so long that we really need to check the list to be sure we have not forgotten anything. The weather is lovely, clear with a brisk wind. Since we have the iPad and JeanMarie is relying on an older computer, we lead the way. We thread our way carefully through the reefs with me on the bow with the small iPad in hand, matching what is on the charts to what I can see. Once out of the worst of the reefs, we hoist the jib and move right along at about 5.5-6 knots. Jacqui is extremely nervous, about the route, especially when Alan decides to go a different way from what she had expected and with our sails up we are pulling farther and farther ahead. The winds have picked up. We are now on the western side of the islands with waves crashing on the outer reef to our port side. It is a glorious sail.
About 2:00 we come into our first planned anchorage, Navadra Island. We had heard that there was only room for 2-3 boats here and there are already 3 boats anchored in the bay but it looks like there is room for us, so we decide to go for it. Plenty of room. There is no village here, just a lovely sandy beach with very deep water. The wind continues to blow quite strongly and we are much less protected than we thought we would be. But it is a lovely spot, white sand beach covered with shells, crystal clear water, lots of fish and so peaceful. Nevada is also called the sacred island. On my walk down the beach I spot what looks like a makeshift altar under the trees, covered with beautiful shells, flowers, and oddly enough an empty cigarette box. Just beyond it is a shallow cave, under an outcropping of rock. In the center of that space is a large flat rock holding several bundles of kava root. Next to it are the ashes of a fire. I have often asked people here to tell me the tales and legends of the old time. every time I have been told that the people came from Africa and were cannibals but then the missionaries came and now they do not believe those old stories and more. Obviously there is some remnant of belief.
Later that afternoon, we gather on Jean Marie to compare charts. Jacqui and Walter are using open CPN and C-map charts on an older computer and neither of these charts show very much detail. They are very difficult to use in the narrow, reef strewn passages that we are traveling through on this trip. We have been absolutely delighted with our Navionics charts so far, they have been spot on. So it is decided that Jacqui will once again follow us and we will stay in radio contact to warn here when we hit shallow spots. It is interesting that shallow is now defined as anything under 10 fathoms, that is 60 feet. Where it is not shallow, it is really deep.
Late in the afternoon our friends on Wind Cutter join us, bringing a mouse trap. We were apparently boarded by a mouse in Vuda and so far have had no luck catching it with sticky traps. It is enjoying our oatmeal, powdered milk and granola bars. I have taken things out of several cupboards and put everything possible into tupperware or heavy plastic bags. The trap is baited with granola bar and put into the cupboard with the most apparent activity. We shall see…
So, time to go. We get up early and run through the casting off checklist. it has been so long that we really need to check the list to be sure we have not forgotten anything. The weather is lovely, clear with a brisk wind. Since we have the iPad and JeanMarie is relying on an older computer, we lead the way. We thread our way carefully through the reefs with me on the bow with the small iPad in hand, matching what is on the charts to what I can see. Once out of the worst of the reefs, we hoist the jib and move right along at about 5.5-6 knots. Jacqui is extremely nervous, about the route, especially when Alan decides to go a different way from what she had expected and with our sails up we are pulling farther and farther ahead. The winds have picked up. We are now on the western side of the islands with waves crashing on the outer reef to our port side. It is a glorious sail.
About 2:00 we come into our first planned anchorage, Navadra Island. We had heard that there was only room for 2-3 boats here and there are already 3 boats anchored in the bay but it looks like there is room for us, so we decide to go for it. Plenty of room. There is no village here, just a lovely sandy beach with very deep water. The wind continues to blow quite strongly and we are much less protected than we thought we would be. But it is a lovely spot, white sand beach covered with shells, crystal clear water, lots of fish and so peaceful. Nevada is also called the sacred island. On my walk down the beach I spot what looks like a makeshift altar under the trees, covered with beautiful shells, flowers, and oddly enough an empty cigarette box. Just beyond it is a shallow cave, under an outcropping of rock. In the center of that space is a large flat rock holding several bundles of kava root. Next to it are the ashes of a fire. I have often asked people here to tell me the tales and legends of the old time. every time I have been told that the people came from Africa and were cannibals but then the missionaries came and now they do not believe those old stories and more. Obviously there is some remnant of belief.
Later that afternoon, we gather on Jean Marie to compare charts. Jacqui and Walter are using open CPN and C-map charts on an older computer and neither of these charts show very much detail. They are very difficult to use in the narrow, reef strewn passages that we are traveling through on this trip. We have been absolutely delighted with our Navionics charts so far, they have been spot on. So it is decided that Jacqui will once again follow us and we will stay in radio contact to warn here when we hit shallow spots. It is interesting that shallow is now defined as anything under 10 fathoms, that is 60 feet. Where it is not shallow, it is really deep.
Late in the afternoon our friends on Wind Cutter join us, bringing a mouse trap. We were apparently boarded by a mouse in Vuda and so far have had no luck catching it with sticky traps. It is enjoying our oatmeal, powdered milk and granola bars. I have taken things out of several cupboards and put everything possible into tupperware or heavy plastic bags. The trap is baited with granola bar and put into the cupboard with the most apparent activity. We shall see…
June 15, 2015 Musket Cove again
June 15, 2015 Musket Cove again
Third time is a charm, I hope. Once again we are ready to leave for our cruise up through the Yasawas. Almost all of our friends have left the marina, either cruising Fiji or headed off to other places. It is the middle of June. Time to get going. This time we made it into Musket Cove without any mishaps. Our friends on Jean Marie had run off several other boats and managed to save a mooring ball for us. We were really glad they had done so because that night the wind started to blow and blew for several days. Although we did not know it at the time, our entire trip was to be plagued by strong wind and cool weather.
Fiji is full of reefs and there is a belief among cruisers that the charts, including the electronic charts, are not accurate. There are numerous sets of waypoints and tracks from previous cruisers but even those are treated lithesome suspicion. The resort at Musket Cove has a breakfast buffet with good coffee and excellent pastries. This proved to be a great place to meet with our buddy boat, Jean Marie, to discuss our travel plans and to try to guess what the weather is going to be. Again, there are several different weather services that people are using. By and large, it looks like there will be a lot of wind coming mostly from the east.
We could wait here in Musket Cove for a long time, waiting for the perfect weather. And in fact we do spend several days hiking around the island but finally Alan says it is time to go. There is a party at the island bar/yacht club to mark the opening of sailing season and the next morning we are finally on our way to explore the Yasawa Islands of Fiji.
There are two main large islands in Fiji and over 100 smaller islands. The Yasawas are a chain of small islands and reefs curving along up the west side. They are sparsely settled, with occasional small villages, although more and more resorts are being built. It is an interesting combination of the new with the old. The villagers live a traditional lifestyle. There is little electricity. although there are a few solar installations. There is great hope that the government or some rich foreigner will give everyone free solar but so far that is a dream. Water comes from rain collected into large tanks and there are frequent shortages. There is no real concerted effort to catch, store and manage all of the water. There are no desalinization plants. Cooking is often over an open fire in outdoor kitchens. But everyone has a cell phone and there are towers all through the islands. each village has several small runabouts with outboard engines and there are frequent trips to the mainland or other islands. Traditional occupations are fishing and farming but these days much of the population works in the resorts, which are often located just a short distance from the village. It must be interesting and disconcerting to work surrounded by all the acoutremonts of a luxury resort, hot showers, fine restaurants, beautiful rooms, and then come home to a traditional village.
There is an excellent system of schools but they are sadly lacking in books and computers and many basic supplies. Of course I think that is true of schools all over the world, even Los Angeles. Those villages that are on the cruise ship itinerary set up tables to sell “native” handcrafts and give tours of the school, always ending in a plea for donations. Unfortunately, the handcrafts are seldom made by the villagers. Instead they are shipped in from the mainland. Occasionally there are wonderful shells from the local waters, or locally made mats but mostly everything looks much the same and you seldom see anything more than the standard tourist trinkets.
Third time is a charm, I hope. Once again we are ready to leave for our cruise up through the Yasawas. Almost all of our friends have left the marina, either cruising Fiji or headed off to other places. It is the middle of June. Time to get going. This time we made it into Musket Cove without any mishaps. Our friends on Jean Marie had run off several other boats and managed to save a mooring ball for us. We were really glad they had done so because that night the wind started to blow and blew for several days. Although we did not know it at the time, our entire trip was to be plagued by strong wind and cool weather.
Fiji is full of reefs and there is a belief among cruisers that the charts, including the electronic charts, are not accurate. There are numerous sets of waypoints and tracks from previous cruisers but even those are treated lithesome suspicion. The resort at Musket Cove has a breakfast buffet with good coffee and excellent pastries. This proved to be a great place to meet with our buddy boat, Jean Marie, to discuss our travel plans and to try to guess what the weather is going to be. Again, there are several different weather services that people are using. By and large, it looks like there will be a lot of wind coming mostly from the east.
We could wait here in Musket Cove for a long time, waiting for the perfect weather. And in fact we do spend several days hiking around the island but finally Alan says it is time to go. There is a party at the island bar/yacht club to mark the opening of sailing season and the next morning we are finally on our way to explore the Yasawa Islands of Fiji.
There are two main large islands in Fiji and over 100 smaller islands. The Yasawas are a chain of small islands and reefs curving along up the west side. They are sparsely settled, with occasional small villages, although more and more resorts are being built. It is an interesting combination of the new with the old. The villagers live a traditional lifestyle. There is little electricity. although there are a few solar installations. There is great hope that the government or some rich foreigner will give everyone free solar but so far that is a dream. Water comes from rain collected into large tanks and there are frequent shortages. There is no real concerted effort to catch, store and manage all of the water. There are no desalinization plants. Cooking is often over an open fire in outdoor kitchens. But everyone has a cell phone and there are towers all through the islands. each village has several small runabouts with outboard engines and there are frequent trips to the mainland or other islands. Traditional occupations are fishing and farming but these days much of the population works in the resorts, which are often located just a short distance from the village. It must be interesting and disconcerting to work surrounded by all the acoutremonts of a luxury resort, hot showers, fine restaurants, beautiful rooms, and then come home to a traditional village.
There is an excellent system of schools but they are sadly lacking in books and computers and many basic supplies. Of course I think that is true of schools all over the world, even Los Angeles. Those villages that are on the cruise ship itinerary set up tables to sell “native” handcrafts and give tours of the school, always ending in a plea for donations. Unfortunately, the handcrafts are seldom made by the villagers. Instead they are shipped in from the mainland. Occasionally there are wonderful shells from the local waters, or locally made mats but mostly everything looks much the same and you seldom see anything more than the standard tourist trinkets.
June 10, 2015 on the reef
June, 2015 Musket Cove Reef
Once more, it is my turn to sail. The day started out quiet but built to a strong wind by the time we were close to Malolo Island. I did a reasonably good job following the course on the iPad but as we got in among the reefs, I decided that I had had enough. It was late in the day, the sun was in my eyes and there was a fairly brisk breeze. I turned the engine on, turned the tiller over to Alan and went forward to take the sails down. Just as the jib started to drop there was a loud clunk and we came to an abrupt halt. looking down into the water, i realized that we were on the reef. “Reef”, I yelled, “Reverse”, while frantically trying to get the jib the rest of the way down and secured so the wind would not catch it. Once the jib was down I ran back to get the mizzen down and secure so that at least the wind would not push us further onto the reef.
What the heck had happened. I was pretty sure I was on track when I turned the tiller over to Alan but somehow we ended up on the wrong side of the marker and here we were. It did not seem to be a very big reef, but we were right in the middle of it. Alan put the engine n reverse and gunned it . He went one way then the other. We tried rocking it from side to side. Nothing worked, we just lay there bouncing on the coral heads. Just as we were ready to give up and wait for the tide to come in, one of the resort dive boats came by. It was full of people returning from a dive trip but had seen our plight and came to offer assistance. After some discussion, we tied our small stern anchor to the bow and passed it to them. They dropped it off the bow so that we were held into the wind and not swinging around and bouncing so much. The idea was that we would wait for the tide to come in and then we could pull ourselves off. Good plan but it was just past the low and would be several hours before it would be high enough to float us free.
And then another boat came up. This one as dingy with 2 people aboard, also returning from a dive trip. The husband jumped into the water to evaluate the situation. Turns out we were very close to the edge. They positioned their dingy on one side of the bow to push while I pulled on the anchor line on the other side and Alan gunned the engine and little by little we worked our way free. With a smile and a wave, they were off. Slowly we made our way the rest of the way into the anchorage. Once the anchor was secure, Alan took mask and snorkel to dive down and see how much damage we had done. Surprisingly, there was very little damage. Some scrapes and a few dings but nothing that looked serious. Nonetheless, we kept a close eye on the bilge for the next few days.
We had thought we would start our cruise of the Yasawas this time, but after our adventure, we decided it would be smarter to go back to the marina and be sure that everything was OK. Plus, I needed to apply for another extension to my vise, since it is obvious we will not be ready to leave Fiji for some time.
Once more, it is my turn to sail. The day started out quiet but built to a strong wind by the time we were close to Malolo Island. I did a reasonably good job following the course on the iPad but as we got in among the reefs, I decided that I had had enough. It was late in the day, the sun was in my eyes and there was a fairly brisk breeze. I turned the engine on, turned the tiller over to Alan and went forward to take the sails down. Just as the jib started to drop there was a loud clunk and we came to an abrupt halt. looking down into the water, i realized that we were on the reef. “Reef”, I yelled, “Reverse”, while frantically trying to get the jib the rest of the way down and secured so the wind would not catch it. Once the jib was down I ran back to get the mizzen down and secure so that at least the wind would not push us further onto the reef.
What the heck had happened. I was pretty sure I was on track when I turned the tiller over to Alan but somehow we ended up on the wrong side of the marker and here we were. It did not seem to be a very big reef, but we were right in the middle of it. Alan put the engine n reverse and gunned it . He went one way then the other. We tried rocking it from side to side. Nothing worked, we just lay there bouncing on the coral heads. Just as we were ready to give up and wait for the tide to come in, one of the resort dive boats came by. It was full of people returning from a dive trip but had seen our plight and came to offer assistance. After some discussion, we tied our small stern anchor to the bow and passed it to them. They dropped it off the bow so that we were held into the wind and not swinging around and bouncing so much. The idea was that we would wait for the tide to come in and then we could pull ourselves off. Good plan but it was just past the low and would be several hours before it would be high enough to float us free.
And then another boat came up. This one as dingy with 2 people aboard, also returning from a dive trip. The husband jumped into the water to evaluate the situation. Turns out we were very close to the edge. They positioned their dingy on one side of the bow to push while I pulled on the anchor line on the other side and Alan gunned the engine and little by little we worked our way free. With a smile and a wave, they were off. Slowly we made our way the rest of the way into the anchorage. Once the anchor was secure, Alan took mask and snorkel to dive down and see how much damage we had done. Surprisingly, there was very little damage. Some scrapes and a few dings but nothing that looked serious. Nonetheless, we kept a close eye on the bilge for the next few days.
We had thought we would start our cruise of the Yasawas this time, but after our adventure, we decided it would be smarter to go back to the marina and be sure that everything was OK. Plus, I needed to apply for another extension to my vise, since it is obvious we will not be ready to leave Fiji for some time.
May 16, 2015 Saweni Bay
May 16, 2015 Saweni
We are going sailing, just around the corner to Saweni Beach where there is supposed to be a party tonight. I am determined to become more self-reliant this season, rather than let Alan do everything. So the night before we are going to leave, I get out the chart and figure out a course and put the headings into the iPad. The one thing that I am still not very good about is understanding which direction the boat can go with a particular wind direction and given that we have not been sailing here very much we have no “local knowledge” of wind patterns. So of course, once we are out of the channel entrance with the sails up, Rhapsody will not go the direction I had plotted. However, we have all day. It is just 5 miles to Saweni so I take advantage of the chance to try different points of sail and actually do fairly well. We don’t actually follow my course but we do ultimately end up at the entrance to the bay at which point Alan has had enough of my wanderings around and takes the helm to get us in.
Saweni is known for its very narrow entrance with hidden reefs. There is an outer anchorage with 30 foot depths and beyond the reefs an inner anchorage with about 10 feet depth. Ideally you come in at low tide when you can see the reefs and anchor in the inner anchorage. and, in fact, there were 4-5 other boats in there. However, it was high tide, late in the day and a brisk wind was blowing so we opted to stay in the outer anchorage.
Once we were settled we headed ashore to see what was happening. It was just getting dark when we pulled George up onto the beach. The water was calm and we could see several other dinghies pulled up on the beach. There was a bonfire with a gaggle of children running around, gathering sticks to toss on it, poking it with sticks and then shrieking when the sparks flew. We found out later that it was the first time these kids had had a bonfire. The adults were seated on blankets, eating, drinking and talking. We were feeling slightly embarrassed at being party crashers, but we were quickly welcomed. It turned out that most of the group belonged to one large family that worked in the marina. They all knew Rhapsody and Alan and knew me as the garden lady. We were treated warmly, invited to sit and offered food. There was grilled tuna, caught that afternoon by one of the yachties, curry, cassava, all eaten with the hands. And kava. Conversation was quiet and low key. There was some beer shared among the yachts but not much.
There is a whole different atmosphere at Fijian parties. The kava leaves people quiet and relaxed. Very different from American parties where the alcohol causes people to become loud and obnoxious. Anyway, it was a perfectly lovely Fijian evening.
We are going sailing, just around the corner to Saweni Beach where there is supposed to be a party tonight. I am determined to become more self-reliant this season, rather than let Alan do everything. So the night before we are going to leave, I get out the chart and figure out a course and put the headings into the iPad. The one thing that I am still not very good about is understanding which direction the boat can go with a particular wind direction and given that we have not been sailing here very much we have no “local knowledge” of wind patterns. So of course, once we are out of the channel entrance with the sails up, Rhapsody will not go the direction I had plotted. However, we have all day. It is just 5 miles to Saweni so I take advantage of the chance to try different points of sail and actually do fairly well. We don’t actually follow my course but we do ultimately end up at the entrance to the bay at which point Alan has had enough of my wanderings around and takes the helm to get us in.
Saweni is known for its very narrow entrance with hidden reefs. There is an outer anchorage with 30 foot depths and beyond the reefs an inner anchorage with about 10 feet depth. Ideally you come in at low tide when you can see the reefs and anchor in the inner anchorage. and, in fact, there were 4-5 other boats in there. However, it was high tide, late in the day and a brisk wind was blowing so we opted to stay in the outer anchorage.
Once we were settled we headed ashore to see what was happening. It was just getting dark when we pulled George up onto the beach. The water was calm and we could see several other dinghies pulled up on the beach. There was a bonfire with a gaggle of children running around, gathering sticks to toss on it, poking it with sticks and then shrieking when the sparks flew. We found out later that it was the first time these kids had had a bonfire. The adults were seated on blankets, eating, drinking and talking. We were feeling slightly embarrassed at being party crashers, but we were quickly welcomed. It turned out that most of the group belonged to one large family that worked in the marina. They all knew Rhapsody and Alan and knew me as the garden lady. We were treated warmly, invited to sit and offered food. There was grilled tuna, caught that afternoon by one of the yachties, curry, cassava, all eaten with the hands. And kava. Conversation was quiet and low key. There was some beer shared among the yachts but not much.
There is a whole different atmosphere at Fijian parties. The kava leaves people quiet and relaxed. Very different from American parties where the alcohol causes people to become loud and obnoxious. Anyway, it was a perfectly lovely Fijian evening.
My garden in Fiji
Gardening in Vuda Point Marina
Vuda Marina says in their brochure that they are committed to “foodscaping”, landscaping with fruiting trees and bushes that are available for cruisers to pick. In return, cruisers are invited to help with the gardening.. This sounded delightful. After long days at sea one of the things we look forward to is fresh fruits and vegetables. Paradise Village in Mexico was full of fruit trees but guests were not encouraged to help themselves. I used to go sneaking out at night to pick papaya or limes.
Once we settled in to the marina and had a chance to explore, I started looking for the garden with all of the edible fruit and could not find it. Eventually I realized that it was limited to several rows of pineapple plants, just starting to ripen, a few papaya trees that were actually on the property next door but hung over far enough to pick and a fence covered in passion vines that had no fruit. Later I discovered a mango tree. Not much, although the pineapples were delicious once they got ripe. Eventually I sought out the marina manager to find out what could be done to expand the offerings. After some discussion, we decided that I should start a kitchen herb garden. So we piled into his truck one afternoon and came home loadedwith pots and pots of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, mint, chives. All of this was deposited in a derelict planting area behind the kitchen and I was left to get on with it.
First job was to clean up and clean out the planting area. A framework had been constructed from large pilings with green netting stretched over the top. Several rotting planter boxes were staked out on the ground or raised and fastened to the pilings. Off in the corner was a pile of “top soil” and another pile of pig manure. The only thing growing was some sad chili plants, covered with whiteflies and loosing their leaves.
Little by little I cleaned up the mess, put fresh dirt in the beds, and divided and planted all the herbs. Twice a day I watered and sprayed with soapy water to drive off the whiteflies and thing began to thrive. Within 2-3 weeks I had enough herbs to add to our pizzas on half-price pizza night. The biggest challenge was finding a hose. There are only a few long hoses and the staff are always moving them from place to place. As fast as I would bring one to my garden it would disappear. At first I asked politely for a hose. Then I just began searching and taking. Added to the problem is the fact that the hoses do not fit the faucets. You need at least one, sometimes two adaptors. None of them are quite the same size. I can understand that our American hose might not fit but you would think that the country would get it together and figure out one universal gage for their faucets and hoses. Instead, every hose and every faucet needs an adaptor and they are always getting lost or “borrowed”
Things were going so well that I decided to branch out. In addition to the garden behind the kitchen, there is a nursery close to the boats in the marina. This is full of overgrown ornamental plants waiting to be planted into the landscape. Like the kitchen garden it is very neglected with most of the plants bursting through the plastic sacks that they were planted in. Once more I cleaned out junk, watered and sprayed. Soon I had several pots of herbs growing here, just a few steps from the boat where I can dash over and get them for dinner. Little by little I began to add more seeds and pots that I found on trips to town. Long beans are the most successful. They sprout in just a few days and climb right up the posts.
Time to expand again. The chili plants in the kitchen garden are growing like wild and dozens are coming up from seed, way too many for the space. In the nursery there are about 25 sacks of a lovely anise scented plant that I have always called mexican tarragon. I don’t know it’s real name but it is lovely salads, pasts, seafood. Both need a new home. Along the the edge of the water there is a cement walk, behind that a grassy hill and then a hedgerow separating the boats from the cars and trucks on the delivery road. This looked to me like prime garden area. It would get watered when the staff watered the grass and if the plants were tucked in among the other hedge plants they would be at least somewhat protected from mowing and trampling. I had long since given up asking the marina management for permission. They had other things on their mind. But the garden and security staff were very interested in my progress and very supportive. So little by little I carried over bags of compost and filled in all the spaces. The beans were especially happy and climbed tight up the hedges, giving me a hand full of long beans every few days.
Some things grow and some don’t. My theory of gardening is, “give them a good start and they should be able to make it on their own” If they don’t try something else. Bok choy, lettuce and radishes come up quickly but the soil is so filled with bits of coral that they never get very big. Nonetheless, the shoots are great in sandwiches. Mint tucked under the bottom shelf in the nursery does nicely. Strawberries in the same place grow but never fruit. Ginger does well. Thyme, basil, rosemary and oregano hold their own, not growing much but not dying either. Cilantro all dies, except for one little plant. Meanwhile back in the kitchen garden, almost everything is flourishing.
In January I head back to Los Angeles for a six week visit. I asked people to look after my garden but no one is very interested. It is the rainy season so it should be fine. On my return i find that my “hedgerow garden” is doing just fine. The kitchen garden is another story. Absolutely everything, except for the original chili plants has dies. Large pots of basil, rosemary and oregano and just brown sticks. Even the mint is just a few shriveled stems. I have no idea what the problem is. Too much sun? Not enough sun? Too much water or humidity? Not enough water? It is under several large trees which drop leaves onto the shade cloth which makes it very dark and keeps the rain off. Anyway, given the lack of interest on the part of management or the kitchen staff, I decide to just let it be. With the new sailing season now on us, I need to hand my garden off to others. Several of the cruisers who expect to be around have said they will keep an eye on it. If I have done it right, it will take care of itself and be just fine when we come back from our cruising. Then I can start on a new round of planting.
Vuda Marina says in their brochure that they are committed to “foodscaping”, landscaping with fruiting trees and bushes that are available for cruisers to pick. In return, cruisers are invited to help with the gardening.. This sounded delightful. After long days at sea one of the things we look forward to is fresh fruits and vegetables. Paradise Village in Mexico was full of fruit trees but guests were not encouraged to help themselves. I used to go sneaking out at night to pick papaya or limes.
Once we settled in to the marina and had a chance to explore, I started looking for the garden with all of the edible fruit and could not find it. Eventually I realized that it was limited to several rows of pineapple plants, just starting to ripen, a few papaya trees that were actually on the property next door but hung over far enough to pick and a fence covered in passion vines that had no fruit. Later I discovered a mango tree. Not much, although the pineapples were delicious once they got ripe. Eventually I sought out the marina manager to find out what could be done to expand the offerings. After some discussion, we decided that I should start a kitchen herb garden. So we piled into his truck one afternoon and came home loadedwith pots and pots of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, mint, chives. All of this was deposited in a derelict planting area behind the kitchen and I was left to get on with it.
First job was to clean up and clean out the planting area. A framework had been constructed from large pilings with green netting stretched over the top. Several rotting planter boxes were staked out on the ground or raised and fastened to the pilings. Off in the corner was a pile of “top soil” and another pile of pig manure. The only thing growing was some sad chili plants, covered with whiteflies and loosing their leaves.
Little by little I cleaned up the mess, put fresh dirt in the beds, and divided and planted all the herbs. Twice a day I watered and sprayed with soapy water to drive off the whiteflies and thing began to thrive. Within 2-3 weeks I had enough herbs to add to our pizzas on half-price pizza night. The biggest challenge was finding a hose. There are only a few long hoses and the staff are always moving them from place to place. As fast as I would bring one to my garden it would disappear. At first I asked politely for a hose. Then I just began searching and taking. Added to the problem is the fact that the hoses do not fit the faucets. You need at least one, sometimes two adaptors. None of them are quite the same size. I can understand that our American hose might not fit but you would think that the country would get it together and figure out one universal gage for their faucets and hoses. Instead, every hose and every faucet needs an adaptor and they are always getting lost or “borrowed”
Things were going so well that I decided to branch out. In addition to the garden behind the kitchen, there is a nursery close to the boats in the marina. This is full of overgrown ornamental plants waiting to be planted into the landscape. Like the kitchen garden it is very neglected with most of the plants bursting through the plastic sacks that they were planted in. Once more I cleaned out junk, watered and sprayed. Soon I had several pots of herbs growing here, just a few steps from the boat where I can dash over and get them for dinner. Little by little I began to add more seeds and pots that I found on trips to town. Long beans are the most successful. They sprout in just a few days and climb right up the posts.
Time to expand again. The chili plants in the kitchen garden are growing like wild and dozens are coming up from seed, way too many for the space. In the nursery there are about 25 sacks of a lovely anise scented plant that I have always called mexican tarragon. I don’t know it’s real name but it is lovely salads, pasts, seafood. Both need a new home. Along the the edge of the water there is a cement walk, behind that a grassy hill and then a hedgerow separating the boats from the cars and trucks on the delivery road. This looked to me like prime garden area. It would get watered when the staff watered the grass and if the plants were tucked in among the other hedge plants they would be at least somewhat protected from mowing and trampling. I had long since given up asking the marina management for permission. They had other things on their mind. But the garden and security staff were very interested in my progress and very supportive. So little by little I carried over bags of compost and filled in all the spaces. The beans were especially happy and climbed tight up the hedges, giving me a hand full of long beans every few days.
Some things grow and some don’t. My theory of gardening is, “give them a good start and they should be able to make it on their own” If they don’t try something else. Bok choy, lettuce and radishes come up quickly but the soil is so filled with bits of coral that they never get very big. Nonetheless, the shoots are great in sandwiches. Mint tucked under the bottom shelf in the nursery does nicely. Strawberries in the same place grow but never fruit. Ginger does well. Thyme, basil, rosemary and oregano hold their own, not growing much but not dying either. Cilantro all dies, except for one little plant. Meanwhile back in the kitchen garden, almost everything is flourishing.
In January I head back to Los Angeles for a six week visit. I asked people to look after my garden but no one is very interested. It is the rainy season so it should be fine. On my return i find that my “hedgerow garden” is doing just fine. The kitchen garden is another story. Absolutely everything, except for the original chili plants has dies. Large pots of basil, rosemary and oregano and just brown sticks. Even the mint is just a few shriveled stems. I have no idea what the problem is. Too much sun? Not enough sun? Too much water or humidity? Not enough water? It is under several large trees which drop leaves onto the shade cloth which makes it very dark and keeps the rain off. Anyway, given the lack of interest on the part of management or the kitchen staff, I decide to just let it be. With the new sailing season now on us, I need to hand my garden off to others. Several of the cruisers who expect to be around have said they will keep an eye on it. If I have done it right, it will take care of itself and be just fine when we come back from our cruising. Then I can start on a new round of planting.
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