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…
Sunday, July 12, 2015
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.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
April 2015 Fiji
March 25, 2015
Maps
The days of March have somehow wandered by and we are still in the marina and still chained to the hurricane moorings. I thought we would be sailing by the middle of the month, or April first at the latest. Now it looks like at least May and maybe later. It is just too hot to do anything. We cannot turn around until the box is done because the new starter switch will be in the box and the box is far from done. The pieces are cut out and sanded Apparently at least part of the 150 lbs of gear that I brought back was parts for the box, so now he has those. Eventually it is all put together. Now it has to be varnished, that takes several days. And now it is time for the electrical work. installing all the switches and gages and wiring them in. Of course this requires trips to the hardware store and several days with pencil and paper sketching wiring diagrams. Little by little it is coming together but oh so slow.
I have made numerous trips to town. I have wanted good map of Fiji since we got here, not a chart but just a map with the names of villages and islands and the major roads Up until now, it has been impossible to find one. Finally someone suggested that I try school supply stores since the kids need to study their country. Still no luck but eventually someone suggested that i go to the “Land Commission” office. I had no idea there was such an office but it makes sense. They are in charge of real estate transactions and obviously would need good maps. Real estate in Fiji is very complicated and political and I will not even pretend to know much about it. What I do know is that most land is owned by the villages and non-fijians ( which I think includes indian-fujians) cannot own the land except under certain circumstances that are constantly changing according to the most recent legislation.
Anyway, I make my way to the appropriate building and office and discover that they do indeed have a wonderful set of maps covering all of Fiji. There is just one problem, the maps are in locked cabinets and they cannot find the key. They all think the key must be here, but it is not. The entire office is in an uproar. It is finally suggested that we go and have lunch and come back later. Surely they will have found the key by this afternoon. The afternoon is no better. No one knows what happened to the key. Two of the maps that we want are in unlocked cabinets, so we take those and promise to come back the next day.
The next day the office is noticeably cleaner that the day before. Numerous piles of paper have been sorted and filed, but the key has not appeared. “So sorry. Give us another day.” The problem with this is that the bus only runs every tow hours anti takes an hour to get to town so any trip to town uses up a whole day. By the time I get back I am too hot and tired to do much of anything else. By the next day the key has finally shown up. Apparently it had taken a little trip to the head office in Suva. The drawers are unlocked and unchained with great aplomb. Indexes are consulted. One by one the maps are produced. There are seven all together. We got one the first day four of the remaining six turn out to have been in the unlocked cabinets all along. Number six comes out of the formerly locked cabinet and number seven is nowhere to be found. This is the map of the southern Lau group, a small scattering of sparsely inhabited islands. Paperwork is filled out and we are escorted out of the office and across the waiting room to the cashier to pay. Once that is done we take possession of al but one of the maps with promises that the final map will be ordered from Suva and will be here soon. Unfortunately it is now Easter week, Thursday to be exact and the rest of the week and Monday will be holidays so it will be Tuesday at least before it will arrive.
Meanwhile i take the six maps back with me and lay them out at the bar that night. “OK, which one of these is what you call Castaway? Bounty? Treasure Island? Where are the good dive spots?. Which way did you go to the Yasawas? Which islands have fancy hotels? “ Eventually we get most of the close islands labeled with their common names and identified the places where the staff grew up. After several more trips to town I finally got the last map. Now we are set. We use the IPad when we are sailing but it is hard to get the big picture on that. These are lovely.
Eventually I went back and bought another set of large scale (or is it small scale?) maps of the Yasawas. They do not show depths but they do show the reefs. These are the official maps that the government uses for ownership and disputes so anything that someone might lay claim to is going to show up.
Maps
The days of March have somehow wandered by and we are still in the marina and still chained to the hurricane moorings. I thought we would be sailing by the middle of the month, or April first at the latest. Now it looks like at least May and maybe later. It is just too hot to do anything. We cannot turn around until the box is done because the new starter switch will be in the box and the box is far from done. The pieces are cut out and sanded Apparently at least part of the 150 lbs of gear that I brought back was parts for the box, so now he has those. Eventually it is all put together. Now it has to be varnished, that takes several days. And now it is time for the electrical work. installing all the switches and gages and wiring them in. Of course this requires trips to the hardware store and several days with pencil and paper sketching wiring diagrams. Little by little it is coming together but oh so slow.
I have made numerous trips to town. I have wanted good map of Fiji since we got here, not a chart but just a map with the names of villages and islands and the major roads Up until now, it has been impossible to find one. Finally someone suggested that I try school supply stores since the kids need to study their country. Still no luck but eventually someone suggested that i go to the “Land Commission” office. I had no idea there was such an office but it makes sense. They are in charge of real estate transactions and obviously would need good maps. Real estate in Fiji is very complicated and political and I will not even pretend to know much about it. What I do know is that most land is owned by the villages and non-fijians ( which I think includes indian-fujians) cannot own the land except under certain circumstances that are constantly changing according to the most recent legislation.
Anyway, I make my way to the appropriate building and office and discover that they do indeed have a wonderful set of maps covering all of Fiji. There is just one problem, the maps are in locked cabinets and they cannot find the key. They all think the key must be here, but it is not. The entire office is in an uproar. It is finally suggested that we go and have lunch and come back later. Surely they will have found the key by this afternoon. The afternoon is no better. No one knows what happened to the key. Two of the maps that we want are in unlocked cabinets, so we take those and promise to come back the next day.
The next day the office is noticeably cleaner that the day before. Numerous piles of paper have been sorted and filed, but the key has not appeared. “So sorry. Give us another day.” The problem with this is that the bus only runs every tow hours anti takes an hour to get to town so any trip to town uses up a whole day. By the time I get back I am too hot and tired to do much of anything else. By the next day the key has finally shown up. Apparently it had taken a little trip to the head office in Suva. The drawers are unlocked and unchained with great aplomb. Indexes are consulted. One by one the maps are produced. There are seven all together. We got one the first day four of the remaining six turn out to have been in the unlocked cabinets all along. Number six comes out of the formerly locked cabinet and number seven is nowhere to be found. This is the map of the southern Lau group, a small scattering of sparsely inhabited islands. Paperwork is filled out and we are escorted out of the office and across the waiting room to the cashier to pay. Once that is done we take possession of al but one of the maps with promises that the final map will be ordered from Suva and will be here soon. Unfortunately it is now Easter week, Thursday to be exact and the rest of the week and Monday will be holidays so it will be Tuesday at least before it will arrive.
Meanwhile i take the six maps back with me and lay them out at the bar that night. “OK, which one of these is what you call Castaway? Bounty? Treasure Island? Where are the good dive spots?. Which way did you go to the Yasawas? Which islands have fancy hotels? “ Eventually we get most of the close islands labeled with their common names and identified the places where the staff grew up. After several more trips to town I finally got the last map. Now we are set. We use the IPad when we are sailing but it is hard to get the big picture on that. These are lovely.
Eventually I went back and bought another set of large scale (or is it small scale?) maps of the Yasawas. They do not show depths but they do show the reefs. These are the official maps that the government uses for ownership and disputes so anything that someone might lay claim to is going to show up.
March 25, 2015 Maps
March 25, 2015
Maps
The days of March have somehow wandered by and we are still in the marina and still chained to the hurricane moorings. I thought we would be sailing by the middle of the month, or April first at the latest. Now it looks like at least May and maybe later. It is just too hot to do anything. We cannot turn around until the box is done because the new starter switch will be in the box and the box is far from done. The pieces are cut out and sanded Apparently at least part of the 150 lbs of gear that I brought back was parts for the box, so now he has those. Eventually it is all put together. Now it has to be varnished, that takes several days. And now it is time for the electrical work. installing all the switches and gages and wiring them in. Of course this requires trips to the hardware store and several days with pencil and paper sketching wiring diagrams. Little by little it is coming together but oh so slow.
I have made numerous trips to town. I have wanted good map of Fiji since we got here, not a chart but just a map with the names of villages and islands and the major roads Up until now, it has been impossible to find one. Finally someone suggested that I try school supply stores since the kids need to study their country. Still no luck but eventually someone suggested that i go to the “Land Commission” office. I had no idea there was such an office but it makes sense. They are in charge of real estate transactions and obviously would need good maps. Real estate in Fiji is very complicated and political and I will not even pretend to know much about it. What I do know is that most land is owned by the villages and non-fijians ( which I think includes indian-fujians) cannot own the land except under certain circumstances that are constantly changing according to the most recent legislation.
Anyway, I make my way to the appropriate building and office and discover that they do indeed have a wonderful set of maps covering all of Fiji. There is just one problem, the maps are in locked cabinets and they cannot find the key. They all think the key must be here, but it is not. The entire office is in an uproar. It is finally suggested that we go and have lunch and come back later. Surely they will have found the key by this afternoon. The afternoon is no better. No one knows what happened to the key. Two of the maps that we want are in unlocked cabinets, so we take those and promise to come back the next day.
The next day the office is noticeably cleaner that the day before. Numerous piles of paper have been sorted and filed, but the key has not appeared. “So sorry. Give us another day.” The problem with this is that the bus only runs every tow hours anti takes an hour to get to town so any trip to town uses up a whole day. By the time I get back I am too hot and tired to do much of anything else. By the next day the key has finally shown up. Apparently it had taken a little trip to the head office in Suva. The drawers are unlocked and unchained with great aplomb. Indexes are consulted. One by one the maps are produced. There are seven all together. We got one the first day four of the remaining six turn out to have been in the unlocked cabinets all along. Number six comes out of the formerly locked cabinet and number seven is nowhere to be found. This is the map of the southern Lau group, a small scattering of sparsely inhabited islands. Paperwork is filled out and we are escorted out of the office and across the waiting room to the cashier to pay. Once that is done we take possession of al but one of the maps with promises that the final map will be ordered from Suva and will be here soon. Unfortunately it is now Easter week, Thursday to be exact and the rest of the week and Monday will be holidays so it will be Tuesday at least before it will arrive.
Meanwhile i take the six maps back with me and lay them out at the bar that night. “OK, which one of these is what you call Castaway? Bounty? Treasure Island? Where are the good dive spots?. Which way did you go to the Yasawas? Which islands have fancy hotels? “ Eventually we get most of the close islands labeled with their common names and identified the places where the staff grew up. After several more trips to town I finally got the last map. Now we are set. We use the IPad when we are sailing but it is hard to get the big picture on that. These are lovely.
Eventually I went back and bought another set of large scale (or is it small scale?) maps of the Yasawas. They do not show depths but they do show the reefs. These are the official maps that the government uses for ownership and disputes so anything that someone might lay claim to is going to show up.
Maps
The days of March have somehow wandered by and we are still in the marina and still chained to the hurricane moorings. I thought we would be sailing by the middle of the month, or April first at the latest. Now it looks like at least May and maybe later. It is just too hot to do anything. We cannot turn around until the box is done because the new starter switch will be in the box and the box is far from done. The pieces are cut out and sanded Apparently at least part of the 150 lbs of gear that I brought back was parts for the box, so now he has those. Eventually it is all put together. Now it has to be varnished, that takes several days. And now it is time for the electrical work. installing all the switches and gages and wiring them in. Of course this requires trips to the hardware store and several days with pencil and paper sketching wiring diagrams. Little by little it is coming together but oh so slow.
I have made numerous trips to town. I have wanted good map of Fiji since we got here, not a chart but just a map with the names of villages and islands and the major roads Up until now, it has been impossible to find one. Finally someone suggested that I try school supply stores since the kids need to study their country. Still no luck but eventually someone suggested that i go to the “Land Commission” office. I had no idea there was such an office but it makes sense. They are in charge of real estate transactions and obviously would need good maps. Real estate in Fiji is very complicated and political and I will not even pretend to know much about it. What I do know is that most land is owned by the villages and non-fijians ( which I think includes indian-fujians) cannot own the land except under certain circumstances that are constantly changing according to the most recent legislation.
Anyway, I make my way to the appropriate building and office and discover that they do indeed have a wonderful set of maps covering all of Fiji. There is just one problem, the maps are in locked cabinets and they cannot find the key. They all think the key must be here, but it is not. The entire office is in an uproar. It is finally suggested that we go and have lunch and come back later. Surely they will have found the key by this afternoon. The afternoon is no better. No one knows what happened to the key. Two of the maps that we want are in unlocked cabinets, so we take those and promise to come back the next day.
The next day the office is noticeably cleaner that the day before. Numerous piles of paper have been sorted and filed, but the key has not appeared. “So sorry. Give us another day.” The problem with this is that the bus only runs every tow hours anti takes an hour to get to town so any trip to town uses up a whole day. By the time I get back I am too hot and tired to do much of anything else. By the next day the key has finally shown up. Apparently it had taken a little trip to the head office in Suva. The drawers are unlocked and unchained with great aplomb. Indexes are consulted. One by one the maps are produced. There are seven all together. We got one the first day four of the remaining six turn out to have been in the unlocked cabinets all along. Number six comes out of the formerly locked cabinet and number seven is nowhere to be found. This is the map of the southern Lau group, a small scattering of sparsely inhabited islands. Paperwork is filled out and we are escorted out of the office and across the waiting room to the cashier to pay. Once that is done we take possession of al but one of the maps with promises that the final map will be ordered from Suva and will be here soon. Unfortunately it is now Easter week, Thursday to be exact and the rest of the week and Monday will be holidays so it will be Tuesday at least before it will arrive.
Meanwhile i take the six maps back with me and lay them out at the bar that night. “OK, which one of these is what you call Castaway? Bounty? Treasure Island? Where are the good dive spots?. Which way did you go to the Yasawas? Which islands have fancy hotels? “ Eventually we get most of the close islands labeled with their common names and identified the places where the staff grew up. After several more trips to town I finally got the last map. Now we are set. We use the IPad when we are sailing but it is hard to get the big picture on that. These are lovely.
Eventually I went back and bought another set of large scale (or is it small scale?) maps of the Yasawas. They do not show depths but they do show the reefs. These are the official maps that the government uses for ownership and disputes so anything that someone might lay claim to is going to show up.
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