Going with the flow...

It is funny, we always have such good plans every cruising season - so much we want to see and do - we make a list.

Enjoying Waitui Marina

But, no matter how well we plan, things come up that affects our plans.

Love those colors

Weather, boat projects, hanging with mates, don't want to miss a happening, etc..

And then there is inertia - or just content to just BE.

To stay where it is comfortable and safe, and where we are surrounded by great friends, good shopping, and a few bars and restaurants - of course.

Up the creek in Savusavu

Sounds like we are getting old, doesn't it?

Well, we are, but that is all right with us!

Walu!

So, instead of spending a few days in lovely Savusavu, we spent two weeks watching boats coming and going, cheering for the Olympic games, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves - plus a quick vacation in Suva.

Sweet Jolene!

Thanks to Jolene and her wonderful staff at Waitui Marina for taking such good care of us!

Beautiful sunset off of Taveuni

Finally, we pulled ourselves away from Savusavu and headed to Paradise at the southern end of Taveuni.

Our wonderful friends, Karen and Cheryl on s/v Interlude, are there and we are hoping to catch up with them.

Plus, we have bags of Sea Mercy supplies to deliver to Vuna Village that we had collected in Port Denarau.

So precious...

Vuna Village is at the southern end of Taveuni and has ~400 people.

They were crushed by Cyclone Winston... But, with big smiles on their faces, they were very happy to receive our Sea Mercy packages.

Happy villagers

The village has made lots of progress on rebuilding, but have a ways to go.

We are constantly amazed how resilient the Fijians are - Stronger than Winston is their saying!

Happy Hour gang at Paradise

We moored off of Paradise Resort (free moorings) and spent lots of time there.

The famous Tiger Lilly

They were flattened by Winston too, but have done a wonderful job of rebuilding their beautiful resort.

Best Mates

That's my Doug!

Terri and Allan did a wonderful job of making all of the yachties welcome.

Plus giving us access to the resort amenities - like the pool and hot showers - what a treat!

Colorful cabbage

Sue's here - yeah!

Sue, our very good friend from Nadi, is here to visit.  So excited to have her! 

Synchronized swimming - wow!

This is Sue's first visit on Moondance, plus her first visit to Taveuni. 

Dinner with wonderful friends

A special treat, Sue got to experience a rollicking sail from Taveuni to Savusavu. She is is good sport and didn't complain a bit.

So, we have spent the last few days eating and drinking at all of our favorite spots here in Savusavu, plus lots of shop shop shopping.

Ahhhhh...

And lots of fun and games with our best mates - Jude and Grant on s/v Blinder - of course.

But, that's all over and we are starting our trek over to Port Denarau early in the morning.

Art?

Not our original plan, but windy weather is coming in and we need to get moving.




Plus, we are very excited.

Our long-time friends from Washington, Wanda and Steve, are coming soon and we need to get Moondance prepped for company.

Going to be so much fun!

Making Memories!

It is amazing how fast time is going and how much fun we are having exploring Fiji!

Double rainbow over Long Dick's Bay...

Moondance finally escaped the Fiji Triangle (Denarau, Musket Cove, Vuda Point) and started trekking north.

Happily, we are traveling with our good mates Jude and Grant on s/v Blinder - such a treat and so much laughter.

Jude Skurfing and giggling!

We spent our first night at Long Dick's Bay (named because of the shape...).

Great place for an overnighter.

Then continued on to Nananu-i-Cake with hopes of a chance for kitesurfing lessons.

The wind always blows and gusts around here!

Lessons didn't work out, but we still had a great time sharing sundowners, playing cards, and exploring with Blinder and  new friends on Sharpe Focus - so much laughter.

Late night arrival

Next, we all headed out for the island of Makogai.

Capt Doug adventuring in our new dinghy

Almost made it, but we turned back to Nananu-i-Cake.

Blinder was having engine issues and we followed.

They had an amazing sail back to our anchorage.  We motor/sailed and came in just before dark - whew.

Jude making smiles!

A long day for all, but happy to report that all issues were resolved the next day!

Exploring Nananu-i-Ra

No complaints - just gave us more time to explore the Nananu-i-Ra area.

Which included a provisioning run to Rakiraki.

Provisioning trip to Rakiraki

We were out of beer - hah!

And fresh fruit and veggies would be a nice treat too.

Enjoying drinks at Safari Lodge

Thanks to Warren from Safari Lodge for the ride back and forth to Ellington Worth.

Much easier than taking our own dinghies - we would have been soaked.

Cool path to the water

Walkabout around Nananu

We decided to head to Savusavu via a different route across Bligh Waters.

It was a good route from Nananu-i-Ra to Naisonisoni pass, but a very long bumpy day.

Our route  - gotta pay attention

We were very happy to drop our anchors and rest.

Thanks to our friends on Tanga for sharing the route!

Rainbow over Copra Shed Marina

Now we are back in lovely Savusavu.

It is good to be back visiting all of our favorite places and catching up with the Yachties.

Savusavu has changed a lot since Cyclone Winston blew thru in February, but I will talk more about that later..

Tomorrow, we are flying to Suvu for a few days for a mini-vacation. 

Then off to the islands we go.  Hoping to see Taveuni, Rabi, Bud's Reef, etc. 

We need to get moving again!

Enjoying the beautiful Blue Lagoon!

It took us much longer than expected, but we are finally out sailing around the Fiji Islands - yeah!

Blue Lagoon anchorage

It feels wonderful to be out exploring new places again. Our friends Jude and Grant (s/v Blinder) helped get us moving - we were stuck - hah!

Great view from the top

The famous Blue Lagoon is only about 70 miles from Port Denarau Marina (our home base), but it took us two days of motor/sailing.

Beautiful day for a sail!

Lots of blue skies and moderate winds, but no fish were harmed (unfortunately).

Jude and Grant enjoying a swim

We spent one night anchored off the spit between Waya and Wayasewa.

Sunrise at Wayasewa

Good place to rest and get an early start - hence the sunrise shot!

Reef watching!

Sailing thru the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands is challenging.

So many reefs - so we are always on the look out, plus using all of our charting software.  It can get a little exciting at times!

Cruising the Blue Lagoon

But, so far, the journey has always been rewarded with a stunning place to drop the anchor and relax.

Perfect place to watch the sunset

And, that is exactly what we are doing now anchored in the famous Blue Lagoon just off the island of Nanuya Lailai Island.

Other side of the island

Enjoying visiting with the Yachties, Happy Hours at the Boathouse Nanuya, walks, a little swimming and snorkeling, etc..

Even hosted a brunch with friends.  Doug made coconut pancakes (yum) and everyone brought goodies to go along.

Out for a walk!

Nice way to start Sunday Funday!

Flower or weed?  Still pretty!

We will be here a few more days and then start our way back to Port Denarau.

Doug has to make a Visa run to Vanuatu - oh boy - and then we can hit the islands again.

Enjoy the rest of the pictures!

Celebrating our 34th Anniversary with Friends

Crowd at the Fiji Pro Surf Championship

Fun watching these guys surf!

Jude, Grant, and Doug at the Barbie

Tennis anyone?

Beautiful bougainvillea

Let the Good Times Roll!

Now that the cyclone season is officially over, it is time for some fun!

Plus, it is time to help Fiji rebuild.  So, we have been doing both.

Angry Bird?  No way!

Sea Mercy has been receiving tons of good stuff from New Zealand (and other parts of the world).

All to be distributed to the Fijian villages that were hit hardest by Cyclone Winston.

Everyone helping

We have helped in the Sea Mercy warehouse, unpacking, packing, sorting and piling.

So much wonderful (and interesting) stuff.

Happy with his lollipop

Can't help thinking of all of the families that cleaned out their closets to help. Pretty amazing.

Good stuff for the villages

We were part of the delivery crew that took two vehicles full of supplies (building material, food, clothing, etc.) up to the northern region of Ra.

There are three villages that are only accessible by boat, so we rendezvoused with their long boats and made the transfer.

What Big Smiles we received!

Nice to be moving again

Along the 7+ hour trip, we saw lots of damage, but also saw lots of rebuilding.  Fiji is making a comeback.

Then out to Musket Cove for some Island Time - so happy we did!

Perfect bottom scrubbing weather

A world of difference between Malolo Island and mainland Fiji.

Love that beautiful white sand and crystal blue water.

We have missed it!

Lunch date at the Funky Fish

Plus, we got to visit with old friends, walk around our favorite places, play in the water (scrub the bottom), and so much more.

Beautiful Musket Cove...

As always, just wish we could have stayed longer. Next time!

Loving my Michelada

Our plans this cruising season are to head to the northern islands of Fiji and explore some remote areas.  Like:

Taveuni, Rabi Island, Budd Reef, and more fantastic places.

Now, we are busy getting Moondance ready to go sailing again - yeah!