Road tripping around Savaii

I know this is late, but below are the pictures of our road trips around the beautiful island of Savaii in Samoa.

Hanging at the waterfall

First trip, we hired Sam to drive us around to do some site seeing, plus some provisioning.  We paid for a half day adventure, but it was definitely a full day.

Sam put on quite a show at the Alofaaga Blowholes.  He threw a pile of coconut husks into the blowhole and they came shooting out.  They were powerful - check out the video.

PS:  I don't think we should have been standing that close!

Savaii is a big island, so we spent a lot of time just enjoying the beautiful views as Sam drove us around and explained the Samoan culture.  We learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

John Williams Memorial - Missionary

The second road trip, we rented a car and drove all the way around the island - another all day trip.

Rental car

Doug did an excellent job of driving on the wrong side of the road!

Along the coast

So many beautiful beaches and villages - hope you get a chance to visit Samoa one of these days.

You will find it to be a very special place.

Enjoy the pictures!

Asau Harbor

PS:  We are loving Savusavu, Fiji and meeting so many wonderful people. Can't believe we have been here a week all ready...

Today, Doug and I got matching haircuts.  How cute - not!

Beautiful beaches

Cinnamon tree - smelled wonderful

Cotton tree?  Used for bedding

Drying kava

Parents are buried in the front yards

Leaving some of Steve behind

Pig Crossing

Sam and Doug enjoying the cool water

Rainbow over Matautu Bay

Samoan lawnmower

Sam's fale

More beautiful beaches

Hard at work

Happy Birthday, Doug!

Yesterday, Doug celebrated his 60th birthday - Fijian.  Today, we will celebrate his USA birthday.  Because we crossed the dateline we get two birthdays, but you still only get one year older.  Thank goodness! 

Looking good, Doug!

Savusavu is a perfect place to celebrate.  I baked cookies (oatmeal raisin) and we took them to shore to share - a great way to introduce ourselves to the cruisers and the locals.

Hanging with the cruisers

We made lots of new friends and spent the day hanging out at the Yacht Club visiting, drinking ice cold beer, and watching Monday Night Football at Noon - what a treat. 

Dolly, from the marina office, gave Doug a kiss and brought him a wonderful piece of chocolate cake.  Such a nice surprise.

What a view

I told you, Dolly and her staff really know how to take care of the cruisers.

Today, we are going to Curly's seminar on cruising the Fijian waters and out to dinner with Michael and Cheryl. 

Sounds like another wonderful day in paradise!

We like this place! 

Moondance moored at the Copra Shed Marina

Bula/Hello from Fiji!

Sorry, we are so late checking in. We have been catching up on sleep and enjoying beautiful Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu - the 2nd largest island of Fiji.

We arrived in Savusavu Monday (Sunday USA time) around noon - just as Captain Doug had projected (got lucky!). Even with all the great waypoints that Carol shared, it was still a little nerve racking going through the channels at night surrounded by big islands and reefs and distracted by the lights on shore. Plus, there was a green glowey thing (fishing boat) that it took us awhile to figure out. When you are tired, it makes even the little things a bit of a challenge.

We are tied to a Copra Shed Marina mooring ball in Nakama Creek along with about 50 other boats - more boats coming all the time. But, it isn't crowed. Dolly and her team from the marina make sure everyone has a spot and are all well taken care of. We all ready know some of the cruisers and have spent the last 2 days meeting even more of them. The cruisers are so easy to get to know, plus so wonderful about sharing their adventures and recommendations. Love it! Several of the cruisers will be in Vuda Point Marina with us for the cyclone season, so we will have good neighbors.

No surprise that our friends call Savusavu "Cruisers Heaven". It is a small, friendly town that has everything within walking distance, plus everyone we have met has been so very nice and helpful. And, Fiji is very affordable. A round of Fiji Bitter beer at the Yacht Club costs $7.40FJ (about $2US a beer), plus restaurants serve inexpensive and good food. Looking forward to doing some more exploring and socializing.

We were so excited to run into our friends Michael and Cheryl from Hawaii yesterday. We turned the corner and there they were. It was so unexpected and natural all at the same time. They look marvelous and we are looking forward to having dinner with them tonight. Fijian night at the Waitui Marina. How fun!

Bula!

PS: I promise to post some pictures soon...

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Day 3 - Western Samoa to Fiji

LATITUDE: 16-15.10S; LONGITUDE: 178-28.65W
Miles traveled in 24 hours: 133
Miles to Savu Savu, Fiji: 152 (we will be there tomorrow afternoon - yeah!)

Well, things are always changing out here!

Yesterday, we went from having a good sail to losing our wind completely. I big storm passed in front of us dropping lots of rain. We stayed dry, but the storm took our wind. So, we ended up motoring all night. Not what we planned, but you do what you have to do...

Today, we have lots of wind (a little too much in my opinion), plus lots of clouds. So far, we are still dry except for the water splashing us along the port side.

We just took our first turn into the Nanuku Passage, which is the northeast passage into Fiji. Thanks to Carol (s/v Evergreen) for the waypoints! We haven't seen any land yet, but hope to before the end of the day.

It will be good to have this last passage over. We have beers chilling in the fridge for the celebration tomorrow. Wish you were here to celebrate with us!

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Day 2 - Western Samoa to Fiji

LATITUDE: 15-18.14S; LONGITUDE: 176-26.61W
Miles traveled in 24 hours: 135
Miles to Savu Savu, Fiji: 285 (almost half way!)

First, I want to wish my wonderful sister, Becky, Happy Birthday. Thanks for always making me laugh. I love you, Bexs!

Now, back to sailing. We had a great sailing day - 24 hours of good wind, blue skies, and fairly calm seas. It was amazing. A few clouds gathered around us last night, so we prepped for a squall, but nothing. The clouds just sailed on by us. Yeah - 2 dry days in a row!

Today, is a little bumpier and a little cloudier, but so far - another good day of sailing. Hope it continues through the night.

It is definitely getting cooler the farther we head South. We both had jackets on last night and I am going to be wearing my socks tonight. We are a couple of whimps for sure!

And a sailing funny: Last night, while Doug was sleeping, a Boobie bird tried to land on our wind generator - unsuccessfully because it was spinning fast. I yelled at him and tried to chase him away from the boat. Then, the Boobie tried to land on our lower spreaders. I grabbed the flashlight and was shining it at him and yelling some more. I think I blinded the poor Boobie. Next thing I know, he is sliding down the shrouds and hit the deck - ouch. All this excitement woke Doug. He grabs my leg to get my attention, I scream some more and lose track of the Boobie. So, I have know idea if he fell in the water or flew off, but hope he is all right.

Poor Boobie - he won't ever try to land on Moondance again. It is a scary place!

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Day 1 - Western Samoa to Fiji

LATITUDE: 14-13.22S; LONGITUDE: 174-22.12W
Miles traveled in 24 hours: 131
Miles to Savu Savu, Fiji: 399

Well, the forecast for the first day was perfect - except for the wind. It didn't show up until 9pm last night, so we did 11 hours of motoring. Oh well. But, it was a beautifully calm day and no rain, plus we got to see a turtle and some dolphins along the way. All in all, a pretty good day.

Today, the winds are much better - averaging about 15 knots - so we are moving right along. Plus, the sun is shining and the waves are behaving (for the most part). Hope the good weather continues all the way to Fiji...

We have a busy day planned on Moondance - eating, napping, reading, and sailing of course. Wish you were here to hang out with us!

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Off to Fiji in the morning!

We have really enjoyed our stay on the island of Savaii, Western Samoa, but it is time to get moving again.

Fiji is our final destination and only 4 nights away. Hope Neptune is good to us! So far, the winds, waves, and current are predicted to be light and going in the right direction. Of course, we are probably going to run into some rain showers/squalls, but no avoiding them. I have already got our rain gear ready to go!

Our first stop in Fiji will be the Copra Shed Marina, Savu Savu Bay, on the island of Vanua Levu. We hear it is Cruisers Heaven. Looking forward to checking it out for ourselves.

It looks like we will be arriving in Fiji just in time to celebrate Doug's 60th birthday - yeah! Can't believe he will be 60 - he still looks like the sweet young guy I fell in love with over 34 years ago. Pretty amazing...

We took two road trips while we were visiting Savaii - it is a very beautiful island and the Samoan's so warm and friendly. It has been nice to be able to stay places long enough to really get to know the cruisers and the locals. We definitely like the slow pace. I promise to post lots of pictures once we get to Fiji and have cheap internet. Ah, the luxuries.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying a beautiful Fall!

PS: We are eating gourmet on this crossing. I made a batch of cinnamon rolls, a loaf of poppy seed bread, and Doug is baking up some pizzas - comfort food. Good thing we found that 5 pound bag of shredded Mozzarella - only $30US. Score!

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