FIJI: Savusavu

The passage to Fiji was one of our best: plenty of sunshine with steadily building winds and waves that came largely from behind, so they weren't uncomfortable and gave us a great push. It only took us 3 days to sail from Tonga to Fiji, and it would have been just 2 1/2 if we hadn't slowed down to avoid a night arrival (coming in to an unknown place in the dark is a cruising no-no). What combination of luck and skill brought us to Savusavu at exactly our target time?

It's a good thing we arrived when we did, too. Following us in was a weather pattern that brought two solid weeks of high winds, then rain that increased to torrential levels. It was unsafe to sail anywhere in Fiji, so everyone was stuck wherever they were--in our case, Savusavu (on the north island of Vanua Levu).

Second Wind (center) at Savusavu

After the cultural unity of Tonga, Fiji's eclectic ethnic mix was a significant change. One of the fun aspects of cruising is trying a variety of local foods; in Fiji, the two predominant cultures--indigenous Fijian and Indian--each have delicious offerings, all of them inexpensive. As one would expect, curries (always a favorite of mine) were widely available. Fijian dishes emphasize fish in coconut milk: steamed chunks of fish (skin and bones included) are served "in lolo" (coconut broth) or "with miti" (spicy coconut milk, served room temperature because of its inherent heat). Both were terrific!

Typical street scene

Simple surroundings with fabulous food

In addition to a change in local culture, we immediately noticed a change in the cruising culture as well. All across the Pacific we encountered people doing exactly what we're doing: heading west on their first (and for almost everyone, their last) trip to New Zealand or Australia. We were exploring together, with much in common and much to share. Though we have met a few well-off crews, by far the majority are people like us, who sold everything to make this dream happen. They are--or were--electricians, mechanics, engineers, teachers: self-sufficient problem solvers willing and able to do the gritty work it takes to keep a cruising boat functional.

That character profile didn't change in Fiji, but the experience level did. Many one-way cruisers either headed to New Zealand from Tonga, or were bound for Australia to sell their boat. Savusavu was populated with long-term cruisers, people who'd been living aboard for many years. Some traversed a large swath of the southwest Pacific, some had been all over the world. Returning to Seattle, our experience would seem formidable; here, we are newbies! We picked up lots of tricks, but mostly just enjoyed their awe-inspiring stories.

It occurred to me that there's a difference of purpose as well. One-timers' goals are adventure, exploration, challenge. I suspect the long-timers' main motivation is Freedom...

A gallery of other enjoyable sights and activities in Savusavu:

As always, we made regular trips to the grower's market

Kava is sold at the market, both for personal use and to take as gifts to outlying villages; kava ceremonies are an integral part of traditional Fiji culture.

A reminder of how these islands were born: hot springs bubble up to ground level right in town. Local women place pots in the water to cook meals, seen here covered with burlap bags (the pots, not the women! they do other chores while the food is cooking).  Children from the kindergarten next door were having recess when we visited. This would not pass US safety codes...

...nor would this!  The knife dance (and yes, the knife is real and large) is a traditional solo male dance in Tonga and Fiji. The knife is treated as a baton, twirled and swirled and tossed. (Fire dances are performed in a similar fashion.) This young boy was clearly thrilled to be in the spotlight with his skills!

For the first time in a long while, I was in the spotlight too. The delightful woman who manages the marina asked me to give a violin performance--and even though I'm out of shape (I do practice, but I'm nowhere near my normal playing level) and the instrument isn't good quality, for some reason I agreed. (I guess I figured no matter what came out, it would be better than any other live violin music anyone had heard recently--since that would be none...)

It was a dark & stormy night, after over a week of dark & stormy nights. Who would want to don foul weather gear and come ashore in a dinghy to hear classical violin? It turned out, lots of people did! The casual atmosphere was ideal: I gave a patter of background info for the excerpts I'd selected, while guests enjoyed beer & wine & finger food. We all had fun, and it felt gratifying to do in this life what I do in my other life: connect people with Music.

The music wasn't improvised, but the setup was:
no music stand, so music was taped to a bar table;
no lighting, so Stage Manager Art kept a flashlight going

And a few other images:

Steam rising where the hot springs water meets the sea

A 'swimming raft' (used for fun) kept near the shore

Farewell to Waitui Marina, as soon as the weather cleared
(a ramshackle building, but the personnel were fantastic!)