World Cup Rugby has begun and we are in a rugby-mad part of the world. For those who aren’t in the know, it’s taking place in New Zealand this year and Fiji is quite an avid rugby playing nation while South Africa is the reigning champion, so….. let’s see if we can find a TV set somewhere.
We left Qamea and sailed back to Mate on Taveuni in order to buy a few provisions and search for that TV. Well, what better locale than a neighbourhood bar serving pizza and to make it even more exciting, Fiji was playing. We decided ‘when in Rome’ so cheered on the Fijians who gave a convincing win over Namibia. I think we were more excited than the local crowd but then we haven’t seen TV for so long, not to mention a rugby game, so it was quite something for us. We were with our friends, Kim & Jim from Auspice who are Americans but Jim is sports mad and was really keen to watch and learn.
Off the next morning to a tiny atoll northwest; Nukumgasanga. I defy you to find this one on
Google Earth – you won’t, it’s just too remote and too damned small. We had no decent charts or information but this is where the chaps from Qamea are diving up the sea cucumbers so we decided to have a look-see. Talk about the road less travelled – this is most definitely off the standard route.
Upon arrival, we found two gorgeous islands and the scariest maze of coral heads through which we had to wend our way to the inner lagoon to anchor. I will take a bet that no keel boats have ever anchored there before. We followed one of the dive boats in twisting and turning through tiny channels with coral ‘bommies’ everywhere. A tad nerve-wracking to say the least but, once inside, we safely anchored in five metres with a sandy bottom.
The chaps had set up a temporary camp and had a large dive compressor so we were able to go for a dive and have our cylinders filled – what a luxury. For trade, we gave them water – fair deal, water for air!
Paul had caught a really nice sized tuna en route as well as a barracuda so we gave the latter to them too. The tuna went a long way to replenishing the freezer.
Our strolls around the islands were delightful. There were nesting birds everywhere, primarily boobies and frigates with their oh so cute fluffy babies. We learned later that these islands had been overrun with rats until quite recently. The Fijian government sent in a couple of helicopters which sprayed poison and, voilá, no more rats, leaving it a safe and sheltered nesting ground for the birds. They are now protected bird sanctuaries.
The only negative was that it was so rolly that I suffered a little with regards to sleep (Paul sleeps through anything) so after five days, we gathered up our nerves to wind our way back out through the labyrinth with Paul up at the bow and me on the helm with very shaky knees, sucking in breath trying to make Calypso thinner. We didn’t hit a thing but some of those coral heads were mighty close!
Once clear, we had a wonderful sail crossing right through Ringgold Reef and on over to Budd Reef.
PHOTO ALBUM:
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| Oco selecting drinking coconuts |
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| And us enjoying them |
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| Baby Frigate |
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| Only a few days old |
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| You've got to admit -I'm cute! |
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| Family resemblance? |
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