Muskett Cove, Molololailai

Boundless 1
Richard Clennett
Sun 21 Aug 2011 09:05
Needless to say, we haven't yet departed Fiji! Weather during the week was
not good for our passage, so we decided to stay put and continue with boat
jobs while on the  mooring here. South to Southwest winds continued to blow
until two days ago with associated low cloud and intermittent rain, but
yesterday and today have been beautiful and we are told, more like Fiji
weather for this time of the year. There is much debate amongst cuisers
about the changing seasonal weather patterns worldwide. It has felt good to
shed the polar fleece and get back into swimsuits!
Strong easterly winds are forecast now until wednesday, so we are planning
to head off sometime midweek.
 The Muskett Cove Resort is a very friendly place and by paying the mooring
fee, we have access to all the facilities here (the resort owner Dick Smith
we have learnt is a Kiwi - not the Dick Smith we know of!).We have been on
several walks, swam in the pool, enjoyed a massage, had several meals ashore
and spent a few happy evenings having a drink with other cruising folk and
resort guests at the Ratu Nemani Island Bar. There is good snorkleing
whithin dinghy reach, so plenty to do. We have the advantage of going when
everyone else has gone back to the resort and we have been many times -  the
fish are brilliant (and they love dry biscuits!), the coral better than we have seen anywhere else across the Pacific to date.
We were shocked during the week to hear that the American yacht "RiRi"
(whose owner Frank we had met in the Galapagos - Geoff, John and Barb - you
may remember him ) which had apparently been on a mooring at Palmerston
Island - washed up on the reef, and later sank. Other yachts there at the time
helped Frank salvage what he could. Events seem unclear, but not a good
outcome.
We are heading back into Port Denarau Marina tomorow, with another list of
boat things to do! I have also been working on all the Australian entry
documentation, certainly the most rigorous we have come across.