Musket Cove again

Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Fri 19 Jul 2013 07:27
Pos 17:46.31S 177:11.33E 

 

20130719 Friday

 

We go ashore to settle our bill and get our Yacht Club membership cards that we had paid for on our last visit but failed to materialise. After a long wait and a beer we get two cards as they only issue two to a boat! By now we’d given up hope they even existed so we supped up returned to the yacht and set sail for Muscat Cove 30nm North West of here.

 

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                         Robinson Crusoe Resort

 

Lunch time and Tonton found a plastic supermarket bag holding two dozen eggs in the main saloon book shelf. The smell was gagging as the cracked and rotten, sun cooked contents we removed, at last we’d found the dead rat smell that had evaded us for the last couple of months. I’m sure we could have sold them to some Chinese gourmet as hundred year olds and made a few dollars!

 

Clearing the reef the seas had settled to a long low swell with little wind as we motored out. When we re-entered the barrier reef at Navula Passage we searched the hillside for the guns of Mona Point that guarded this strategic entrance during the war and which we had visited from landward.

 

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                                Reef passage  

 

We managed to spot them despite their camouflage which no doubt would have been a little better in wartime, their black oblong shape stood out unnaturally on the hillside, but we’ve no doubt they would have been a quite a formidable piece of weaponry controlling the only entry through the natural defences of the barrier reef.

 

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                      Spot the Battery.                                                                                            Where it points.

 

Proceeding up the channel we pass several ships heading towards us. On the small island resorts we pass many of the smaller tour boats are anchored having delivered their charges to the sandy beaches. The wind drops to a whisper and now inside the reefs again the sea is flat with slight swell to bob us up and down gently.

 

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                           Pilot boat.                                                                                                                    Tanker.

 

Approaching the passage to Musket Cove the sea becomes glass making it impossible to spot the reefs. Ahead of us a landing craft is going in our direction so we can use his route as guide. Additionally, as we have been here before, we have some ideas of the inaccuracies of the charts and what Marks are available.

 

The bay if full of sailing yachts of all sizes including two large motor yachts. Shouts of, “Go Away” from one signifies we’ve found our old Aussie drinking partners from Port Denarau. In the distance we can see our American friends in their catamaran, “Morning Glory” who, due to yesterday’s bad weather came in here for shelter on the way to Port Denarau.

 

The Sun is desperately trying to poke through the clouds and the temperature is back to a more normal at 29C after yesterdays near freezing 24C when I had to put a T-Shirt on during the day! We’re definitely on the right side of the islands.

 

Going ashore to give Tonton a quick recce and to dump our rubbish we head to the “Yachties” bar on its own little island on the way into the marina. The Bar-b-ques by the bar have been fired up for those who want to bring and cook their own and seem well subscribed to.

 

We have other plans and will be eating aboard tonight.

 

Bob the Blog