20130726 Friday - Shan

Today starts overcast, warm but cloudy.  Lars has been studying his charts and has decided that Vanua Levu is our next destination.  Not one of the main islands but three small uninhabited volcanic formations covered by with trees and joined together by coral reefs and sandy beaches.

                          Camel Rock.                                                                                            Vanua Levu     

Carefully we navigate the reefs and find a sandy spot to anchor.  Soon we’re all in the water.  I just use a mask and fins and head for one of the sandy beaches.  As I make my way over the most incredibly coloured corals gleaming iridescent in the crystal clear water I wonder vaguely what the tide is doing, is it coming in or going out?

I find a sandy strip through the coral and drag myself onto the beach.  Bob soon arrives, closely followed by Lars.  Bob has found a cave in the rock formation and a grave.  Nothing tells us who or what is buried there even though it is decorated with shells and coral, even some Kava Root.

                           The Cave.                                                                                                and altar

We amble along the white coral sand checking out there Hermit Crabs and enjoying the warmth of the sun on our backs.  The men then decide its beer o’clock and now I realise that the tide was ebbing.  There are no sandy strips through the coral so I either have to float over it or stay marooned in the heat of the mid day sun.  Bob tries to encourage me and in a rather pathetic fashion I try and follow him until I scrape my back on some coral.  That’s it, no more.  Feeling a right ninny I refuse to take one more step and retreat to the beach.

                      Shan and lava lump                                                                                                    Hermit crab

My saviours return before long in the dinghy and manage to manoeuvre in towards the rock I’ve found to perch on.  As they approach so Thomas appears and saves my blushes by being grateful for a lift back to the boat as well.

We have a lazy afternoon, Bob shows us some of the fishy photos he has taken and is particularly proud of a new species he’s discovered.  I experience my first downpour, it doesn’t last long and soon we’re back on deck with our books.

                 Todays find.                                                                                               An Oriental Thicklip

We had a late Happy Hour before Thomas and I prepared dinner (steak, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and pepper sauce).  Bob and Lars edited the blog and added photos.  We finally retired for a rockie, rollie nights sleep at about 10.30 pm.

                              Shan Mrs Blog