17:10.30S 179:10.21W

Farr Gone Blog
Stuart Cannon
Tue 12 Jul 2011 08:07
A couple of entertaining days in Savu Savu, having met some real characters and learnt about such odd things as the geology of Fiji and the merits of superchargers (go figure) we are now, after the silly process of getting cruising permits and clearing out, half way to Leleuvia Island. The weather has been variable but mainly good. We just had a thirty knot squall pass over us though so I thought I'd take a break and update the blog while the boat takes care of itself for a few minutes. Wonderful things autopilots. Its 35 miles to the next reef so a couple of hours of inattention wont hurt, checking for other boats every now and again.
We left port around 4pm so that we arrive at the Moturiki channel at dawn, the reason being that there are plenty of coral heads to provide navigational challenges and night is just not right for that sort of thing.
The outstanding feature of Fiji so far has been the outstanding friendliness of the locals. I had to pay the Ministry of Health a fee for their inspection of the boat and I couldn't find it. I found a policeman who, after long discussions about Australia and football and a heartfelt welcome to Fiji filled me in on where to go and how to get there. A very kind man.
Jack is currently reclining on the couch, his favourite position and offering advice on how I can make this much more exciting. Apparently I should be mentioning killer squid and tsunami sized waves. Actually it is fairly rough and he is being very cheerful which is great. He has also restrung the guitar and it sounds much better and of course he is playing better than ever. Such a pleasure to hear.