It has been said that an accurate description of cruising is "fixing your boat in exotic places".  Unsurprisingly, like anything that is left sitting around in something as corrosive as salt water - some systems on Navara were due to a little TLC and Savu Savu on the northern island of Vanua Levu had everything we needed.

After new hoses, fittings, and re-gassing of our fridge/freezer, the full range of oil and filter changes, multiple dinghy trips to jerry can diesel,outboard petrol and water out to Navara and raids to the market for fresh fruit and veggies - almost a couple of weeks have slipped past in Savu Savu.  There is also a reasonable ex-pat community here, and we had to smile hearing how a Taranaki family here on a 5 year work contract were still adjusting to "Fiji time" as they wait for months for their shipping container to arrive.  Initially they were concerned that all their kids toys were in the container and their absence wouldn't help they kids acclimatise to their new lives.  however, when supplied with the staple "toys" of all 9 year old Fiji boys- being a cane knife (machete), pocket knife and a rugby ball - the kid was totally uninterested in the whereabouts of his previous belongings and commented that they were all a bit lame anyway. :-). With our re- supplying and maintenance completed, it's time to run south with the trades.

Now we've been through the more distant and under-developed islands of the Southern and Northern Lau - it's a very different kind of trip now.  The islands have roads, cars, hot water, flushing toilets, restaurants and bars and resorts (and that means washing machines - yay!!). I'm not sure how many cross legged on the mats dinners and afternoon teas with charming, generous people who clearly find us a novelty we'll be having now.

Navara will be on the move every few days as we head south to Musket Cove for regatta week in midSeptember.  Regardless of any of the sailing events, regatta week is the Fiji cruisers equivalent of "the meeting of the clans" where you are bound to see just about everyone you may have shared an anchorage with in the last 5 months.

We'll keep the position chart on this blog site updated (although you have to zoom in now as google really doesn't like the number of times we've crossed the east/west meridian).  Were not entirely sure of our route to Musket Cove as with all cruisers our plans are "set in jelly" or as carl likes to say..... "we've got no plans and were sticking to them"!!

We hear spring is coming early in the shakey land of the long white cloud - something for everyone to look forward to ( spring that is).

All the best and lots of luv
Linda and Carl