Western Fiji

NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Thu 21 Jul 2005 06:03
 
Some gentle times in the Southern Yasawa Group
 
 
Musket Cove
21st July 2005
 
 
It was never our intention to cruise the Yasawa Group this year but after being joined by Patrick my nephew who had flown to Nadi tired and worn down after his final term at Cambridge we decided to settle in Musket Cove for a few days.  The sun shone, the wind was gentle and Patrick slowly got used to the time change and life on Nordlys.  Apparently Cambridge College rooms are cleaned and tidied by someone called a 'Bedder'.  Such a person is not present on Nordlys and I think he misses her greatly!  However he did have much fun doing a PADI open water diving course while I passed the time doing several two tank dives on the outer reefs with friends.  In true yachtie style we 'negotiated' a rate with the local dive outfit.  In this way yachties and aircrew have a lot in common.  Both sets of people always fight tooth and nail for a good deal.  Life was social as there were many long term friends doing much the same.
 
All good things must come to and end and we decided that we would go north for a few days.  Calm winds prevailed and Patrick was able to get a good insight into Fijian Island village life including a Sevu Sevu.  Unfortunately he also got a lot of experience of rolly anchorages as there was an annoying SW swell which kept us up many hours tracing noises aboard as the old girl rolled rather too much for comfort.  He slept through most of this, we did not.  In the north of Naviti we found the lagoon and the WWII fighter that ditched there.  After some sixty plus years the fuselage, wings and engine are still very visible in about four meters of water.  The nose cone and one blade of the propeller are also there some fifty meters away.  The aircraft is a P39 readily recognised because of the engine being behind the cockpit not in front as in most fighters of the time.  Lots of reef navigation and after one short passage where I stupidly felt we were okay with the sun in front of us as we had done the same bit last year and Patrick very much understood why such actions are to be avoided.  I hasten to add that we did not bump anything but we did find it necessary to come to a halt to sort the situation out.
 
Back in Musket Cove we are now in the hands of the weather gods again.  Instead of being on our way to New Caledonia we are sitting here with 25 to 30 knots of wind blowing from the SE.  This would give us a beam wind of at least thirty knots and as there is a high coming off Queensland the isobars are going to be squeezed further in the next few days.  The easy lotus life of book reading and swimming plus the odd evening drink will just have to continue.
 
When things have changed and there is more of interest to write about I will pound the keys again.  Meanwhile all the best from a very relaxed and rather idle Nordlys and her crew.
 
A typical village house with  almost Marquesan style hills behind this village on Waya
 
One problem of the Fijian islands.  What looks like marvellous walking country is not so.
 
Not alas me on left base for runway 12 but puffed having climbed the hill behind the
Musket Cove anchorage/resort.  Nordlys is the second from the left.  It is low water.
 
Musket Cove and its many reefs.  The Mainland as it is know, i.e. Viti Levu in the background