As we approached Musket Cove, we were very concerned about the shallow waters and low-lying reefs that lay between us and the entrance to the harbor.  Right at that crucial moment, our fishing rod snapped to attention and the line went out like a shot!  Oh, no!  Not now!!!  As it turned out, this was the first time we had put out a line since my disastrous attempt at angling a few months ago and, wouldn’t you know it?  Pete caught a jackfish!  I learned how to filet it on the dock that afternoon and we cooked it on the grill that night.  Delicious!!! 

Musket Cove Resort is a step up from our normal port of call in that we’re all med-moored on the dock instead of at anchor or on a mooring ball and we have full use of the resort which is very cool.  They have several restaurants, a huge pool, a beautiful beach and a spa, which all the ladies on the Rally have been visiting repeatedly.  I myself enjoyed an 80 minute traditional Fijian “Bobo” massage which was heavenly!  There are steep hiking trails all around the island which Peter and I have attempted on three occasions and we’ve also walked about ¾’s of the way around the perimeter of the island until we ran out of beach and into the rocks.  The anchorage off the resort is the major gathering spot for yachties in the region and, at night, lots of folks come to the resort for dinner at the restaurants or with barbeque items to cook on the wood-fired grills that the resort provides free-of-charge.  We’ve met a lot of people this way and it’s a really nice gesture but, unfortunately, the wood smoke carries right over to the dock where all the BWR boats are tied up and, one time it got so bad that Camomile’s smoke detector went off!

Musket Cove is a great place for couples, families and especially honeymooners.  We saw several destination weddings held on the beach while we were here and it was really lovely.  They even have a sweet little chapel to use as an “ace in the hole” if the weather doesn’t cooperate on wedding day!

Although Peter and I missed the cultural experience of being among local Fijians at this stop, we can certainly recommend the resort to anyone looking for a great vacation.  There are a variety of accommodations but the one and two bedroom beachfront bungalows, called bure’s, were absolutely fabulous!

We left Musket Cove relaxed and refreshed but wishing we had more time to explore Fiji before heading off to Vanuatu.  However, we are now convinced that we have made the right decision to leave the Rally in Australia so that we can continue our adventure at a slower pace.  I’m sure there will be many tears when we actually say goodbye in Mackay towards the end of August but, it’s been a perfect way to “get our feet wet” in terms adapting to the cruising lifestyle and now we’re ready to go it alone and see the world at our own speed.

If we had it to do over again, we’d join the Rally in Antigua or the San Blas Islands, pass through the Panama Canal to Las Perlas, then onward to the Galapagos Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus, and then we would most likely leave the Rally in either Tahiti, (Papeete) in the French Society Islands or Fiji so that we could continue exploring the South Pacific at a much slower pace but we’ll discuss that theory at another time….

In the meanwhile, there’s still Vanuatu to discover with our BWR friends and the next email will describe our passage to Port Vila, on the island of Efate, Vanuatu and our travels to the north islands…before making the crossing to the “Land Down Under.”