Natadola - R n' B in da' house
Quartermoon
Mike Share & Sammy Byron
Sat 18 Sep 2010 23:06
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Denerau is
the first marina we've stayed in
since Panama so we were a little excited for fresh water and a shower! However
that would have to wait as no sooner had Jez left than Rich and Bel arrived down
South in Natadola. We had planned to sail down to meet them but the lack of wind
would have meant 6 hours of motoring. Additionally the limited information
we could get on the bay was that it had no shelter for the trade winds and could
be unprotected in big swells - not ideal for leaving a yacht when you're trying
to relax ashore.
We decided to go South by road and have a well deserved mini-holiday. Some
of you may think that this trip is a permanent holiday but it can actually
be pretty stressful. It really felt like the first time we were leaving the
house in about 8 months.
Rich & Bel were staying in a very nice resort on the beach and it was
great to see them. It's so nice to share part of the adventure with friends and
family along the way. They had managed to find us a beautiful little bure on the
beach about a 5 minute walk from where they were staying - a traditional
thatched cottage with a rectangular, flat, stable bed that you can walk around.
Imagine that! It also had a deck out front looking straight onto the beach with
some sun beds and virtually no one else around. A non-rolling Paradise!
 The resort welcomed us with $2.50USD G&T's and a Kava ceremony whilst
watching the sunset on the beach. We met an interesting employee/local Savage
who was clearly into his Cava (in fact that's all he spoke about whenever we saw
him over the next 2 days!) who filled us in on local history and tradition
whilst plying us with the dirty vile water they consider a valid alternative to
beer.
 We spent the next few days swimming in the infinity pool, eating Western
junk food, snorkeling and enjoying happy hour with Rich & Bel. It was so
nice to switch off whilst knowing the boat was somewhere safe yet almost
pleasantly out of sight. We could both feel ourselves unwinding from the
constant stresses of life onboard. Rich & I took kayaks out in the surf and
had fun trying to run down surfers. Kind of ironic as I used to hate kayakers
getting anywhere near me in the surf! The girls pretty well lay down for 3 days
straight, reading trashy magasines and sleeping. And somehow they still stay
slimmer than us!
 Rich & Bel came back to Denerau Marina with us and we showed them the
boat and went out for Tapas. It was great seeing them; we had a lot of fun in
just a few days and it did us both the world of good.
 Today was back to reality - filling up with water & diesel, fixing
things, cleaning, food shopping and generally preparing for the next passage (a
short hop at 520nm) to Tanna in Vanuatu to meet Emma.
Bon Nuit
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