A carload of women arrived on the wharf honking the horn in the hilux. We went ashore to find that they had organized a parting gift of coconuts and pawpaw. Another display of generosity unparalleled by anyone else we had met. I made sure we only took enough for the passage as I did not want to be taking the food off their tables. It was a cheery and tearful goodbye. They were enterprising women striving to make a future for the next generation and I felt the unspoken message, saw it in their eyes, a plea for help and for us to pass on the word about this amazing community and their plans to sustain their way of life. As we left them there on the rocky wharf I wondered who the next visitors would be and when they would arrive… I thought about the hardship of living in such a remote place and vowed to do something to help.
Once underway and clear of the reef we popped up the genaker (which is a cross between a genoa or jib and a spinnaker). The wind was behind us and we settled into the comfortable downhill ride. Duet, another catamaran, popped their spinnaker and Dol Selene ran along goosewinged. We spread out and for three days we dodged rain and squalls, pulling the genaker in at night and doing 8.5 to 9.5 knots during the daylight hours.
On the morning we sighted landfall we all rushed into the cockpit eager to see the new country. After a short silence Seisia was first to speak. “Looks just like Tonga” she said in a dry unenthusiastic voice. Duncan and I just cracked up laughing. I don’t know what she was expecting but it was more than a deserted island that’s for sure!
It took all that day and half the night to reach Savusavu, our next port of clearance. We passed Taveluni which if wasn’t covered in cloud would have revealed waterfalls cascading down to the sea. Just before the kids went to bed we crossed the 180 degrees longitude where it changed from 180 West to 180 East. Dol Selene appeared out of the darkness and we followed them into the bay. It always amazes me that you can leave the same time as someone, not see them for three days and then arrive at the same place and same time. As we rounded a light on the reef we caught a massive barracuda. Stripey and smelly with jaggered sharp teeth, this was one fish that was not welcome onboard!
No comments:
Post a Comment