Nawaks Three short weeks in Fiji and then it was time to leave…

Stuck in Savusavu, their port of entry, because it was the National Holiday, the crew of Nawaks had to be patient before obtaining their sailing permit.

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Published 03/02/2023

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 188

Published: mar. / apr. 2023

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Who: Anne-Sophie and Loïc, Océane (10 years old), Eléonore (7 years old)
Where: Fidji
Multihull: Outremer 45 (first generation)
Facebook : @Nawaks.outremer.45

Three weeks already. How time flies! The day that we did our clearance was followed a long 4-day weekend with Friday and Monday being holidays to celebrate the National Day. We were not allowed to sail, and we therefore used the time to visit the surroundings: the city, a waterfall and some hot springs close to the harbor, in which the inhabitants cook their meals. Once we got the precious sailing permit, we set off to explore the country. Well just a small part of it, because Fiji is big! We sailed to the southwest, and on our first stop, we discovered the incredible beauty of the seabed - the quality of the corals is far superior to anything we had seen in Polynesia. Snorkeling offers a truly magnificent spectacle. But we soon had to find shelter, as the weather forecast was announcing a strong north-west wind, which needs to be taken seriously in these parts. We had a few options available to us. So we headed to the north of the main island, where we found some lovely anchorages, which revealed all their beauty in the first rays of sunshine. Then the wind returned to its usual direction, and we set out for the northwest of Fiji, and the Yasawa archipelago. Sailing is very comfortable there because the sea is calm. We still had to deal with the coral, which made some of the long tacks a little more spicy! Good route preparation, maneuvers and vigilance, were the ideal combination for ensuring that we had a good time. In each new village, it is traditional to offer kava to the chief and to perform the Sevu Sevu ceremony. Kava is the root of a local pepper tree. As for the associated ceremony, there are incantations and hand clapping. The village chief would end up welcoming us and allowing us to stay in the village. The villagers grind the kava, add water and drink it. This drink has relaxing, anesthetic, hypnotic and perhaps anti-depressive properties. As we have not tested it, we cannot confirm or deny these claims!