Fishing Savusavu

Flooding In Fiji

2012-01-25T19:05:00.003+12:00

For the last week we have been experiencing a lot of rain over the Fiji Islands, then on Sunday, a tropical depression got closer to the group. bringing a lot more heaver rain.

From Monday, towns & villages began to flood, & by Tuesday, Nadi town & other towns near by were evacuated.

We were fortunate in Savusavu, flooding wasn't as bad.
We had our heaviest rain on Sunday & it eased off before high tide, so the water was able to recede a little before the tide was at it's highest. avoiding a lot more flooding.

Labasa wasn't as fortunate the town & settlements were flooded & there were slips, closing the Labasa/Savusavu highway.

Not a good start to the school year, schools on the western side of Viti Levu are still closed because of the flooding, but all schools in Savusavu are open.

Felt sorry for all the tourist holidaying in Fiji, it hasn't been pleasant for them, met a few in town looking at changing their flights, but flights had been cancelled because of the weather, so they just had to sit it out.

Adding a photo from my file. of a Sun rise, just to remind me what the Sun looks like!

Savusavu Sunrise

2012-01-18T08:00:00.003+13:00

What beautiful sunrises we have had the last few mornings, the rain showers have eased for a little while, giving the ground time to dry out.

There have been some wonderful displays of lightening from our porch at night, glade it is a distance away, but looks great on the water.

The town is abuzz with school children gearing up for the beginning of the School year, which starts next week, the shops are busy with families buying new school uniforms & school books.

Daylight saving ends for us on Sunday, this is great for the school children setting off for school, more light to prepare for school in.

Haven't been out for a little while, the fishing reports haven't been too great, could be the thunder & lightening that is scaring off the fish?

New Years Eve 2011

2011-12-31T18:59:00.003+13:00

New Years Eve 2011, where has the year gone?

We have been having such wonderful weather, hot sunny days, calm seas & a nice cooling breeze in the evenings.

Town was still pretty busy as we passed through at 5.00pm, guess people were doing some last minute shopping before the holiday break.

A very Happy New Years to everyone, & best wishes for a prosperous 2012.

Happy Fishing

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T07:09:00.003+13:00

Left the dock around 6am, looks like it is going to be a nice morning, hopefully the rain will hold off until we get back in.

The sun was just appearing on the horizon when we got to the lighthouse, what a beautiful sight.

As we got closer to the mount there was a few birds flying around, there were fish around but again, it looked like what we call Salala, too small to take any of the lures we have out.

After working around them, decided to go elsewhere, & see if we could find the Yellowfin.

We saw a shark where bait fish were working so moved away, then we got a double strike, oh I thought, Shark, thank goodness it wasn't, it was Yellowfin Tuna,

We ended up with 10 Yellowfin & think the guest were happy, only wish the Mahimahi we saw could have hooked up, would have made a change to catching Yellowfin.

Just as we got the guests & fish off at the dock, the rain came, well at least we won't have to wash down.

Merry Christmas to every one.

Savusavu Kids Sailing

2011-12-18T12:31:00.003+13:00

Last weekend Savusavu Kids Sailing club were host for the Fiji National Sailing competition.

The first few hours of Friday's start saw a delay, as there wasn't enough wind, eventually they were able to do some of the races, with the rest done on Saturday.

It was a fun two days for all the sailors, all having a lot of fun.

On the Sunday, there was a lovo & prize giving held at a local Plantation.
Savusavu team came away winners at the end of the day, good one Savusavu.

The visitors returned to Suva on the local ferry on Sunday night.
It was nice to see the new reclamation being used so quickly.

New Development For Savusavu

2011-12-13T17:26:00.003+13:00

Work began last week on the reclamation of the foreshore beside the Copra Shed Marina.

The Savusavu Kids sailing club will move along, onto the new area, & a Children's park will be relocated next to that.

This new area will open up a whole lot more space for when the Cruise Ships & Yachting regattas visit Savusavu, therefore making Savusavu a lot more attractive for visitors.

Beautiful Day For Dawn Princess

2011-12-07T13:46:00.003+13:00

This morning we awoke to a lovely sunrise, looks like we are going to have another clear day.

Yesterday was also a hot sunny day for the passengers off Dawn Princess, so once again they were able to enjoy our little town in pleasant conditions..

There seemed to be more younger people on board this trip, saw groups of them doing water activities as we came up the Nakama Creek.

I was able to get a shot of Dawn Princess as we came back into the Savusavu harbour, she looked a real lovely picture with all the hills as her backdrop.

Dere Bay Koro Island

2011-12-02T07:26:00.003+13:00

The weather seemed a little more settled so we accepted a charter to take workers to Koro for a job.

All night the wind blew & didn't ease until about 3.30am, so we knew it was going to be a rough trip.

When we got to the boat about 5.30 everything looked calm & the sun was starting to rise so we thought maybe it won't be that bad.

I think we were just kidding ourselves, just as we approached the Savusavu entrance we could see how rough it was, 10 mins out ,Terry had to pull back & travel at about 10knots.

We hit some pretty big swells, & poor Searov groaned as she came off them.

Traveling at this speed slowed us down & added another 20 or so mins to the trip, but was a better ride.

Once at Dere Bay, the workers were off to do their job & Terry set about doing his boat & engine checks, then we went up to the lovely bure at the top of the walkway & relaxed until the workers came back.

The trip back was a different story, it took us under 2 hrs, some times it felt as if we were nearly flying!

Rain & More Rain

2011-11-20T13:51:00.004+13:00

Over the last few weeks we have had a awful lot of rain, unfortunately this week even more heaver rainfall was experienced, causing a few land slips.

Most of the slips happened just at dawn so people were able to see it happening.

Fortunately for one family they were able to get out of their house, before it started to slide, a huge portion of the hillside at the back of the house came down & pushed the house off it's foundations.

We are still waiting on the repair on our alternator to be done, this has already taken 3 weeks +, now the part can't be found in Fiji so have to send overseas for one, guess there has to be a down side to living in the place called "Hidden Paradise"?

We have had a few hours of sunshine today so with any luck the ground will start to dry out, good weather for the garden though.

Dawn Princess Visits Savusavu Again

2011-11-09T18:10:00.003+13:00

It looked like Dawn Princess's visit to Savusavu today was going to be a wet one.

It had rained off & on yesterday & we had very heavy showers most of the night.

As I loaded the car with flowers to decorate the Copra Shed Marina this morning, where the passengers would be disembarking, another heavy rain shower passed through.

Fortunately by the time the first load of passengers arrived at the dock the sun was out, & it turned out to be a lovely day after all, with the rain holding off for the whole day.

This afternoon there were a lot of happy passengers at the Yacht Club, listening to the band & enjoying a nice cold drink.

Savusavu

2011-11-04T13:26:00.003+13:00

The weather in Savusavu has been lovely over the last week or so, hot sunny days & beautiful calm seas.

We haven't been out to sea lately, have been working on the property, trimming trees & plants. in case we get a cyclone early.

We lost so many banana & coconut trees in the last cyclone, so taking precautions.

I did manage to find a couple of fishing photos I had forgotten to put up.

Daylight savings started a couple of weeks ago, the body & mind is still trying to catch up on the hour we lost.

So now we are a hour ahead of normal time, making us the same time as New Zealand .

Sunrise in Savusavu

2011-10-24T19:00:00.003+13:00

Got up this morning to a beautiful sunrise, lovely view from my deck.

Watched the final of the Rugby world cup last night, we were sitting on the edge of our seats for the last 10 mins, wishing the All Blacks would win, & yes they did by a margin of 1, final score 8/7.

Winds are still fairly strong & looking out across the waters, there are a few large white caps to be seen, so we won't be venturing out just yet.

There are so many bananas getting ripe at the moment, running out of things to do with them, Terry had to strap a bunch to his back as it was so big to carry up.

Pineapples are getting bigger so it won't be long before we are able to pick them also.

Savusavu's Latest Visitors

2011-10-18T11:05:00.005+12:00

The visiting yachts into Savusavu are getting few & far between, most have left Fiji, as we come into Cyclone season.

There have been a couple come in this month to get water & stores before heading away.

Weather has been really hot in the mornings with rain showers in the afternoon to cool it down.

Dawn Princess In Savusavu

2011-10-13T12:34:00.003+12:00

Luckily it is a lovely day in Savusavu to welcome Dawn Princess & all her passengers into Savusavu, hope they all have a wonderful day.

After all the rain we have been having, everyone is thankful for the nice clear day.

It was a very busy early morning in town with all the shop venders setting up stalls along the main road outside the Copra Shed Marina.

All the passengers disembark at the Marina, so everyone wants the best position.

There was a little light entertainment this morning as the band did a march through town on their way to the park.

They stopped just outside the Marina to do a few items for the visitors, that was most entertaining, & a pleasant break for the tourist.

Fiji Day In Savusavu

2011-10-10T13:02:00.001+12:00

Celebrations are being held all round Fiji this weekend for Fiji Day, it was once called Cession Day week end, in remembrances of when Fiji was ceded to Great Britain.

When Fiji gained Independence in 1970 it was renamed Fiji Day.

There were many things organised in Savusavu over this long weekend, the major one being. The Savusavu Outrigger Cup computation.

Paddlers from around Fiji descended on Savusavu for the four day computation.

Unfortunately the weather hasn't been the best, we have had a lot of rain, & especially today, it started off as a beautiful morning, but by midday heavy rain & strong winds have been experienced all over.

The Paddlers hadn't started races when we passed Daku Resort, on the way back to the Copra Shed, people & outriggers were all set up on the beach in front of the resort.

Caught a nice 17kg Wahoo this morning before the weather changed.

New Ferry for Savusavu

2011-09-29T07:27:00.004+12:00

We had a fair bit of rain yesterday afternoon, but this morning it has all cleared so now we have sunshine & blue skies.
That rain was good for the garden & water tanks though.

We had Searov on the hard yesterday, trying to decide whether to anti foul her or just scrubbed the bottom, well thank goodness Terry just scrubbed, the paint wouldn't have dried in that rain.

Another shipping company has started servicing Savusavu, hopefully it will bring in more competition so we will get a better service from Suva.

Sometimes the shops run out of basic items because of the breakdown in the shipping services. The cargo & trucks that comes on these ferry's also service the town of Labasa.

Savusavu has been very quiet not many tourist around, with luck the cruise boat expected next month will bring in some revenue for the town.

Dere Bay Resort Koro

2011-09-22T08:03:00.003+12:00

The weather over the last week, for land lovers has been wonderful, sunshine & a good strong breeze to keep the temperature down.

For boat owners wanting to go out, the winds were pretty strong, the sea rough with some good swells.

Fortunately we got a break in the weather on Friday, so was able to take people over to Koro to look at a site, for a client wishing to build on Koro.

We hadn't been to Koro for over a year, when David first bought the property, over 16 years ago, we had lots of trips over with David to show off the lots to clients.

Since then a resort & many houses have been built on the once Copra Plantation.

When we first started taking clients over, in those days they were mostly Americans, they would fly in from overseas, spend the night at the Hot Springs Hotel, go over early in the morning to spend a few hours looking around the sites, then we would ferry them back to Savusavu & Hot Springs Hotel.

Savusavu Hot Springs Hotel, sit on a hill overlooking Savusavu Bay so has one of the best views of the bay, & is just a short walk into town.

Sometimes the clients would want to spend a few days on the Island, so we would just drop them off & head back home, fishing on the way back.
The resort has its own boat now, so ferry their own clients back & forth.

Savusavu Fog

2011-09-08T07:04:00.003+12:00

Awoke this morning to find fog all around the hills near us.

A couple of hours later & the sun is out & it is another beautiful day in Paradise.

We have had a fair bit of rain over the last few days, so water tanks are overflowing once again.

I had done some more planting of flower cuttings, so was glade of the rain, saves walking around with buckets of water.

Savusavu was in the news this week, for a stabbing incident at a local supermarket. Not something we want to be in the news for though.

Savusavu held Coconut Day on Friday at the grounds at the back of the market, a day of entertainment & where planters, villagers & locals, were able to show off all the produce that are made from the coconuts & the different parts of the tree.

There was a group of women from one of the villages, that are producing pure virgin coconut oil, & making a living out of it.

Another Super Yacht in Savusavu

2011-08-31T11:48:00.004+12:00

Yet again Savusavu sees another Super Yacht visit.

The Catatac based out of Australia,was berthed at the Copra Shed Marina for a few days.

Lots of things happen around Savusavu, one morning, saw a Seaplane being towed from her mooring to the fuel dock to fill up, before carrying on with her flight.

Caught another Seaplane taking off from Cousteau Resort, after dropping off her passengers.

The four young Savusavu sailors are competing in The Pacific Games in Noumea this week, another Savusavu person, Skye Eden (Tim & Lorna's daughter) got bronze in her swimming race last night. Congratulation Skye.

Savusavu Fish

2011-08-22T12:28:00.003+12:00

The last few days, have been nice & cool, the sun is out & we have a strong breeze blowing to keep us cool.

The four sailors from the Savusavu Kids sailing club & Geoff, left last night on their way to Suva, then onto Noumea, to represent Fiji, in the south Pacific Games.

We wish them all, the very best of luck

A few new yachts have entered the port over the last week, & a couple of Super Yachts have also called in for supplies.

It is the school holidays in Fiji at the moment, it is also the start of the Hibiscus Festival in Suva, so a few families are, taking this opportunity to travel into Suva for a break.

Saw a rainbow on the way out on a fairly cloudy morning.

Super Yachts Visiting Savusavu

2011-08-07T19:17:00.002+12:00

Over the last month or so we have had a few Super Yachts visiting our port, some to get clearance so to continue visiting other parts of Fiji.

Some as a point to be, to pick up their passengers, what ever the reason, it has given us a chance to see how the other half travel.

The latest to grace our shores was the Mayan Queen, this was some vessel! Unfortunately I didn't get a photo, she was a sight to see at night, all lit up beside Nawai Island.

Googled her & saw a photo of her sailing up the Thames.

It is still blowing 20-25knts so haven't been able to get out fishing. Hopefully it will ease up soon.

Savusavu Parade

2011-07-31T16:59:00.003+12:00

Haven't been able to take the boat out this week, weather wasn't favourable, rain & strong winds.

Finally today the winds have eased & the sun is out, now the grounds will have a chance to dry out.

Last week Savusavu celebrated with Library Week & Savusavu on Sale.

There was a march through town on Friday with the children dressed up in fancy dress, each picking a character from their favourite book. I had to forget my camera, today of all days.

On the Saturday morning there was a band that marched through town to the park, followed by a few floats.

It was good to see the shoppers waving & clapping as the parade passed by.

Pacific Pearl in Savusavu

2011-07-22T17:34:00.003+12:00

What a beautiful morning it was for the visit of Pacific Pearl to our town.

I arrived at the Copra Shed to decorate the place before 6.am, & already the stall owners were busy setting up tables along the road, leading to the Copra Shed.

There was a hive of activity as each was trying to get the best position, closes to the entrance to the Copra Shed.

Passengers disembark here, & it is also where they catch the buses out to the different tours that have been organized for them.

The feedback from people is good, they were able to show of their handcraft & earn some much needed money.

Old Timer in Savusavu

2011-07-18T07:44:00.002+12:00

On our way out on one of the fishing charters a week ago, we passed this lovely old sailing ship just leaving it's anchorage, on it's way to visit other Islands in the Fiji Group.

What a beautiful old sailing vessel she is.

Fishing In Savusavu

2011-07-11T18:40:00.003+12:00

At last it is good to report that the fish are back.
Had a charter on Wednesday from a Family of 4 from the States.

Heading out that morning, Terry & I were a little worried, as the fish haven't been in the usual places.

Anyway, as we approached the mount I could see birds in the distance, & soon the fish were taking the lures.

We had a few double strikes, small Yellowfin tuna, then the outer line went off with a bang, & a Marlin had taken the lure, soon it was jumping out of the water, but then it threw the hook.

Everyone was a bit disappointed but a few minutes later, the line went off again.
We all thought the Marlin had come back, this time it went straight down, so now the work to bring it back to the surface began.

It took about 15 mins to get it to the surface, a nice Yellowfin Tuna close to 20kg.
We caught another Yellowfin 15kg & a lot of the smaller ones.

Soon we were heading home, on the way in we lost a Mahimahi, but caught another Yellowfin 12kg just as we came in the entrance.

The Family were very happy with the fish, it was going to be fish on the menu for a few days I think?

ICA Yachts Arrive In Savusavu

2011-07-03T12:25:00.004+12:00

I am a little late putting this up, the yachts in the ICA Regatta arrived into Savusavu from Tonga on 23rd of June

There was a welcome held at the Savusavu Yacht Club on the Friday night, then on Sunday a Lovo (food cooked in a ground oven)was held at one of the local Plantations, for members of the cruising fleet & fellow club members.

Fortunately the rain held off until the food had been served & everyone had sampled the lovely lunch.

Yesterday morning most of the fleet left Savusavu to continue their sail around the Pacific Islands.

We were out on the water yesterday so was fortunate to see most of the boats out on the horizon as they left Savusavu harbour.

Fishing Boat at Savusavu Wharf

2011-06-18T09:23:00.003+12:00

The weather here is Savusavu has been really lovely, hot sunny days & cool nights, haven't had much rain lately so for the likes of us that get our water supply from our roof catchment, are getting a little worried.

Were talking to a friend that operates a Game Fishing charter business on Viti Levu, apparently they are facing the same problem as us, lack of fish being caught on charters, thank goodness it isn't just us in Savusavu that are having this problem.

We ventured out the other day to see if the fish had returned, managed to get 4 small yellowfin tuna & 1 skippy,
Nothing really was working again, we were just fortunate to be in the spot when the yellowfin surfaced.

On the way in Tui Tai was anchored out in front of Cousteau, for a snorkel before they left for their week away cruising the Islands.
Anchored at Savusavu main wharf, was one of the fishing boats that spend time at the fishing spots taking Tuna.

Yachts is Savusavu

2011-06-12T14:36:00.002+12:00

It is that time of year again, when the Yachts from all over the world start arriving into Savusavu for the start of the Yachting season.

Most come from New Zealand, & Australia, but many a time there has been ones from much further away.

On my way over on Pacific Sun from Nadi, I saw a lot of development from the plane as we flew out of Nadi, this is a good sign, shows people are still investing here.

It is a long week end in Fiji, as we celebrate the Queens Birthday, there is a big soccer tournament on in Viti Levu, so Savusavu if very quiet today.

The sun is shinning & a gentle breeze is blowing so what more can one ask for, a beautiful day in Paradise.

New Zealand Visit

2011-06-06T18:56:00.004+12:00

Have come back from a short visit to New Zealand, visiting Family.

The day I flew in was a beautiful clear morning, so was able to get a few shots of the shore line as the plane flew along the coast on the way to the airport.

Luckily the weather was good the first week. so was able to get about & look at shops especially the supermarkets, something I have to do at least once a year, after living in Savusavu, just to look at the choice of foods on offer!

We have been out a couple of times since I have been back, but the fishing hasn't been at all good.

The reports coming in haven't been good either, sure hope it picks up soon.

We have been wondering if all the earthquakes that have been happening in the area are having a effect on the fish, or if the current lines that brought the fish to us have changed after the big one in Japan??

Savusavu Harbour Cruise

2011-05-26T18:56:00.003+12:00

A few weeks ago we took some people out in the bay, for a sightseeing cruise.
They were looking for a private beach where they could do photo shoots.

I was able to take some shots of the place called Sail Rock, which I thought was interesting.

Unfortunately I was away on holiday with the camera when Terry caught a nice 18kg Walu, down by the lighthouse.

Savusavu Kids Sailing Club

2011-04-28T11:20:00.003+12:00

Over the Easter week end the Savusavu Yacht Club Kids Sailing, held a competition sponsored by Savusavu Westpac, they are choosing a team to send to the South Pacific Games

The weather was lovely on Saturday morning, & it was a joy to see the kids getting their boats ready for a day out on the water.

The children of Savusavu are very fortunate to have the club & especially Geoff Taylor who spends his Saturdays on the water with the kids, teaching them how to sail.

This is something Savusavu should be proud of, it doesn't cost the children anything to learn to sail here, & it gives the children something worth while to do with themselves every week end.

A few of the children have gone on to represent Fiji in sailing around the Pacific.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-22T15:28:00.004+12:00

The last few days have been cloudy with rain showers, thank goodness Terry decided to anti foul Searov on Monday & Tuesday.

Both days were beautiful, although very hot for the work involved, it was great for drying paint.

This job always takes us 2 days, as we can only do 1 side at a time, we beach her on the beach at high tide, & wait for the tide to recede, paint her, then wait for the tide to come back in so we can re float her.

On Tuesday night while waiting for the high tide, we watched the ferry that takes passengers & cargo to Viti Levu, the main Island of Fiji, load up at the main wharf.

This morning the sky was a lovely red, a bit stormy looking, but great to take photos of.

Happy Easter everyone.

Savusavu Airport.

2011-04-14T15:57:00.001+12:00

Such a beautiful day in Savusavu, while enjoying the cool breeze on my porch, I was able to see the Pacific Sun plane arrive in from Nadi.

What a day to be flying into our little town, visitors couldn't have chosen a better day, clear Sky's, lovely blue calm waters, just the day to see all the reefs, as the place flies over them

Geoff Taylor sailed in with his recently refurbish yacht, it looks really good sitting out in front of the Copra Shed Marina, its now so different to the yacht that he purchased last year.

Copra Shed is getting ready for the arrival of the overseas yachts that should start to arrive soon, Pio is busy painting newly made barbecue tables & chairs to have arranged on the lawn in front of the Bar.

Europa's Visit To Savusavu

2011-03-24T16:50:00.003+12:00

The German cruise liner Europa made a unexpected visit to Savusavu a few weeks ago, with about 250 passengers.

Bad weather diverted her to our shores, which was a blessing for the handy craft sellers & villages who had organized tours to their village.

There aren't many tourist around this part of the country at the moment, so this was a great help for the local traders.

Passengers were seen walking around town visiting the little shops along the shore, so this at least, was a help to the local businesses.

Europa didn't arrive into the port until Midday & left round 8.00pm.
It was a pleasant day in Town, sunshine, with a slight breeze to keep the visitors cool.

The passengers seemed very happy with their visit to our town, Savusavu is a little different to other Fijian ports of call.

Great Day Fishing

2011-03-10T21:25:00.003+12:00

We couldn't make up our minds whether we were going to go out or not, so were a little late getting out on the water.

As we approached the usual fishing spot I could see a good work up ahead.
Once all the lines were in the water we made our way to the work up.

It looked like schools of skip jack tuna, we managed a hook up & yes it was Skippies.

There were a lot of birds & fish around, it wasn't long before & we had a nice size Yellowfin Tuna in the boat, about 10kg.

While I was driving, I could see big Yellowfin jumping out of the water in front of the boat, but were gone as soon as we caught up.

This went on for a while, them disappearing just as we got to where they were feeding.

Suddenly the line went screaming out, Terry grabbed the reel while I came down to bring the rest of the lines in.

Finally it stopped taking line & Terry was able to start to reel in line, then it started to peel out again, then went down.

Terry settled in for a fight, & I went back upstairs, at one stage we thought we might have a shark on.
It took about 20 mins to bring it to where we saw colour & then to see it was a nice Yellowfin Tuna.

Once the gaff was in I helped him pull it in, just as it hit the deck, the lure fell out, boy we were so lucky.

Once back at the dock we weighed it, a nice 35kg fish. That was a good day.

Columbus visits Savusavu

2011-03-05T11:26:00.001+13:00

When the ship Columbus visited us on Sunday with 340 passengers, the town didn't seem so busy, the Pacific Pearl, had close to 2,000 passengers when she called in last week.

We had a beautiful day, sunshine with a gentle breeze, this made it easier for the passengers to disembark for tours around the countryside & to wander around the shops at their leisure.

There wasn't the crowd getting off the tenders, no queue to get back on & it was a much calmer atmosphere all round.

Not all the shops opened their doors it being a Sunday, but think there were enough open to make shopping interesting.

Their departure was delayed until early evening, so it gave the people in town a lovely sight seeing the ship all lit up, anchored just off the main wharf in Savusavu bay.

Pacific Pearl Visits Savusavu

2011-02-24T14:32:00.003+13:00

Yesterday news was received that the Pacific Pearl would be visiting Savusavu, this was brought on because of cyclone Atu.

Because the cyclone passed over Vanuatu, the ship had to divert away from the cyclone, so came to Fiji instead.

This was very fortunate for Savusavu, as it has been a while since a ship this size has visited us.

The Savusavu Yacht club had just finished alterations, & Captains Table had recently open its doors for business, so this was well timed.
Pacific Pearl will leave this afternoon.

Catching Mahimahi

2011-02-05T15:31:00.001+13:00

Last weekend we were all watching the low above Fiji wondering if it would develop into a cyclone.
Thankfully it moved away to the west, before it formed & ended up hitting Australia.
Watching the pictures on TV we couldn't help feeling sorry for all the people that lost homes & property.

Yesterday was another lovely morning in Savusavu, we thought we would take Searov out for a run, & look at the new fad that has been put down on the Koro seamount.

Not long after leaving the lighthouse, we had a nice Mahimahi on, a little later another in the box.
We finally reached the fad but nothing was working there, we worked it for a while then decided to head towards the other seamount which we usually go to.

There was a lot of birds working on this one, but nothing would take our lures, & they were moving so fast. There had to be fish around but deeper down, finally we got a skippy.

On the way home we had a triple strike, this was a lot of hard work for Terry as he was on the deck by himself, I came down & started to bring in one of the lines until, he had brought in the first Mahimahi.

I needed to turn the boat so went back up, as I started to climb the ladder the Mahimahi hit the back of my leg with it's tail, thankfully I wasn't any closer.

Once I had the boat in position Terry brought in the second Mahimahi & started on the third.

I could hear banging in the cabin & on investigation found the first Mahimahi had worked itself into the cabin, some cleaning up has to be done in here later.

Soon the third Mahimahi was in the box & after a short breather, we were on our way home

Another lovely day on the water & to top it off 5 nice Mahimahi, biggest one being over 12kg, others between 9 & 7kg.

Fishing Mahi Mahi

2011-01-24T17:33:00.005+13:00

We haven't been out for a few weeks as Terry had to take a part to New Zealand for servicing.

He installed it on Friday so took Searov out for a run on Sunday to see if everything was working.

Everything seemed to be working well so decided to carry on & do a fish.

There was a lot of action on the mount when we go there, but it seemed like small stuff, we got a couple of Skippys, but nothing big seemed to be amongst them, so decided to look for something a bit bigger, elsewhere.

Soon we had a nice 10kg Mahi Mahi in the boat, a little later we had another Mahi Mahi on, this time it was a bull & he was jumping all over the place, this was a worry as we had a few lines out at the time.

Eventually he was in the boat, & into the box.
Now it was time to head home as it was getting really hot out on the water.

Last week we had a unexpected visitor, land in our property.
Close to midnight a truck traveling on the road beside us, stalled & came down the hill, & overturned into my garden.

No one was hurt but it took away a lot of my hedge & garden.

They got a crane in the morning to pull the truck out, but this also started to slide downhill & took more of the garden out as it came to a stop.

Eventually they took our advise & brought in a digger to pull the truck out.

Now I have to start getting cuttings to do a replant, I lost a lot of the red torch ginger plant, but fortunately the roots are still there, so it shouldn't be too long before they grow up again.

Good Days Fishing

2011-01-04T20:23:00.003+13:00

We left the dock just at dawn, seeing the sun rising to the left as we headed out, was a lovely sight.
This great big red ball rising out of the water.

We had decided to leave early as there was a soccer match at 11am we wanted to watch, at the sea mount nothing was working, so we could have had a couple of hours more in bed.

Nothing really started to show until about 8.30. then we had these big work ups, we had friends on another boat, doing the same thing as us, circling the school, going through them but nothing happened.

Then we both had a Mahimahi on, both in the boat & we are on our way again, another hook up this time it is a nice Yellowfin Tuna, just over 12kg, is in the box.

Other big schools working up ahead so head off in the direction, this time the outer line starts to reel off, Terry yells out to come down & bring in the other lines, while he takes the rod, line keeps reeling out.

Terry tells me to hurry as he is just about spooled & needs me to start backing up. I am just about up the stairs when the Marlin snaps the line, & starts to jump out of the water, at one stage I thought it was heading towards us.

No time to grab the camera before it is now jumping & traveling off to the left of us. Our friends in the other boat got a great display as they were just behind.

Gone is the Marlin, don't really like to catch them, so don't mind, but have lost a good lure.

We end up loosing another lure & a Mahimahi, but after 15mins playing it, Terry lands another Mahimahi.

We get a small Barracuda on the way in, just to finish the day.
This has been an eventful day for us, & as it is now about 32 degrees, it's time to be home in the shade.

New Years Eve 2010

2010-12-31T12:13:00.004+13:00

Wishing everyone that might read this blog, a very Happy New Years Eve.

This morning was one of the better mornings we have had for a while, so hope this will be a good sign for 2011.

The town of Savusavu has been fairly quiet this week, as it was a holiday until Wednesday, most people are still on leave until next week, enjoying the break with the family.

We were thinking of going fishing yesterday, but had fuel being delivered, so decided to leave fishing for another morning. There has been 2 price increases over the last month, so it is nearly $2 a litre for diesel, making it fairly expensive to do a run out to the sea mount.

As we haven't been out recently, so haven't any new photos, I'll just show some from earlier this year.

A Happy New Year everyone.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T08:13:00.004+13:00

Merry Christmas to you all.

After weeks of rain, yesterday was one of the best days we day in a long time.
This morning is even better, after a beautiful moonlight night with clear skies, today is lovely sunshine, blue skies with a light breeze.

We went out earlier in the week but didn't have a good catch, just a few small Yellowfin, not sure if it was because of the full moon or eclipse, but the fish just weren't there.

Was glade it wasn't just us, as the other charter boat was out with us & had the same problem, they didn't catch anything.

Guess that is why they call it Fishing & not Catching, it is just luck on the day.

There is a lot of very small fish out there, but it is too small for our lines, Fijians call the fish Salala, they catch these fish with hand lines using bread mixed with a little amount of sardines (for the smell)on very small hooks.

At night one can see lights from local boat all round the harbour, fishing for these fish, they are small but give you a good fight, & are a lot of fun catching.

A friend was trolling around the reefs hear his place yesterday & caught a very nice GT, so that went on the barbie last night.

Well that's me until the next time, just in case it is in the new year, A Happy New Years to everyone.

Cyclone Season

2010-12-08T17:20:00.003+13:00

Well, it is that time again, when we have to be prepared for Cyclones in the area.

Already we have had the first warning, but luckily, the tropical depression didn't develop into a cyclone like they thought it might, & slipped down to the south weat of us.

We got so much rain the week the depression was moving towards us, that Savusavu experienced a few land slips.

The road to Cousteau Resort was closed off for a day, so all the guests had to be transported to the resort, from the Copra Shed Marina, by their dive boat.
This also makes a lovely approach to the Resort, as it was a lovely calm sunny day, & a boat trip is always nicer.

There were also minor slips on the way to the Airport from town, these were quickly cleared by the PWD department, so wasn't a major problem.

With all the rain & thunderstorms around, we haven't managed to venture out to see if the Yellowfin are still around, maybe next week?

Yellowfin in Savusavu

2010-11-26T08:08:00.003+13:00

We have been very fortunate on our last few fishing trips. the weather has been good for fishing, & the fish have been there.

Out at our usual spot, we have come across Yellowfin Tuna feeding, sometimes really good work ups.

On one of the trips out, we got a 19kg, 2 11kg, & a few smaller Yellowfin, that was one of the best days we have had in a long time. A few families got to eat fish that day.

A lot of the time we had double & triple strikes, a couple of times, just as we put the line back in the water, it was hit again, that's what we call a good days fishing

The trip yesterday wasn't as good, the fish were harder to find, & didn't stay up for very long.

They managed to get 12 Yellowfin into the boat, loosing a few on the way in. While in a school of Yellowfin we had a double strike, but this time the sharks got to them before they could bring them in.

Tom played a bronze whaler for about 15 mins, got it to the boat a few times, but Terry saw it had the lure in part of his mouth, so cut the line.

This was the lure that had been catching most of the fish, so it was a disappointment, apart from the expense of loosing a good lure.

The guest took all the fish back to the Resort, to give to the village near the Resort.
There was a death in the village, & this would help feed them.
Fish is never wasted here, there is always someone to give the catch too.

Outrigger Canoes in Savusavu

2010-11-09T10:00:00.004+13:00

People of Savusavu & surrounding villagers in the North, were treated to a special occasion this Diwali weekend.

Two Outrigger canoes, one from Suva called Uto Ni Yalo, & the Hine Moana from Tonga, were in Savusavu to take part in the 1st Outrigger racing weekend planed for Savusavu.

These two canoes were part of a group.
7 Pacific Islands got together, to preserve & develop their traditions of ocean voyaging in double hulled canoes.

Earlier this year, all the canoes set out from New Zealand, to travel onto Tahiti, Cook Island, Samoa & Tonga, on their first voyage.

Uto Ni Yalo arrived back in Fiji in July, having taken 4 months do do the voyage.

She was in Levuka & Makogai before travelling to Savusavu, doing a survey, helping with recording whale songs & transportation.
To record the whale songs, the crew were using a hydrophone.

Yellowfin Tuna

2010-11-04T14:37:00.004+13:00

Yesterday morning was one of the best mornings, we have had in a long time.

After all the rain we have had, we needed to take Sea Rov out to run the engines, & charge the batteries.

One out on the water the seas just got calmer & calmer, until there was hardly a ripple on the water.

At the usual fishing spot, there didn't seem to be a lot of activity, so we just trolled around for a while.

Soon we were getting double hook ups, the fish weren't big but they were putting on a good fight.

After a couple of hours, we headed home, this had been one of the better days we have had out, for a long time.

Savusavu Weather.

2010-10-31T13:04:00.002+13:00

It has been months since we have had any decent rainfall in Fiji, water has had to be carted to Islands off the mainland, as they had run out of drinking water.
A lot of us in Savusavu are on tank water, so without decent rainfall for so long, our tanks were starting to run dry.

Well, over the last 2 weeks we have had enough rain to fill our water tanks, 10 times over.
This is good news for most of the Fiji Islands, as we were all in a similar situation.

The farmers are happy again, the ground, was so dry before this rain, that it was beginning to crack, crops & the vegetation were turning brown.
Now everywhere is again, that lovely lush green colour, trouble now is, the lawn is growing twice as fast.

We haven't managed to do any fishing lately as the weather has been too rough, we had a charter but had to cancel, as a strong wind warning was declared for our area, & the people left before it calmed down again.

Our bananas, breadfruit & pawpaw's are finally starting to ripen, we lost most of our crop during the cyclone & it has taken this long to come right.

Over the last 6 months or so, fresh fruit & vegetables have had to be brought in from Suva to be sold in our local market, as all the local crops, hadn't fully recovered.

The cyclone season is just upon us again, so hopefully we will be able to enjoy some of the fruit before the destructive winds come & destroy it again.

These are photos of the full moon, taken at dawn from our property.

Tara's Record Mahimahi

2010-10-11T07:54:00.002+12:00

Things have been fairly slow for us lately, but we did manage to get out a week or so ago.
This charter was for 2 couples from the States.

We had, had to cancel a day earlier because of the windy conditions, but the morning looked fine when we left the wharf.
They arrived later than planned as they had a eventful night.

A hour or so into the charter, we had 2 Yellowfin on board, when the outer most rod went off with a bang.

It was Tara's turn in the chair, this was a nice fish, it jumped a few times & everyone saw it was a Mahimahi.

It took Tara 20 minutes, to get the fish close enough to the boat for Terry to gaff.
It just kept reeling out line, as soon as she brought it in.
Once on board we could all relax as Mahimahi can be tricky to bring in, as they just keep jumping & don't seem to tire out.

This fish weighed in at 50lbs & would have been a record if caught within IGFA rules, but unfortunately, Tara had help bringing the fish in.

It was her 50th birthday, so this was something to remember it & Fiji by.
Terry cleaned & filleted the fish so they could freeze, & take it back with them to the States.

Repairing Seawall

2010-09-22T07:21:00.003+12:00

After the last couple of cyclones, the seawall out in front of Morris Hedstrom's main store in Savusavu was badly damaged.

Fortunately, money has now been found for the repairs of this.

The repairs also extended down as far as the Daku Resort.

Here the road runs along the edge of the sea wall, so gets a lot of damaged, from the surge of the sea, breaking right across, during storms & at peak tides.

This, with the repairs, & tar sealing of the road is a big plus for the town of Savusavu.

Upgrading Road to Cousteau

2010-09-18T08:20:00.003+12:00

The residents along the road that goes from town & ends at the Cousteau Resort, have been waiting years for the road to be tar sealed.

Well, finally, their wishes will soon be granted.
Work has started, all the big machinery is here, & at the moment I don't think they have to worry about the weather, as we are in a drought, so the work should progress well.

I drove a short distance along it yesterday, & they seem to be coming along fairly well.

Some Savusavu drivers aren't helping though, they drive at quite a speed on the newly graded part, throwing up all the loose stones, they just don't know how to slow down.

Once this is done, the residents won't have to put up will all the dust every time a car drives by, & it will be a nice drive along the seaside as Savusavu Bay is such a beautiful sight.

Trolling Namena Reef

2010-09-10T07:29:00.004+12:00

A week or so ago when the winds weren't blowing 20knts we managed to do a fishing charter.

Not far from the lighthouse we got into a school of bait fish, there must have been bigger fish around, but only the smaller Yellowfin were interested, so after a little while catching these we moved on.

Out in the distance a big splash was noticed so we headed to it, I saw what I thought was a stick in the water.
That was no stick it was a nice Sailfish, it took 3 attempts for it to finally hook on.

Line started to reel out & the fish jumped, all lines were brought in & the fight began.
Unfortunately it had taken one of the lighter lines, so this made it harder for the angler.

After a tiring 20 mins of bringing the fish it, the line snapped.
There was a sudden quiet on the boat as we all looked at one another in despair, as we had seen it jump 3 times, so knew it was a really nice fish.

That's fishing the fish isn't caught until it is in the boat, so all lines were put out again & we headed towards Namana.

On the way home we were treated to a display of 2 whales broaching, what a sight to see these huge creatures throwing themselves out of the water, & doing back flips, we sat & watched them for at least half a hour.

The batteries on my camera died so I was very unfortunate not to have been able to take any photos

Delivery To Super Yacht

2010-08-30T16:24:00.005+12:00

We had just come in from a charter, when I got a call, asking if we could do a delivery to a Super Yacht, anchored off Namena Island, the next day.

Yes we could, so all the arrangements were made, the freight would be arriving into Savusavu on the first plane in the morning, having arrived from New Zealand the night before.

As usual, when we expect the plane to arrive on time, it is always delayed, & this is exactly what happened this time.

Anyway, the cargo finally arrived at the Copra Shed Marina & we started loading the cartons onto Searov, there was over 100kg of fresh vegetables & fruit, so it took a little while to store away safely.

With the cargo was a Customs Agent & a man from the Agriculture department, to check the cargo & make sure it was delivered to the Yacht.

The wind got up about 15 mins out of the entrance from Savusavu, so it wasn't going to be the calm trip we were hoping for.

A hour & a half later we were along side the Yacht, & began the unloading, this didn't take long as we got a chain working.

Once everything was aboard, they started unpacking the goods & gave us back the empty cartons & their rubbish to take back to Savusavu.

Soon, we were heading back to Savusavu, wind was still strong so it was a rough ride back, didn't see all the whales we had sighted the day before, while out fishing though.

Trolling Along The Reef

2010-08-27T16:44:00.004+12:00

Over the last week or so we have been experiencing a spell of strong winds, & very rough conditions.

A couple of men on holiday from Sth Africa, decided they wanted to give fishing a try anyway.

As we headed out, we were getting good size waves, one of the comments was, "This reminds me of the Perfect Storm".

Thinking it was too rough for them, we started to head back inside, no, they wanted to carry on out.

Slowly we worked our way to the Seamount, nothing much happening, no birds working either, after a while we caught a few small Yellowfin but nothing big about.

Finally a nice Mahimahi, was in the boat, Andrew was happy as he hadn't caught a Mahimahi before, & that was the biggest fish he had caught.

On the was home, the waves had receded a little so we worked our way along the reefs. This is always a nice way to go back in, as it is lovely seeing the waves breaking along the edges of the reef.

Super Yacht in Savusavu.

2010-08-09T07:47:00.001+12:00

After nearly 2 weeks of very strong winds, yesterday we were able to take Searov out to give the engines a good run.

A little ways passed the Lighthouse, we caught a nice Walu, & as it was such a beautiful morning, we decided to carry on a little further.

On the way back into Savusavu, there was a Super Yacht anchored off Cousteau Resort, what a lovely picture it made & where better to spend the day, the waters were so calm & clear, just right for snorkeling.

Fun in Savusavu

2010-07-31T19:37:00.003+12:00

Last week the Town Council had a promotion running for 3 days in Savusavu, called Savusavu On Sale.

Most of the shop owners had tables out in front of their shops selling merchandise on sale. Others had stalls behind the Market place where out of town merchants set up stalls.

There was even a Ferris Wheel from Suva, especially brought in for the occasion. I took the photo just after it was set up.

In the evenings there was entertainment put on by groups of people, Fijian Mekes & Fire Walking was some of the items.

From all accounts I hear it was a success.
It brought more trade into the town, & gave everyone something different to do on those 3 days.

Kids Sailing in Savusavu

2010-07-27T08:27:00.002+12:00

Kids sailing in Savusavu has a very good following.
Every Saturday morning Geoff is seen at the Copra Shed Marina, with a lot of the local children, teaching them the finer points of sailing.

He spends all his Saturdays, on the water around the Marina training & sailing with the children.

Over the years many children have passed through Geoff's training program, & a few going on to represent Fiji, in sailing overseas.

The last few weeks have also been busy for Ron, who has had the task of repairing all the damaged boats.

The club provides all these facilities, free to the children, so as to get them interested in the sport.

Businesses & cruising yachts make donations to the club to keep it in operation.
Geoff & the children also do fund raising, so are grateful for any donations.

Copra Shed Marina

2010-07-16T13:48:00.003+12:00

The Copra Shed Marina has been a hive of activity all week, with the arrival of the group of yachts from the Blue Water Rally.

Apart from a tropical downpour on Sunday, the weather has been great, so tours were arranged for the crew & visitors, to enjoy some of the sights of Savusavu.

This morning a few of the boats started departing, & by tomorrow they should all be on their way to their next port.

We wish them all a safe journey, the Marina is starting to look a little bare now that they are on the way.

Yachts In Savusavu

2010-07-08T13:39:00.004+12:00

Over the last 3 weeks there have been a great number of Yachts, sailing into the Port of Savusavu.

Copra Shed Marina has been really busy providing moorings, clearance & other facility's for all these cruising yachts.

First there was about 18 boats sailing around the world under the Ark banner, some of these boats were beautiful sailing machines.

No sooner had these yacht cleared the Port, when the group from New Zealand ICA sailed in from Tonga with 22 boats.

This group set off from New Zealand to cruise the Pacific Islands, after a week in Savusavu they made their way to Viti Levu.

From Wednesday the Blue Water Rally, another world cruising group, started arriving, by tomorrow the total number to arrive should be 26.
They also will stay a week, before continuing their world cruise.

Entertainment & tours have been organised while the boats are in port, to show them something of our town.

Weather In Savusavu

2010-06-19T08:37:00.004+12:00

After weeks of beautiful sunshine, we had a low form above us.
This brought us a lot of rain, & a few hours of strong winds, but nothing really to complain about.

For us people that depend on rain to fill our water tanks, for our water supply, it was something we were waiting on, as the tanks were getting low.
The gardens also needed a good watering, so now we are all happy.
Today we have the sunshine back, & everything looks so much greener.

Fishing hasn't been too good, think it is still too hot for this time of the year, we had 32 degrees last week, that is more our summer temperature.

The local fisherman that spend all night out, are catching some good fish, so maybe we will have to do that.
They sit out there in their little boats before sunset, & fish all night, coming back in with their catch after sunrise. Last night was a beautiful night so maybe there will be a lot of fresh fish in the market.

We caught a nice 16kg Wahoo a couple of weeks ago, the couple who charted us gave us most of the fish as they were leaving the next day, it made some lovely meals!

New FIRCA Office Openes in Savusavu

2010-06-10T10:31:00.005+12:00

Yesterday, Commodore Bainimarama opened a new FIRCA office in Savusavu, this one is more central for the Yacht's to get clearance, & more space to carry out the increase in business for them in Savusavu.

From next January, tourist will be able to get the Vat refund in Savusavu before leaving Fiji. Nadi & Suva are the only ports at the moment, were these refunds are payed out, so this is a good thing for the Port of Savusavu.

There was also a cocktail party held at the Hot Springs Hotel, so that Commodore Bainimarama could meet the business people of Savusavu.

Snapped a photo of a rainbow over the airport, hope this is a good sign for us!

Savusavu Port Entrance

2010-06-03T07:53:00.003+12:00

On our way out of Savusavu Port the other day, there was a yacht entering the harbour, & the Inter Island Roll on Ship Suilvan, leaving the Port for the Island of Taveuni.

The Suilvan starts its journey from the Port of Suva, Fiji's Capital, to Savusavu then onto Taveuni.

We have 2 of these vessels servicing Savusavu from Suva, bringing goods also for the town of Labasa, which is over the mountain ranges from Savusavu.

Labasa is the main centre for sugar production on Vanua Levu, also housing the sugar mill, where sugar is exported overseas from.

Taveuni is smaller then Vanua Levu, it is called the Garden Island of Fiji & is the only place that the Tayimaucia flower grows.
There are a few good resorts on Taveuni,& is also a place where many tourist go for diving.

Savusavu Seawall

2010-05-25T15:21:00.003+12:00

This morning we had the Paul Gauguin arrived in port for her return visit, with her new load of passengers.
There were a few more passengers on board this time, a lot more going out diving with our local dive operators.
It should be a fun day for them, as some of the dive spots in this area, are well known dive sites.

After years of waiting, work has begun, on the upgrading of the road that goes down to the Cousteau Resort, people along this stretch of road have been waiting years, to have it repaired.

During Cyclone Thomas, it was further damaged, some parts becoming dangerous during very high tides, & during storms, as parts of the seawall was washed away.

On our drive along the road today, the digger was busy building a retainer wall, which will help, in stopping further corrosion of the wall.

Paul Gauguin Visits Savusavu

2010-05-21T14:23:00.003+12:00

Cruise ships visiting the port of Savusavu is year are so few, so the sight of the Paul Gauguin in port was a very welcome sight for the town.

She only had about 150 passengers, still that is a number the town can cope with very nicely.

The passengers came from Europe, but boarded the ship in Tahiti, Savusavu was the last port of call before the passengers disembarked in Lautoka for the flight home.

On Tuesday she will again visit us with a new load of passengers, starting the voyage through the islands on her way back to Tahiti.

We had another beautiful day, & this makes it nicer for the passengers to enjoy themselves, & many passengers told us, they were pleased with their short visit to our port.

Savusavu Fishing

2010-05-10T14:05:00.003+12:00

The weather in Savusavu over the last week or so has been the best.
Beautiful mornings, with just a cool breeze, & sunny days with very calm seas.

We just had to go out this morning, as we don't know how much longer this weather will last, it was 6.15am, when we finally got away.
The sea was like glass, just the wake of the boat making waves on the ocean.

It took us a little while to find the birds, but once we had, we soon had a double strike, landed 1 lost the other.

A few more fish on board, then the reel starts to spin out, Terry stars to wind it in while I come down to bring in the rest of the lines. It is a nice Wahoo, but before it gets close to the boat it bits through the nylon trace, & is gone. These fish have razor sharp teeth, 1 lure down.

Later another double hook up, land one but the Mahi mahi gets off, I couldn't get down quick enough.
Next, Terry is bringing in a small Yellow fin when the outside line reels off, the fish goes straight down, we think it could be one of those big Yellow fin Tuna we saw jumping out of the water a while back, Terry gets into the chair & tries to wind it in, sadly a few minutes later the line snaps, another lure gone.

We are in amongst birds when the line goes screaming out again, Terry grabs it & I come down & start to wind in the rest of the gear, after a while Terry realizes it is a shark, he plays it for 20 minutes, this time he gets it right by the boat, I get ready to take another picture when wham, it snapped the line, & was gone, lure number 3, think that is enough for one day.

On the way home we hook another nice Mahi mahi, it jumps right out of the water & throws the hook,well it will be there for another day!

We end up with 3 Yellow fin, 4 skip jack tuna, & 1 small barracuda, not bad but it would have made us a lot happier if we had been able to land the big ones.

All up we had a good fishing day,& the weather was perfect, what more could we ask for!

Fijian Handcraft

2010-04-21T14:36:00.004+12:00

Things are slowly picking up in Savusavu after cyclone Tomas.
The coconut trees are showing new growth & the banana trees that we lost have new shoots appearing beside the old plants, so we should have bananas again by early next year. Even the flowers are looking healthy, it doesn't take long for nature to repair itself.

There aren't many tourist around, & as the ships aren't calling in like they did last year, there isn't much spare money around.
The Ladies from the villages were able to earn them self some extra income, through the sale of their handcraft, when the ships were in port.

We have had a lot of rain since we got back into the country, so we haven't got the shortage of water, that the North Island of NZ is experiencing.
In all our visits to NZ, we have never seen it so dry.

Namena Island

2010-03-31T19:43:00.003+12:00

This information is for the many people that have visited Fiji, & travelled onto Namena Island either by one of the dive live aboards or going to Moodys Namena, to dive on the reefs around the Island.

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Joan Moody.

Joan & Tom made Namena their home over 30 yrs ago.
They transformed the unhibated Island into what it is today

Namena reef is one of the best dive spots around, the resorts doesn't have any tv or phones in the bures, but has all the home comforts.
With only 6 bures accommodating 12 people Joan & Tom give their clients a different type of holiday.

We carried Namena clients back & forth to the Island for 10 yrs, often we noticed that on the way over to Namena, some were so stressed out, but on the way back they were completly different people.

That is what Joan & Tom did for their clients, thay gave them a very careing & relaxing holiday, that is hard to find.

Goodbye Joan it was a pleasure knowing you

Recovering After Hurricane Tomas

2010-03-23T19:12:00.004+13:00

Well it has been a week since Hurricane Tomas caused all the destruction in the Fiji Islands.

Reports coming from the Lau Group, haven't been good, there has been a lot of houses & crops destroyed.
A family with 4 children, lost their yacht during the hurricane, but thankfully are all safe.

The strong winds have left all vegetation brown. so hillsides that once were lush with different shades of green, are now all brown.
Thankfully Mother nature will soon put it back the was it was.

We have spent the last week clearing & cutting up the coconut trees, to make it easier to dispose of, we did manage to save a few trees, just have to wait & see if they grow back.

We were out on the boat last Thursday & saw the RNZAF plane doing one of the checks of the Island, for damage

On Tuesday night after Tomas, we had such a lovely sunset, guess a lot of people like us, sighed a sigh of relief.

After Tomas

2010-03-17T20:09:00.004+13:00

After waiting since Friday, Tomas finally passed us about 1.30am, on Tuesday, I don't want to go through that again, not for a long, long time.
Again we had Lady Luck on our side & Tomas moved slightly more to the east so we were spared the direct hit, that we were expecting.
Even though, the winds were pretty strong, at times the house would shudder, ( we have a new, well built house) Terry & I would look at each other & not say a word.
Sea Rov rode the storm very well, Terry was kept updated through out the night by the person on his yacht moored next to Sea Rov, it was so bad at times, he had to put his engine on to keep the yacht into the wind.
Only one boat broke it's mooring, & landed up on the reef just away from us, thankfully it missed all the other boats on the way, before going on the reef.
I haven't got a picture of this yet, as we have been too busy cleaning up the property.
We, like a lot of other people, lost a lot of coconut & banana trees. there is hardly anything left of the tropical plants I had planted around the place, but all these things can be replaced, & in this country, it won't take long before it is all growing again.
Power came back on to the town area last night. & we got it connected this evening, so things are slowly getting back to normal.
The smaller Islands in the path of Tomas would have taken a beating as the seas were huge.
The Government Officials were doing a survey today to see how the people on these Islands fared. Once they get back into Suva we will have information on how they are.

Tropical Cyclone Tomas

2010-03-13T14:54:00.003+13:00

All the warnings went out across Fiji on Friday, as the Tropical Depression was upgraded to a Cyclone.

All the schools closed their doors, at lunch time, & the children were sent home.
A bit early I thought, as it is still days away, but guess they have to take precautions , once the Cyclone warning has gone out.

This time Savusavu will be very lucky to escape damage, as the Track shows it going right through Vanua Levu especially Savusavu.
Well, all we can do is prepare for it by making everything around the house secure.
Searov has been put on her mooring, & tied down as secure as one can do. Just have to hope all the boats ride it out without too much damage.
All pontoons & walkways have also been dismantled from the Copra Shed & taken to a secure mooring.

Next thing is to store some good drinking water, as sometimes it takes a few days to restore electricity back, & all the town water relies on electricity.

It is a good thing the Cyclone has slowed down, this gives us more time to prepare. The winds are getting stronger than they were earlier in the morning, so it must be getting closer.

Well that's it for now, will post something once Tomas has passed.

Savusavu

2010-03-07T09:15:00.002+13:00

It is another beautiful day here in Savusavu, lovely sunshine with a very light sea breeze.
We did manage to go out fishing last Monday

When we got to the sea mount, birds were working & fish schools were seen. We had a strike within a few minutes & had landed our first Skip jack Tuna, & thought we were in for some good fishing.

That was the only fish that made it into the boat, we had lots of fish on, but as soon as we started to bring it it, the sharks would appear & take the fish.
Terry played one for about 20 mins, got it to the boat, but the bib on the rapala broke off, at least we got all of the line back.

That day we lost 4 lures, to sharks.
In the end we gave up & headed home, lures are too expensive to loose that way especially when we weren't able to get any fish in quick enough.

As the weather is so nice we might venture out again next week, but will have to go somewhere else, where the sharks won't be around, we hope

Tsunami Warning For Savusavu

2010-02-28T13:46:00.003+13:00

Early this morning, we all received a message on our mobile phones, warning us of the threat of a Tsunami for all of the Pacific.
It being a Sunday morning in Savusavu, not many shops were open so it wasn't such a big deal to close the town down.

People living along the shoreline of Savusavu, all left for higher ground, the hill across from us was full of taxis & private cars parked for at least 3 hrs, a lot of them had brought food & mats, so made it a outing for the family.

Again, fortunately for us nothing eventuated so everything was back to normal by lunch time.

It has been quiet around the town now that the children are back at school, but this daylight savings is causing some people problems, the school starting time has been changed, they now start at 9.00am so the children aren't going to school in the dark.

Last Friday, the cruise ship Albatross came into port for a 6hr visit, a lot of the passengers went on planned trips, & a few others did the usual walk around town, looking at the shops, & handicraft stalls, I met a few of them in the local supermarket buying beer.

Cruise Ship Europa

2010-01-28T16:18:00.004+13:00

Today we had a visit from the cruise boat Europa, she has about 300 passengers on board, mostly from Germany I think.

I haven't got a photo of her in port, as she didn't arrive until midday, & I was on my way home.

There were stall holders setting up their usual stalls when I drove pass, but not as many as there usually is, I think it is because the ship will only be in port for 5 hours.

They have a beautiful day, lovely clear sky's & calm seas, it may be a little on the warm side for some of them though.
This will be the last boat for a few months.

This photo is of a lovo (Fijian way of cooking), it was beautifully prepared.

Koro Island New Dock

2010-01-23T13:22:00.003+13:00

It has been nearly a year since we last visited Koro Island.
Since out last trip Dere Bay Resort on Koro, have installed a new floating dock, this made it a lot easier for us, to off load their guest with luggage.

On earlier trips, we have had to pick up a mooring, then the resort boat would come out to the boat, to ferry their guests ashore.
Nice one Dere Bay Resort, it looks & is a lot better then the old method.

Savusavu is experiencing lovely calm hot days, this is after some really heavy tropical downpours, we had last week
For us on tank water it was a blessing, now all our tanks are full.

There is a new cruise liner due in on Thursday, so hope the weather holds for the passengers, mind you they might prefer a little shower of rain to cool the place down.

New Savusavu Marina

2010-01-20T09:09:00.003+13:00

New floating pontoons have been installed at the Savusavu Harbourside Marina.
It is looking nice & should be another asset for the visiting yachts that visit Savusavu over the cruising months.
Things are fairly quiet at the moment, we will have a cruise ship in next week, so this will again bring much need revenue into the town.
Locals are busy getting their children ready for the new school year, shops are doing a good trade selling uniforms & books.
Some families on the main Island are finding it hard as they lost all their belongings in the flood after cyclone Mike.
There has been so much rain over the last week, it should have filled up all the water tanks around the country.

Namale Guests Enjoy Fishing

2010-01-02T15:10:00.003+13:00

I am a little late with these wishes, but better late than never.
A Merry Christmas & a Happy New Years to you all, may 2010 be a good one.

It was a quiet Christmas in Savusavu, this is mostly a time spent with families, a lot of people come back to spend Christmas in Savusavu with relatives.

The town was very busy with shoppers, more so once the buses arrived at the bus stand from the outer villages, usually about 10am, that's when the town quickly became a hive of activity, it is amazing to see just how many people live around this area.

We haven't been out fishing for a long while. the weather just hasn't been suitable
This morning the winds died down, so were able to take out guest from Namale Resort.

We headed out just before 8.00, which is normally late for us, but Fiji has this year decided to have Daylight Saving, so really it was only 7.00am

Once at the mount, birds were spotted & soon we had hook ups, about 4 triple strikes. This caused a few tangles but that all adds to the fun.

There were 3 guests on board so this worked out fine, most of the fish were small yellowfin, but we did have 3 good hook ups, which we lost, but fortunately only lost one lure.
We think it was a Wahoo & broke the nylon trace.

Once back at the dock, we did a tally, 17 Yellowfin 2 Skippys, the staff at the resort will be very happy.

Cyclone Mick In Fiji

2009-12-15T11:07:00.003+13:00

We can count our blessings this morning, as Cyclone Mick left Fiji shores.

In Savusavu we were spared the brunt of the storm, when it was first upgraded to a cyclone, the path it was plotted to take, would have brought it our way.

Fortunately for us, but not for Viti Levu, it changed direction & moved more west, & so took in the whole of the island.
Some reports coming out this morning aren't good, a lot of people have lost their homes or have had their houses flooded. There hasn't been much from the outer Islands as communications are still out.

At this stage there are 2 reported dead, & lots have lost all their crops & livestock.
This is very sad as Christmas is so close.
Still, we have to be thankful, it could always have been worse.

We did managed to get 1 charter out before the storm, even then, it was too rough to go pass the lighthouse.
We had to try, as the group had waited 5 days, & were to fly out on Sunday.

Last Ships Visiting Savusavu In 2009

2009-12-02T14:57:00.003+13:00

Gosh, it is December already, this year seems to have passed quicker than ever, it must be because we are getting older.

Well, we have had the last tourist boat in for the year, unfortunately we won't be getting as many visiting next year, this will be hard on the local handcraft sellers, that have had a good year with the amount of ships visiting over the last 11 months.

Last month we had a record 4 boats visiting, Pacific Dawn was the only large one, & as always the locals were very happy with the tourist dollars that were spent here.

We haven't been out fishing since the last entry about the sharks, but have to give it a try again soon.
With the introduction of daylight saving on Sunday, have to give our bodies a week or so to adjust, to the hour we lost.

Morning Lost To Sharks In Savusavu

2009-11-21T12:28:00.005+12:00

Since my last entry we have had 2 cruise ships visiting Savusavu.
These ones didn't carry as many passengers as the Pacific Dawn & Pacific Sun, but at least they brought trade to the town.

The first one MV Bremmer had just over 130 passengers most of them being German.
The second Paul Gauguin had sailed in from Tahiti on her way to other Fiji ports, where she unloads her passengers at Lautoka, takes on new passengers, then will call back into Savusavu on Thursday on her way back to Boro Bora. She carried just over 300 passengers.

Thankfully the weather has been fine for the visits, here's hoping for the same tomorrow, when Pacific Dawn calls in for her last tip to Savusavu for a long while.

Reports from friends said Yellowfin Tuna had arrived on the sea mount, so Terry & I went to give Searov a run after doing a service.
On arriving at the mount we had a triple hook up, Terry being the only one on the deck tried to reel in the Yellowfin as fast as he could, as we saw the sharks around, needless to say he couldn't bring them in quick enough so lost all 3 fish, lures & line.

Next try was the same, so we quickly left to find somewhere without sharks.
Again we had a hook up & again a Shark, this time it took about 15 mins to bring him to the boat, at the boat Terry cut the line as he was too big to have around, we lost another lure, so it was time to head home.

A Good Morning Fishing In Savusavu

2009-11-12T13:04:00.006+12:00

For the last month, the weather hasn't been great for fishing, and reports from fisherman going out haven't been encouraging.
This year we have had a lot of days with very strong winds, blowing 20 to 25 knots.
We did take a couple of trips out, but we only got as far as the entrance, it was too rough, & people got sick, so we had to make our way home.
Yesterday we did manage to get out past the entrance. Later on it became a little bumpy but the young couple were fine with it, the wife felt a little squeeze but was strong enough to put up with it for her husband.
We had to do a lot of looking around as the fish had done their early morning rise when we got to the mount. (A friend was out at dawn & caught some yellow fin).
There weren't any real work ups but we did manage to get some nice fish.
Our charter was a couple from Australia, & he was pleased with his catch.
We had to weigh his Trevally as it took him a good 15mins to bring in. It was 16.5kg on 15kg line.
Also caught Mahi mahi, Walu, Wahoo, Rainbow runner,& a couple of others.
Not a bad morning at all considering we also lost another 3 fish through foul hook ups

Diwali In Savusavu

2009-10-27T08:01:00.003+12:00

Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights, that is celebrated in Fiji in October.
It is a time when the women & men dress in their most attractive outfits.
Sales persons in shops all dress up in the Indian dress, even thou they are of different races.
At nightfall all the houses put on fairy lights & candles, around the house & grounds, it is a beautiful sight to see.
It is also the time for the children & adults to set off fireworks & crackers at night, each family having their own fireworks display.
It's a busy time for the Ladies who make Indian curries, sweets & savouries for days, so that they can give it out to their friends & visitors.

Tsunami Warning For Savusavu

2009-10-11T10:02:00.004+12:00

After the disaster in Samoa from the last Tsunami, no one was taking any chances, when the warning went out on Thursday, of a possible Tsunami heading our way.

All the shops closed, & all the children were sent home from school.
Thankfully nothing happened & the all clear was given out at 12.30.

The fishing hasn't been all that great in the last few months, last month we took the boat for a run & managed to pick up a nice size Wahoo

Joe's Fishing

2009-09-30T16:00:00.005+12:00

It is the last day in September, just don't know where this month has gone.
In between all the strong wind we have been having, we managed to get out on a charter with a young couple from one of the resorts on Savusavu.

It wasn't too bad outside the lighthouse but the wife wasn't too happy with the conditions, so we came back into the harbour.
Working our way along the reef, we managed to get a nice Walu, Joe also caught a couple of other fish he hadn't caught before, as most of his fishing was done on the lakes, so he was very pleased.

We also saw a school of dolphins, & two separate turtles along the way, so they were very pleased with the trip.
They managed to take some nice photos, of the reefs, dolphins & turtles, for the family back in the States.

This was caught near your spot Jim.

Yellowfin Tuna

2009-09-20T21:04:00.005+12:00

On Friday morning the Pacific Dawn cruise ship arrived for another day visit, to our little town.
On Wednesday & Thursday the whole of the Fiji group, had experienced very, heavy rain, with a lot of places being flooded out.

We were so fortunate that on Friday it all cleared away & the sun shone through, to give our visitors a lovely day, so they were able to go on the tours, & wonder around the town, in a clear day.

On Saturday we took out a couple, & were fortunate to be able to catch another Yellow fin Tuna before the fishing went dead.
We caught the fish in the first 40mins away from the wharf.

The fish just don't seem to be around this year, no one has caught a Mahi Mahi for ages. Guess it has to do with the weather pattern or something!!!

Fishing

2009-09-13T10:11:00.005+12:00

Friday 11th

The strong winds have been blowing for over a week, last Sunday & Monday all flight into Savusavu had to be canceled because of the weather.

All passengers had to fly into Labasa, then find their own transport into Savusavu, this isn't very good for the poor tourist that has never been to Vanua Levu before.
We had one such couple, arriving into Labasa not knowing Savusavu was a hour & half away by taxi, at a cost of $100.

Anyway, we had a booking for a charter, but there wasn't any way that we could go the usual spots, outside the entrance to Savusavu, as the weather forecast was for winds 20 - 25knts.
The family were leaving on Saturday so asked to try inside the harbour.

The winds in the harbour wasn't as strong, so we gave it a shot.
There just didn't seem to be anything around, though we did see a pod of dolphins, doing a display for us for about 5 mins.

Luckily we did manage to pick up a nice size Yellowfin Tuna, but lost a Wahoo, one of the daughters was playing the fish, but not having fished before, she had too much slack on the line, & after the second run, it through the hook.

How that they have flown out, the weather has come good with light winds & calm seas, good fishing weather!

Old Friends Of Savusavu

2009-09-09T08:34:00.003+12:00

I It has been 4 yrs since our friends, Jim & Marty returned for a visit to Savusavu.
Jim & Marty were constant visitors to Savusavu for many years, enjoying at last 2 visits a year

They owned a house in Daku Resort until it was sold about 5 yrs ago.
Jim had his own boat, & took great pleasure going out fishing every time he visited.
Jim was well known for the fish he caught, he never came home empty handed.

The boys from the resort always wanted to join Jim on his fishing trips, as they were guaranteed some fish for the family lunch.

Hope you don't leave it too long, for your next visit to our Hidden Paradise.

Fun Day In Savusavu

2009-09-01T13:44:00.002+12:00

I am a little late with this entry, have had friends visiting, so have been doing the rounds of the local restaurants, with them.
Pacific Dawn again graced our shores, for the usual 8 hrs visit, on 24th August
This time there seemed to be a lot more families, & lots of little children, happily out to enjoy the new town.
Thankfully it was again, a beautiful sunny day, with a gently sea breeze.
This trip bought a lot of revenue into the little town, helping a lot of families. the next boat isn't until 18th Sept, so that gives the stall holders time to get in more goods.

Rough Fishing Day

2009-08-19T18:43:00.003+12:00

The morning didn't look too bad in the harbour, but the weather man said, the seas might be a bit rough.
The couple only wanted a 3 hr charter so it was going to be a challenge to find something in that time.

Once we got to the entrance, we could see it was a little choppy, so we put the gear out & worked our way along the reef.
This morning there weren't the usual birds working just pass the lighthouse, so we headed out a little further.

The wind was starting to pick up, & the Lady started feeling sick, so we had to turn back.
About half way back, one of the lines went off, thank goodness.

The husband got into the chair, & soon had the fish on board, a small Wahoo. Now it was time to pull the gear in & head for home, as the Lady was now getting sick, think it was the fruit she ate.

Launching Searov

2009-08-13T10:55:00.003+12:00

Well the day has come around for launching Searov back into the water.
High tide is at 6.30am so everything has to be ready before that, so she can be pushed in at the top of the tide.

At 5.00am we were down at the boat, it was still dark, but all the ropes had to be attached to Searov then onto the trailer to hold her in place while she got pushed in.

I went round with Terry holding a torch so he could see what he was doing, by 6.15 everything was ready.

This time we got another person to push her in, & this man was here well on time, so once he was in position, the push began.

This operator was so much more careful, & soon Seavor was floating, ropes came off the trailer, & she was away.
A few minutes later the trailer was pulled back out of the water, to get washed down with fresh water & put away for the next time.

Now for the cleaning up, she was parked under a tree on shore, so there are a lot of leaves in the boat, it will probably take us the rest of the morning to clean her up.

Searov Has a Paint Job

2009-08-02T13:30:00.004+12:00

Well we have been out of the water for nearly a month now, with luck Searov will be back in the water by the end of next week.

She has had her hull painted, & outdrives all checked & is ready to be launched, but there aren't any high tides until Wednesday, at 6.00am, which is a bit early for a digger to arrive, so it has to be Thursday.

It will be great to be able to get out to sea again, to see what fish are out there, & to put a line out.

Fijian Bambo Raft -Bilibili

2009-07-24T13:46:00.005+12:00

There hasn't been a lot of business lately, so we pulled Searov out to get maintenance work done on her.
As there isn't a place to haul her out in Savusavu, the process is so different to places that have haul out facilities.

First, we have to push our trailer out into the deep water, than drive Searov slowly onto the the trailer, once on & in line, we secure Searov onto the trailer, then get a digger to pull her up the beach to a suitable place.

Searov was secured onto the trailer at high tide, but the digger was nowhere to be seen, the tide turned & started to go out, causing Searov to start banging onto the trailer.
Something had to be done quickly, as this could cause damage to the boat, & the digger still nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, someone with a twin cab with 4x4 passed & pulled the trailer a little up the beach to preventing any damage to Searov .
A hour later, the digger turns up for a 10min job, but charges the rate for a days work, this is Savusavu so you just have to pay, & hope you don't have to do this again for a year at least.

Now the work begins for Terry, just hope the weather stays fine, as he wants to paint the hull, then start work on the outdrives.

Here is a picture of a wedding we went to, it's the groom & party arriving by bilibili (raft made out of bamboo).

Kids Sailing Club in Savusavu

2009-07-02T16:41:00.004+12:00

27th June.
What a week it has been, winds have been too strong to go out & of course we had 3 charters booked.

We finally managed to take one of the guests out, but the seas were still very rough outside the entrance.

After trolling around the usual spots, we manage to catch 3 Mahimahi & 1 yellow fin tuna, but the conditions weren't that good, so headed home as Derek had a plane to catch that afternoon. He had canceled his morning flight, in case we were able to take him out, so we didn't want him to miss his flight, as he was leaving the country later that afternoon.

At the Copra Shed Marina, there was a welcome for the yachts that were in Port from New Zealand on a cruising regatta, some of the yachties, joined the Kids Sailing Club in a little fun sail.

Pacific Dawn back in Savusavu

2009-06-27T16:21:00.002+12:00

25th June
The winds haven't let up all week & this morning Pacific Dawn is expected with close to 2,000 passengers.

Again we are fortunate that the rain kept away, & the tourist didn't mind the wind as it kept the place nice & cool as they wandered around the town.

The local bands kept the passengers entertained with all the local songs, while they sat under the umbrellas at the Copra Shed Marina, enjoying a taste of the local brew, from the Yacht Club.

There is always a lot of singing & merry making as the last group make their way, to board the last tender.

Sunday Cruise To Savusavu by Pacific Sun

2009-06-21T19:11:00.003+12:00

After a night of strong winds & rain, it was such a relief to see dawn had brought us a fine day.

As soon as it was light, the local stall holders started putting up their stalls, in readiness, for the visit of Pacific Sun.

As the passengers disembarked, the local band sang Fijian songs & the girls gave out flowers while greeting passengers.

It was a better day for the visitors today as it was a lot cooler, all that rain over the last 2 days, cooled the whole place down, making it more pleasant for walking around the town.

Yachts in Savusavu

2009-06-16T10:16:00.003+12:00

Last week was one of the best weeks we have had for a while, sunshine, calm seas, & a nice cool breeze, lovely to sleep at nights.

At this time of the year, Yachts begin to arrive in Savusavu, some to spend a few days here on their way to another country, filling up with provisions etc, others on their way cruising around Fiji, & this is the spot where they spend a week or more, before cruising elsewhere. Some boats have arrived here & decided to stay put, some staying a month or more.

The Minister Of Defence & his party were in Savusavu for a meeting on Thursday, we had the pleasure of taking them out on a short harbour cruise. He loves to fish, but this time meetings were more important.

Beautiful Savusavu Morning

2009-05-31T18:41:00.003+12:00

27th May.
It was such a beautiful morning we couldn't resist not going out on the boat.
It was one of those morning, where you just wanted to keep going, & see where you ended up.

We did put out a line while we cruised around, but there wasn't much around, did manage to get something for lunch, so we were happy.

While heading out towards Koro Island, on the glassy water, something seemed to be bobbing up & down. As we got closer we sighted a pod of Whales swimming out in front of us.

What a beautiful sight to see, but as the boat got closer they went down, then came up as soon as we went away.
It's on a days like this that you really appreciate nature.

Weather In Savusavu

2009-05-16T19:00:00.003+12:00

14th May.

The last few days haven't been very nice weather for tourist visiting Savusavu, especially the cruise ship Pacific Sun, visiting our shores from Brisbane Australia.
The morning start off not too bad, cloudy, but at least the rain was holding off.

At dawn all the stall holders started to set up their stalls so as to display their handcraft, & in the hopes of selling something to the visitors.

Just as the first tender pulled into the pontoon, we had our first shower of rain.
Luckily it was only a light shower, only lasting a few minutes, but that was how it continued all day, short showers than sunshine.

Fortunately, this didn't deter the passengers, who did the usual bus & village tours, & a walking through the town, looking for souvenirs to take home.

Savusavu

2009-04-30T18:56:00.002+12:00

It is the last day in April, just don't know where the month has gone.
Life in Savusavu is pretty slow at the moment, not many tourist around, so money earned from that source is not there, not sure if it will improve very much, in the next few months. People are just not travelling like they use to.

There has been only the 1 tourist boat this month, so handcraft sellers are eagerly awaiting the next boat that will be in, on the 14th May, to try & earn some money.

Took the boat out for a run on Tuesday, didn't spend too much time out, as there wasn't anything around, hopefully the Mahi Mahi will be arriving soon.

The weather has been hot during the day, still getting the odd tropical downpour, but fortunately, nice & cool in the evenings.

Easter Week End

2009-04-14T14:58:00.002+12:00

Well in my last blog, we had a cyclone alert, thank goodness the cyclone decided to take a more, east south east track which missed us, & headed towards Tonga.

We still got strong winds & fairly high waves in the bay.
Unfortunately, a friend of ours had his boat sink, loosing all his electrical equipment, when the fly bridge broke off,including a brand new GPS, he had installed a little over a month ago.

Weather hasn't been great, lovely days but just about every 2 hours or so, we get heavy rain, & strong winds. That was what happened all through the Easter week end.
Heard there have been fish caught over the week end, some Spanish mackerel, & Mahi mahi, great to have the Mahimahi back.
Have to wait for the Captain to get back, before we can get out.

Cruise Boat In Savusavu Again

2009-04-04T11:38:00.006+12:00

4th April.
Most of us were worried that the Pacific Sun would cancel its visit into Savusavu, as we have been experiencing very strong winds, over the last few days, as a low hangs over the Fiji group.

Fortunately, they didn't cancel, & at times the sun came out, but not long enough to make it too humid & unpleasant for the visitors.

Our little street was invaded with the passengers, as they made their way through the stalls looking for gifts to take home.

A few of the younger passengers, couldn't help the inviting water around the Copra Shed, so dived off our pontoon to take a swim.

I think most enjoyed the break in Savusavu, before heading off again, this time for Vanuvatu.
Just before the boat sailed, we received word of a Cyclone alert for Vanua Levu!!
This is going to be fun for us with boats.

Sea Plane in Savusavu Bay

2009-03-30T16:48:00.002+12:00

A week ago one of the Turtle Airways planes, landed in the bay to unload & load passengers, to & from Nadi.
Someone must have decided, it was quicker to charter their own plane for the trip to Savusavu, as the flights in & out of Savusavu have been facing delays.