Misto - Days 168-174: June 24-30 Magokai, Volivoli point, Yadua, Yasawas

From Dalice Bay on Magokai we went ashore as there used to be a leper colony there and they also raise giant clams. Cyclone Winston had wrought an enormous amount of damage here. We met the caretaker and offered kava powder for Sevsevu. It was very informal and he accepted it and welcomed us to the island. The buildings that were laboratories and the tanks used to raise the giant clams had all been destroyed. There are plans to re-build. His daughter took us to see the huge cemetery that was part of the leper colony until the late 1960's. It was certainly a somber reminder of a different era in medicine. In the bay there are 6-8 giant clams that you can see by snorkeling.

The following day we departed with a destination of Volivoli point on Vito Levu. We went via Malakati reef where there are supposed to be breeding dolphins - alas no dolphins in sight! Volivoli point was a little disappointing. The anchorage was deep and although we found a shallower spot (30') the wind howled down through the surrounding hills. The next morning we decided to make for Yadua, a small island to the north where another boat had had a great time in the village. The passage was a lively beam reach in around 20 knots of wind. Unfortunately the wind direction and strength, as well as the fact the the light was no longer behind us meant that we did not tackle the narrow entrance to the eastern anchorage where the village is and we made our way to an anchorage on the western side of the island. The wind howled here too, but the anchorage was at least calm.

The old cruising guide we have indicated that you could walk from the western anchorage to the village over the hills and the next day we set out to do that. Suffice it to say that the trail was heavily overgrown but we made it to the summit of the hills and enjoyed spectacular views, but there was no way that we would make 3 Miles to the village, so we gave up and returned to the boat - getting lost on the way! That night the wind howled down across the anchorage and we decided to depart early for the Yasawa group. A New Zealand boat, Wild Sweet, followed us out of the anchorage with the same intention.

We had a wild, wet ride across to the Yasawa group of islands with 20-30 knots of wind on a broad reach - we only bothered to put out the jib. We had hoped to anchor in Saw-I-lau but advise from another boat was that the anchorage there was very rolly because of the south easterly winds. So we went behind the island to Namataya Bay (Land harbor). Despite the apparent shelter, the wind got through those hills as well, but not nearly as badly as the previous couple of anchorages. Despite this we enjoyed sundowners with Wild Sweet whose owners are from Opua in New Zealand where we intend to go in September.

The following day we pressed on to the Blue Lagoon a little further south. Here at last we found a taste of paradise. A calm bay, with pretty beaches and a small resort called Nanua Resort. We have enjoyed a couple of peaceful days here, a little snorkeling amongst a huge variety of fish and the companionship of a few WARC boats.