15 June 2010
From time to time when internet access allows, we follow another Scottish boat Rhiann Marie, who are sailing independently around the world about a couple of months behind us. They have the time and good fortune to return home to Scotland on a regular basis. Their most recent blog tells of a rock concert they attended in Inverness featuring Blondie. David loudly and verbally expressed incredulity that at sixty four she was still going strong. Well, I may not be blond, I may not be a singer, but at only just over a year short of 64, I am still going strong and with a forthcoming passage of 450nm to Fiji, it is just as well!!
The leg calls for careful and accurate navigation. At first it appeared that we might be the only ones in the rally to head for the capital on the southern island of Viti Levu. We had very good reason. We had already visited Savu Savu on Vanua Levu in the north. Not finding it terribly inspiring a place we have no great wish to return. Then, when looking up the Noonsite website we discovered that checking in procedures to Suva not as difficult as we had thought it was going to be. The news found favour with several other yachts and before long we began to realise we would not be travelling alone after all. Our "cruise in company" continues. So Suva it is and perhaps if we are very lucky we may even find a little bit of culture there too.....
Word was out. A supply ship had arrived in Neiafu. We heard it announced over the daily cruisers net. Off I went to the local supermarket in excited anticipation of shelves newly laden with all manner of goodies long since seen. Our supplies of Cup-a-Soups are now dangerously low. We are down to our last 10 packets! David likes to have one on every night passage and with the cooler weather even I might join in with him on that. Oh my, what an anticlimax. Nothing seemed to have changed since our last visit of a week ago when we returned to Voyageur with no more than a tin of tuna to fill our shopping bag. And no yoghurt! We have a dollop of the stuff every morning over our fresh fruit breakfast. I asked a local. No yoghurt ever comes to Tonga. Not sure if it will be any better in Fiji either. Ah, never mind. The sun is still shining and there are so many restaurants to choose from here that we are spoiled for choice and most certainly will never go hungry.....
Susan Mackay