Cruising World - November - December 2016

november/december 2016

cruisingworld.com

61

FABULOUS FIJI

Luckily, the wind shift to the southwest happened

gradually, so we were able to lay a course, with a

few degrees to spare, past the heavy breakers of

the menacing barrier reef to clear the entrance to

Savusavu Harbor.

As we entered Savusavu’s narrow channel, we saw

cruising yachts from all over the world anchored and

moored along the straggling, somewhat dilapidated

waterfront of the small, bustling city. Steam rose

from the muddy banks, attesting to the prevalent

volcanic activity in the region. The waters were

murky from the runof of many rivers and streams

— a marked contrast to the crystal-clear waters of

the islands and atolls of the central Pacific, where we

had been cruising for the previous two years.

Miraculously, by the time we had anchored

and contacted the port oicials on the VHF, the

skies had begun to clear. Shortly after, a boat came

alongside with the oicers

from health, immigration and

customs. After a perfunctory

fumigating of Small World to

eliminate any mosquitoes

we might have brought from

Tonga, we were warmly

greeted and welcomed to

Fiji. Clearance was simple

and straightforward, with a

trip ashore later to finish the

process. By midday we had

moved farther into the harbor

and picked up a mooring ball

of the Waitui Marina.

To understand the

dynamics of cruising Fiji, it

is first important to note the

region’s geography as well as

its history. With more than

300 islands, by some esti-

mates, and countless reefs

and shoals (many of which

are poorly charted), for cen-

turies the Fijian archipelago

has been a feared and often

avoided area for shipping.

Dutch explorer Abel

Tasman first sighted the

islands in 1643, but it was

another hundred years

before Capt. James Cook

briefly went ashore on one

of the eastern outlying islands. Then, in 1789, Capt.

William Bligh of HMS Bounty, having been set adrift

in a small boat with 18 of his loyal crew, successfully

navigated and began charting the archipelago’s

interior waters.

Ostensibly en route westward toward Batavia, in

the Dutch East Indies (where Jakarta sits today),

Bligh had unknowingly chosen a course that took

him through the often hazardous Somosomo Strait,

between the rugged and lush island of Vanua Levu to

the north and the larger, mountainous main island

of Viti Levu to the south. To this day, the treach-

erous, reef-strewn area bears the name Bligh Water.

Although it is possible to safely transit the strait

in benign conditions, when the trade winds rise

above 25 knots, the Venturi efect between the two

islands, combined with the strong currents that flow

through the passage, can create challenging sea con-

ditions for smaller vessels.

Forty to 50 knots of wind

and steep, short 8- to 10-foot

seas are not unusual.

Entering the island group

along a course similar to

ours, Bligh doubtlessly would

have passed several enticing-

looking landfalls. But it was

well known that cannibals

inhabited these islands, and

so Bligh wisely avoided going

ashore. Instead he sailed

through what is today still

some of the most diicult

navigation in the entire

South Pacific.

Although cannibalism has

not been openly practiced

in Fiji since the late 19th

century, it is an important

and undeniable part of the

islanders’ heritage. Fiji’s

most famous cannibal, Ratu

Udre Udre, was finally laid

to rest in 1840 after he had

consumed, according to

the Guinness Book of World

Records, 872 people. We

found the tomb and shrine

to this man on the shore near

Rakiraki, which attests to

the reverence with which at

least some Fijians still hold

this barbaric custom from

Preparing

yagona roots

for fresh kava

is an ongoing

task in Fiji

(opposite).

Small World

II rests at

anchor after

an event-

ful passage

from Tonga

(below). The

southern inte-

rior of Vanua

Levu is lush

and verdant

(bottom).

DIANA SIMON (OPPOSITE); GAYLE SUHICH

While Fiji is not necessarily on the direct

path across the Pacific, on what is some-

times referred to as the Coconut Milk Run,

many cruisers elect to sail northwest from

Tonga, or come up from New Zealand and

make Fiji their stop on the way toward

Vanuatu and/or the Torres Strait. Still others

stay in the region for years, sailing triangles

from New Zealand to Tonga to Fiji and back.

Shopping in Fiji is a refreshing break for

the cruising kitty. After the exorbitant prices

of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands,

we found Fiji very afordable. Gayle regu-

larly stocked up on food for an entire week

for the equivalent of about $20 USD.

All visiting yachts arriving in Fiji are sub-

ject to an 18-month limit on their stay; after

that, they’re subject to a 15 percent import

duty. For that reason, most cruisers who

decide to make Fiji a semipermanent base for

a few years will sail up to Futuna Island, about

300 miles north of Vanua Levu, once a year.

Although Fiji is in the heart of the South

Pacific cyclone belt, there are innumerable

decent hurricane holes, and excellent shelter

is provided by Vuda Marina in cyclone pits.

Many cruisers do in fact base their boats in

Fijian waters for extended periods of time.

Immigration allows for a four-month

visa upon sailing into the country; it can be

easily extended for up to six months. Further

extensions require a visit to the immigra-

tion department and a legitimate reason for

staying, which can range from doing work on

the boat to writing a story about Fiji; it just

needs to be valid and compelling.

What to Know If You Go