Fiji - June 8 - 15th

After Debra and Sandy left us we stuck around Vuda Point for a few more days. I had laundry to do and needed some fresh provisions. Unfortunately only one washer and one dryer were operable, and with the number of folks trying to get to these machines I managed to get just one load of sheets washed. On Monday, I rode into Lautoka with Sally (TDM) & Kathi (Bold Spirit) on the public bus. It cost F$1. We wanted the experience of riding with the locals. Once in town, we hit some clothing shops - Sally had a dress tailor made in 3 hours for F$25! That's about USD$11, while I purchased 2 skirts off the rack for a grand total of F$9 - amazing. We had lunch, hit the market and the bread store and then caught a cab for the ride back to the marina. The price of the cab was $15 - a bit more expensive than the bus but easier to transport purchases. The main reason I paid another visit to the market was that after our fresh fruits and vegetable purchase with our guests a few days before, I'd rinsed the bugs off and had left our produce in the cockpit to dry out over night. Big mistake. I underestimated the voracious and aggressive nature of the local birds that, while we were unawares, raided our goods and then dive-bombed the boat leaving their droppings all over the place. Most of the groceries did not survive the attack. In fact while Destiny was in the marina, rinsing the bird-doo off the boat became a daily necessity - not a pleasant ordeal at all. Other than that and the fact that we had to crawl over the bowsprit onto a little wooden deck about as large as our saloon table when getting on and off the boat, we found that we quite liked this marina. The amenities were very good. But we missed Musket Cove and our friends there so on Wednesday morning, along with The Dorothy Marie and Bold Spirit we set off for Malolo Lailai.

It was nice to be back "home" in Musket Cove. They do make life easy there for us. We spent a few days bonding with our friends again. I managed to get another load of washing done there, and the weather was beautiful so we finally got the chance to do some snorkeling in the area. World-class stuff. Tourists pay good money to get to go to these spots we can access in our dinghy. At low tide we can walk around on large sandbars out in the middle of the large bays, picking up shells and watching the starfish slide along the sand. It is quite a wonderful experience. We really like Musket Cove and could just have stayed there forever but we came to see Fiji and had a lot of Kava to dispense. Jaime and Christine (ML) would be leaving at the end of June to travel home to California for a month and wanted to do some cruising up the Yasawas before they left Fiji, so we made a plan to head out with them at the next good weather window. That happened to be Sunday, June 14th. We readied ourselves, bid farewell to Baraka, Bold Spirit and The Dorothy Marie (TDM) and then as we were about to cast off the mooring we managed to convince Glen and Sally of TDM to come with us, making our way up to Waya's Octopus Resort arriving just in time to settle in for the night. A very rough, uncomfortable night. In fact it was so unpleasant in that bay that we weighed anchor just after breakfast and went searching for a better spot up the way.

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The Sandoval's Visit (part 2) June 4 - 7

On Thursday, June 4th, we decided to move on up to Yalobi Bay, the southern most anchorage on Waya Island in the Yasawa Group and home to the local "Tui" (king/chief) or "Turaga ni Koro" (local dignitary/ancestral chief). Once anchored Frank and Sandy went to shore to seek him out and to present our "sevu-sevu" (gift) of "yaqona", (kava root). This must be done in order to receive his blessing and his permission to visit his village, walk his shores, pick up shells, swim in his waters, etc. They returned a short while later happily reporting that the chief, Big John, had received them, accepted the kava, blessed them and encouraged them to return later in the day with their wives. So around 4:00 PM, we ventured to shore where we were warmly greeted by the villagers and taken to the home of Big John and his clan. He came out of his bure (thatched hut) & motioned for us to join him, sitting cross-legged on a large hand-woven mat under a covered area much like a carport. He then asked us each our names, and a little bit about ourselves and because Sandy and Debra told him they were from Texas, Big John and his family excitedly began referring to Sandy as Chuck Norris (Walker, Texas Ranger!). Pretty funny. He then immediately had his people begin preparing a large vat of kava. Although we have described this process in a previous journal from Tonga, I'll go through it again: It begins by taking the kava root that had been finely hand-ground by the women, placing about ½ to a cup of this inside a cloth bag, into which water is poured and then the bag is hand squeezed, rendering the juice into the bowl. The juice looks like something a tobacco-chewer spit out. Disgusting. More water is added and the bag squeezed until the desired amount and consistency of liquid in the bowl is achieved. It looks like filthy swamp water and tastes like something you would scrape off the bottom of your boots after hiking through a Houston bayou. Even the locals agree it tastes awful, yet they drink it every night! It helps them to sleep and is medicinal. Right. Anyway, after we gagged down several rounds of the stuff, Big John excused us for the evening, but not before his wife and sister invited us back into the village to visit their crafts market the next morning. So, on Friday morning we went back into the village, did a little shopping, bought some beautiful hand made jewelry, fans and pretty shells and then walked around a bit along the beach where we picked up some nice big shells ourselves. I sure hope Debra and Sandy were able to get theirs back home through US Customs. It would have been a shame to have had to forfeit any of them.

Late morning we weighed anchor to make our way around the west side of Waya, anchoring in the bay just off the shores of the Octopus Resort. It was my birthday. Sandy and Debra gave me a Texas flag bandana and a beautiful copper Aspen leaf magnet to remind me where I came from. Sandy presented me (actually before this day) a very cool pendant he had made from a shell, on which he had carved the word "Destiny" and an etching of our boat. I loved my gifts! We spent the day in the water on our little floats, and then went into shore for a Fijian show and a fantastic Fijian-Indian feast.

On Saturday, the 6th we made a straight run to the mainland of Viti Levu and the marina at Vuda Point, where we ran into our friends Glen and Sally from The Dorothy Marie, and Jeff and Kathi from Bold Spirit. They gave us the lay of the land telling us about the yacht club, the pool at First Landing, the local resort, and all the happenings around the area. We wanted Debra and Sandy to see the "town" and the local open-air market, so we cabbed it into Lautoka, arriving there just about the time that the market had closed. Not a problem because many of the vendors just moved outside and laid their goods right on the ground for display. We stepped over and around them picking out fruits and vegetables. Sandy and Debra got to see what shopping is like for us. Very different than it is back home for sure! After the market we stowed our goods into the cab and walked over to the "Jolly Good Café" for a late lunch. All they had left was fried chicken - but boy was it good! That evening we had an excellent dinner at the yacht club and called it a day.

Sunday, June 7th - last day with Debra and Sandy. We went to the pool at First Landing where we found the best hamburgers we'd tasted in a long, long time! We took it easy lying around, chatting and reading and eventually our friends Glen, Sally, Kathi and Jeff joined us. Later in the afternoon Glen was planning to take his Sax over to the yacht club to jam with the band that plays there every Sunday, so we all tidied up and joined them. What fun it was for us to share these special times and special cruising friends with Debra and Sandy, giving them a taste of our life out here. We enjoyed some excellent entertainment, watched a brilliant sunset and then walked them over to catch their cab for the airport. The week had gone unbelievably quickly.

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June 1-3; The Sandoval's Visit (part 1)

Debra and Sandy arrived at Musket Cove June 1st, on the first flight in from Nadi, which perfectly synchronized with their arrival in Fiji. Fortunately for them they had a direct flight from Los Angeles and after clearing Fijian Customs they walked straight to the Pacific Sun (Fiji's local puddle jumper) desk for immediate departure to Malolo Lailai. We were waiting on the runway for them at the little airstrip just adjacent to the resort. It can't get much more convenient than that!
As is always asked of our visitors, they brought supplies from the homeland; items we were not able to procure in New Zealand or (definitely not) here. Some were necessities - 110 outlets, leather to repair sail clews, prescription meds; other things were wants - 3 paperback books we had ordered on Amazon and some galley goods such as cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, graham crackers, steel-cut oats, which were to be brought only on a space available basis. They were good sports about it. When we saw how small their bags were we felt badly that our products seemed to take most of the space in Sandy's bag, although he assured us otherwise. And the big bonus was that Sandy brought us movies - at least 20 of them!
We spent their first two days hanging out around Musket Cove Resort, which incidentally isn't a bad place at all to repair from a long journey. I was happy for my girl time with Debra. We visited the gift shop, walked the beach, lunched at nearby Lomani, a top-end resort on the southern end of Malolo Lailai & then went up to the top of the island to take in the incredible 360 views, bearing witness to the bountiful beauty of Fiji's waters and her isles. We introduced them to our friends from Baraka, Morning Light & (former) Elusive. We fixed them New Zealand rack of lamb their first night on board, and called it a good day indeed. Next day was windy, overcast and waves a bit too choppy to go snorkeling on the reef, so we leisurely ventured into shore for another day at the resort. Debra and I laid by the pool, read, talked, walked up the hill with Jan & Dave (Baraka) to another gift shop/gallery where she bought some very cool things, oohed and aahed at the view from that little crest, and then returned to the bar where the boys were continuing their male bonding exercises over libations. A small crowd of our cruiser friends gathered and after visiting with them for a while we all adjourned to the Island Bar for Pizza. Later that evening we joined Christine & Jaime (Morning Light) and their boat guests Erik & Gisela for a very nice dinner at the hotel's main restaurant.

Wednesday, we departed Musket Cove, sailing up toward the Yasawas. At first it was a bit choppy but good sailing. We took them past Monuriki, the island where Tom Hanks had filmed "Castaway", but decided not to stop because of the large swell that was developing. Eventually it got real uncomfortable, but for Sandy it seemed just a walk in the park while Debra continued to smile through her discomfort (she was a real trooper!). Along the way Debra spotted a group of dolphins that came alongside to play and frolic in our bow wake, leaping high into the air and putting on a big show for us. Sandy and Frank made their way up to the front of the boat to get a better look while at our nautical visitors. Then Sandy, camera in hand, laid belly to the toe-rail and began hooping and hollering at them, waving his arms down at them as though in some alien form of communication. He swore they were having a personal experience, and they must have been because our friends swan along with us for several miles. It was fun to see him having such a great time up there and to see the big smile on both his and Debra's faces. We never tire of sailing with the dolphins. Although we had wanted to make it all the way to Waya, the southern most island in the Yasawa group, we were all getting tired of the big waves, so we ducked into the bay at Navadra for the night. We really wanted to go to shore to walk among what remains of the area from "Survivor" (TV show), but could not get to shore because of the shallow coral heads. So we stayed aboard and rested for the night.

Back at Musket Cove but Maybe Heading Out Again...

We went over to an island called Navadra (pronounced "Navandra"), where we are told Survivor Fiji was filmed.  Being Americans of course we think that we have the exclusive on this show - right?  Wrong.  There is a Survivor series going on in many countries now, and several of them used Navadra to film.  It is a pretty bay flanked by 2 islands, one was used for the crew apparently (to party?) because when we went to shore we found the remains of a very large cafe/bar area with flip flops and sandals hung all around the walls which had washed ashore, and then another structure that looked like a staging area for something.  The other island which we could not get to because of the inaccessibility to shore was where the tribes had been set up.  Now that we have left there we've been told when and how to go ahsore, which we'll do if we get back there.  The bay is noted for it's diving and snorkeling and we had seen some beautiful coral heads while dinghying around so couldn't wait to get in. Frank jumped into the water to go snorkeling and while I was donning my gear he came back to the boat to tell me I may want to wear my dive skin because the waters were full of little tiny jelly fish looking things.  So I went in search of my suit and before I could "launch", out of the water he sprang!  He had been stung all over his arms and shoulders. I didn't go in.  Poor guy!  So snorkeling was out.  We opted for sitting on the boat and reading.  We stayed for two nights and both nights had sundowners with Morning light and her crew, Erik and Gisla. Then we returned to MC in order to do some laundry and get ready for our guests.

I have known Debra for 19 years.  I met her through the Houston Hash House Harriers (H4).  She met her husband, Sandy, through the Hash as well, and they have become good friends of Frank, too over the years.  They are one of the most down to Earth, easy-going couples we know so we were excited that they were able to come to Fiji, and knew that they would adapt quickly to boat life.

They flew into Malolo Lailai early on the morning of June 1st.  We met them at the airstrip and gave them a quick tour of the resort before settling them into the boat.  We enjoyed introducing them to some of our cruiser friends who were still in the anchorage there.  Next post will be about the adventures of Debra and Sandy aboard Destiny.

 

 

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Going out to play...

Our friends on Morning Light arrived here at Musket Cove and brought their friends from San Diego who also happen to own an IPY 485. Tomorrow we are both heading out to cruise some of the smaller islands for a few days. One of them was where Survivor Fiji was filmed. cool.

Well that's it for now - nothing much to update except that we have been either walking the beach here on Mololo Lailai, reading by the pool, swimming or just hanging out. Nice here. Hard to imagine how hard we work to get here, but now that we are we enjoy it to the max.

Good news and more good news!

Friday afternoon we heard that our friends on Morning Light were just arriving into Port Lautoka safe and sound following a less than ideal 10-day passage.  They were followed by Scarlett O'hara, who had the survivors of Elusive on board, arriving just in time to get checked in before the offices shut down for the weekend, and.  We were quite relieved to know that they were all safely tucked away as we continued to await news of the arrival of Bold Spirit and The Dorothy Marie ("TDM").  We had heard that TDM's autopilot had quit on them while they were still 4 days out, leaving them to hand steer their way here.  I'm sure they were getting weary. Dave and Jan on Baraka had come by earlier to gather donations from the gang to pay for hotel accommodations for Steve, Wendy and their son in Lautoka. We happily pitched in knowing that they would appreciate some space of their own for a couple of days, and some peace and quiet to get themselves sorted out.  They were all still in quite a state of shock after having watched their beautiful boat sink into the depths of the South Pacific.  Fortunately, Earl and Marsha (Mahurangi) were heading into Lautoka on personal business and were able to set it up so that all that Elusive's owners had to do was give their names to the front desk and be shown to their room.  Dave and Jan had also sent ahead some wine and snacks for them.  What thoughtful people they are! On Saturday, exhausted yet happy Glen and Sally aboard TDM navigated the barrier reef into the safety of Fiji's Momi Bay.  On Sunday we heard that Bold Spirit had also made it in.  We breathed a sigh of relief and cheered their arrival.  It will be good to see them all and to bring the gang back together again.  The rub was that Saturday afternoon brought a storm with high winds and rain.  I wished that I'd gone to shore earlier in the day for at least a walk or a swim because by mid-day there was no leaving the safety of Destiny and her mooring.  The winds howled and the rain whipped us – at least giving us another nice rinsing off.  But it was much too choppy to set out in the dinghy.  We spent the weekend reading.  I read "The Shack", while Frank finished a book that had been loaned to us, which he could not put down!  It is called "Rescue in the Pacific", by Tony Farrington (also a yachtie), depicting the horrific and disastrous "Queen's Birthday" storm of June 1994.  It was a late season storm that just happened to develop in the passage area of some 60 yachts heading north from New Zealand toward Tonga and Fiji.  With sustained winds of between 50-75 kts, gusts of up to 100, and raging seas building wave heights to 100ft., this storm set off the largest scale rescue effort in the history of this area.  After Frank finished it he told me I should read it – that it would probably scare the fillings out of my teeth but we both needed to read it so that we can discuss strategy.  He was right on all accounts.  I poured through it just as he did and then we spent  considerable time discussing modifications and improvements relative to us and to Destiny before our next passage.  This book had a profound impact on us and on every other cruiser we know who has read it.  I don't know if the average reader would "get it".  Tonight at dinner during a discussion of the book, Christine from Morning Light pointed out that she had read it before she and Jaime began cruising.  It did not have the same meaning to her then that it would now that they are making passages and dealing with these crazy weather systems while at sea. Also over the weekend we got word from our Houston friends, Debra and Sandy that they are coming to visit us the 1st of June.  We had been hoping for this news since our trip back home in January, but they had to wait for certain things to align before they would know for certain.  The bonus – they will be here during my birthday.  We have a week to get ship-shape for our guests, and we are pleased to do so. www.frankandbarbgladney.com while at sea: kd0cff@winlink.org (note:the sender must include the character sequence "//WL2K" in the subject line of the message.) Skype ID: frank.barb.gladney

“Fiji 411"

Fiji is comprised of two major islands, Viti Levu, ("Great Fiji") is the largest island, Vanua Levu, ("Big Land") the second largest, then a third smaller island, Tavenui, followed by island Groups, such as The Yasawas, the Lau Group and so on. Musket Cove is on a very small island called Malolo Lailai in the Mamanuka group. In order to move around in Fiji we may not always go via Destiny, because in order to do so we must have a permit from and to each island or group we wish to take her. For trips into town on the main islands there are other means of travel. Monday morning we took the one-hour ferry ride with Marsha and Earl, whose yacht is "Mahurangi", to Denarau Island. We stopped for lunch at the Hard Rock Café – can you even believe this? Then from there we took a cab over to Nadi (pronounced "Nandi"), which is actually on the main island of Viti Levu. The two are connected by a bridge – much like Galveston to the Texas mainland. Anyway in order not to complicate this – I won't get into geography. If you look at a map of Fiji you will get the general idea. Nadi is a larger version of a dirt street village with loads of souvenir shops, including the clothing stores (just like many towns in Mexico), and with a very large Indian influence. Our main objectives were to get: 1) Cash from the ATM, 2) detailed local cruising maps, 3) Kava root, 4) fresh fruits and vegetables, and 5) lightweight dresses and apparel for visiting the villages. Women are forbidden to wear shorts, short skirts, and swimsuits in the villages. Men should wear long pants or "Sulu". You are also expected to remove hats and sunglasses when addressing a local, and we are advised that backpacks, shoulder bags and cameras should be carried in the hand – not slung over the shoulders or worn on the back – out of respect. The rule of thumb is you cannot be too conservative. We were also advised to stock up on cigarettes to hand out to village leaders and chiefs. Aye! I am not happy to be promoting lung cancer especially since it was so difficult for me to quit smoking! But when in Fiji… The boys set off for the bank and the map store while Marsha and I tried on dresses and skirts. Then we all ventured to the market, which is an open-air market such as we have attended in many other countries except that this was a bit of a surprise to Frank and I as first time visitors. Clearly one half of this gargantuan market was dedicated to the selling of and consumption of Kava! We have been advised many times over of the importance of purchasing the proper amount and type of Kava for presentation to the Big Chiefs. This is serious business indeed! It was really kind of creepy for Marsha and I because there were aisles and aisles of booths, with toothless men and women sitting among mounds of Kava Root, pounding it into powder, wrapping and weighing bundles of the stuff, while mixing and drinking the noxious substance. Most of them sat around with blank stares – rather stoned stares, or smiling deviantly at us as we stumbled about wondering where the heck Frank and Earl got to. Eventually we found them, still back toward the main entrance happily drinking free samples of this gawd-awful brown sludge. They were beginning to develop the same goofy look of the locals. Marsha and I were so distracted by them that we left without purchasing a single parcel of food. Eventually we made our way back to Denarau where Marsha and I parked the boys back at the Hard Rock Café and sought out a local bakery, small (indoor) grocery, ice cream shop and whatnot, paying much higher prices but preferring the cleanliness of this to Nadi. We will go back another time for a trip to the temples and tourist attractions and to sample the local flavor of the indigenous foods. Today is Thursday. I don't know where the time goes. We have just really enjoyed hanging out by the pool, hiking around the little island here and having dinner with friends from the other boats. It is so lovely here that we wish we could share it with those we love and we think of you all often. We are awaiting news of the arrival of our nephew's baby, which should be any day now. Internet is still hit and miss. Some days we have a great connection and other times none at all, or sketchy at best. The Sat phone is hit and miss. Today the Skype was working so we talked to our folks on the phone, called my daughter and sis and a couple of friends – made contact with some, left a few voicemails on some and not on others but felt good that we tried. Although we buy cell phone SIM cards in the local country, it is so expensive to call, and we do not always have access to internet/Skype. So we grab what we can get when we get it. I still marvel at how much of life we took for granted back there where everything is so convenient. We remind ourselves as often as possible that life is about much more than that! WE are getting to experience the REAL world - the USA is just a Fantasy compared to so many other countries and cultures. Tonight we will have Sundowner over on Warm Rain. Tomorrow – who knows?! We are still asking for prayers for our group of friends still trying to make the crossing from New Zealand to Fiji. Our trip was an easy 7 ½ days. They have all been going at it for 8 days now and due to rotten weather and seas are still 3-5 days out, and of the group one boat has already met a tragic fate. We appreciate any good and kind thoughts you will send their way. Well as I am about to post this Frank just received word that Jeff and Erin had baby Logan yesterday - on Jeff's birthday. Congrats you two. Erin, I know you were way past ready to have that little guy in your arms. www.frankandbarbgladney.com while at sea: kd0cff@winlink.org (note:the sender must include the character sequence "//WL2K" in the subject line of the message.) Skype ID: frank.barb.gladney

Good Times in Fiji and Very Sad News

Saturday morning we all met on the little island, at The Bar for a chart meeting.  Dave and Judy are Kiwis and fellow cruisers who sailed here from New Zealand many times over the years and one day decided not to leave so they run Musket Cove Resort, and keep it very cruiser-friendly.  They gathered us round for a Fiji Islands cruising tutorial giving us tips on safe passages, where to anchor, when and where to buy the proper size and amount of Kava root to present to village chieftains upon arrival at their bay/inlet/village.  Fascinating stuff indeed. Then we had free time until closing night ceremonies at 6 PM.  Frank and I went to the Coffee Cove and had seafood pizza for lunch then we went back to Destiny to take care of some housekeeping items. At 6 PM we donned what meager Pirate gear we could scrape together and went ashore to The Bar.  There was some ritualistic preparation of Rum punch and a social hour, followed by a chicken curry dinner.  Afterward Phil announced the prizewinners.  "Warm Rain" won Best Story, "Baraka" won Best Protest and Best Dressed Pirates, Destiny won "Most accurate ETA" (misspelled on our plaque "Accutate"), "Mahurangi" won Best Kept Log, "Different Drummer" won Largest Fish Caught, & "Vivacious" won Best Brag.   Sadly, to end the night, Alan from "Charisma" approached us to tell everyone that he had just received the horrific news that "Elusive", a J-44, who was traveling with a group of our cruiser friends (Morning Light, The Dorothy Marie, Scarlett O'Hara, etc.), sank 500 miles north of Auckland.  Owners, Steve and Wendy are excellent seamen, so needless to say we are all shocked and very upset by this news.  They had their son aboard and were fortunately rescued by John and Renee of Scarlett O'Hara.  They are unharmed and are continuing the journey to Fiji aboard S O'H.  No one knows for sure what happened only that they were taking on water.  We await further news. Today is Sunday.  Not much going on.  Frank is working on boat stuff and we are just enjoying doing nothing. www.frankandbarbgladney.com while at sea: kd0cff@winlink.org (note:the sender must include the character sequence "//WL2K" in the subject line of the message.) Skype ID: frank.barb.gladney

Friday, May 15, 2009 Rally Events in Musket Cove

Yesterday kicked off the official rally events. We all gathered on the island to participate in the highly competitive lawn games, consisting of versions of Lawn Darts, ring toss and a type of lawn bowling. Each yacht was represented by her crew. "Different Drummer", "Mahurangi" and "Vivacious" had additional crewmembers, while we remaining 3 boats, "Destiny", "Baraka" & "Warm Rain" had only two team members each. Apparently these games are much more common among Kiwis because as they all excelled at them, and we basically sucked! In the first two games we were set against Tom and Dawn of "Warm Rain". Tom just about wore us out because after each round he would get out the measuring line to actually measure within a hair each team's distances. I'm thinking he was some kind of engineer or accountant in his working life. Frank and I were good enough with "eyeballing" our marks. Ah well, sigh. We had a good time though, and finally found our niche in lawn darts. We won against everyone we played, although when "Warm Rain" was sent to play us of course Tom argued over each round until we just turned up the juice and blew them away – end of debate! After the games we came back to the boat, donned our swimsuits and went for a quick swim, then Frank tethered our floating lounge chairs to the cleats and we just floated around, lounging and "chillin". 7 PM was the "Pig on a Spit" at Dick's Place, and it was delicious! The meal featured the pig which was fully laid out on the serving bar – wish I'd taken a photo – and then a buffet of various local delicacies including grilled pumpkin (quite good), some curried dishes and quite a varied salad bar. Afterward was a show featuring local dancers and singers. This morning we assembled back at "The Bar" area for the reading of the Protests, the Nautical Brags, the Stories using all boat names, and for the presentation of photos of the largest catch during the passage. Our fish, a 31" Mahi Mahi was probably mid-range in size compared to some others. Prizes will be assessed and awarded at the final dinner. Droplets of rain began sprinkling us and by the time we wrapped up the morning activities to return to the boat we had a rain shower looming, which was great because Destiny needed a good fresh water rinse down. At 4 PM we reassembled on the beach for the big volleyball competition between the yachties and the locals. Only one local showed up so we all just played against each other, thinking that the threat of rain kept the others away, so he alternated between the 2 teams (he was a very good player!). Eventually another Fijian came along so we split the two among us and played on. I haven't played volleyball in a very, very longtime – we are talking perhaps a decade or more. I am feeling it already in every muscle of my body. What a great workout! I told Frank that we should do this every day and then we can eat ice cream without feeling terribly guilty. The downside is that I still have sand in every orifice and pore of my body – great exfoliation! We were all due to meet at "The Bar" for the official Musket Cove welcoming reception for the ICA rally participants at 6 PM. Frank took off to get a shower, and as I was on my way to join him he informed me that there would be no showers aboard Destiny tonight – our water pump has gone Kaput! Argh! He rinsed in the ocean and I just hosed off at the outdoor faucet. After the official welcome by resort management, featuring the big draw: free rum punch for all, we participated in the BBQ dinner, which is a favorite dining experience of not only cruisers but also of hotel guests. There are several large grills around the little island bar. The drill is that you can either bring your own meat to throw on the grill and purchase your side dishes (i.e., a baked potato is F$1), or you can go to the little grocery store and purchase your "BBQ pack" which includes your choice of steak, chicken, lamb, pork or fish with sides to take to the grill and cook, while Musket Cove provides the plates, napkins and utensils. You purchase your drinks at The Bar and have a generally convivial evening getting to know your fellows. It was great fun! We can do this every night if we wish. After we were done eating and making merry, I slipped over to the showers for a decent rinse-off and we returned to the boat. After hitting the Aleve and writing this update – I'm ready to hit the sack. Tomorrow in between rally events we will be working on the water pump. Paradise comes with a price you know. www.frankandbarbgladney.com while at sea: kd0cff@winlink.org (note:the sender must include the character sequence "//WL2K" in the subject line of the message.) Skype ID: frank.barb.gladney

May 13, 09 – Discovering Musket cove, Fiji

Today we tasted freedom as we boarded the dinghy and went to shore to stretch our legs and get the circulation moving around once again. The first order of business was to go to the marina office to get our account set up at the resort, join the yacht club and fill out whatever mounds of paperwork were required there. We immediately fell head over heels for Musket Cove Resort. It is very beautiful here. For the whopping sum of $6 (Fijian) our yacht club membership includes full use of the resort facilities, which can be charged to our "account". Scary. No money is needed – just put it on the account. This is a resort, so you can find just about anything to do or not to do. All of your needs and even things you do not need are provided here so that you never want to leave. And already we do not. The staff's hospitality and friendliness is genuine and their ability to remember each of our names after the initial greeting is impressive. We have learned that "Bula!" is the standard greeting, which means, "Welcome" and also "Hello". As we walked about, staff members and even the children would exclaim, "Bula!", and in his endeavor to respond appropriately, sometimes in a fluster, Frank would yell out, "Hola!" The locals would look a little perplexed, but would just shrug and smile at us. We walked around surveying the lay of the land, ticking off the activities we would like to undertake. Today for my activity I chose the spa and set an afternoon appointment. After lunch at "Dick's Place", Frank settled down by the pool with a Stephen White novel (Colorado author), while I set off for the spa and my "Fijian Bobo Massage". Afterward, I'm sure I walked out of there looking like I had palsy. I was so relaxed and limp that I could hardly walk. I found Frank and pointed to the boat, saying, "I have to go take a nap now – I don't want to ruin this!" At 5:00 we were scheduled to go over to "Different Drummer" for a rally sundowner with the gang. All 16 of us gathered round in his cockpit and as we passed the snacks, Phil filled us in on the upcoming rally events for the week. Friday morning we will meet on the grassy end of the little island that houses "The Bar" at 9:30AM to begin the games which will be a competition among the yachties for prizes. By the time we had gotten back to Destiny, it was too late to eat the lamb steaks I'd thawed so we just read ourselves to sleep – after all it was a very busy day in paradise. www.frankandbarbgladney.com while at sea: kd0cff@winlink.org (note:the sender must include the character sequence "//WL2K" in the subject line of the message.) Skype ID: frank.barb.gladney