Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji
06/29/2008 - 07/13/2008
Robin's exiled to the swim platform on Key of D en route to snorkeling. Not really. She is just holding the line on the dinghy to ensure it does not get tangled in the prop while anchoring the big boat.
With over two weeks in Viani Bay and confirmation that our packages arrived in Savusavu, we started to contemplate leaving Viani Bay. With winds out of the west/southwest, we decided to wait for more favorable winds to depart for Savusavu which is 40 miles west of Viani Bay. The wait for a change in wind direction allowed us to work on a few chores and join a group of cruisers local guide Jack Fisher for the day on the catamaran Key of D.
We motored out to the reef with plans for Jack to show us the good spots for snorkeling. As we approached the reef, the winds picked up and squalls appeared on the horizon. Not to worry, we enjoyed freshly baked scones while waiting and hoping the weather would pass quickly.
Unfortunately, the winds kept getting stronger and the conditions were less than ideal for snorkeling. Oh well. We enjoyed visiting with everyone, savored the scones and envied the space on a cruising catamaran.
This rather ominous looking squall kept us from leaving the catamaran for a snorkel.
Crowded Savusavu
After a couple days of waiting in Viani Bay, the winds started to shift back to the south-southeast. We decided to up anchor and leave for Savusavu. Deciding to hoist the anchor and actually getting the anchor off the bottom were two different matters. Whisper's anchor chain became wrapped around coral heads. We suspected as much because we had a very constrained track in our Nobeltec swing-circle. In past situations, we normally can maneuver Whisper around to eventually unwrap the chain. Not this time. After 30 minutes of maneuvering with no luck, Duncan donned his dive gear in record time. We devised a signalling scheme for Robin to bring in or let out more chain at the windlass by using a long line Duncan took with him as Robin held the other end on deck. Our "tug" one, two, or several times signals did not work very well and provided us with a few laughs afterward. Even so, Duncan managed to unwind the anchor chain from the three interlocking coral heads keeping us captive in Viani Bay. Shortly thereafter, we left the bay and entered the Somosomo Strait.
Lots and lots of boats filled the Savusavu mooring field.
Twenty knots of wind just behind the beam and over 7 knots of boat speed made for a quick 45 mile trip into Savusavu. With three sailing rallies descending on Savusavu, we were not certain whether mooring near the town would be an option for us. Upon entering Savusavu Bay, we called the Copra Shed to check on mooring availability. Lucky us. One boat just left a mooring.
Rally flags of the 23 Bluewater Rally boats and a few remaining Island Cruising Association Rally boats flapped in the wind as we motored toward the only available mooring. Yikes, what a difference a month makes. We looked forward to meeting a new set of cruisers. With the rallys came numerous planned events for the rally participants. We benefited in hearing some of the bands and music for the parties held at the Copra Shed over the next couple of nights.
At 5 am one morning, Robin nudged Duncan and said "I hear anchor chain coming up". We peeked outside to see several boats with lights on and people on deck. Several boats were on the move. At one point, a boat was heading straight toward Whisper. Duncan turned on our deck light and the boat made a ninety degree turn in front of us. Leaving a crowded anchorage in the dark can be quite challenging for the boats leaving and nerve-wracking for the boats sitting still.
Rallys such as the Blue Water Rally are on a relatively tight schedule. This rally sails around the world in two years. By 8 am, no Blue Water Rally flags were in sight.
Large yachts from the Blue Water Rally med-moored at the Copra Shed Marina. Several Hallberg-Rassys (HRs) were in the rally. We counted 8 HRs in Savusavu upon our arrival.
Friends Tom and Barb, on Gosi, arrived and moored aside Curly's houseboat until the rally left.
Excitement over the 2000 passenger cruise ship dampened as the skies dumped rain on Savusavu for the entire day.
Rain, Wind and More Wind
The next big event for the town, population 4500, was the arrival of a 2000 passenger cruise ship from New Zealand. Preparations began as soon as the rally departed. Unfortunately for the town and the passengers, the weather did not cooperate. Heavy rains bucketed down just as the cruise ship arrived and the rain did not abate for the entire day. Regardless, the brave passengers who came ashore had a great time in the bar at the Copra Shed. A couple of folks had such a good time, they almost missed the cruise ship and had to get a private boat to take them to the ship!
White caps on rough seas. In the center near the top you can see a yacht arriving in Fiji from Tonga. The 20 to 30 knot winds and high seas lasted for over a week.
Originally, our plan was to come in to Savusavu to pick up our packages, go out to eat a couple of times and purchase a few provisions. Twenty to thirty knot winds and high seas left us hanging out for over two weeks. The winds would have been fine except they were coming from the southeast and we wanted to go south-southwest meaning we would have to bash into the wind. We do not like to bash, so we decided to find fun things to do in Savusavu.
Copra Mill Tour
We hired a taxi to give us a tour of the area surrounding Savusavu. Lucky for us, the taxi driver used to work at the copra mill, so that was our first stop. Copra has a long history in Fiji and the villages benefit from the copra industry when the world prices of coconut are high (as they are now). At around $600 to $800 Fijian dollars per ton to the village plantations, it is an important source of revenue to purchase other goods needed by the villages.
The smell of toasted coconut wafted out the door of the mill as friendly workers at the copra mill greeted us as we started our tour of the mill. The mill workers were not bothered by our presence and seemed to enjoy telling us about how the plant operates. Coconut oil extracted from copra is a huge export product for Fiji (along with sugar from sugar cane).
After the tour, the taxi driver gave us a driving tour of the area and dropped us off at Phil's new Savusavu home. Phil is a fellow cruiser (an Aussie) we met on our first visit to Savusavu. He recently purchased home in the area and suggested we stop by and take a look.
Here are many bags of coconut meal -- one by-product of the milling (coconut oil extraction) process. It is used to feed livestock.
Copra, the dried meat of coconut, arrives at the mill from many locations in Fiji. By the time the copra arrives here, the coconut shell has already been removed, the meat is broken up and the broken pieces were dried over fires of burning coconut husks and forest or mangrove wood (everywhere we look in Fiji, something is burning). The giant worm gear on the warehouse floor feeds the copra into the grinder.
The copra is ground to a pulp, then the oil is extracted by steaming the pulp in a special boiler. This separates the oil from the pulp and the coconut oil is drained off and pumped one way while the remaining coconut meal is driven by worm gears and conveyer belts to be packaged as livestock feed.
The 40 kilo bags of coconut meal are used to feed cattle and horses. Local livestock farmers purchase the coconut meal from the mill. The quality of coconut meal can vary and must meet certain standards for export.
This huge furnace generates the steam used in the boilers. The heat extracts the oil from the copra pulp. The wood burned is surplus/waste wood from the timber mill right next door. Unfortunately, this is just more burning and smoke and our sinuses have suffered.
Felled dead coconut palms are also milled (next door) and then used as lumber in specialty construction. The wood is strong and has a nice look to it — very tropical.
The resulting coconut oil fills these five tanks. It takes two months of continuous processing to fill the tanks. Then, a ship arrives in the bay, connects up, and over three days pumps the oil from the tanks into the ship for export. It's about five million Fijian dollars worth of oil every two months.
Phil's house overlooks the Koro Sea from this veranda. What a great spot. We attended his house warming party a few days later. We enjoyed watching sunset, meeting Phil's expat neighbors (and his real estate broker), and eating some excellent pizza.
Lush tropical grounds make for the perfect island setting. Beautiful flowers make the reds look redder and the greens look greener.
Walking Tour
This fancy, sleek trimaran looks very fast, but may lack creature comforts below decks.
The winds kept blowing and we kept finding things to do. We walked around town and out to a few resorts to keep ourselves busy. Visits to the hot springs were amusing. Walks to the nearby resorts and beaches reminded us how nice it is to have Whisper as our lodging. And the most exciting event of Savusavu was the acquisition of wireless internet on board Whisper while in Fiji waters. While not speedy, it filled a huge void for us. We know, we are supposed to be roughing it like cruisers of the old days, but we grew up in the information age and need our fix.
Vents of steam in the Savusavu area pop up near the water's edge and around town. We visited the Hot Springs park just a few minutes from the marina. Yellowstone it ain't.
At first we thought the springs were filled with trash - an some were. But on closer look, we realized locals were cooking their puddings in the hot springs. Why not? There is plenty of heat and it is cheaper than using gas.
The Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Center looks relatively unused and is a bit of a disaster itself. Hopefully this is a good sign.
We filled up our propane tank at the Fiji Gas. Tom, from Gosi, analyzes the days since last accident. We wondered what happened 5434 days ago. Obviously, we need to move on from Savusavu if we are pondering such things.
Teeny, Tiny Window To Move
Everyone stuck in Savusavu was anxious to leave. With access to the internet, much more weather data was at our finger tips. Anxious to move out of windy Savusavu and move back to the white sandy beaches of the west coast, we identified a day where it looked possible to leave and make some progress toward our goal before the high winds reappeared the next day. We plotted routes to five different destinations. One south, one further south, one west, one further west and one right in Savusavu Bay.
The day before we left, several folks report 30 to 40 knot winds from the southeast. Not ideal. We shall see what tomorrow brings and where we land.