Day 95, Year 2: Busy Day in Musket Cove
Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007
Weather: Beautiful Day
Location: Malolo LaiLai Island, Mamanuca Group, Fiji

We really, really tried to have a day of rest today, but somehow we have trouble making that happen. We got up early and Mark decided to take the bag of dirty sheets and towels to shore to wash. He had to go into the office to check us in, and the laundry is just next door. Somehow he was lucky and got all three washing machines. He easily filled them and returned to Windird an hour later with lots of things to hang on the line to dry. It costs $6 a load to wash and another $6 to dry here, so
drying on the boat lines makes much more sense than using a dryer. When Mark returned, Joe from Maggie Drum came by to visit, and not long after that, Bob and Diana of White Swan came by. We hadn’t seen them since New Zealand, so it was great to reconnect. They had just come back from snorkeling and they encouraged us to go out to see the beauty.

We went out to the white sand bars just offshore from the marina and had a great time snorkeling amongst the the shallow coral heads. The fish here are obviously used to humans which makes them most friendly. I saw an octopus today and Mark had a great time taking pictures with his new underwater camera. I absolutely loved snorkeling here. It is the kind of clear water that allows you to see above and below water at the same time. It was very shallow, but even at low tide we could snorkel above
much of the coral. Tomorrow we will go back earlier in the morning when the tide is higher and see what that is like. Today was just so sunny and beautiful and the sunlight was dancing below the water. It was wonderful.

When we returned to Windbird, we took showers, and I captured that water to do the rest of the laundry. By the time I was ready to hang out the clothes, the sheets and towels were dry and ready to be taken down. While I did the laundry, Mark worked on turning around our front hatch. For some reason, all of the hatches on this boat open the wrong way. They should open toward the front to allow air to enter the boat, but our hatches all open in the opposite direction. After a lot of hard work,
Mark was able to lift the hatch and get it turned. So much for a day of relaxation. I think we thrive on activity and rest just doesn’t fit into the picture. Maybe tomorrow.

This evening we went to shore to the little island with the Musket Cove Bar and outdoor grill. The bar supplies dishes and silverware, so White Swan, Maggie Drum, Endangered Species, Ranger, and ourselves each brought a dish to share and our own meat to grill. It is really quite a nice little arrangement for cruisers. All of the facilities here are wonderful, and after a couple of months of being in the outback, this seems very nice. We will probably stay here a another couple of days before
heading back to the mainland to reprovision and check out for Vanuatu. We might be able to come back here after checking out and wait here for our weather window. I think that would be great. It’s much more like the upscale parts of the Caribbean than it is like Fiji, but it is a great stopping point.

Tomorrow is Diana’s birthday on White Swan and Monday is Marie’s birthday on Ranger. Sounds like we could have two days of celebration. Happy Birthday to Marie and to Diana.

070728 Day 95 Mamanuca Group, Fiji–Saturday in Musket Cove

070728 Day 95a Mamanuca Group, Fiji–Musket Cove Underwater