fiji

EXPLOREfijiChant Of The Islandswith the Oyster World RallyWords by: Louay HabibImages by: Mark Snyder / Oyster Yachts98 | Floating ASSET - November/December 2013Fiji consists of 322 islands, of which only 106 areinhabited, and is spread over 75,000 square miles. Thetwo most important islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu,which account for approximately three-quarters of thepopulation. The Fijian Islands are recognised as one of themost beautiful locations on Earth, remote tropical islands, scatteredacross the pristine southern Pacific Ocean........November/December 2013 - Floating ASSET | 99

NEW BUILDEXPLOREfijiWORLD RALLYThe Oyster World Rally had a truly special arrival in theLau Group – the most eastern of the Fiji Island chain. Untilrecently these islands had been completely off-limits foryachts; they are still little-visited due to the necessity tocheck into one of Fiji’s main islands, arrange permits, thensail back upwind to Lau. The Oyster World Rally howevermanaged to arrange permits in advance, and chartered aplane to fly the customs, immigration and quarantine officialsto Lau to process the fleet there.“Our first landfall was Vanua Balavu a small island in the Laugroup”, explained Andrew Lock, skipper of Oyster 54, Pearlof Persia.“As we approached the island, with Susanne looking for thebreak in the reef, it became clear that our charts and whatwe saw before us didn’t match up. So it was back to oldfashionednavigation and some very tense moments as wemade our way through the reefs, looking for the posts andmarkers, which guided the way. Villages in Fiji, particularlywhen so remote, still run on traditional lines with a villagechief and elders, and there is a requirement, even obligation,for a formal welcome to the village, called Sevusevu. In thewhole of the Lau group of islands there are no shops andno tourists so visitors are rare and a great fuss was madeof us, with the traditional ‘kava’ welcoming ceremony. Sittingin a circle in the main hut, the kava drink is prepared bypounding the kava roots and mixing with water in a largewooden bowl, speeches of welcome are made and coconutshell full of kava passed around to drink. Finally we are toldthat we may swim and fish in the waters, walk anywherein the village and we are no longer strangers. The childrenwere dancing and singing and that evening a great feast wasprepared all cooked in the traditional underground oven.”The British explorer James Cook reached the Lau Groupin 1774 and little has changed, Lauan villages remain verytraditional and chart data for navigation often dates backcenturies. The Oyster World Rally daily radio schedulebecame invaluable, as Stephen Gratton, skipper of Oyster53, Amelie explained:“With skippers sharing waypoints between the islands whichwere free of unmarked hazards. Ian Davis from Oyster 56,Yantina operates the radio-net and Yantina’s forward lookingsonar became a popular lead boat when making passagesthrough tricky reefs.”100 | Floating ASSET - November/December 2013November/December 2013 - Floating ASSET | 101

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EXPLOREfijiWORLD RALLYFiji is known as the Soft Coral Capital of the World, anetwork of brilliant coral reefs surround the islands with athousand species of tropical fish and several hundred typesof coral and sponges, Fiji offers a unique diving experience,as Stephen and Debbie Gratton from Amelie found out.“Snorkelling around the reef off Navadra was excellent asthe coral was varied and healthy. The fish were plentifuland we observed a Nurse Shark dozing on the seabed. Weended up diving in the bay to release our anchor chain thathad become wrapped and trapped around an enormouscoral head. The exertion used up our air and a few corallacerations later we were ready to lift the anchor. The skyhad darkened and visibility was not perfect, so we reanchoredand stayed another night - a real hardship!”“The following day we followed other members of the Oysterfleet to a bay off Naviti, in the Yasawa group. We swam withManta Rays in Tokatokaunu Pass, between Drawaqa Islandand Naviti. We observed these huge, majestic creaturesgracefully swimming over and past us. Later that evening,Amelie hosted a roast lamb supper for several of the OysterWorld Rally fleet. The next day, we travelled to the BlueLagoon anchorage, Matacawalevu (where the film of thesame name was made starring Brooke Shields). We had awonderful supper ashore in true Fijian style; pork, chickenand fish in coconut frond woven baskets, are placed on theheated rocks buried in the ground. Banana leaves and morecoconut fronds are placed over the top and left to cook fora few hours. The food was succulent and plentiful with aselection of sauces and vegetables plus home baked bread.We sat crossed legged on the ground and devoured ourfeast, with flame torches and the stars for light whilst ourhost Semme and his family serenaded us. We returned thenext day to offer gifts for their hospitality and warm welcome.It was an absolute delight to see the children gnawing onice-cold chocolate from Amelie’s fridge.We made one last visit to the Manta Rays, although theywere shy this time and then had a magnificent sail toMusket Cove, Malolo Lailai Island. Amelie became a lifelongmember of the Musket Cove Yacht Club on arrival and wehad a memorable stay in yet another beautiful spot. Wemoored stern to overlooking the bar on the sandy islandopposite. We had our final Fijian party on the beach with abuffet dinner and a live band. We danced the night awayon the sand with the additional sight of Debbie with atambourine dancing to Mustang Sally and Dancing Queen.”104 | Floating ASSET - November/December 2013November/December 2013 - Floating ASSET | 105

EXPLOREfijiWORLD RALLYThe final stopover in Fiji at Musket Cove Resort was ratedby rally participants as ‘one of the best yet’.” smiled DebbieJohnson, Oyster World Rally Project Manager.“A great opportunity to catch up with everyone after a monthof independently cruising the beautiful islands of Fiji. Talesof amazing diving amongst pristine soft coral, snorkellingthrough passes with Manta Rays on the incoming tide, whitewaterrafting, visiting remote villages, narrowly avoidinguncharted reefs, and of course weeks of perfect sailingconditions were shared.The rally party was held at the resort, an elegant but relaxedevening where we were treated to a sublime dinner ofIndo-Fijian specialities and slideshow showing some of thehighlights of our stay in Fiji by photographer Mark Snyder ofWet Art Productions. After dinner ‘The Culture Band’ playedan energetic playlist that had the whole rally dancing on thebeach under the stars.Following a few days of relaxation at the Musket Cove YachtClub dock, and, we have to admit, a few evenings of BBQsand late nights at the Island Bar, fresh provisions were takenon board for the short hop to Vanuatu. MCYC and YachtHelp Fiji helped to arrange for customs and immigration tocome to the island to complete checkout facilities at the club– an extremely efficient process, and the experienced teamon the dock led the fleet out through the tricky reef to startthe passage in safety.”Whilst the Oyster World Rally fleet has been exploringhundreds of locations throughout Fiji, several places on themain island of Vanua Levu and also Denarau Island deservea special mention. Copra Shed Marina, Yacht Help Fiji andPort Denarau Marina gave invaluable assistance with allmanner of logistics and some of the best facilities in Fiji, alsoa big thank you to the stunning eco-friendly Jean MichelCousteau Resort on Savusavu Bay and Musket Cove.After seven months and thousands of miles of sailing, theOyster World Rally is about to visit its first continent!The next scheduled stop over for the Oyster Fleet will beMackay, Queensland, a short distance from the Great BarrierReef of Australia.www.oystermarine.com106 | Floating ASSET - November/December 2013November/December 2013 - Floating ASSET | 107