Fawn Harbor


Stardate September 27, 2023


Finally got a slight break in the weather.  Nick and I left Savusavu, on the bay at eight am.  Would have been sooner but I had to raise and secure my dinghy.  Had a dock party last night in honor of us leaving.  Much singing, many laughs, a lot of hugs and promises to keep in touch.  Got back too late to hoist the dinghy, hence the slight delay this am.


Fought heavy sea and wind on the nose (of course) getting out of Savusavu Bay.  Once we turned the corner around the big reef, I thought we’d have a beam reach all the way to Fawn.  That lasted a couple of hours.  Then the wind shifted again to be pretty much on our nose.  We had to make FH by nightfall, as the entrance is pretty tricky.  When my speed dropped below four knots I decided to kick in the iron Jenny.  I really hate motor sailing…


Got passed by a super yacht doing about 13 knots *towing* a 25 foot Boston Whaler or some such.  Couldn’t believe it.  Then the rains came.  I have a dodger and a Bimini, but the two don’t meet, so there is a big space for rain to come into the cockpit.  And it did.  I sat in the companionway to get out of most of it.


Read a whole book on the way here.  Some Jesse Stone character - apparently he was played in some made for TV movies by Tom Selleck(?). Horrible plot, horrible dialog.   I think I’m going to take up fiction writing when I get stateside.  I can’t do worse than these clowns (David B., are your ears ringing?). ‘It was a dark and stormy night…’. See?  Easy!


Fawn Harbor is a beautiful, quiet anchorage surrounded by mangroves.  Supposedly one of the best hurricane holes in the area.  I think this is the first evening I have been able to sit in the cockpit and type without being blown away by the damn wind.  There is something going on with Fiji weather this year - maybe the rainy season is starting early.  It has been miserable sailing thus far. 


Decided to relax for a day and explore.  We dinghied over to a small island and walked around at low tide.  See pics.  Try as we might, we couldn’t find a path through the reef to do sevusevu at the village.  Saw some spectacular bommies and hit a couple with Nick’s outboard.  Had a nice sundowners session on my boat.

  

Nick and I are headed for Viani Bay tomorrow.  We’ll check in with the dive places and see what it takes to get a lift out to Rainbow Reef.  Then off to Taveuni, where there is a water slide that goes through six waterfalls and pools on the way down the mountain.  Going to see if my sports camera will make it without getting smashed.  


Mangroves, we got mangroves...






Nick

Sunrise in Fawn Harbor



Shell.  Foot for scale.

 






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