Sawa-I-Lau

 Stardate Sept 1, 2023


The winds finally died down to the point where we felt safe out on the water again.  Our intent is to get to a point in the Yasawas where we can jump across to Vanua Levu, the other ‘big’ island where Savusavu is.  The problem is the prevailing winds are from the east and will be on our nose during a 60-mile slog.  Through reefs.  And once we get to Vanua Levu, all the anchorages are exposed to the east and will be rolly at best, untenable in all likelihood.


So off we go up the chain.  Target: Blue Lagoon (where Brooke Shields made that movie).  We’re zipping right along - I have two reefs in the main and the jib out maybe 3/4 and I’m doing seven knots.  Yeah, the wind was still intense.  A perusal of the Navionics track below gives an idea of how complex the route was.


About an hour out I start looking at the chart and plotting how the hell we’re going to get out of the Yasawas, across the big reef, and over to Vanua Levu in one day.  (You really don’t want to be sailing around Fiji in the dark.  Trust me.). I spot this place called Sawa-I-Lau Island further up the chain.  I don’t know how we missed it before.  Looks like a good anchorage and has a passage out to the east to give us a start on the big jump.  I called Nick on the VHF and proposed a change in venue.  He took a look and agreed.  So now it’s target:  Sawa-I-Lau.





We actually got in at one pm, anchored, dropped the dinghy and did sevusevu on the shore.  Other boats were coming in and we were lucky to get our choice of anchor spots.


I had read something about caves here.  Further reading revealed that indeed, there are *underwater* caves here that hapless tourists are *guided* into for a small fee.  The allure is again Brooke Shields - apparently these were the caves she runs away to in the movie.  I don’t think I ever saw the movie.  Somebody find it on Netflix and let me know.


Met a nice Kiwi couple and had therm over for sundowners on Peregrine.  We’re all going together tomorrow morning to the caves.


Anchorage



Low tide

School


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