Vuda Marina

Stardate Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Well, that was easy.  Didn't start out that way.  Tried to reach Vuda Marina by phone - no answer.  Email? No response.  VHF?  Out of range.  Crap - all I wanted to know was whether or not I could come in early. So I suggested to Nick that we dinghy over to shore in Saweni Bay and walk to Vuda.  He thought that a perfectly good way to get off the boat and stretch our legs.

So off we go in the dinghy.  Manage to find a sand spot on the beach that wasn't protected by coral.  Walked along the beach to the road access and there, waiting for us, was a taxi.  Karma.  Turns out the guy was a local cab driver and he had just taken his family to the beach for swimming.  He said he needed to drop them off and he would be back in ten minutes.  He was.

So we rode in style to Vuda.  Turns out it would have been quite a hike.  Checked in at the office, and of course they had moorings available.  Just call on VHF when you want to come in.  Oh, and we can shift your pre-paid mooring reservation to the day you come in so you won't owe us any money.  Sweet!  Found some friends, went to the bar for beers, called the cab guy and went back to Saweni Bay.  Out to the boats for some of Nick's rum.

Next day I left Nick in Saweni Bay and motored around the point to Vuda.  I saw another sailboat arrive at the entrance ahead of me and expected to be in a queue.  Couldn't figure out why he was circling around.  As I got closer, I saw the big finder that had slipped off his boat that he was trying to retrieve.  I thought about helping then thought better of it.  Multiple careening sailboats in pursuit of floating object - no thanks.  Went in ahead of him and got right into a mooring slip.  Tied up, relaxed down below in preparation for happy hour.

Met a bunch of like-minded solo sailers at the bar - whodah thunk?  Many rum drinks.  It's good to be in Vuda.

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