May 13

Koroinasolo

Again more visitors on launches.  The first was benign - a launch full of kids and moms going somewhere.  It’s amazing how many bodies they can fit on one of those launches and not sink it.  I think there were a dozen kids and half as many adults.  They were very friendly and just wanted to say ‘hi’.


The next two launches were again curious about me.  “You are alone?’  Yes.  And I’m going in to do sevusevu as soon as I drop my dinghy.  JFC, leave me alone.


I went in for sevusevu about 11:30.  Found the locals on shore to be very normal, hyper-friendly in the Fijian way.  Met the headman, who is quite young for the job - maybe 40.  His aunt is the chief, but speaks no English so he gets to do the sevusevu ceremony.  It was mercifully brief and then came the question session.  I had read that some headmen keep you there on the sevusevu mat for hours, asking about your country and your boat and whatever comes to mind.  Well, Headman Tom was one of those.  I kept dropping hints about needing to get back to the boat.   (Those frequent drive-bys kind of made me nervous about leaving the boat, I gotta be honest.)


Finally Headman Tom gets the bright idea that he wants to visit my boat.  Sure, why not?  At least I get back out there.


So Tom and I drag the dinghy back out into deeper water (I had landed not quite at low tide like I thought) and motored out to Peregrine.  Tom was politely curious about the boat; it was almost as if he’d never been on a sailboat before.  I poured us each a coke and brought out some Lakshmi (think of trail mix, Fijian style).  We sat in the cockpit and shot the shit for an hour, then I took him back to shore.  I got back to the boat and grabbed a cold beer.

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