Yesterday afternoon the four of us took the dinghy in to the village of Koroinasolo to present sevusevu to the chief and ask permission to visit his village and bay.
Upon landing we were immediately surrounded by a dozen children who stayed with us throughout our visit. We immediately noticed the 15 or so very nice and relatively new fiberglass skiffs with Yamaha outboards at the landing and dozens of scuba tanks that a couple of men were filling with the aid of a gas powered compressor. The men told us that they regularly dive for sea slugs that are exported to China. The dive gear was all provided by the Chinese merchant in Labasa to whom they sold the sea slugs.
We were taken up the hill to the village where we were presented to the chief, an elderly gentleman who was missing a foot and didn't speak any English. His son translated for us. Clay presented some kava to him, which made him very happy, and Gail presented a bag of gifts for the village children; books, crayons, and a couple of pairs of sunglasses. The chief and his son immediately grabbed the glasses for themselves.
It didn't look like they have very many foreign visitors as we got a lot of attention from the villagers. Lori and Gail had all of the kids singing songs as they walked us back to our dinghy. It was a great experience.
The wind started to howl over night, so this morning we put out a second bow anchor. Jambalaya sails back and forth at anchor when it is windy. She heels to port and then sails off in that direction, turns, heels to starboard, and heads off that way. Each time she turns the anchor chain rattles as it slides on the bow roller. It is a pain, especially if you are trying to sleep. Putting out a second bow anchor set a couple hundred feet across the wind from the first anchor allows the boat to hang between the two. She doesn't sail back and forth, sits quietly, and it is far more comfortable for the crew.
It looks like we'll be here for a couple more days as windy conditions are forecast to continue.
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