Savu Savu

0800 Position 16-47S 179-19E. On a mooring off of Savu Savu, Fiji

Yesterday morning at 11AM we caught a thirty pound aku. We would have let him go but couldn't get him off of the hook without killing him. That's OK. Our freezer is now well stocked with fish.

We turned the corner into Savu Savu Bay at 1130 and tried to call the marina on the VHF. No response. After a couple of attempts Leilani Himmelman, and old pal from Kaneohe Yacht Club who was listening on the radio, responded and said she would walk to the marina office to let them know we were coming. Leilani and her husband John moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago and are currently in Savu Savu on their forty foot cruising boat "Amazing Grace". We've been trading emails and she has been very helpful with tips on moorings and clearing customs here.

A marina worker was standing by to guide us to a mooring and ferry the government officials out to the boat. Five officials and a flurry of paperwork, stamping, and carbon paper later and we were cleared into Fiji. We told them that we wanted to head out to the Laus over the weekend. They looked at their watches and shook their heads. It was after 3PM on a Friday afternoon. We could try, but it was unlikely that we could get the required "cruising permit" before Monday. They told us that the Marina Manager would have to arrange the cruising permit for us. All four of the Van Diemen crew and the three large government officials piled into Van Diemen's dinghy and headed for shore.

Divide and conquer. I was assigned to pursue the cruising permit. Doc was headed to the Fiji Airline office to see if he could arrange a flight back to the US this weekend. Rob headed for the bank to get money to pay all the fees that had accrued during check in.

I found the marina manager, Horace, outside his office building tables. He dropped what he was doing to help me. Horace tried to call the government office in Suva to expedite the cruising permit for us but got no answer. Looks like they were already gone for the weekend. We'd be stuck in Savu Savu until Monday, but there are worse places in the world to be stuck.

I headed down to the adjacent marina to look for the Himmelmans. I found John and Leilani aboard Amazing Grace in a slip there. It was great to catch up with them. They are also headed for the Laus and are waiting for favorable winds to depart.

This morning we said goodby to Doc who is heading home to the US. His five country in five week tour has come to an end. Doc has been a great shipmate and I will miss his stories and good humor.

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