Beqa

some 30 miles south of suva after sailing for 6 hours in the worse seas we have had so far, we found a picturesque and quiet island with a very nice lagoon. We encountered our first little freak wave which heeled the boat violently on its side, every single door and locker opened. Gladly the entire experience lasted only a few hours after which we entered a beautiful and very calm lagoon and had one of the best sails ever!

in this part of the world, if you wish to anchor and visit someone else’s home you must ask for permission. in fiji this is done by offering a root called cava out of which the chief and the villagers will make some awful tasting drink which makes your mouth and lips completely numb but apparently is a favorite. when we arrived in the village the chief was busy attending mass and we were invited to join in the ceremony which turned out to have an outstanding choir. a woman in the village was kind enough to lend us some clothes as women are required to wear long skirts of the kind I am certainly not carrying on board. after attending church all properly dressed, we went to the chief’s house to offer the cava and he kindly welcomed us to the island! This entire ceremony was a first for us and one of a kind. We loved it and also the villages in this island, the people, the trails, the water and almost everything else except for the strong gusts of wind which we had all the time we were there; some up to 48 knots heeling the boat drastically while anchored and flipping our friend’s dinghies…. with engine! Not ours fortunately; which says a little of how heavy our tender is. great in the water but a sure headache when we have to bring it on deck.