arrive Lautoka

Coordinates: 17 35.56S 177 34.09 E
Crew health: excellent

We sailed off the anchor from Vatia Wharf at 8 am with a light 5 knot breeze, but like yesterday the wind rose as the day heated up and it was soon blowing 25 knots from the ENE.
We have had another great day with blue skies and bright sun as we cruised along the reef margins and past low mangrove belts at the shore's edge, with a backdrop of dry hill sides often with burned off areas. Herons occasionally flew over head. This part of Fiji seems relatively uninhabited although we saw a few small boats with Fijians fishing along the reef margins.
We sailed into the bay off Lautoka and anchored in the lee of Bekana Island just after lunch time. It is hot and humid and the temperature in the cabin as I write is 29 degrees C.
Tomorrow we will sail the short distance of about ten miles to Denerau Harbour. This is a busy place with moorings and a small marina, with ferries coming and going out to the resort Islands. There are good facilities and supplies here although a short bus ride into the small town of Nadi is interesting and there are many bargains to be had also a great fruit and vegetable market.
Our son Tim and his fiance Joce fly into Nadi from NZ in three days time to come sailing with us for a couple of weeks .
I will write the next blog after the weekend when we start sailing with them hopefully to the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands.

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