Fiji- Sail Away

I’m putting Days 3 and 4 in Fiji together, because they were spent on the Gipsea, a lovely sailboat. We met our Captain and First Mate (Jerry and Saki) and set off about 9 a.m.

We sailed for about 2 hours before stopping at our first reef. Just beyond the reef is where international Quicksilver surfing competitions are held. But within it, we saw some great fish. And if there was any doubt about C-man’s interest in marine life, it was quickly put to rest. He was in love. The water was beautiful and warm.

Then we set off again, sailing around Cloud Nine, a floating bar, and off to other sand bars for snorkeling and lunching and more snorkeling.

At night, we made our way to Musket Cove. We had a barbeque on land (beef kebobs, chicken, and lamb sausage, with rice and cabbage slaw). It was a bit cloudy, but we slept on top of the deck anyhow. At some point in the night, the clouds cleared and we saw the amazing Southern Hemisphere stars.

By morning, we were sailing once again. As we made our way further North, the beaches got more pristine and the snorkeling even better. C-man and Beerman decided to try their hand at spear fishing. But as C-man put it, he talked too much. Beerman agreed that after spending so many hours keeping these types of fish alive, he couldn’t bear to pull the trigger. I loved them each a bit more for that. But it was a great experience overall.

The only issue we had was our sunburns. This equatorial sun was really brutal on us, and no amount of sunscreen seemed to help. At the end of day two, we snorkeled at a fourth and final location before riding some waves and getting back into the Gispea to head back to Nadi. We were sad, but our skin was more than ready.

We gathered our bags from the hotel, made our way to a hotel by the airport, and got ready for the next adventure.  New Zealand, here we come!