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Escape from Musket Cove Photo Log

July 23-28, 2015

We had about a week to kill between the Bellinis departure and my mom’s arrival, and we certainly didn’t want to spend the whole time at Musket Cove. So, we explored a few places in the Mamanuca island group and enjoyed our family time.

Logbook – July 23, 2015 (Musket Cove to Yanuya to Monu)

Passage Log Highlights

  • 1140 Engines on
  • 1218 SB engine off. Genoa + P engine
  • 1411 SB engine on
  • 1431 Engines off Yanuya
  • 1514 Engines on
  • 1553 Engines off Monu

Daily Notes

  • Max wind on passage = 28 kt
  • Stop at Yanuya, T/A paddle to shore for sevusevu with “Chief’s son”
  • Move to Monu. Big swells and swirly winds
Musket Cove to Monu with a brief stop at Yanuya to present sevusevu
Yanuya is the island on the right and we stopped there for sevusevu and to obtain permission to anchor at Monu (which is the uninhabited island on the left)
It was a bit blustery as we were leaving Musket Cove
We caught half a fish on the way (I guess we fed a shark)
The anchorage at Yanuya island was exposed and bouncy, but we wanted to do sevusevu before heading to the uninhabited island of Monu. However, it was relatively low tide so we couldn’t get the dinghy through the coral. So….
… no problem. Tim and Alex take the Yaqona in a dry bag on the paddle boards.

Logbook – July 24, 2015 (Monu)

Daily Notes

  • T/B spearfish after T helps B with math
  • D misses Marcus’s clean cockpit
  • French bread pizza for dinner
The uninhabited island of Monu was beautiful, but it wasn’t much of an anchorage. Quite rolly.

Email to Family and Friends

Subject: Exodus – Escape from Musket Cove

We left musket cove yesterday with the intent of spending a few quiet family days tucked away in some anchorage away from the resort scene. The problem is that there are very few anchorages you can “tuck away” in here in the Mamanuca island group. The fact that it’s blowing 20+ kts (we saw as high as 28 on our passage yesterday) doesn’t help much. We went to the island of Yanuya where there is a village and “did a sevusevu” and were told we could anchor where we wanted, go ashore, and fish where we wanted. The anchorage at Yanuya would be nice in settled weather but the wind chop over the reef made it pretty uncomfortable. So, we moved around to the north side of the island of Monu. It is an uninhabited island, but from what we’ve gathered it is owned or possibly just used by one of the resorts to bring honeymooners to a deserted island. The lady at the yacht club at Musket Cove said we couldn’t anchor here, which is why we went to the village to ask. Ok, back to the village. “Did a sevusevu” was in quotes because it was the weakest ones we’ve done so far. We couldn’t take the dinghy due to the reef and the tide level, so Tim and Alex hopped on paddle boards in 1-2 ft wind chop and took a bundle of Yaqona in a dry bag. According to Tim, they did sevusevu with a young guy who said he was the chief’s son. Or possibly we just gave the kava and the fish head to some kid in the village. The fish head? Well, it wasn’t just a head because we filleted the rest for ourselves, no… it was just a head because a shark took the rest of it before we reeled it in. It was pretty funny, the boys were reeling it in, and I said, “what is it?” and Alex said, “It’s not a fish. It’s half a fish!” A smallish skipjack tuna that would have made a nice sushi afternoon snack.
Back to the island of Monu and our current anchorage… It has excellent protection from the wind chop but there are huge ocean swells coming in here rocking us this way and that. Oh yeah, and we don’t have internet. Oh well, at least we aren’t at musket cove!
In addition to all the resorts in the area, another big difference of this side of Fiji is the dry weather. Being on the leeward side of the big island, the land and air are both drier, and it’s lost that tropical feel. Kind of like the difference between the Hilo and Kona sides of the Big Island of Hawaii. We’ve definitely had the most sun here than anywhere else we’ve been, but the trade winds still blow!
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – July 25, 2015 (Monu to Mana)

Passage Log Highlights

  • 0940 Engines on
  • 1043 Both engines
  • 1140 Engines off at “The Pile of Sand”
  • 1332 Engines on
  • 1420 Engines off Mana Lagoon

Daily Notes

  • Nukuimana = “The Pile of Sand”
  • Drove past Monuriki, but didn’t stay
  • Wind really died in the day, stopped for lunch and a swim at “The Pile of Sand”
  • Met Eliza, tour boat operator, never met cruisers before
  • Entered Mana Lagoon
  • Resorts + 1 village
  • Boy on kayak came to ask for fishing hooks and food
Monu to Mana with a stop at a sandbar (“The Pile of Sand”)
Just south of Monu is the island of Monuriki which was the set of what famous movie set?
(Hint: Wilson!)
The move set of Castaway. An Exodus selfie for good measure
So, we got the modeling clay out for science, to make models of faults, and what does Brenden do? Make a carrot, a pig, and a few other things.
Hey look, a pile of sand. What should we do…
…go drop anchor, of course
Anchored at “The Pile of Sand”
We went for a swim
The boys had fun playing in the water
wow, it kind of reminded me of…
…these guys!
The Mana Lagoon
Sunset at Mana island

Logbook – July 26, 2015 (Mana)

Daily Notes

  • Sunday on board Exodus
  • Project day. A – the moon. B – history of metal technology. D – scrambled eggs.
Alex was so happy to be doing his schoolwork
and Tim was so happy to be doing boat projects

Logbook – July 27, 2015 (Mana)

Daily Notes

  • 12 year old boy named Male comes to Exodus, wants to take Tim spearfishing
  • First we went to the village for sevusevu with Dan, the Taraga ni Koro
  • Village = Yaralevu and there are 2 backpack hostels
  • People were very nice, visited the school
  • After school we went back and A/B played with the 3rd and 4th graders (forgot my camera)
This is our friend Male, and he has a few of our fishing hooks.
This was taken after our sevusevu on Mana. This is the son of the Taraga ni koro.
The school in the village at Mana (we went back ashore after school so the boys could play with the kids, but regrettably I forgot my camera.)
Growing carrot greens.

Logbook – July 28, 2015 (Mana to Qalito)

Passage Log Highlights

  • 0950 Engines on
  • 1118 Engines off – reef
  • 1530 Engines on
  • 1715 Engines off Qalito

Daily Notes

  • Stopped at the reef east of Mana to boogie board and fish. Yummy coral trout
  • Wind kicked up to 25 kts and we bashed under motor to Qalito
  • Wind died after we arrived
Mana to Qalito with a day trip out to the reef for some fishing and boogie boarding
Leaving the pass at Mana. This photo was taken from Exodus, so yeah, it’s a pretty narrow pass. No current, though, so no problem if you’re a competent driver.
A look back at the pass
I guess we were missing Minerva, because we just picked a random reef and anchored.
Anchored at the reef
The resort island of Qalito
Paddle boarding at Qalito island
Not one, but FIVE jet skiers coming to destroy my tranquility
Castaway resort on Qalito island. I called to see if we could come to shore for lunch at their restaurant, and they said no. Boo! Boo, Castaway Resort!

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