Tag Archives: fiji

Unwinding on Sugar Shack

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We love having guests on our boat.  However, after 5 weeks of entertaining, it was time for us to unwind. You might think, “Really, you don’t work and you live on a boat in paradise. What do you do differently to relax?”  Well, for starters, we don’t move the boat.

We needed some time to just “be.”  We ended up staying in the Port Denarau Marina for five days, which is really unusual for us.  But they had heavy duty laundry machines, hot showers, easy access to restaurants and a quiet mooring.  We did a massive cleaning on the boat, 6 loads of laundry, re-provisioning, and refueling. We ate out a bit more than usual as we both were tired of baking and cooking.  It was glorious. 

Sandy Spit

We did not move far once we decided to leave the marina.  We motored the 2-hours over to Malolo Island’s sandy spit.  It is far from the island and marina, but super pretty. This sandy spit is only visible during mid to low tide.  We have it all to ourselves from 3:00pm-10:30am.  However, during the peak time (10:30a-3:00p) the sandy spit is covered with tourists and people enjoying and unwinding at this little piece of heaven.  The first photo is our sandy spit waiting for the crowds. The second photo shows the first tourist boats arriving and the last photo is the giant cat that comes daily with a between 20-50 people.

We also get glorious and unencumbered sunsets from here.

Many nights were spent at the Island Bar where Sherry made me tasty frozen mojitos.

Enjoying many walks along the various beaches.

A few fabulous hikes around Malolo gave us super pretty views.

We even got beautiful sunsets from shore over the anchorage.

And just because sunsets help me unwind, here are a few more for you to enjoy

And another of the anchorages.

Sugar Shack happy at sunset

Cloud 9 Celebration

Chris on “Sea Glub” invited us to a party on Cloud 9.  They were celebrating the launch of a new ferry and hired dancers, singers, and a DJ.  So, off we went to the gorgeous waters of Cloud 9. Our friend Lewis on Sailing Q2 took this amazing photo for us.

The singers were fabulous and had such gorgeous voices!

The dancers were so much fun and had lovely spirits! 

Sugar Shack was anchored right in front of this floating bar. Lucky for us the music didn’t bother us because we were there dancing with the crowds.

Another beautiful photo captured by Lewis on Quixotic 2.

We met Barry in Curacao, then again in Columbia, Panama, French Polynesia, and now in Fiji!  We’ve seen him in 5 countries!  

We had a few more happy hours on shore and ended up meeting with Barry on White Shadow (you remember he has a popular YouTube Channel “Adventures of an Old Seadog”)

Happy hour at The Island Bar near Musket Cove on Malolo Island. Complete with coin operated BBQ grills, full restaurant menu and tons of frothy drinks.

We also had many dinners onboard other cruiser boats including Sea Jay, Anima, and Vavea!

Fred, Matt, me, Chris on Sea Jay

Fred, Matt, me, Chris on Sea Jay

Our friend, Jean Marc on Va’vea is a professional baker and he would stop by early in the mornings to drop off fresh baked warm bread!  This is his daughter Axcel.

To help you unwind some more…another sunset

And just because we finally found ourselves unwound, a sunrise photo.

This is our anchorage at the sandy spit near Malolo Island.  You can see why we had a hard time leaving as it is really pretty.  Isolated yet close enough to a small town and activities.

The events from this blog occurred in mid-August 2022.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  Did you catch our last blot post where we zip the Konis family through 4 islands?

Octopus Resort & a Hike to the Summit

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Waya Island is home to the famous Octopus Resort where we enjoyed a few days frolicking on their property, visiting a local village, and hiking to one of two horned summits on a mountain. 

Day 4: Waya & Octopus Resort

I had made arrangements with a local guide, Ben. to take us to the Nalauwaki village to do sevusevu.  We thought it would be a short 1-2-mile hike up and over the hill, but it turned out to be oh so much more!  Ben walked us toward the village, but before we could put on our sulus we were met on the path by the chief who was gardening.  He was lovely, but insisted on just taking the kava.  I was so disappointed because I really wanted everyone to experience sevusevu. Oh well, maybe next time.

We continued on to our hike down a long beautiful beach that was unfortunately littered with trash.  It was extremely surprising to see so much trash right in front of the village homes. Typically, they take great pride in their yards and would not stand for such a mess.

We pass their pig pen area that was full of pigs and piglets.

Ben showed us cassava root (plant growing) and the potato looking vegetable.

The Start of the Climb

Up, up, and further up we hike to one of the two horned summits. We were not really prepared to do a 5.5-mile hike with a 400-meter elevation and 120 flights.  The boys were in flip flops (Matt and Ben were barefoot) and Kimberly and I wore walking shoes.  We brought water, but not nearly enough.  But it all worked out in the end.

We make a few stops along the way to capture the beautiful view and to rest (well I rested). 

We made it beyond the initial stopping point.  It was a ledge just before the summit.  Kimberly and I were toasted and decided to hang out there while the boys persisted to the very top of the summit. If you look really closely, you will see 3 bodies at the top of the mountain on the lower left photo.

The top of the horned summit in Waya

A few beautiful photos from the top of the summit.  You can see Sugar Shack in her anchorage on the top two photos.

Our hike up 400-meter elevation and 5.5 miles.

We were all pretty proud of ourselves!

On the way back, Ben showed off his beautiful village and we shopped at their local artisan market.  As it turned out, it was two ladies on a wooden platform selling jewelry, carved wood and sea shells.  Kimberly and I still managed to make a few purchases for everyone.

We were a wee bit exhausted and super starving by the time we got back to the resort.  We saddled up to the bar and ordered cocktails and lunch. 

After lunch, we were able to enjoy their lovely pool and a fun game of volleyball with the locals.

We were all so exhausted that we just made quesadillas for dinner and called it an early night.

Events from this blog took place during the first two weeks of August.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  In our last blog, the Konis family joins us in Fiji and we take them from Viti Liti to Malolo Island.

Fiji Welcomes the Konis Family

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So excited to spend some time with my family in Fiji. We meet Kimberly, Troy, Cameron, and Cole (the Konis family) in Port Denarau on Viti Levu (the mainland) where we secured a mooring.

They arrive before sunrise and enjoy the beauty of nature all around me. 

We do the required covid tests and a little shopping in the Port Denarau Marina mall.  A quick cocktail stop at the “Sails” restaurant before we leave with a fun photo op.

It is a short 2-hour motor to Musket Cove Marina on Malolo Island.  On the way, we stopped off at a little sandy spit with a few other tourist boats.  The boys swam to shore while Kimberly and I took the SUPs to shore.  There were tons and tons of tiny sea stars (I call them star fish but was corrected by the Konis family).  Unfortunately, I did not get any photos so close your eyes and imagine us walking on this white sandy spit that disappears during high tide.

A few hours later, we grabbed a mooring for the night at Musket Cove Marina.  Being on a mooring places us closer to the marina, eateries, and activities. 

A quick stop in to see Patrick, the Musket Cove Yacht Club manager who gives the Konis family “Lifetime memberships to the Musket Cove Marina” for $10F ($5 US).  Matt and I sign up for the Musket Cove Regatta as well so that we can participate in the crazy fun.

We head to shore for dinner at Dick’s Place where we celebrate Kimberly and Troy’s wedding anniversary.  Perfect to be together with the Konis’s.

Dick’s Place offers a buffet dinner so there was something for everyone.  We enjoyed a beautiful sunset at this exquisite setting.

I was able to capture this crazy beautiful photo with the sun setting over the lit pool. 

Day 2: Musket Cove & Seventh Heaven

The next morning, Cole has an appointment with Fiji Surf Co. so we move Sugar Shack out to Namotu Island which is about 2-hours away near the reef and the famous Cloud break surf break.  We anchor just as his surf team pulls up in their boat (they came from Port Denarau).  Cole jumps in their boat and off they go to enjoy a morning of surf at Wilks Pass and Namotu Lefts.  It wasn’t a terribly great surf with 1.5-2m seas, but Cole had a great time meeting new people and surfing in Fiji.   The resort is called Namotu Island Resort and caters to the extreme sports enthusiasts.  It is all inclusive of surfing, kiting, foiling, and more.

Kimberly, who is not an overly zealous snorkeler decided she would jump in the water first to enjoy some private time with the fishies.

Once Cole returns, we head to Seventh Heaven, our new favorite eatery in Fiji!  We run into Glen who is one of four owners of the bar.  The last time we were at Seventh Heaven we met Glen the last time we were here with Wayne.

We order delicious cocktails and super tasty food!

And of course, Cameron shows off his mad skills on the Leap of Faith doing back flips and artsy dives.

Exploding Bean Bag

We headed back to the boat to enjoy some R&R.  Around 4:30pm we hear “oh no” and all of the sudden we see tons of white floating balls fly by us.  We quickly run up to the bow where we find Cameron desperately trying to close the exploded bean bag.  The bags are old, have been baking in the sun, and have taken a lot of abuse by young ones.  It was bound to happen.  One of the seams tore open and a lot of the bean bag filling literally went flying out of the bag.  It took all 6 of us over an hour to try to clean them up. I am sure Matt and I will be finding them floating around for years.  It was truly funny and not funny at the same time.

The boys decided they’d like to try sleeping outside, but I don’t think it turned out like they expected.  The sleeping bags cocooned them and Cole’s bottom was hitting the SUP (so he moved to the trampoline).

Day 3: Waya & Octopus Resort

We started off day 3 early as we had a 45nm motor/sail to Waya island.  We could have pushed the motors a little more to compensate for the lack of wind, but we made it in about 5 hours.

Waya island is a new island for Matt and I so we had to rely on feedback from other cruisers.  It turned out to be one of our favorite spots.  We pulled up next to the Octopus Resort and dropped the hook.

Matt dropped us off ashore to explore the beautiful sandy beach.  After asking the resort for permission, we headed over to a more secluded area where we could beach comb, play bocchi and enjoy the cool waters.

Matt made his famous eggplant parmesan which unsurprisingly got devoured in short order!

Events from this blog occurred in the first two week of August.  Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual events.   In our last blog, we explain why a stick on a hill can be extraordinary for us.