Birthday at Musket Cove

September 20, 2009—The past week has been rather benign. We checked in with Pau, our favorite Customs officer in Lautoka , early Tuesday morning and then went into town to get some money and provisions. When we were returning to the boat, we stopped to talk with Darren and Melinda from sv Mischief. We had met them at Kawau Island in New Zealand in April, so it was good to see them again.

We left Lautoka and headed back out to Musket Cove, where we picked up a mooring ball, and then we went in to shore to barbeque for dinner. We were happy to see the cruisers from Argonaut, Scarlett O’Hara, Po’oino Roa, and Toketie, all of whom we had not seen for quite awhile.

On Wednesday I took care of the laundry, had my hair cut by Kathy on Po’oino Roa, and met Steve for pizza at the Musket Cove Café. Thursday brought a downpour of rain and wind up to 25 knots. We were able to fill our water tanks, collect water for laundry, and flush our holding tank three times with fresh water. The weather kept us on board all day, but we didn’t mind because the boat was getting a much needed bath.

Steve worked most of Friday morning getting computer problems worked out, and in the afternoon we met Dave and Linda from Toketie on shore so that we could enjoy a visit. The last time we really had a chance to talk with them was in Tonga last season.

Saturday morning we decided to take a walk around Malolo Lailai. We found a path that led up to the top ridge of the small island. From the top we had a beautiful 360-degree view. We had a light drizzle of rain a few times, but it actually felt good. We walked down to the beach on the other side of the island and continued along the beach, and I found a large top shell in pretty good condition. We then cut through the island at the runway for the airplanes and walked out to the point, where we enjoyed a chicken curry lunch at the Lumani Resort.

Today is Steve’s birthday. We took Renee from sv Scarlette O’Hara to breakfast and then returned to the boat so that I could bake a chocolate cake. I also made an applesauce coffee cake for the morning. At five o’clock we went in to the Island Bar, where the barbeques are held. The marina provides large barbeque pits that the cruisers can use. They also provide the plates and silverware, so all we have to do is take in the food. We decided to have steak and lobster for Steve’s special event. Toketie, Argonaut, and Patrick from Eagle Dancer joined us for the celebration.

We plan to leave for the Yasawa islands tomorrow to spend our remaining time there. The weather looks good for now, so we will keep our fingers crossed.