More from Fiji

Bill,

I was out sailing around the islands here in Fiji, they are just spectacular. The waters are very treacherous though, the coral comes from way deep, straight up to a couple of feet below the surface. You can't see it when the sun is shining towards you, so you simply can't go towards the sun. The weather has been very mild though, but I could see that sailing around here is a very patient exercise, never leave yourself too far away from the anchorage in the afternoon, night sailing is firmly forbidden.

I had a great time in Musket cove, it's a real nice resort bay with 3 or 4 resorts around it. You can use the pool and get great burgers beside the pool. There is a neat little bar tucked into the palms near the dock, it has about 6 barbeque pits around the outside and free firewood. So everyone brings their own meat and salad, the bar provides dishes and tongs, and you buy the beer from the bar for $4 each. Some of the cheap Aussies bring their own booze in a plastic bag and that's about a cheap a night at the bar as you can get anywhere.

I met a New Zealand girl there, and she signed on as crew for 5 nights. We sailed north from Musket Cove to Wayasewa Island, took three nights up and 2 back. It was a a great adventure and lots of snorkelling, sailing, Kava parties ashore with the natives, and two nights part-taying with other yachties. I put her on the plane to New Zealand this afternoon, now I'm getting caught up on emails, shopping, getting fuel, getting water, getting ready to sign out of Fiji and set sail for MacKay Australia Monday or Tuesday. That should be a 18 day sail, so maybe I'll be there around the first week of Sept.

The winds have been very fickle for the past two days, here's hoping the trades build back in Monday for me. I doubt that I get any crew, nobody wants to go home just yet. However in Australia, there is every indication that I will get crew to help me go up the Great Barrier Reef to Cairns and then across the top to Darwin. I should have no trouble finding crew to get me to Phuket after that, and that should be the last few days of October.

Great idea to check out Rob and Carol's property up country, I would like to get there some day myself. When you are there, ask Carol to email me, I lost her address again, and that address at the college doesn't work.

No other news to report, Prism is doing well after the four days on the hard at Vuda Point Marina, cost a few bucks but she looks good underneath. Actually Prism is doing very well, she hasn't caused any real problems lately from anything. I'm looking forward to a great sail to Australia, I got all the paper charts all the way. I traded a cheap bottle of rum to an Aussie, and got three nice paper charts in return.

OK, send me some news of Mom, I don't get any news of Mom from anyone, not one of my siblings sends me a single sentence saying how our Mom is, do none of you care about dear old Mom, do none of you have a single scrap of information? Did you go to her birthday?

Your brother, jim