Fiji stuff

[Michael Homsany]

Hi all,

Since Tim asked...

For cruising yachts, things very well may be better than in the past two years, the govt just devalued the dollar by 25%, yachts now get an 18 month stay import duty free, and Mr. Sayad-Khaiyum, the Attorney-General, Min. of Tourism, etc., etc., etc., has in a private meeting made it clear that he recognises yachts as being valuable contributors to the economy.

Last week, myself and the marina operators in Savusavu Fiji, had a meeting chaired by the Vice-President, Gen. Nailatikau, I believe we made serious in-roads in creating some additional concessions in making Savusavu a better port of call (opening the definition of what 'Savusavu' means to cut some paperwork).

It is currently illegal for me to comment on what the situation here in regards to the politics without first submitting it to a military censor.

[Tim]

Thanks Michael, No I didn't mean to have you comment about the current political situation, only the effect on cruising in Fiji. Which I think you did, giving an optimistic outlook.

I have longed to spend time down there for many years, especially since having the opportunity to hang out with a number of Fijians and Rotumans in the SF Bay area.

[Auspicious]

This article provides some non-inflammatory background.

The material on Fiji on noonsite.com is fodder for dreams, and led directly to running VPP and plotting courses from Panama to Fiji. *sigh*

How is marina management working out for you Michael? It must be very different from the Bebi biz.

sail fast, dave
S/V Auspicious

[Michael Homsany]

Hi,

Regardless of the political situation here, Fiji remains a beautiful place for cruising.  Just as Tim has discovered, it's the people who make a difference.  After beating around in these parts for over 20 years, one beautiful island starts to look just like another.  When we first visited Fawn Harbour, we fell in love with the basic goodness of the people who lived there.  I'm not complaining about the physical part of things; even tho it's less than 30nm from the Point Passage light into Savusavu, less than a dozen boats/year call in, not wanting to make the thrash uphill after calling Savusavu.  Tim, you have the people part sussed.

As far as the marina goes, it has never been something which we've done for the money (it works out around US$0.08/hr, during the BUSY season!).  Waitui is/was our landlord for the office (required by Fiji law), and they had made us an offer to manage the moorings.  What they didn't know was that Kendra was preggers, and for us to get a mooring in town so as she could miss the 56km (each way) bus trip on a bad road to ship orders was an offer we couldn't pass up.

Gavin's now 16 months old, so we'll be reviewing whether or not we'll move back home when our contract runs out.  We are seriously considering moving to our mooring at Leisiaceva Point (near the big Cousteau resort in Savusavu Bay) for this cruising season, which will be a short bus ride, and will get us out of the big city.

We do get to meet a lot more nice people thru the marina, in general, less than one 'jerk' per year, but we really do miss being in Fawn terribly.

Here's the anchorage (that's our boat in the first pic) near Leisiaceva Point:

[Shipscarver]

How do you prepare to cruise Fiji ?  What issues should one expect to deal with?

[Michael Homsany]

Well, similar to  'Snuffy Smith''s recipe for fried chicken (first, find a large plump chicken and steal it...), ya gotta have a boat!  Then, I'd guess you more or less have to be in the neighborhood. (We stopped here the first time because Fiji was between Samoa and Vanuatu, not really having any particular plan in mind, save visiting a couple of friends).

Cruising here is really little different than anyplace else, but most people who call in Fiji don't really cruise it, they check in, fix what's broke, hang at the yacht club, then leave.

Fiji is really a huge place when you get right down to it, literally hundreds of islands.  One of our arguments getting the tax-free time increased to 18 months was the sheer size of it.  Circumnavigating our island, Vanua Levu, plan on a month if you want to spend anymore than a night in an anchorage, Viti Levu, the largest island, maybe even more.

Something sort of unique to Fiji is the cruising permit issued by Indigenous Affairs Office.  If you want to go anyplace besides the four ports of entry, you need to have one.  It's free, but if you're not in Suva, you'll get charged a small fee for sending the fax.  However, for the Lau group (Eastern Fiji, historically, part of Tonga), you need to apply in person at the Lau Provincial Council Office in Suva.

Lau is really incredible.  Because of the minor extra paper, and also that you have to sail back upwind to get there from Suva, almost no one goes there.  They're all low islands, but with GPS, the charts are good enough.

'Good enough' means I don't really recommend sailing around at night; some of the soundings on the charts date back to Bligh, and THAT ain't a joke!

The cruising permit isn't really what you'd think by the name, what it is is a letter of introduction issued by the government to the village mayor (turaga ni koro), that you're ok, and to please extend courtesy to you.

A sevusevu is usually needed if you want to go to a village.  It's the presentation of yagona (kava) to the chief of the land (turaga ni vanua) in which you are pledging your loyalty (becoming his vassel), and in turn, he (or she, but usually he), extends his protection over you while you are on his land/water.  In the big tourist areas, it's just a source of free yagona (also locally called 'grog'), in the less visited areas (like here), it is taken very seriously.

If you want to have a chat with the people in the village, beside the kava roots, take a couple of bags of pre-pounded grog, after the sevusevu is over, toss it out, then everyone will let their hair down, sit around and drink it with (for) you.  If you bring some lollies (candies), they'll line your stomach so it doesn't get sour.

Is this all what you're looking for?  Want more, or something else?

best,
Michael

[Chattcatdaddy]

The cruising permit isn't really what you'd think by the name, what it is is a letter of introduction issued by the government to the village mayor (turaga ni koro), that you're ok, and to please extend courtesy to you.

A sevusevu is usually needed if you want to go to a village.  It's the presentation of yagona (kava) to the chief of the land (turaga ni vanua) in which you are pledging your loyalty (becoming his vassel), and in turn, he (or she, but usually he), extends his protection over you while you are on his land/water.  In the big tourist areas, it's just a source of free yagona (also locally called 'grog'), in the less visited areas (like here), it is taken very seriously.

If you want to have a chat with the people in the village, beside the kava roots, take a couple of bags of pre-pounded grog, after the sevusevu is over, toss it out, then everyone will let their hair down, sit around and drink it with (for) you.  If you bring some lollies (candies), they'll line your stomach so it doesn't get sour.

Is this all what you're looking for?  Want more, or something else?

best,
Michael

THat is awesome. Love that people somewhere still have some traditions. Now Fiji is definitely on my radar.

[Michael Homsany]

Hi Keith,
When we were setting up Bebi, we had a guest (our 2nd in 21 years) from America visiting. 

One of the major highlights of her trip was getting to witness a 'genuine' village council meeting with the tui koro cau presiding, Ratu Manoa (ratu would be the equal to a hereditary knighthood, the actual heirarchy predates anything in Europe, which only goes back 900 years, instead of the 2000+ years in the Pacific).

Knowing that the meeting wasn't a tourist attraction, but a combination of setting up to produce something relatively high tech (I believe we had the first genuine marine quality LED anchor light on the market), sitting on a panadanas mat, around the grog bowl, with a bunch of elders from the area, was something that she knew that money could never buy.

Pacific cultures, in spite of what it may seem with a system of nobility, puts concensus above everything else.  I'm not very fluent in Fijian, but speak fair Samoan, but in Samoan, the word for a group decision, or correct, or the family leader, or straight, is all the same word, sa'o; an indicator for what the decision process is and what it means.

In Tonga, what Cook called 'The Friendly Islands', the chiefs wined and dined Cook to set him up for an attack.  The chiefs never could reach a concensus of how to kill Cook, so he left Tonga, fat, dumb, and happy, thinking that they weren't as savage as the Fijians or Samoan's.

Silly man! :)