Fiji, Friends, Frolics and the CAT saga

After the remoteness and beauty of the Lau group it was time to be highly sociable. We had a full agenda of visitors scheduled for Joline and the Musket Cove regatta to look forward. It was a couple of months that exceeded expectations, was a lot of fun, with great sailing  in good company and  a grand finale to our season in Fiji.

Lesley and Karen sailed with me from St Lucia to Tahiti on Saorsa and joined us for a three-week tour of the Yasawa Islands. John was in his element with his "harem" of blond girls approaching the island Chiefs to perform Sevusevu (presentation of Kava and gifts). Both girls are enthusiastic sailors and have operated in extreme conditions, so navigating all sea states on Joline was like having a professional crew on board. The girls loved the minicat, and Lesley and Trim became best friends. There was plenty of catching up, laughter, and, of course, we knew exactly what was need to put world issues back on an even keel! Lets also understand from now on " I am going to read my book", is code for nap time!

Nicky and Ben, John's friends from the UK and NZ, were our next adventurous guests. Usually based on land in NZ, it was delightful to have them aboard and see them savoring every moment. On days 1 and 2, the weather was terrible with cloud and rain, but that didn't deter Ben and Nicky, who were up early swimming laps around the boat. Next, we launched the minicat, and off they went—naturally, it was a race between the mother ship (Joline) and the minicat.

Nicky and Ben surged ahead but were fortunately swept back by a tide through a pass, while we powered through with engines, so technically, I suppose they did beat us. Trim found a new best friend in Ben, as they spent hours fishing on the back step, and Nicky kept us laughing from start to finish with a sense of humor that kept John on his toes.

After a  few days to replenish dwindling supplies,  Lori and Charlie flew in from Vermont USA. This was our Musket Cove team, or part of it. As we headed north to get a bit of sailing in before the regatta our friends who we last met 18 months ago in Sint Marteen were heading south, – a reunion was engineered and Garry and Patty from Earenedil and Wayne and Barbie from Hope, became our enhanced crew from the week. Thank goodness Lori and Charlie are good sailors as they had little time to learn the ropes on Joline, being thrust into the crazy Musket cove week withing days.

It wasn't rope skills but rather water cannons and sheer determination that were essential on the first day of the NO rules pirate day race.

Thanks to the wild captain JOHN, Joline claimed the line honors. In the following days, the competitive spirit flourished, with excellent starts, plenty of banter, skilled crewing, and some unpredictable winds, which made it an enjoyable and memorable week. Lori and I finished third in the running race! As the oldest participants, we were very proud of that achievement, despite me falling flat on my face just before the finish line—my heart wanted to sprint, but my legs couldn't keep up!

 It was a tremendous week made even more fabulous by the Musket Cove staff. A huge thank you to the organisers, even the beach clean up was a hoot, it must be the most fun event for sailors in the Pacific. Made even more fun for us by our brilliant crew and many friends. - THANK YOU.

Now it's time to focus on traveling to Australia for the birth of my first grandchild. ( so excited). There's one small issue – TRIM, an obvious biosecurity threat in any country! Unfortunately, we can't go to Australia directly because there's no procedure to sail with him on board, even though he hasn't left the boat for the past 9 months, except for the odd paddleboard excursion!. It turns out there's no way to fly him either! Thankfully, New Zealand came to the rescue and agreed to let us return, put him in quarantine for 14 days, and import him back to NZ. However, this requires paperwork that takes 30 working days. In June, we hired a specialist to help us with the process, who suggested we could find a way to get to Australia. We're still in Fiji awaiting the paperwork! Fortunately, we have assurance from Australia that we will get Trim back to his home country; it's just a matter of time and a lot of money! Hey ho, he's worth it – most days! Meanwhile he participates daily in our Kangaroo ( card game) league....

Next stop - New Zealand .. we hope!