Out into the islands

After a busy week in Savusavu, we left the harbour on Friday to head east into the islands. Before we left, though, we had to re-provision with the usual fresh veg and meat from the superb market (the best we've seen so far).

Saturday is the best day in the market and extra stalls are set up outside

We also had to buy some unusual supplies for our trip - bundles of 'yaqona' - the dried roots of a pepper shrub which we'll present to the chiefs of each village we visit in a very important ceremony called sevusevu. The roots will be pounded into dust and mixed with water to make a drink called Kava. We'll post more about this once we've completed our first sevusevu.

Yaqona root bundles wrapped in newspaper and rafia tape 

On the morning we left we watched a local fisherwoman paddle a raft, made entirely of bamboo logs, through the anchorage - we suspect we'll see more interesting boats on our journey.

Low-freeboard fishing vessel

We spent our first night anchored just a few miles from Savusavu, sheltered behind  a reef near a large and expensive resort, before sailing along the coast and into a gap in the reef where there's a beautifully-sheltered anchorage known as Fawn Harbour; we are the only yacht here. It was a great sail - with sails hauled in tight and boat heeling over as we sailed close-hauled against the wind - and the coastline is stunning. The water near the coastline has a permanent mist rising from it as the waves crash on the reef.

As we headed east we were overtaken by one of the ferries which service the islands. Not sure if it was the wonderfully-named Egi One, though

Must be one for illegal immigrants, judging from the Deporting Time