Speedwell of Hong Kong

Savusavu

Author: Shirlz

June 2021

I had to spend a few extra days in the quarantine anchorage thanks to the failure of my AIS transponder. It was a welcome opportunity to just relax and try to start drying out my soaked bedding and practically everything else on the boat. The marina organised a prepaid sim card for my phone and I was able to catch up with the rest of the world again and let people know that I’d arrived. It was a rather barren site as it is where a new marina is presently under construction. The only wildlife I was able to spot was a flock of myna birds and, more interestingly, an enormous colony of flying foxes roosting in a nearby tree.

After some negotiations by the agent, the navy agreed to accept my saved Navionics track as proof that I had made no stops along the way. I still wonder where they thought I might have found a likely place to stop between New Zealand and Fiji.

The next day I was given a PCR test and when it showed I was just fine, we were escorted to the customs dock at the marina. Clearing with Customs, Immigration and Bio Security was very conveniently done around a table on the terrace of the Copra Shed Marina and I moved onto a mooring a little way off. Now I was free to go ashore and have a look at the town.

It was good to be able to go for a walk again. The sun was out and I strolled along the waterfront where there is a path that trails behind the market. Palm trees and hibiscus and colourful plants. People relaxing at little tables. I was happy to be back in the tropics.

A week of heavy rain followed which filled the water tanks and every available container. It also periodically filled the dinghy and I was able to properly wash out the salt from all my wet stuff. Getting things dry was another matter.

About half-way here on the passage from New Zealand, the new solar panel that I’d installed stopped working. I brought it below and tried to find the problem. My multimeter showed that it was only delivering an open voltage of 10V. Absolutely no use for charging a 12V battery. I was able to prise off the control box which was mounted on the upper surface of the panel and found that one of the two connectors inside had completely corroded through. The panel had obviously got wet, both from rain and salt water, but surely it should have been able to stand that. On closer inspection it was obvious that the control box had not been properly sealed off. Rather annoying. I wasn’t sure if it was repairable, but took it along to a little electrical shop tucked into an alley off the main road. To my great relief, ‘Ozzie’ was able to get it working again for a very reasonable price. I did the job of making it waterproof myself, using a very generous slathering of Sikaflex.

Stuck on board again the next day due to torrential rain, I decided to try to figure out the problem with the AIS. It has 4 little led status lights and when I switched it on, and waited, and waited, it seemed to be telling me that it was unable to locate the GPS satellites. This was rather puzzling, as when I first installed it, anchored near Russell, it found its position quite easily. Must have just been a good day for satellites. I had positioned it on a bulkhead next to the chart table and slightly behind the VHF radio. Maybe the radio was blocking it. I unscrewed it and moved it about 15cm inboard, where it now has a clear view of the sky through the companionway hatch, and it’s found the satellites and is transmitting. How ridiculous I feel. My heart really isn’t in all this superfluous electronic gadgetry.

The rain stopped at last and we had some truly magnificent days. I am happy just to stay where I am at the moment as diving is not for me these days and coping with anchoring amongst coral heads is also not a favourite activity. So I enjoy the comfort of a mooring and hot showers ashore. I was a little disappointed to find out that the hot springs baths that I’d been told about where no longer working.

Shopping is interesting, with many small shops along the one, main street selling a wonderful variety of stuff. The grocery stores stock all the essentials. It was a pleasant surprise to find some of the same brands I’d become used to in Tonga. Basic crackers instead of a confusing array of overpriced, designer-flavoured and textured savoury biscuits. The open market has a good selection of seasonal local produce, again much cheaper than the slick supermarkets.

Of course, due to the Covid scare, everyone must wear a mask when shopping and either stay connected with a tracking app on your phone or sign in at every shop you enter. Hands must also be sanitized over and over. The only area where things fall down a bit is in keeping the required 2m social distance. Shops are tiny and crowded. The bus station is packed as are the buses. I had been hoping to take one of the open buses to Labasa, just to enjoy the ride and see some of the local scenery, but I’m having second thoughts.

There was a stunning sunset this evening. After a shower I sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the wonderful feeling of ease, sipping a can of pre-mixed Bombay Sapphire and tonic, watching life go on around me. At home in my wrinkled skin.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2021 at 20:52 and is filed under Cruising, Fiji. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.