May 15, 2004 - Suva to Beqa

Today we departed Suva harbour and sailed and motor-sailed to the island of Beqa (the nearest island offshore from Suva). We had originally intended to go to Bega Lagoon, but we encountered strong headwinds so we diverted to the side of Beqa Island that is closer to Suva. After a bit of cruising around inside the reef, we anchored in the bay beside Maturiki Island, Beqa.

Maciu (Matthew) and Ben, both from the nearby Dakuni village, paddled their bamboo canoes over to Sequoia to visit us. They were blown away with all the space onboard and all the gizmos. We served them lemonade, and then I gave each of them a Joe Wilson BC Native necklace. While Craig and I had a short, refreshing swim, Barbara stayed onboard with the boys.

We knew we were supposed to go to the village and ask the chief for permission to anchor in their waters, but we had serious doubts we could get around the point in the dinghy given the waves and weather at the time. They forgave this transgression of not offering them yangona root, however when Craig and Barbara visited this cove again, the chief mentioned our previous use of their waters. He also mentioned he had expected us to have attended church that Sunday!

2004-05-16 Beqa-Suva

We spent the morning anchored in the bay at Maturiki Island. The snorkeling was very nice - it was wonderful to have this break from the heat of Suva Harbour.   Check out my underwater photos here: Underwater - Beqa

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Side Trips to >>> Underwater - Beqa, Naua Fijiian Family 2004, Fiji - 1975