The smell of boiled eggs

Pefectly cooked eggs, under the jacket is a bowl of rice.

Do you know why hot springs smell of eggs? Now I do, the local hot springs in Savusavu (Vannu Livu, Fiji if your interested) are used by the locals for cooking. There a bit utidy about it wich kind or runins the effect. We forgot our stop watch, but we estimated our 4 minuted for the eggs and they were perfect. Yokes just sticky enough not to run. We'ed neglected to bring eating irons, or salt and pepper, but the eggs were spot on.

We've been in Savusavu since friday. Had a bit of a beat to get in, light wide, low draft, cruising boats like Jackal don't like beating. For beating read. Sailed one tack till as near as we could get and stuck the engine on. I like Savusavu. I've been to Fiji before but only Suva, mostly Suva docks. Wich is not a good advert for the rest of the country. Fiji has had 2 millary coups since I was last hear. It milarty government now. Not good. The main problem will be in Suva if their is any. I've just been told that the Aussie's have just offered to fly all their consular staff and their families home, and flagged up Fiji as an unsutable travel destination.

I really doubt it will be that bad. We've got to go to Suva, Christians new credit card awaits. Guess what's leaking? Go on yachties, where is the water comming in on Jackal? Yep thats right the stern gland (the seal that surrounds the propeller shaft) is leaking. They allways do, so its no biggy. Providing we don't acidentally drop the prop shaft out the back of the boat fitting the new seal. That tends to let a lot of water in and you have to get a diver to pick it off the bottom and stuff it back in again.

Wet season is still apon us, dry season soon they all say....

Paperwork, the large guy at hte back was quarantine,
why aquaratine officers always fat? Must be all that
"disposing"of food they do.

Its still raining alot, we crept in to Savusavu at 7am. The out pourings from the hot springs casusing vapor plumes in the harbour. The local marina, gave us a mooring and ferried the local officialls out to the boat. You know how it is Health, Immigration, Customs, Quarantine.... At least they came to us and it was all smooth and easy. Its cheap here too. My new rucksack was $20F my new rugby shirt £15. I've reallised I'm going to end up in Sydney in winter. Its hardly Sedbergh (sorry again mum) but I only brought one fleece and one thin jumper. By accedent I have 3 pairs of trousers. Probably mouldy by now, been under my bed for 4 months.

Everything on the boat has been damp after all the rain. We looked like a floating Chinese Laundry on the way back to the mooring on the first day, we went along side for water and fuel. Decided that the laundry would end up being 500 loads of everything from clothes to seat cusion covers. So Jackie and I hand washed everything. Water was free clean and unlimited. We had to go to town and buy more clothes pegs. Navigatiing back to our mooring was embarassing. Jackie stood on the coach roof, I stood on the bow with me head behond the washing. Alan steered blind with directions relayed around the clothes lines from me, while the whole anchorage watched.

We met a couple in the Bar, Jannine and Jorj. Ausie and Fijian respectivly. Took them out on the boat saturday, they were going to take us to the a waterfall on sunday. But the rain poured down all day, so we gave that up. Its a shame, I've not swum in a waterfall yet this trip. Wierd. Jorj brought his spear gun along, Alan tried to shoot one fish (I was swimming well clear), but missed. The visablity wasn't teribly good, esspecially after are last snorkel outing in Tonga, the sun came out briefly and we got a loverly day trip.

Snorkeling in Tonga, I'm kinda proud of this photo!

The intention was to sail 30 miles to the next island today, but we got out passed the point, found the wind on the nose and that we'd taken too long shopping and faffing with customs etc. So we're anchored off a posh hotel, wind might swing a bit in our avour tommorow. We did think of trying to nick the hotel's hobie. But its a bit crap (tiller ext too short) even for a hobie - which I concider to be a piece of obsolete junk nayway. I'm assuming they don't have a harness and everyone's gone to sleep. Hence the long blog post..... I'll leave you all alone now. Hummm was trying to teach Christian to trapeze, maybe thats why he went to sleep.