While we were at Vuda Marina we did a bit of running around. Fill the propane, get diesel, grab some fresh groceries, see a couple sites, and get back out on the water.

The nearby botanical garden was nice. Bit overpriced for what it is, but hey, they threw in a fresh mango juice and a twenty minute tour guide who tried to help us learn a thing or two. We had planned to do a hike from there that goes a bit further into the hills, but Ouest was feeling a little under the weather so we packed it in early.

Next stop was the Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple. Largest Buddhist temple in the Pacific. Not sure why I expected it to be more serene, but it was plopped down smack dab in the middle of a busy industrial area. The Buddhist iconography is kind of fascinating to look at, and was painted nicely throughout the Temple.

Google Maps didn’t really give me the full picture on what the area around the IGA grocery store in Lautoka was like. Bus station, fish market, and a mass of humanity that seemed completely out of place with any visions of Fiji that you may have in your head. Even after all these years of traveling, it’s still easy for me to forget sometimes that island life isn’t all palm trees and crystal waters. For the vast majority of Fijians, their islands don’t resemble the postcards in any way.

Lowe flying past on his OneWheel at sunset.

What’s the weather like, you ask?

Alternators have been a source of issues on this boat. Mainly because of the poor design of the engine hatches that inevitably drip water on the engine when they are opened up. Our port engine alternator wasn’t putting out any juice, but I had had another alternator cleaned and repaired while we were back in Savusavu, so I went to switch them out—the evening before we were planning on leaving, of course.

Below is the result of me cranking a tad too hard on a rusty nut. I wish I could say I haven’t done this at least ten times through the years. This is kind of a funky piece that is used to adjust the belt tension on the alternator. The engine can’t be run without it. So, with broken pieces in hand I set off at 4 pm to find a solution before everyone went home at 5.

I went straight to the marina’s workshop. It’s a big barn with the castoffs of many years worth of broken engines, lawn mower repairs, tractor maintenance, and whatever else goes on around a marina day to day. Inside I found two guys standing around BS’ing and presented them with my dilemma. Immediately, one guy told the other to just cut the broken bit off and weld a new bolt on there, thus saving the important adjustment piece. We all nodded in agreement, and then he asked me when I needed it. “Welllllll…. I was supposed to leave in the morning.”

No problem. He grabbed the parts, cut the broken piece off with a grinder, cleaned it up, and spent fifteen minutes looking everywhere for a single similar sized bolt. For a shed with so much crap laying around, it was surprisingly difficult to find a bolt. He then dragged out the welder, and within a few seconds the bolt was on. He ground it down as flat as he could and the job was done. Still half an hour until quitting time. I insisted on pressing a bill into his hand, though he was adamant it wasn’t necessary. But geez, if he had any idea how much time and effort he had just saved me he would have asked me for 10x more.

The restaurant at the marina was firing on all cylinders this night. Food’s pretty good, too, if you don’t bother with the half-price pizza night.

Three hours away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland, sits Musket Cove. It’s one of those spots that becomes a magnet for cruisers. It’s just far enough from civilization to make both places convenient for their purpose.

We arrived late in the afternoon and tried to anchor, but the anchorage area didn’t have much space left, and the depth was about 70 feet. Without enough scope out we dragged the anchor over the top of the mud one time before deciding to just grab a mooring in the more protected and shallower area for $10 bucks a night. Looks like a great spot to spend a little time.