Time out in Saweni Bay.

Saweni lies about 5 miles to the west of Lautoka, and provides a calm, clear, and protected anchorage in all winds barring the Northerlies. Here we were able to swim,  and clean the prop and hull, using our little dive compressor, and stay well away from the sooty fall out from chimneys of the sugar cane mill in Lautoka.

Weekend at Saweni Beach

MV Kanaloa

 The palm tree’d beach  once boasted a fully  functional hotel, in years gone by! The restaurants and bar which was frequented by yachties are now closed,  and the hotel just rents out apartments, on a self catering basis, and even that seems to be only very occasionally! The beach attracts a few local families, and parties over the weekends, some of which went through the night!

Fortunately, the Autopilot problem turned out to be relatively easy to fix. Somehow, the hydraulic fluid in the system had become clogged with thick green gunge. I was able to bleed and flush it all out, firstly passing the fluid through some paper coffee filters, until I could find and buy some mineral based ATF fluid from a motor spares company in Lautoka. I then replaced all the fluid again with the new ATF, and we seem as they say, “good to go!”

Saweni Reefs......take care!

There are two distinct anchoring areas, with the reef protruding like an hour glass in the middle of the bay. These reefs are wrong on the Navionics charts, and poorly shown on most other electronic charts, apart from the Google earth overlays. The inner area can accommodate 5-10 yachts in 3-5mts, but the holding is apparently not uniformly good there. We prefer to anchor outside the hour glass reefs, in about 6-7 m, where the holding appears better in thick mud and sand, although we once dragged when we dropped our anchor on some rubbish!

Didn't see the reef!

In the brief time we have been there, we have seen two boats hitting the reef by cutting the corners of the approach. A big power cat was badly holed, and sank in the shallows, trying to make it to the beach. A twin engine taxi boat lost both its props 2 days later. The cat was temporarily patched and refloated at spring low the next day, and towed around to Vuda Point for haul out. We were also told that a 3^rd boat had hit the reef a couple of days after we left!

The reefs pose no threats to sensible yachties however, and the bay offers a pleasant anchorage, plus easy access to Lautoka for shopping and provisioning.

Sadly, litter is a problem here, as in so many other beautiful islands

This is what we do......there isn't a single refuse bin on the beach!

A $1.50 bus ride, at 8.30am, or 10.30am,  takes you to the bus terminus in the centre of town, and a $15.00 taxi fare gets you back if your shop gets too much for the bus trip back! The 10.30 bus takes a longer and more rustic route into town, for the same fare! A cheap and fun way to see a little bit more of Fiji!

Waiting for the  bus,alongside the track of the sugar cane train

Fly by pics through the bus window........

Passing the sugar cane train......

 While there, we also met, and got to know Heidi and Wolfgang  (M/V Kanaloa), who have done 5 circumnavigations ! Two in sailing yachts, and the last 3 in their 47ft  Nordhaven motor yacht, “Kanaloa”.  For the last 3 circumnavigations, their 3^rd crew member was their little Norfolk Terrier, “Zulu”, who joined ship in RSA!    In the morning and evenings, we would see him perched up on the bow of the dinghy, as they took him to the beach for his walk. Sadly , his 13 year old heart was failing,  and he passed away while we were there . He was buried at sea a few miles offshore, leaving his owners heartbroken, but full of happy memories.

Wolgang and the local cowherd de-ticking the ears of a gentle stray dog

On our most recent visit, 11 yachts forced their way into the inner anchorage, 4 of which were smallish yachts each with 8 people on board. It must have been a Rastafarian get together, given the long dreadlocks, hairstyles, yodeling and hollering, together with their clothing……or total lack thereof!

Maybe the cause of the yodelling? Poisonous watersnake swam by our boat

We came back to restock, escape the nonstop wind at Musket Cove, and wait for the wind to give us a decent time in the Yasawa’s. It is looking good for the next 10 days, starting from Thursday /Friday. Great!!