September 2010 – Futuna

September and it is springtime in the southern hemisphere. The land has even more color. Trees with orange flowers dot the hills. The fruit trees have now recovered from cyclone, Tomas, that occurred in early March. At the market we now find papayas the size of footballs and some bigger. Finally there is again an abundance of bananas and plenty of pineapples.
The month has been filled with doing jobs around the boat, greasing winches, wiping walls, working on the auto pilot. We spent one day in Lambasa. It is a town about an hour and a half drive from Savusavu on the drier side of Fiji’s north island, Vanua Levu. The highlight of the trip was the return over the mountains and the views of Savusavu Bay.

It continues of course to be beautiful here, sometimes with incredible colored skies reflected in the water. Tomorrow, Sept 26, new crew arrives. More sailing adventures are about to begin as we provision for our crossing to French Wallis/ Furtuna Islands.

New Crew

Fede arrived, after a very long plane ride all the way from Italy. We had arranged for a traditional meal, lovo, to be delivered to the boat that afternoon. Our purchase of the meal was in support of the fundraiser for the paddling club. It arrived in a basket made from palm leaves. There was fish and chicken, cassava, taro and taro leaves all cooked in coconut milk. The food had been wrapped in banana leaves and cooked underground on hot rocks.

Fede at the helm

Women’s Polynesian Canoe Paddling practice

Delicious Plate of food cooked in Lovo

The following day we shopped in the morning and did the necessary Customs and Immigration paper work to add Fede as crew and to depart Fiji for a few weeks of exploration and adventure. That afternoon we were beginning our sail to Futuna.

Friendly Futuna

Both Fede and I were mildly seasick part of the trip. I did however greatly enjoy the night watch, the waves with their twinkling florescent lights after bouncing off the bow as they splashed and hissed along the side of the hull. Three days later on the morning of October 1st we arrived at the French island of Futuna.

INTENTION anchored in the harbor at Futuna

We found the people of Futuna to be very friendly, and kind. I don’t speak French and Jim speaks only a few words. Nor does Fede speak French. Not much English is spoken in Futuna, but with gestures and smiles we communicated.
Upon arrival Jim and Fede went on shore to check in with immigration. After asking directions of a woman, she invited them unto her porch to have a coffee. Jim, who usually doesn’t drink coffee, told her how much he enjoyed it. She then gave them a large can of instant coffee, a bag of sugar, a bag of powdered milk, a bag of flour and a tin of canned chicken. We were all very moved by such generosity.
It was easy to get rides wherever we wanted to go. Everyday I was given a lei. The first day I complimented a woman on her beautiful lei and the next thing I knew she was putting it around my neck.

Alice with one of the many Lei’s given her

Sunday, October 3rd was the most extraordinary day. We really got to experience the generosity of the folks of Futuna. Fede had gone off early to try to catch a ride on a fishing boat to the near by island of Aloofe while Jim and I were socializing, having coffee on a neighboring yacht. Mid morning we went ashore to explore. We walked or rode in the back of trucks as we were picked up and dropped off. The coast of Futuna is dotted with villages with unoccupied land in between. The mountainous interior of the island appears not to be inhabited at all. I spotted a couple sitting on their porch and asked if I could take their photograph. They looked so typically Polynesian to me, the man in a sulu and the woman in a brightly colored mumu. There was a roasted pig in a woven basket made from a palm leaf and a roast chicken on the porch. I took the photo and showed them. They then insisted that I take a piece of chicken. So I broke off a leg and we ate it. Then the woman went into the house, came out with a bag and placed the whole chicken along with some taro in the bag and gave it to me. I was nearly teary eyed with gratitude.
We continued our walk down the street when another woman waved us into her home. We stood in the doorway and she came out with two fresh fruit homemade popsicles, so refreshing on such a hot day. She handed out three more to little children and we all sat around enjoying the cool, sweet treat.

Generous couple on porch

Cold, Sticky and sweet

Back on the street and again we got another a ride. They let us off near a beach with boats and with another bundle, something wrapped in banana leaves. This place looked like the Sunday picnic spot as many people were gathered. Children splashed joyfully in the water.

Getting off at the beach

Picnic beach with Aloofe Island in background

Beautiful teenage girls enjoying another awesome Sunday afternoon

Joyful guys enjoying another awesome Sunday at the beach

A young girl gave us a bottle of water. Jim and I sat on the rocks and had a luscious roast chicken lunch. I unwrapped the banana leaf bundle to find a gelatinous desert inside that reminded me of gummy candy. Whatever it was, it was cooked in coconut milk and was deliciously sweet. My guess would be that it was tapioca which is made from cassava. At the end of the day Jim and I were picked up and given a ride all the way back to where INTENTION was anchored. I am quite certain that was a long way out of their way.

Tour of Futuna
A couple of days later we met a great guy who heads up the Red Cross food distribution program on Futuna. English was one of several languages he speaks fluently as he had been an exchange student in Massachusetts for a year. One side of the island was hit hard by cyclone Tomas. The crops and fruit trees were wiped out so the Red Cross is providing additional food for 6 months until the island’s gardens are able to fully recover. He drove us around the other side of the island where the damage was still visible. Coconut trees were being replanted and some houses had tarps where walls and roofs had been ripped off. There is still no road that goes completely around the island as it has not been rebuilt since the waves completely washed it away.
The food the Red Cross gives away is canned instant coffee, bags of sugar, bags of powered milk, bags of flour, and tins of canned chicken. This is exactly the gift given to Jim upon his arrival. Because of the local political structure, with villages and village chiefs, there is a need for equanimity. The Red Cross fairly distributes food to those in need and those in not that great a need.

Our Red Cross tour guide

Coming over the mountain to the more damaged side

Sand still washed up on the road more than 6 months after cyclone

What’s left of the washed-out road will probably not be rebuilt

Aloofe looked appealing so we hoisted anchor and sailed toward the white sand beach. After all it is attractive enough that two dogs swim the strait everyday between Futuna and Aloofe. The coral all along the shore makes for clear turquoise water but for a boat drawing 6 feet there is no good protected anchorage. We went for a brief swim but not feeling secure we moved on and decided to sail to Wallis, another French island 125 miles further east. The wind seems to blow consistently from the east or not at all. After not getting very far we spent the night bobbing on the sea not going anywhere. In the morning the gods of the winds again did not smile upon this voyage so we sailed back.

White sand beach of Aloofe

Two dogs on their daily swim between Aloofe and Futuna

Back to Savusavu

After just over a week at Futuna we headed back to Savusavu, Fiji. A Blue-face booby decided to join us for part of the trip. He behaved like an experienced passenger allowing us to get quite close to him.

Blue-Faced Booby hitching a ride

Blue-faced Booby posing for his portrait

In Savusavu we grabbed a mooring at Waitui Marina .We checked in with customs and restocked the boat with food. Fede began scuba certification classes.

Fan coral, fish and Fede certified for SCUBA