Fiji (Reisebericht)

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Geeignet für: Windsurfer, Kitesurfer

Revier: Welle

Windrichtung: beste keine Angabe, fahrbar keine Angabe

Reisebericht

After sailing the last 5 months in Maui the thought of spending another flat summer over here got to much so I booked my ticket for Fiji. After a few emails I got a crew pumped to do the voyage. My dad and good mate Peter from Sydney,Tim Knowles the big wave charger also from Sydney but frequents Maui and Kai Holf, North sails designer who is also known to smack the odd fat lip here and there. We had the boys and also I was able to pull in a favour from a old mate Ian (Thommo) Thomson who had just bought a boat and had started doing sailing trips through Fiji. Well I shouldn’t say a boat but rather the mother ship of surf seeking yachts at a good size of 51 foot. Arriving in Fiji I was greeted with a big „Bula“ and our ride to the marina to load all the gear aboard and get ready to set sail. The boat was stocked with all the essentials pasta, rice bubbles, and more importantly Fijian Bitter so we were ready to head out the next morning.

First stop was a glassy right hander called „Wilkes“ which has about 3 section you can take off on, we surfed till sunset. Thommo made the call to cruise back into the mooring at Plantation Island to get a calm anchorage and sample a bit of the local cuisine and fluids.

Was awoken the next moring to the sound of intense discussion between Kai and Thommo with a huge reef marine map out in front of them, and that was when the search began. The first port of call was Navolou Pass which is a yachting channel but also the home to a long right hander. After one packet of 2 minute noodles I was ready to hit it only to see in discussed that Timmy had already rigged and was up wind smashing the lip like no tomorrow. That would have to go down in history as one of our fastest rigs and in no time all the boys were out there picking wave after wave with no one else there just us. It had been a good days sailing head height wave and 5.0m, but I wanted something to really write home about. Beer’s in the cabin that night story’s were coming out thick and fast about the day and what we thought would be installed for tomorrow.

The next day it was on again as the whether had settled into the trades pattern again but the surf was a bit smaller, still enough to have a great day and a couple of tweaked aerials from the boys. Over beer’s that night we studied the reef map and saw what had the potential to be a firing righthander 4hr south, which would pick up all the swell up as it was the furthest reef out to sea.

The next morning the sails were up early and heading for a spot which could be a Virgin to windsurfing and who knows, even people. As we followed the rugged coast line down the coast we could see spray jetting up from the back of the waves and the wind was slowly increasing. The feeling of not knowing what it was going to be like got the crew pumped to get there as quick as possible. The look on everyone’s faces when we pulled around the corner to see our new sailing reef was unreal, mainly Thommo as he had made the call and if it wasn’t on had the big man Kai to answer to. It was on! 3/4 mast high and 4.7 winds, today was the day! The wave would peel along the reef from up wind were you could get in a couple of cut backs and either pull out or set up for the end section. That is were it would peak up like Margaret River, you would lay into your bottom turn as the wave rapped around the reef and the wind went cross- off. That is were you would have to make the grand decision: „Smack“ that baby or get out of there. Some of the smacks that went down that day were insane as you would get a huge boost from the off- shore wind also.

After a charging session in the morning everyone was pretty worn out and a bit of a Freestyle- Slalom basting in the bay was on the cards as the sun slowly drifted into the sea. As we had been sailing that afternoon Kai had seen what looked like a small village nestled away up the river and we thought we should check it out in the morning.

So before the sun came up we all jumped into the tinnie and went exploring to find the village. It was a little community which had no cars, electricity and hand made huts scatted all over the place. We got the grand tour by a local, bought some fruit and sucked down a quick Kava, luckily the wind came in later that day and more of the same was on again. Fishing was the call for later that arvo as we all wanted a good meal of fresh fish and fish is what we ate, didn’t catch a thing but bought two fish from a passing local in his boat.

Unfortunately our time aboard the ‚Sunstruck‘ was over and we had to head back to the marina, along the way Pete had his lures out the back of the boat and hooked a Spanish Mackarel which we all sampled Sushi style once docked again.

I am now in Maui airport trying to find a ride to the beach reflecting about what a great trip it had been with my mates but also what an adventure it had been as it was totally new and exciting and definately only something that can be done on a boat.

Damage for the trip:
1 Sailboard
1 Surfboard and leggie
1 Mast
6 Liters of Spirits…

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