I am back from my adventure aboard the three mast schooner ‘Alvei’, and it was super! Sadly there was just a little wind so we could not go under sails… But then, the ‘Alvei’ is equipped with a superb and mega-big twin cylinder SABB engine whose sound you can enjoy listening to all day. On the first day we headed for a small island to the north of Fiji and that was my chance to get to know the crew. We had planned to go scuba diving but because I have a bit of a cold, all my attempts at clearing my ears caused me earaches… So instead I decided to go snorkelling in the crystal clear waters and it was just as beautiful. I also had my first taste of the traditional drink called ‘Kava’ [made from the roots of the kava plant], and I came to the conclusion that I won’t ever try it again… Blegh! It tasted like dishwater – as far as I can tell what dishwater tastes like. Yesterday morning I was to board a local boat for the 10 nautical miles back to the Fiji mainland while the ‘Alvei’ sailed further away with the tourists. But soon it became clear that the boat was not leaving on that day which meant that I was stranded on the island… So with three crewmembers from the ‘Alvei’ we went for a long tour all over the island including looking for a waterfall that we found in the end… we then followed the river down its path. That is easier said than done because the river ran between high rock walls and we sometimes had to climb down waterfalls. Soaking wet and back at the beach I spotted a local boat with they were loading. I immediately ran over to it and asked if they were heading for the main island – they were. After my farewells to all the ‘Alvei’ crewmembers, I quickly grabbed my duffle bag and jumped aboard…Then after a long bus trip, with usual too loud music included, I finally arrived in Suva where I was happy to find Guppy at anchor, just as nice and calm as ever.It was great to be back aboard my own little home after having been away for a while… As far as I can tell there should be good winds in the coming days and so I will try to clear out early tomorrow morning… I will lift anchor and head for Vanuatu.

Laura