Author: Di Fitzgerald

There are moments in life that are so profound, so exquisitely joyful, they are almost indescribable. The birth of both boys were two such times, the most recent was the marriage of our eldest son, Nick, to his beautiful bride Sally, on the beach in Palm Cove. What a perfect setting and a perfect day to witness the beginning of their married life together. It was a glorious life-affirming, love-affirming celebration surrounded by family and friends, and there was nary a dry eye in the house! Continue reading “Wedding Day – Palm Cove, Queensland”

The West side of Viti Levu is definitely the ritzy side – as we motored the short distance to the legendary Musket Cove we passed numerous sandy cays dotted around the reefs, each one occupied by an exclusive resort. It was a hive of activity with jet skies, dive boats and high-speed ferries transporting tourists hither and thither. Continue reading “Putting On The Ritz – Musket Cove, Mamanuca Islands”

One of the many joys of this life afloat are the friendships you make along the way with other cruisers. We’re all in this together, helping each other out when we can – commiserating, sharing a laugh, a beer, and information about where we’ve been or where we’re going. Sometimes the connections are brief, as we cross paths on divergent courses, other times they’re more sustained, but always they’re a pleasure and enrich our lives. Continue reading “Back Together Again – Savusavu and beyond, Fiji”

We’d had a great few days in Viani Bay enjoying the diving on Rainbow Reef, but then the wind picked up from the south, making the anchorage rolly and uncomfortable. Time to move our home somewhere quieter. We were keen to catch up with our friends from Bruce’s SSI days, Nigel and Carol Douglas, who own and run Sau Bay Fiji Retreat, and as luck would have it they were just around the corner, in Nasau Bay. Continue reading “Slice of Heaven – Sau Bay Fiji Retreat”

No, Christmas hasn’t come early to Fiji.  It’s the White Wall, the most famous dive site on Rainbow Reef. When the current’s running, the soft white corals open and it looks for all the world like a ski slope or the largest christmas tree you’ve ever seen. It’s a sheer wall on the outside of the reef, dropping down into the abyss. We got to 33 metres and that was far enough for us! Continue reading “Wonderwall – Rainbow Reef, Fiji”

Moving east or south-east in Fiji is tricky because those south-east trades blow constantly at this time of year. So when we saw a wind shift to the north-east we thought we’d better take it, despite the fact that it came with a trough bringing rain and crappy weather. (Still better than motoring, according to the skipper). For once I wasn’t arguing – Savusavu is a nice place to hang out but it’s easy to get lulled into a kind of ‘cruisers comfortably numb’ state. I get itchy foot syndrome quicker than Bruce so I was more than happy to up sticks this time. And there was the small matter of a birthday dinner to look forward to! Continue reading “Run To Paradise – Taveuni Island, Fiji”