Location: Vuro, Fiji
Who was it that said nothing worth doing was ever easy? I’m not sure. Typically, I try to be cautious around generalizations such as this (do you see what I did there?) I was recently reading about the earlier work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, and the idea came up that as soon as some phenomena have a theory to adequately describe them, it is much harder for us to think critically about how accurately said theory pertains to the subject matter. Nevertheless, what we set out to achieve here is certainly not easy, but in my experience is hugely worthwhile.
Adjusting to life underway probably falls into this bracket. It is wonderful and can be possibly one of the most rewarding aspects of a trip like this. We have over 3000 miles ahead of us. Miles of open ocean, endless stars, and a glimpse of the Earth and life on it that remains hidden to most. But to do that, first of all, we have to learn how to work with Argo, with each other, and with ourselves, in an environment where personal space, in all senses of the word, is limited. We have to learn to do this in an environment that only a few of us have been able to practice in.
The short passage that we finished today to Kadavu was an exercise in acclimatization to this. With a full round of watch rotation, some meals underway, and a bit of sail handling, Argo’s newest crew got its first taste of the life that they will soon be adopting as we move to Indonesia. Though a few of us were feeling a little under the weather as we got acclimatized to a bit of movement, the crew as a whole continued to function effectively. We exist in a mutual support network that is essential if we are to keep the boat moving 24 hours a day over the course of days and weeks, so this was some great practice.
Arrival in Kadavu was awesome. This trip has shown us a side of Fiji that Argo has never come across before, in that each island we go to is new to her. Particularly in spots like this that are often incompletely charted, this is pretty exciting in that we often have to pilot the boat largely off the depth sounder and from what we can see in the water around us, rather than relying blindly upon our electronic and paper charts. So as we came through the Great Astrolabe Reef (apparently, the fourth largest barrier reef in the world), we sent Amanda up to the first set of spreaders to act as a lookout as we moved into our anchorage. Safely at anchor, and after receiving permission to have a look around the area from the local landowners, we went for an awesome snorkel over some stunningly healthy reef flat just inshore of us before finding a narrow channel through the reef that allowed for us to swim into the beach, allowing a cracking opportunity for some timely frolicking.
Since we arrived in Fiji, we have received multiple recommendations to head to Kadavu, hearing rumors of the untouched reef and massive aggregations of manta rays. Given the wild scenery, a huge expanse of the reef, and incredible experiences we have had with marine life thus far, I can’t wait to get into the water and have a look around.