LEVUKA ON OVALAU ISLAND- THE FIRST CAPITAL OF FIJI

July 15, 2013 Monday

The Trade Winds have been blowing quite strongly (25-30 kts) from the SE over the last few days and will continue until Friday of this week.   I've strung out 35 fathoms of chain (210') in a water depth of 8 fathoms (40').  The bottom is all sand and we're holding well.  The protecting reef on Leleuvia is allowing only a 1' chop so all is comfortable.  One of the reasons for choosing Leleuvia was the proximity of Levuka and the ability of taking a ferry or fast boat to the old capital.

We arranged transportation by fast boat with the Leleuvia Resort and left at 1100 hrs for Levuka (17-41' S; 178-51' E) which is about 12 nm to the North through reef passages not accessible by yacht.  It took about 40 minutes to get there.  The fast boat had a four stroke 225 hp Yamaha outboard and we flew along in deep water but had to slow down and pick up the motor (hydraulically) in the shallow reefs.  Levuka was the first capital of Fiji and seems to have been chosen because of its wide reef entrance and the ability of the Fijian canoes to enter on a beam reach when coming or going.  There are leading lights in line at 263 T degrees.  I saw a fixed marker in the pass and it is a ship channel so entering or departing would be no problem.  It is not a popular yacht anchorage because it is exposed to the prevailing winds and heavy seas pass over the reef that separates the anchorage from the ocean.  Additionally, it puts the yacht on a lee shore with indifferent holding.  Furthermore, the dinghy landings can be wet.  The anchorage has an odoriferous smell from the local fish factory.

Due to tribal warfare and conflict, the British were able to scheme, knive, and bamboozle the local Chiefs until the Islands were conceded to them in 1874.  Many of the colonial buildings and precolonial buildings still exist in Levuka.  It seems to be the intent of the Fijian government to keep the town as a living museum of the past.  The English did it on the cheap so we are not talking or seeing great beauty here.  The town looks like something out of a third rate Italian spaghetti movie with its  store fronts and irregular side walks.  Take away the paved roads and make them dust and one could imagine gunslingers from our own fictionalized history.  Essentially, the town is made up of wooden buildings and corrugated galvanized tin roofs.  A few stores and fewer selections for fresh produce with a humble restaurant or two are about it.  The various denominational churches have quite a bit of charm.  The beauty of it all would be the wonderful Fijian people who always great you with a "bula" and a smile.  Given their past history as fierce cannibals, I keep thinking that the friendliness and smiles were always there: Today I greet you, tomorrow I eat you.

If the weather would cooperate, I would be willing to anchor in the harbor for a few days before moving along to more remote islands and scenic beauty.  Nevertheless, Levuka is worth a visit for its historic value.  We left Levuka at 1530 hrs and arrived back in Leleuvia at 1615 hrs.