Thursday 26th June
Up at 6.30am, we’re motoring out the bay by 7am. Cleonie has already left and Andante are also ahead of us, Tallulah Ruby behind. We’ve got 15 knots of wind from the SE and we’re on a beam reach doing 8 – 9 knots. This is more like it – blue sky, sun shining and views of the Fijian islands all around. A couple of hours out we’re leading boat and after negotiating through a very narrow entrance in the reef. we’re anchored and enjoying lunch up top watching the other boats come in; Cleonie, Andante, Tallulah Ruby, and ,much later, Quasar. The bay has several buildings, an old pier and a ruined hospital. Makongai is an ex leper colony which served most of the south Pacific and Australia and had a population of 5000. After a cure for leprosy was found in 1948 people continued to live there until 1969 when it was abandoned and quarantined for 10 years. Gradually some of the native islanders returned and there is now a population of 85 spread between 2 villages. We decide to go ashore to a little adjoining islet for an explore. James thinks it may be a good idea to check in to the village first so we nominate him as our spokesperson and head off to the islet. We’ve just landed when James calls on the VHF to tell us the big chief is not happy and wants to know what we’re doing. We return promptly to the boat then James and Paul, Ian and Stewy go ashore to eat humble pie and present gifts of kava, beer and diesel. Chief Watson and his three right hand men receive the sinners in the community hall. They sit cross legged on the floor, the sinners are given seats, then there a little ceremony involving a lot of clapping and thumping (please and thank-you) on the floor until the gifts are presented. The men are then welcomed in and told that they and their crews have the freedom of the island, although not to fish. The chief also offers to escort anyone who is interested on a walk round the island to the other village tomorrow morning and invites everyone to a kava drinking session tonight.
The rest of the crews then head ashore to meet Chief Watson and the others, and he explains a little of the history of the island while walking us to the ruins of the first ever cinema on Fiji. By the time we get back the sun is setting and the kava preparations are well under way in the community hall. Woven mats have been placed on the floor and a man is sitting stirring the brew in a large bowl. Chief Watson thinks Ian is our chief but Ian quickly nominates Paul who is then offered the first drink, and continues to be consulted as our chief from then on. We then all drink kava in turn, accompanied by hand clapping and music – some young men have arrived and formed a circle on the floor where they are now playing guitars and yukeleles and singing. The chief explains that the old songs they are singing tell Fijian history, which is never written down. As the evening goes on, more locals arrive and join in, including a few women who also partake of the kava. After a while we’re all getting a bit uncomfortable sitting cross-legged but we’re all a bit reluctant to move as we‘ve read there’s a lot of protocol that needs to be followed in these parts, such as never to sit with your legs straight out in front of you or touch anyone’s head . The chief clearly notices, however, and tells us all to make ourselves comfortable and relax. He also tells us only to drink as we wish and leave when we please. After a while, most decide to get back to the boats for dinner and leave the hard core of Ian, Paul, Cuko and Wills . The chief tells us we will all sleep well tonight. Apart from a slight numbing of the mouth, none of us feel any real effect, although we suspect we’ve been given small measures (which is probably just as well!). An hour or so later, the hard core return. It seems the night was cut a bit short when Will tuned the instruments with his little tuner, after which the men were unable to play at all and had to spend hours retuning! Apparently the kava measures got much bigger but Ian is no worse for wear. We eat, then sleep!