musket cove and the blue lagoon

After clearing customs (half a day of filling in repetive forms, all with fees and charges), I set off to walk in to Lautoka to apply for a cruising permit.  It is a hot dusty walk, and then I have to wait in line behind locals applying for various permits.  when at last my turn comes, I am asked for copies of various forms, which I have from customs, and am assured the permit will be there next day.  Another long walk back to the boat and I am aboard at sunset for a quick meal and an early night.
Next morning the same long walk, rewarded by a disinterested 'Maybe this afternoon", so I spend a few hours walking around "Sugar City", and buy a pretty ordinary lunch of bits of fried chicken bones with skin and a little chicken meat on rice, before returning, hot and dusty, to the permit office. "maybe tomorrow", she says.  I ask her to phone and check if the Suva office (who prepare the permit for the Lautoka office to issue - they add the name of the yacht, the colour of the yacht,  and the owners name to a form letter- and it turns out she forgot to write that the yacht colour is white in the applikcation form she sent.  "definately tomorrow" she says.  I ask whether she could simply phone the suva office, tell them the yacht is white, and ask them to fax the permit for her to issue, but that is not possible.
Next morning I give up and sail down to Denerau marina to get the genoa repaired.  It is hot and heavy work unfurling and dropping the genoa, folding it up on deck, hoisting it into the dinghy with a halyard, hefting it ashore (it weighs about 80kg, and is bulky and difficult to drag around), towing it down the road to sailmaker on a trolley. The sailmaker promises ready next day, but there are no free marinas so i head out and anchor off the hilton overnight.  Next day, there is a mooring free and the sail is ready, so I ask at the marina office how to get to
Lautoka to chase up my cruising permit.  The very helpful office girl phones Suva direct, gives them a bollocking and promises the permit will be faxed to me in her office in minutes - and she is right!  What a relief - no trip to Lautoka, so I can go to the airport to meet Chris, who is arriving today.

Chris arrives carrying the replacement boat hook, and we head  back to the boat, tidy up, and then dinner at the hard rock cafe, and a terrific live jazz / blues band.  Then we let go the mooring, and head out to Malolo Island and Musket Cove - a light breeze and sunny sky making it easy to spot the reefs as we enter.  A couple of days relaxing in the sun and snorkeling on the reef, and then Emma and Andrew arrive to sail with us to the Yasawa islands.  And they arrive in style in a seaplane which lands and taxis right up to us