Me on the bow and Nancy at the navigation computer are good shots for our entry into Fawn Harbor. We entered fairly early in the morning which still left us with a good deal of glare off the water. You can see the breaking waves of the reef off in the distance (left). We're looking for an opening between those breaking waves. You can see how still the air is also. Still - and HOT! So, I'm out on the bow in the blazing sun thinking we're in pretty good shape since we've come through the outside reef. Scott's not so sure, but I'm so hot I come back to get into the shade and then...BUMP! Fortunately we're not going fast and Scott had the engine in reverse before we actually hit "IT!!" "IT" was actually hiding in the sun's glare and only visible when really close.  Were we watching the chart? YES. Were we in the channel? YES. Was "IT" on the chart? NO. The moral to this story: Keep a constant watch and remember that charts are an AID to navigation!!

We finally find a place to anchor just off of a nice home of an American couple. We met the lady and two children as we were coming into shore. It gets so shallow that we couldn't make it in the dinghy. However, our intrepid captain slogged through the mud and got directions for how to get to the village by water.  Since we were at low tide we had to wait 'til morning to make the trip.

To the right is a shot of a perfectly calm anchorage of Fawn Harbor. We always sleep well in these nice conditions.

Here we are looking for the opening in the mangroves which will lead to the village. Believe me, even with instructions it wasn't easy. Do you see that dead branch in the water behind Scott? That's actually a navigation mark. If you keep that to port there's enough water to take the dinghy in at high tide - I'm not kidding you!! You might also notice that Scott has the engine tilted up to avoid hitting the bottom.

If you've ever been up the river a Tenacatita, Mexico you've had the experience of traveling up the river in your dinghy at Fawn Harbor, Vanua Levu. When we saw a boat we knew we were in the right place.

After climbing up the mud bank we went to visit the local chief (we were anchored in his waters, after all!).

Any time I can get a peek inside local houses I try to capture it on my camera (without being too rude!).

This is they typical view, including the laundry, a scroungey dog and the Church.

Lydia demonstrates how the traditional  drum calls people to worship.

Around the corner Mom and her young son are doing some cooking in their outdoor kitchen.

This village owns a rather good looking cow.

And the requisite mother hen and her chick(s).

Not a very interesting or seemingly very prosperous village, but perhaps, being on a main island the people are freer to leave and go into town for work.

Back at the anchorage we saw floating in the currents a path of pumice winding through the harbor. I has seen big areas of this pumice out in the ocean, but I was unable to get a good shot of it. This pumice is from an erupting volcano that we saw in the Hapa'ai Islands in Tonga. I have a rather neat link to a cruiser who filmed an island forming as a volcano erupts - Check it out!