Friday 17 June Cobia, Ringgold aka Budd Reef

Will, Chris and coconut pancakes

David, Jacqui and Cari in earnest chat

It was an early start for us and a normal start for Stray Kitty. Yesterday our engine and generator starter battery spat the dummy. It's flatter than a pancake and won't hold a charge. Our resident Super Mechanic, Big Dave, has checked all connections and declared we need to buy a new battery when we see one. In the meantime he has worked out how to use hook up the house batteries to put power into the crank battery and tat way we can start the engine and the generator.
So we were up early to charge the house batteries and pack lunch and snorkelling for a day out on Stray Kitty. Jackster will stay anchored and the seven of us and Will, the chief's son from the village is our guide. Chris brought him out to the boat and as a special treat Will's Mm had cooked us coconut pancakes which were delicious.

Cobia flooded caldera

 It was a quick motor over to Cobia (pronounced Thombia) island where we picked up a mooring ball on the south side of the island. No one lives here apart from 30 goats which have eaten all the grass and are destroying the natural vegetation. Villagers from Will's island come here to collect firewood that they use to dry the sea cucumbers that they collect and sell to the Chinese market for F$60 each. This is bad practice for the reef as sea cucumbers are the street cleaners of the reef, devouring the debris of the sea bed. Without them coral struggles to survive. As rich people we see the fault in this practice, but to the Fijians F$60 is a lot of money compared to harvested coconut which sells for F$2 a kilo.
Will showed us where we could dinghy ashore between the reef and led us on a short, sharp hike up to the top of the hill. Cobia is crescent shaped, the crater of an extinct volcano. The views into the flooded crater were great.
Also on the island this morning were Will's brother and two friends who'd come for fishing. At low tide they walk out on the reef with a long spear catching fish. It was amazing to watch him follow a fish, take aim, throw and come up with a large snapper. This one they were having for lunch but they caught more to take hoe for the family.

We had to walk and carry the dinghy over the shallow water before we could get in because it was low tide then back to the boat for a cool off swim with the children and lunch.

Our afternoon activity was snorkelling, again with Will showing us the best places to go. On the outside of the reef we saw a small black tip shark, David spotted a young female green turtle and Will found a giant clam. What do you do when you're a Fijian and you find a clam? Free dive 15m and bring it back for dinner. Personally I'd have preferred to leave it in the sea but when in the spirit of sharing the life of an islander we were going to give it a go.

Back on board Will showed us how to prepare the clam which wasn't dissimilar to preparing conch in the Caribbean. He used a sharp knife to cut the flash from the shell, opened it up and cut out the intestines and cut the white meat from the coloured lips, the part we see exposed when the clam is feeding. What was left was a small portion of white flesh which was cooked in lemon juice and salt for an hour. For me the taste was disappointing, rubbery nothing although David enjoyed it. The octopus last night was far tastier. Never mind, it was a new experience and I'm glad I tried. The last item on Will's guide list promised better things.

You might have thought we'd got wet enough times already today but there was one more opportunity – night time lobster hunting. Lobsters are nocturnal and the best time to catch them is when they're out walking on top of the reef after the sun's gone down. The hunting party was Will, David and me and the three children, Andrea, Ryan and Cari tooled up with spear guns and underwater lights. We were back at t he anchorage in front of the village and Will took us over the sandbar linking his island and the adjacent one to a fringing reef with breaking waves. The three men were designated the hunter gathers and me and the children had the important job of keeping the dinghy off the reef and ready to collect the booty the boys would be bringing back.
Will was first with a lobster, David second and then there was a three pot crab, a parrot fish and 5 more lobsters in an hour of swimming. After earlier futile attempts in the San Blas and Tonga, we finally caught a lobster to eat! Dinner was one to remember tonight. We were all over on Stray Kitty. We brought a couple of share dishes and the garlic mayonnaise. Chris boiled up the crab and lobster, Will filleted the fish and voilà – a feast for the hunters all the sweeter for having caught them ourselves. The crab was wonderful and the lobsters far more meaty for their size than I remember San Blas ones.

at the end of a perfect day

It was late by the time we got home and we were happily exhausted from a really great day. We gave Will some dollars to thank him for his help. He said he'd had one of the best days and how much he'd enjoyed his day wish us. We shall certainly recommend a visit to Budd reef to other cruiser friends. This had been a treat of simple delights making a five star Fijian experience.