We had indeed a fast ride averaging 6 knots in winds from the ESE between 18 and 23 knots. The islands here in the Lau group are so close together that you sometimes have two or even three in sight at the same time–quite a change after the big distances in French Polynesia.
The waters are also much more lively than we’ve seen in other areas: we were trolling a lure with a single hook and after a jack, a wahoo and a mahi-mahi had jumped off that one we fixed a double hook and caught a big yellow-fin tuna. Commercial fishing is forbidden within the Lau group and that certainly makes a difference!
Matuku is a high, almost round volcanic island with a fringing reef that has several openings to natural harbours. We are on the western side in the biggest of these harbours and it looks more like a lake in here than a bay. There’s a small village in the bay and tomorrow we’ll go there, but today we are busy making fish preserves (12 jars!!) and banana-chutney–a whole stack went ripe and has to be used up.
