The Native Iowan

Saturday morn in Fiji.

And, Damn, it happened again… My ol’ mate Willis n I hit the Coral Coast and we have a grand time… Lets see, I first came to this land with Willis in about 1990. That time we were coming back from the US from a joint -drum up business trip- hired a car on a Saturday morn in Nadi, drove to Trade Winds and had a full day, yee haw, arse kick’n 24 hours worth of fun n adventure.

Yesterday, Willis arrived where I was about 7am. By about 10 we were on the road toward Suva.

A group of ol friends live a semi-off the grid lifestyle in an area called Windroka. They surf and live in the jungle and raise gorgeous children and surf and fish…

Well, Hell… we rock up unannounced yesterday about 1pm. We drive up the mountain to Ryan’s place, and yep, Ryan is there. He sends a quick text (they are not 100% off the grid) and Shilo shows up. We drink a few Fiji Bitters and explore their developments and schemes and dreams. By about 5pm we’re in Pacific Harbour hanging with another ol buddy. We hit the jackpot…a BBQ is planned that eve and we’re the first to arrive…

In classes island fashion we end up with about 20 folks and half as many kids and a dog, all running an playing and talking and singing and guitar playing and, well you get the picture.

About 11 we head to the hotel we so wisely grabbed a room at and end up in the bar as the party had moved from the house to the dance floor. I sat and watched and swilled a couple more beers. Guess I made it to bed about 1am.

It was fun, very fun.

So tis about 830am, gotta head back up to Vuda, get ready to be ICEBound.

Life is guud…

A brisk breeze blows through the boathouse bar n grill.

I have uncharacteristically chosen to have some lunch. Eating during the day usually slows me down, but Don n Brownie and Jane are cleaning ICE. So I am hanging loose…

We put the boat in the water at 8am. The engine flashed up like a champ. Got to the mooring and went through the systems. We left one valve open as we were lowered into the water so a bit of seawater flooded into the engine room but that’s par for the course. Not enough water to make a difference. But enough to remind us all how much there is to forget…

Ice at the mooring: 

So as the gang cleans ICE, move their gear off and tidy it all up – for me to move in –.

I do look forward to it!

I left them to their duties an hour or so ago. Nothing I can do and even big boats are small inside, so rather than be in the way I bailed, played with my satphone, and decided I was hungry.

So I sit and swill a couple adult beverages and chop down a decent burger.

This is a busy bar. The same staff appear to be on duty pretty much all the time. The big dude behind the bar smiles and chats but his hands are busy. He’s a good tar-bender. The gals all hustle and smile and laugh and chat in the lyrical tones of the Fijian language. The prerequisite dainty-gay-guy serves and chats and, frankly, has better makeup than the girls. Flamboyantly-camp, this guy adds a flair only the camp can deliver.

I really love being back in the islands!

I am still land-bound. Not sure if I move onboard tomorrow. I am hanging to move on but I don’t want to do it until I can claim my own space. ICE is my boat. Its big enough to share with plenty of folks but I shall keep my place my way, not share too much of it with anyone other than wife n granpups etc. But, first, Don and Jane need to clear out from the master-cabin. And yachts are notorious because there are hundreds of small storage lockers. Every bit of spare space around the boat are cupboards of various sizes and shapes. It’ll take them a bit of time, and that’s OK.

Willis arrives early tomorrow, Friday morn. Hans and Cynthia arrive Saturday eve. Fricky next Wednesday. We should be sailing Thursday morn.

Life is indeed good…

Sitting in the bar at Vuda Marina, Nadi, Fiji. ICE just got lifted and positioned for a splash 8am in the morn. My second night here. The staff know my name so I am greeted in proper Fiji style, that means by name, by all staff as I walk in.

Hi Mike, How are you Mike, I like it a lot.

Very polite and proper and quite professional. Hans is going to be jealous.

I sip a cold cider as the winners and losers, as the wieners and hot dogs all gargle down grog.

This marina is quite busy. There are at least 50 boats at mooring in the marina. There are another 50 or more on the hard – up, out of the water and parked on land.

A lot of old folks, a lot of americans. A lot of down n out types but I don’t think they’d last long here. This is an expensive place.

So we have Jerry, off a nice little double-ender with a pretty bowsprit. He showers and dresses for dinner before coming to the bar. A Yank, obviously, but he has been here long enough to be known by all the other yachtspeople.

Scott, appears to be a looser. He sits next to me, sips white wine and exudes loserness…. He was here early last eve and left early, with a stagger and a wobble in his boots. I’ll pay attention to where his boat is so I can see if I am right or wrong. A boat tells all about its owner.

Yes, you can tell a lot about folks by their boat. Some boats are worth heaps. Some boats are heaps. This bar filters all and everyone together into one shared reality.

Some are dreaming of forward plans and future adventures. Some are getting ready to sail onto other plans and amazing adventures. There is a difference.

ICE was lifted and antifoul n zinc anodes all finished off, so it’s into the wet tomorrow. I should be moving onboard soon.

A place like this brings all sorts together for similar and understandable reasons. You can hear it in their discussion…

… how’d you go with immigrations… we got 2 months… I was up the mast today… big job… no, just wanted to climb the mast…

I like the idea that ICE is classified as a diesel Duck… it is not a yacht so shall never be a yachtie… Call me A Duckie instead…

I was on the boat when it got lifted by the “traveler”…

looks big, out of the water…

final stages of antifouling…

Don McIntyre has an evil grin… I simply do not like my picture taken….

On the hard…

Morning 1, day 1… I wake in my little cabin at the Vuda Marina…

I cranked the aircon last night and, though it was quite comfortable, I was hunkered down in my blankets keeping warm. That lil-aircon worked real well.

The Myna birds chatter and lie. Don;t leave anything they can steal on the verandah.

I just rubbed citronella oil on my ankles and back. Mosquitoes are prevalent and hungry.

This place is kinda cool, busy, productive, and – did I say- cool? http://www.vudamarina.com.fj. 

About 730am, I’ll make some coffee then head over and see what I can do for/ to ICE.

Sitting in Palmwoods. Busy, busy… but not too busy to not miss the circus that is the United States’ two party mud wrestling match also called “the primary race” for Party nomination to run for the Presidency. If you are following, I am sure agree with me per the overall entertainment factor of the whole show. If you ain’t in the know, hell… get watching, its more fun than the Oscars.

Whatz to say about the spectacle that be the Primary Race… makes me wonder if there is a secondary race…

But I shall not discourse lyrically about the fudged up political nonsense there-in… but rather, talk about fun, adventure, hardship and, did I say fun?

Preparing to go to Fiji to pick up the “ship” I bought… 

Check this out for a good description of ICE…

http://www.boatpoint.com.au/editorial/reviews/2009/motorsailer/ice-mcintyre-50-motor-sailer-17773

Plan is to sail ICE from Fiji on or around 6th May, stopping by Noumea, then onto Brisbane.

I have a crack crew of trained specialists to assist… PB, aka Brownie, is skipper for the trip; HMZ, aka Honeymooner, is 1st mate because he told me buying ICE was a good idea; DF, Frickcenstien, is Chief Petty Officer; WE, aka WE, is Celestial Navigation Officer; I am the greenhorn, doing his first “blue water” crossing. They call me Dammitt Mike.

The trip entails some 1400 nautical miles starting in Nadi. Leg will be a short 5 day run to New Caledonia… 

Second leg will be from Noumea to Brisbane… 

I have set a Facebook page up for grins n giggles…

https://www.facebook.com/ICEBound-1756492264587932/

More to come…

 May have my new alphanumeric system confused but…
My day end in the land of  Oz…  

 
Cicadas n frogs sing a colourful summer song filled with smiles… 

Silly Ol fart hat…

Last day of 2015. I plan to mow the yard.

Tomorrow is New Year’s day. Grace just asked if we were going to the fire works tonight. Considering it’s at midnight Mendoza and I quickly said no.

You gotta stay up until midnight if you want to watch the show, and I doubt any of us will be awake that late. Grace and Mendoza are saddling up for 18 holes of Golf. Angelo has had a flu bug and is recovering but still not well. I plan to mow the lawn.

This festive season has found the Queensland Tribe working daily on the property. The new house is nearing completion. There is much to do in prep for moving out of this place and into the new… We are clearing old fences in prep for new fences. Re-mulching and moving dirt, filling and leveling and landscaping. Most of the past couple weeks have been filled with happy-work, out of doors. We are seldom awake after 10pm.

So a plan to go down to the beach and watch the fire works may not be prudent. And I plan to mow the lawn.

2015… I guess it’s been a rather good year. Not sure what a “bad year” would be… As I gain in age my view point of good or bad has changed drastically. Life is good. There is very little that is bad.

full moon rising over Palmwoods, 25 December, 2015

2015 saw new ink, growing babies, and many natural spectacles…

I went officially insane in 2015. Some thought it had happened. Some wondered when it would happen. But, it is official, Mike is mad as a hatter… And I bought a yacht…

50 foot long, very beamy, 40 tonnes displacement, even a John Deer engine. It carries something like 8500 litres/ 2200 gallons of fuel. Sleeps 5 easily. Designed and built by an Aussie explorer-scientist type guy. Was originally designed for an expedition to Antartica. Thus the name “ICE”. Its strong, safe, and very pretty. Inside it’s a super-yacht.

So, indeed, it has been a great year. A year filled with madness, smiles, adventure, and joy.

Much joy…

More later…

   
 
Glorious GIZO…

Doing the island time boogie with a big assed grin on my face.

Spent the last two nights with Hans at San Bis resort. Very nice, very nice.

Shot over to Liapari yesterday, saw Uncle Noel n Rosey… very, very good…

About 5pm. Wednesday afternoon. Guess I have been here a solid 2 weeks. It has been good.

Honiara is a funkadelic place. Soooo mucchhhh of the yinggggg, n sooooo muchhhh of the yanggggg…

My neighbours are burning trash. the air is poisoned by plastics being converted by heat into deadly gasses. Of course, the parts per million are not enough to kill but my sensitive smellfactory senses don’t care for it at all. Met up with the prerequisite passive-aggressive drunk while buying some lava lavas at the market. I walked up and he inserted himself in the situation. I dealt with the lady doing the selling, all smiles and was polite to the drunk and lost my hearing when he started getting too involved.

I had a bit of a crazy white-dude come up and try to remember who I was. I musta met him years ago, maybe at the yacht club. He looked rather run down when I saw him. I was deaf to him as well.

I got one of those amazingly poetic and fun “island stories” from a guy who worked for me years ago. I always liked, Jerry. He was a good, solid man. Dependable and humble and intelligent. He quit working to go home and care for his parents as they aged. I learned that Mommy and died but Daddy hem olo too much, but strong lil’bit. I got a long, long story about his business… He has a “Hilux” he runs on the road to Auki. Buta truck hem go long mechanic. And staka repairs. Cost bloo hem ten thousand dollars…

Here we go, I think. When I saw Jerry I thought, I’ll give him some cash and tell him to say hello to his family for me. So I was in for something, but 10k… eeeeeee….

So, me garem nine thousand dollar nomoa. Me look outem, look outem, buta…

This is when I smile with relief, I have cash on me, I hand Jerry the grand he needs. Get a great smile in return.

Note well though, the good story was indeed worth a grand in solo-bucks.

Rain has come. The sky is clear. Could see San George Island this morn.

My shoulder is coming back very nicely. Paul’s wharf looks great. I’m cooking bbq chicken for supper n it smells tasty.

Bonnie Raitt says that she’s working on a love letter, with her radio on…