> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://svsabado.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Time for a Change - URL: https://svsabado.com/time-for-a-change/ - Published: 2026-09-06T03:07:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-06T03:07:20.000Z - Description: A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 8/30/2026 - 9/6/2026 - Author: Holly Hendricks - Tags: Boat Life *A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 8/30/2026 - 9/6/2026* On Sunday morning, we pulled up the anchor and left the protected anchorage where we had spent the past two weeks. Sabado is so much more comfortable after our refit that we didn't mind hunkering down for days of gusty wind and rain, but we were ready for a change of scenery. More importantly, we were running out of food. With our sights set on cruising the Yasawa island group before our time in Fiji is up, we knew it was time to reprovision and get prepared. The closest and easiest place to take care of everything we needed was Port Denarau, a popular tourist port with easy shore access, a fuel dock, and somewhere to dispose of our trash. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-04-195642_1.28.1.jpg) The morning was calm and still as we motored between the reefs. I was happily soaking up the sunshine at the helm. We figured we would be motoring all the way to Denarau, but once we escaped the island's wind shadow, we realized there was just enough breeze to sail. So, we hoisted the main and jib, shut off the engines, and let Sabado do her thing. At first, it was peaceful. The water gently lapped against the hulls as we cruised along at around 5 knots. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/IMG_0849.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-04-195642_1.18.1-1.jpg) Then the wind began to clock around until we had 20 knots on the nose. With limited maneuverability as we navigated around the reefs, we decided it was time to drop the sails and motor directly toward our destination. Our speed took a hit, and we started looking for an anchorage where we could spend the night and finish the trip in daylight the following day. The first two spots we poked our bow into were tight and rolly, and both left us sitting on a lee shore. The wind was not forecast to be this strong, or from this direction, so we had to consider the possibility that it could continue like this overnight. Neither anchorage felt like a good option. We continued on to the third and final possibility. If we did not stop there, we would be arriving at our destination in the dark. Thankfully, a small island curved around the bay, leaving a more sheltered section of water. There was plenty of room, and the bottom was mud, which made for good holding. We set the anchor, backed down hard, and settled in for the night. We were the only boat there. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/IMG_0861.jpeg) We were near Sawene Bay, where a fellow sailor had recently been boarded and robbed, so we took a few extra precautions before going to bed. We locked everything up, kept an eye on a fisherman making his way around the otherwise empty anchorage, and waited until he eventually disappeared before turning in for the night. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/IMG_0862.jpg) Anchorage review on No Foreign Land By morning, the anchorage was peaceful, but the air was thick with smoke from nearby sugar cane fires. August and September are peak sugar cane harvesting months here in Fiji. The country produces roughly 1.5 to 2 million tons of sugar cane each year, much of it grown on small farms where harvesting still relies heavily on manual labor. Harvesting sugar cane is hard work, so farmers generally have two options: they can cut the cane green, which is slower and more physically demanding, or burn it first to clear away the leaves and make harvesting faster and easier. As a result, cane burning remains common here, despite the significant smoke and air pollution it creates, along with greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of organic material from the soil. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Untitled-design---8-1.jpg) We had watched the fires lighting up the hills overnight, and when we first anchored, the wind had kept the smoke moving away from us. Unfortunately, the wind died during the night, leaving Sabado sitting right in the middle of the smoke cloud by morning. Our throats were scratchy, and the boat was coated in a fine layer of grey ash. We sipped our coffee and chatted for a while before pulling the anchor and motoring the final couple of hours toward Denarau. On the way, we got a chance to test [Sereno](https://svsabado.com/sereno-anchor-watch-beta/)'s AIS Advisor system on our chartplotter. Our Vesper Cortex has a similar feature, but Sereno allows you to flip through options on avoidance maneuvers, instead of just alerting you that you are on a collision course. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-04-200003_1.28.2.jpg) We picked up a mooring ball for $50 FJD per night, which included use of the nearby dinghy dock, otherwise $15 FJD per day, as well as trash disposal, which would otherwise cost $50 FJD. So, a mooring seemed like a good deal. We turned off our freezer and let it defrost overnight. We knew this would be a big provisioning run, so we decided to hire a taxi to take us to several different shops. We used the same taxi driver who took me to the airport when I was injured, and had texted me a prayer each day that I was in the US receiving medical care (this is the level of kindness we have experienced from all Fijians!). When we travel, we like to find a taxi driver we trust and use them repeatedly. It also makes it easier and safer for me to run errands on my own when Ray isn’t able to come along. We visited two supermarkets, the local produce market, and a butcher shop to get everything we needed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-04-195642_1.21.2.jpg) With a full fridge and freezer, a topped off jerry jug of gas for the dinghy, and our trash disposed of, we cast off the mooring ball and headed for Musket Cove. The boat was filthy. The salt spray from our passage was like glue, grabbing all the ash from the smoke in the air and sticking it to the boat. Everything was grimy and grey. So we were eager to get somewhere with clear water, run the watermaker, and finally give Sabado a much needed bath. As we were preparing to leave the anchorage, we noticed the wind was at the perfect angle to fly our spinnaker, so Ray hauled it out of the sail locker and rigged it up. We watched as another boat heading in the same direction hoisted theirs as well. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-05-170720_1.24.1.jpg) We hauled the anchor and headed toward Musket Cove, but by the time we got underway, the wind had shifted dramatically. We were grateful the shift hadn’t happened while our spinnaker was flying, especially as we watched the other boat struggle to untangle theirs. From a distance, it looked like it had wrapped around their forestay. Yikes! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-05-171248_1.18.1.jpg) We got the main up and waited patiently for the wind to shift back to a more favorable angle. The shift never came, and as we approached our destination, we finally gave up on the spinnaker and packed it back into its sail bag. Ray dropped the main while I prepared our mooring lines. Musket Cove is a well known cruising hub with a sheltered anchorage, marina, restaurants, supplies, and plenty of services for visiting boats. It has a long standing reputation as a social gathering spot for cruisers, particularly during the annual Musket Cove Regatta, and has become something of a home base for sailors exploring the Mamanucas and Yasawas. We’d heard a lot about it and were excited to finally see what it was all about. But first, we needed to take care of our girl. We hopped onto a mooring ball and got to work. Ray changed the oil in both our Yanmar engines, then we ran the Rainman to top off the water tanks before washing the boat. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/IMG_0909.jpg) It was a dirty but satisfying job! We used our Ryobi battery powered pressure washer and buckets of soapy water. The job took us the rest of the evening, we finished just as the sun slipped below the horizon, listening to the live band playing at the nearby resort. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/43/0b/430bbca4-113f-4e23-b72d-96a7c0bcf98d/content/images/2026/09/Still-2026-09-05-170720_2.4.1-1.jpg) All in all, it was a great week for Sabado and crew. We were productive, ate some good food (more recipes coming soon to the blog!), and have finally landed somewhere that looks much more like the tropical paradise we had imagined when we first came to Fiji, but haven’t really had the chance to experience yet. We hope you had a great week, thanks for following along! :)