I leave Viani at about noon to get slack water around the first point. Here the tide runs at 5 knots, mid stream. No fun when trying to negotiate reefs, rocks and the like. I arrive at the village of Salia on the island of Kioa two and a half hours later in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. It is beauitful even if I do have to anchor in 22 metres of water. Fijian, but a different cultural background so I do not have to do Sevusevu. All of the buildings are of a higher quality and most have glass windows. The place is alive with people, children and music. Fishing canoes and fast launches abound. There is a lot going on.

This is a mid sized village by Fijian standards. Outside of the main population centres there must be at least 1,000 villages like this in Fiji. I count the 40 HP Yamahas and see 14 of them. It is the same all over the Pacific. I wonder how many of these workhorses there are worldwide? As I educated guess I estimate, approximately, 347,456,317.

Next morning I hear the church bells and politely wait until the service is over before going ashore. I am equally politely told, no visitors to the village on a Sunday! Everyone has gone home from church, nobody is outside, there is no music; not even the sounds of children.

It is like a Northern Ireland Sunday in the 1950's...