September 14, 2013
After some wavering, we decided to go try a final “anchorage” before leaving Fulaga. I put that in quotes because it’s not really an anchorage. Instead it’s an area amidst a group of motus not far from the pass. We’d seen a boat in there and wondered about it. When we ran into the owner at the beach party and asked him about it, he urged us to go try it; it’s “really nice.” Of course all of Fulaga is pretty spectacular; so when someone says a place here is “really nice,” it must be extra special!
At the time, Rich thought to grab the guy’s waypoint using the AIS in case we ever wanted to go over there. It would come in handy today.
It was a beautiful morning as we motored down to the area, following the track we’d used to get to the Sandspit anchorage. The sky was clear and the water was glowing bright blue. When it came time to leave our track and head into uncharted territory, I headed up to the bow to keep an eye out for bommies. The water was clear, and it was easy to see the numerous coral heads and make our way through them.
We ended up finding a spot with the motus just off our left side, then another group a bit further off on our right. Feeling brave, we actually motored in among the bigger group, but between all the islets and the coral bommies, it was a little too tight for comfort. We went back to the first spot and dropped our anchor in about 15 feet of water over a sand bottom.
Once anchored, we got to take a good look around. This place was gorgeous! The colors of the water were beautiful, and all these little palm-covered rock islands around us were an amazing sight! We both agreed later that this was one of the best three anchorages of our cruise. Below a few photos (click to enlarge/scroll) and a video of the view from our boat. –Cyndi
Here’s where we anchored: 19 deg 08.177 S, 178 deg 32.207 W (Don’t trust us completely. Use your own judgement.)
