Ya...

...I’m doing the most predictable thing for Y – yes, I am. Sticking photos of yachts and boats here. For a Bengali and, for one who’s lived on islands and seaports in the Middle East for 18+ years, my ignorance about yachts is infinite. It's inexcusable really. Because Bengal, my birthplace, is a land of waters – sea, delta, rivers, streams, lakes on the plains and waterfalls in the mountains. our entire culture is shaped around navigating waters, our metaphors drawn from the rivers, tides and crafts. No yachts there, of course.

 

I always thought a yacht was one of those sleek little things with graceful sails billowing out from a ridiculously tall mast, that posh people go on and sometimes race in something called a regatta, always held in the playgrounds of the rich and famous, like Saint Tropez.

 

This is probably due to my alphabet book having a stylised illustration of such a vessel w-a-a-a-y back – Y is for Yacht, a simple curved shape with pointy ends and a straight line rising bang from the middle, two triangles attached to either side of the line, blue squiggly lines underneath the whole thing to represent waves. It's scarred me for life obviously. Be careful which illustrations you pair with the alphabet you teach your children...first impressions are indelible and sadly, often wrong...sigh.

Bahrain and Dubai both have yacht clubs and regattas, incidentally. I’ve been to the Bahrain Yacht Club and Marina Club too, but it’s only after coming to Fiji that the penny has dropped. Talk about a tube light! Anyway, here are some photos, I hope you’ll enjoy them. 

Denarau. Before it became home.

Coming back from the Mamanucas.

Port Denarau. Ordinary day in April. Not this April.

Taken from the Sunset Cruise. 

Lautoka. That's probably a cruiser from overseas. 

Denarau. Most overseas cruise ships would call at the Suva harbour, Lautoka and here.
Some might not go to Lautoka. Some might go to other islands. Denarau is the main
sea entry/exit for tourists.

Wailoaloa. Spot the yachts! Denarau is visible from points along the Nadi Bay.

Suva. That's probably an ocean cruiser, not just any old yacht.

Private yachts at Denarau Marina - I was probably trespassing, yikes! -
sorry, yacht owners.

From Vunivadra. Cruiser come to pick tourists up at the end of the day trip. 

From Stinson Parade, Suva. The Luminosa of Carnival Cruises was leaving the
harbour on the day I was there. Luminosa has a passenger capacity of 2200+
and she dwarfed every other vessel in the harbour. Definitely NOT a yacht!

If you want to know about taking an overseas cruise to Fiji, these links here and here give a great overview. Within Fiji, Captain Cook Cruises, South Sea Cruises and Blue Lagoon Cruises offer cruises, day trips, and resort connections to many of the other Fijian islands. You can charter a vessel for private trips too, for parties and weddings. 

All this month I'm writing about Aspects of Fiji, which is where I'm at the mo, just completed a year this April. And where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole!

Did you know that Fiji has positioned itself to young couples as a great honeymoon destination?

~ Thank you for reading ~

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2023