Waya

15 May Waya

Posted at 23:30h in Fiji by

This morning, at 10:30 AM, we anchored at Waya, located at 17°19’ south and 177°07’ east.

We are told that we are the 3rd boat for this year.

The village of Waya has 54 homes and about 300 people. We were introduced to the village nurse, who cares for 1,300 locals from seven separate villages all dispersed around the island.

We flew the drone for the first time and here’s what it looks like from the air:

 

 

 

  1. The villages are only accessed by small Panga.

We also met the village headman and participated in the traditional Sevusevu ceremony, followed by a tour of the village. During the tour, we asked the headman about how the village got their power. We were told they had a generator but the generator had been broken for three years. Naturally, we offered our help, saying we had a bit of mechanical knowledge. He was happy for us to take a look.

What we found was, well, let’s just say the generator had seen better days. It was a two-cylinder Lister engine—one that could probably tell some stories if it could talk. The alternator was barely hanging on, and we quickly realized the bolts holding it were either stripped or the wrong size. To top it off, it’s a hand-crank start, which really made us feel like we’d stepped back in time. After a bit of elbow grease, we managed to turn the motor and confirmed it wasn’t seized up.

We took a sample of one of the bolts to see if we could find replacements, in addition we noticed the fuel tank was both empty and filthy from years of running dirty fuel.

Still, we’re feeling optimistic and plan to give it a shot. It’s not every day you get to work on a piece of history!

Right now we are going to go to the rugby village championship. There are 4 of the 7 small villages are coming here to compete in a local championship. At 2:00 it starts off with the ladies game playing volleyball and then at 3:00 the big game starts. The beach will probably be jammed with panga’s

Related posts:

Meet the Crew! Rowing Starr (Just Kidding) Starr Underway Watchkeeping Procedures To Fiji! Starr Departs Waikiki
11 Comments
  • Sarah Layman
    Posted at 04:26h, 16 May Reply

    You have such AMAZING adventures!

  • Mickey Smith
    Posted at 07:03h, 16 May Reply

    Don, Not sure, did you get the generator running? Now in the Philippines, living the dream.

  • Yasuko Fegan
    Posted at 08:31h, 16 May Reply

    I am so glad to see your new posting. It has been a while and I was a little worried..
    Did you know that there will be the rugby championship? What an impeccable timing. I cannot wait to see the follow up report on the game. How wonderful that you were able to fix their generator. It is fascinating to see where and how people live in the world.! Thank you, STARR for the report.

  • Andy Howard
    Posted at 14:35h, 16 May Reply

    Don, this sounds so amazing. What an adventure. Makes me envious. However, the adventure couldn’t happen to a better guy and crew. Continued enjoyment my friend.

  • Katy Okuyama
    Posted at 15:43h, 16 May Reply

    Great to hear from the Starr! Impressive.

    Patrick , I loved that flip job. Pretty cool indeed. Makes me want to try it.

    While the Starr circumnavigates the globe I am still learning to sail the Zest in our tiny bay at the WYC!🤣

  • John Ruscetta
    Posted at 20:16h, 16 May Reply

    Don,
    Generator reminds me of some of your dive gear. Thanks for the update. Be safe and enjoy life.
    John and Gidget

  • Chris Clothier
    Posted at 21:37h, 16 May Reply

    Great report! That generator looks like a mighty challenge. Keep us posted on your progress and a report on the rugby games.

  • Denis Umstot
    Posted at 23:54h, 16 May Reply

    I was ssuprised to find you in the Yasawara, not Hawaii. Looks beautiful. I first thought it was in the Marquesas.

  • Kim Blake
    Posted at 00:43h, 17 May Reply

    Love reading your whereabouts. Keep us posted.
    KB

  • Michone Walker
    Posted at 13:40h, 17 May Reply

    Well, is the generator working? And how were the games?
    Are you guys eating local food?

  • Frank and Carlene
    Posted at 02:25h, 19 May Reply

    Don, looks like a great trip and you folks were fortunate to have an easy crossing. It doesn’t surprise me that you got into helping the locals with their generator, that’s just like you. We might have flown over your location getting to the South Pacific a couple of weeks ago where we were cruising the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea/Conflict Islands and Raja Ampat Indonesia on an exploratory ship. It is such a beautiful part of the world, enjoy!!

Post A Comment