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The snorkeling in the
Yasawa chain is almost as good as the diving, if you don’t count
the panoramic coral walls, Volkswagen-size coral formations, and schools
of fish that lurk about 70 feet below the surface. Our charter party included
divers and nondivers alike, and everyone was pleased with the watersports
options. Guests who preferred to stay dry watched from beneath the retractable
awnings on Surprise’s top deck, where they were happily catered
to with soothing music and midday cocktails.
Fun-filled days always
seeped into culture-filled nights, even when we stayed aboard. Chef Manasa
Heritage, a local man who has 37 years’ experience in the galley,
introduced us to dishes including kasava (like starchy tapioca bread)
and ika ni miti (fish in coconut milk), all the while offering more recognizable
delights such as rack of lamb and vanilla cheesecake. The favorite meal
during our charter was kokoda, known elsewhere as ceviche. Our party enjoyed
it so much, Heritage cooked it again—in a demonstration for everyone
to watch. “I think the best way for you to learn is for me to show
you,” he explains. “You will not know if I simply tell you.”
The same is true of
charter in Fiji. No one can understand it without experiencing it—something
to keep in mind when booking a charter. Consider using a broker who has
visited, who understands that arranging lovos and village visits can take
weeks, even months of preparation. These are not your everyday tourist
attractions and thus require diplomacy and planning.
More than anything,
trust Dunlop. She has managed to create a multimillion-dollar megayacht
experience in a place where some children still sleep in straw-roofed
huts—all the while nurturing the kind of mutual respect that is so
desperately lacking in other parts of the world today. Fully aware of
what the Caribbean became after vacationing boaters discovered it—and
mindful that tourism’s spread is inevitable, but in some cases controllable—Dunlop
carefully introduces Surprise’s guests to Fiji at a pace the
outer islands can handle, one boatload at a time. She fiercely protects
the would-be cruise-ship mecca she has spent 30 years calling her home.
“The Fijians are
so nice,” she says. “They’re wrapped up in their family
and their homes. It’s just wonderful.”
At presstime, Surprise’s
rates were being set for the upcoming season. She has seven crew and carries
eight guests.
Fraser Yachts Worldwide
Phone: (64) 9 302 0178. allanj@fraseryachts.com.
www.fraseryachts.com.
Special thanks to
Air New Zealand Phone: (800) 369-6867. www.airnewzealand.com/usa.
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