Ka Pai - "Sweet As"

Water patrol out at Cloudy ready to rescue surfers caught on the inside.

I believe we left off last time with a teary departure from Mom and Dad as they headed off to California.  I was truly inconsolable there for a few minutes and had to drown my sorrows with a cocktail at Cardos.  Fortunately, my friend Laurie – a cool French Canadian surfer chick who I met in New Zealand – showed up the next day and we have been having a rocking good time ever since.  Well – almost – there have been a few low points, I will admit.

Laurie and I were both keen to get out Tavarua to check out the Volcom Fiji Pro (the contest that I told you about) and to get in the water.  I had been putting my feelers out for people who were going to be out and around Tavarua surfing and watching the contest, and had a few leads.  I called my mate Ritchie - an Aussie guy who single hands his 47 foot catamaran “Ka Pai” (which means “sweet as” in Maori), loves to surf, and cruises around looking for waves.  He was up for having two girls on board for a few nights as paying crew.

Thursday morning Ritchie came by and picked us up with all our gear – guitar, ukulele, surfboard, snorkel gear… I never said I pack light.  After off-loading we headed to the market where we bought heaps of papayas, pineapple, mint, limes and other delicious fruit.  No joke, Ritchie bought more than 30 papayas.  We made it back to Ka Pai just in time to avoid a huge rain shower, stowed the provisions, and headed off to Tavarua where we would anchor for the next three nights. 

It is a pretty incredible thing to wake up, look out the port hole and see Restaurants (the wave) firing.  Unfortunately, Friday morning Restaurants was not firing so we had a mellow morning with live music, fruit smoothies and a swim.  In the afternoon we hopped in the dinghy to check out Cloudbreak.  It was pretty windy so we did not know how the surf would be, but as we rounded Tavarua I could see huge waves feathering across the reef. 

Cloudbreak was a scene.  There were people out in small dinghies, big tenders, on surfboards, in air-conditioned mega yachts and everything in between.  We watched the best surfers in the world pull into mean, huge barrels and get rescued by the water patrol on jet-skis when they didn’t make it out.  The waves were massive and every set seemed to grow in size.  Just when John John Florence was about to surf his heat, the judges called off the contest, saying that the waves were too big.  John John then proceeded to paddle out and catch one of the most ridiculous barrels I have ever seen.  As the contest was called for the afternoon all the pros paddled out and free surfed the huge waves for the rest of the day.  They were calling it “the best paddle session ever surfed” and things like that. 

After bouncing around in the dinghy and the sun and the wind for a few hours, Ritchie, Laurie and I were pretty beat so we headed back to Ka Pai and back to Restaurants, which was now firing.  The wave was solid overhead, low tide shallow and fast.  I opted not to surf but dropped Ritchie off at the peak and then proceeded to drink a few mojitos with Laurie as we watched people get nutty barrels from the comfort of the catamaran. 

We were all burned out after a long day in the sun, a few drinks and nice meal, so the evening was mellow.  However, as I lay in the cockpit watching the stars my stomach started to churn and - sparing you the intimate details - I will say that I was violently ill for the next eight hours.  Apparently there was a stomach bug going around Tavarua which Kelly Slater had contracted, therefore I am sure he gave to me when I shook his hand last week (WORTH IT).

Needless to say, I had a rather unpleasant night and did not feel like sitting in the dinghy the next day to watch the contest at Cloudbreak.  Fortunately the contest directors – the considerate guys they are – decided to move the contest to Restaurants so that I could watch them surf comfortably from Ka Pai.  Either that or because Cloudbreak was insane and Restaurants had 6-8 foot perfect barrels (also insane) and was much more manageable.  Regardless, we watched awesome surfing all day and in spite of my weak condition I still managed to hoot and holler for a good barrel.

On Sunday we headed into Musket Cove for a BBQ at the Bula Bar marking the “opening” of yachting season.  It was quite a party but in spite of the free rum punch and a live band, I kept a pretty mellow night.  Plus, Ritchie told everybody coming out to watch the final of the contest with us to be at Ka Pai by 5:30 AM to catch the morning session at Resties.  Of course everybody else partied hard all night, and I felt rather smug when I woke up as we cruised out to Tavarua feeling great, while everybody else was very hung over.  However my smugness turned to guilt when Laurie started to get sick with the very same flu I just finished with.

She was a trooper though, and managed to get up to see Kelly smoke the 19 year old Brazilian Gabriel Medina in the final and win the Fiji Pro.  After watching Kelly surf for over a week there is no denying it – he is the best surfer in the world.  At least the best surfer of our time.  And one hell of a competitor.  After the contest was over we headed over and dropped anchor at Namotu island and spent the afternoon snorkeling, drinking beer, playing music and watching massive waves roll through Namotu Lefts and Wilkes Right. 

A sweet as afternoon hanging out at Namotu on Ka Pai.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and Laurie and I had to catch the ferry from Musket Cove back home to Denarau.  Ritchie pointed Ka Pai towards Musket and we had a nice sail back.  Unfortunately, as we were going in to the cove the water was so glassy we couldn’t see where the reefs were and ended driving right up on one cruising at about 5 knots.  Oops.  The tide was going low, the boat was stuck good and our ferry was leaving in 20 minutes.  “Well Ritchie, sorry to leave you high and dry but… we gotta go!”  Haha, very funny. 

Ritchie is a kind and generous host and took us into the ferry where Laurie (poor girl felt terrible) and I plopped down on the boat, ready to be taken home… But not before we picked up the entire Scotland rugby team who just so happened to be hanging out at Musket Cove for the day.  We spent the whole ride home chatting with ridiculously good looking, fit as Scottish rugby players.  Of course I couldn’t understand a thing they said, but it didn’t matter.  I considered inviting them all over for a boat party, but I am pretty sure if we had the whole team on Rutea she would sink.  And if you invite one you have to invite them all, and beautiful and friendly as they were, I took the responsible route and told them I would cheer for them when they played Fiji on Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday, I fly back to California on Saturday!  Holy sheeeit!!  See you there, no?!