Back to Vava'u

After very nice couple of weeks in the Ha'apai group, it was tie to move back north. We checked out with all the officials in Pangai on Monday and sailed to Ha'ano Island to get ready for an early morning departure on Tuesday. The anchorage was not the greatest this time. The SE winds was blowing right through the anchorage and the swell was coming over the reef making it a bit rough. We decided not to launch the dinghy and go snorkelling and instead got the boat ready for Tuesday's sail. We were underway by 04:00 in 15-20 knots of SE winds with SE swell. Genoa and mizzen and off we went. We had a great sail with speeds touching 7.5 knots at times. We decided to hed all the way back to Neiafu as we had lots of time and the picked up mooring by 15:30. All in all we averaged 6.6 knots on the way up and sailed on starboard tack from Ha'ano Island to the entrance buoys to get into Neiafu. Yesterday was check in and re-stock day so busy, busy, busy. I don't know what it is about this place but it always drives us both a bit nuts. We walked out to the big hardware store in the afternoon more for the exercise than for any other particular reason. On the way back we stopped at a few more of the small stores that you see everywhere and found a few little things. The big score was the case of diet coke we found at the Coca-Cola distributor. We have been looking for sugar-free stuff in preparation for out friends Jan and Tony and we finally found some. We got the last case in Vava'u, and at wholesale price. Today we will likely get out of here and go around to Tapana Island and hook up with Cats'Paw 4 and Toketie.

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