Clear Skies at Last

Latitude : 24:27 South
Longitude: 177:34 West
After 100% overcast for the past 2 days, the day dawned with only 50% clod cover, yeah. We are still charging SSW and making good time with an average speed of 5.6 knots which is putting us ahead of the voyage forecast from McDavit so I sent him an email requesting an update. We have been doing a lot of sail changes as the winds have been up and down, backing to the NE then veering back south again. We motored for about an hour last night to get through a calm patch and will see what the day brings. Everyone is well on board which his great but we all seem a bit tired. We have sailing on a tight reach since we left Tonga and hope to crack off to a deep reach later.

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Underway at Last

Well, 17 months after giving up our marina berth in Van Isle marina in Sidney, we are on the last leg of the trip to New Zealand. W3 dropped Tony off at the resort this morning so he could catch his ride to the airport and then back to the boat to get ready for an 8-10 day passage to Opua. The weather routing we got from Bob McDavitt has us heading south for a few days before heading off west to almost the longitude of Cape Reinga at the tip of the North Island. Winds are predicted to be between 15-25 for most of the trip. We spent 40 minutes under power when we left the anchorage then all sails up and with a few gybes, out of the western reef. We are deep reaching at between 6 and 7 knots. We'll see how long we can keep this up. With 3 of us on board, it is a different sort of passage. I am more aware of the responsibilities I have towards everyone on the boat as well as what the boat is doing and how she's performing. The more speed we can wring out of Tarun on this passage, the better. We have a voyage plan made for 5 knots so if we do significantly better we will need to get an update mid passage. The sun is out, we saw a big sea turtle on the way out of the final reef and everyone seems happy on board. We're off to NZ!!

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The Final Preparations

Our time in Tonga is drawing to a close. We arrived here August 13 and it's time to head out on our last leg of the journey. We have been going through the systems on Tarun with a bit more rigor for this crossing to New Zealand. The South Pacific can have more surprises in this stretch than the others we have done. So the rigging has been checked and adjusted, motor serviced, inside stowed securely and generally everything has been looked at. If all goes according to plan we will leave tomorrow morning after we drop Tony off so he can catch his flight back to NZ. WE completed the clearance paperwork yesterday, immigration, Port Authority and Customs. The port fees are more than 4 times the fees in Vava'u which surprised me but that's the price you pay. We will go back over to town today for some fresh provisions and then that's it. Hopefully we will have a good clean passage in about 7-9 days depending on wind and seas. At this point we think will be able to sail a direct course for NZ for the first 4-5 days then head west for a day a or two as systems change. I am waiting for McDavitts voyage forecast which we will see today, should be interesting.

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The Birthday Blog

It's Cathys' birthday today so it no work today. A lazy day planned with French toast on the menu or brunch and steaks for dinner. Tony and I took the dinghy across the bay yesterday morning to get the meat. We though we would be leaving on Tuesday but we just received an email from Bob McDavitt saying we should wait until Thursday now unless we had a deadline to get to NZ. We don't have a deadline!! Works out better for everyone involved. Tony leaves Thursday and was looking to stay in a Fale (small beach hut) on Pangiamoto (where we are anchored off) for a couple of nights. It saves some money and gives him a better place to sleep. I guess we will fill in our time touring around Nuku'alofa for the next few days and getting the rest of the boat ready to go.

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A Great Sail

We had a wonderful sail yesterday with consistent winds and gentle swell all the way to Nuku Alofa. There were 3 boats behind us when we left, all bigger than us and we left them behind us. We sailed a close reach all the way with full rig for a change. We averaged 5.9 knots which wasn't too bad as we had only 10-11 knots of wind. We made it to within 2 miles of the anchorage before we had to turn the motor on. As we approached the outer reef, I saw a whale blow and we sailed past a mother and her calf as they stayed on the surface. We were maybe 100 meters away. It's the longest time we've been able to watch them. Last night we celebrated at Big Mama's Yacht Club. It was a great evening hampered only by the fact that screwed up our food order and prepared 3 meals instead of 4 so I didn't get any dinner. They kept apologizing but no food appeared so we left. Today is officialdom day and scoping out the town.

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Off to Nuku Alofa

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Reefs, Rocks, and Reefs

Well checked in and out of Ha'apai on Monday in Pangai and instead of staying for the night we decided to jump ahead of the pack of boats that was there and go to Uoleva Island. The pack is getting on my nerves lately, In particular the attitudes of some of them (not all of them to be sure). There is constant reference on the VHF to the US election (we really DON'T care) and there seems to be a lack of respect for local customs on the part of some of the cruisers. Case in point, Sunday night, a few of the boats in the pack went into Pangai to Mariners Café with their instruments and played at the café. No big deal, except, in Tonga, Sunday is day when it is illegal (yes, against the law) for locals to work, swim, etc. It is a day for church and sleep. You may not agree with it but it is the way it is in Tonga. One of the cruisers boasted that they were here to raise a ruckus. Another instance of our might makes your right, and yes, they were American. I sincerely wish that they would just try and experience the local culture for what it is. In the USA, if a foreigner acts out of the norm, it is generally derided. What makes them think that they can do the same thing in another country and not been seen as arrogant and uncaring. Enough of this.
We anchored about 14:00 in the south anchorage of Uoleva and had a short snorkel in murky waters. The wind was from the north and the anchorage is pretty exposed to that sector so the decision was made to get underway the next morning to head south to the island of O'ua in the Kotu group. The 4 of us poured over the charts and thanks to Janet and Colins' waypoints that were carefully annotated on the side of the chart, came up with a safe route through the reefs and to the anchorage. We motor sailed in light winds after getting underway around 08:00. It was a beautiful day, sunshine, flat sea, enough wind to keep the revs low on the motor, almost ideal. Of course when we got to the tricky bits, getting around reefs and through the reef entrance that had been blasted out some years before, the clouds came in and it started to bucket down rain. We worked our way inside the reef, no problem, the waypoints from Kens' cruising guide were very accurate, and made our way towards the anchorage. We stopped short. Visibility got too bad so we dropped the hook and after chunking a banging over the coral, stopped. May 45 minutes later, the sun came back out and the skies cleared, go figure. By 17:30, I was getting nervous about the anchor so I dove in to check it out. Underwater, visibility was not more than 3 meters, very cloudy water. I followed the anchor chain as it went along the bottom, over one coral outcrop, across to another coral outcrop where I found the anchor hanging over the far side. I could have swum under the chain where it passed over the last two coral heads. Well, we weren't moving so we decided to leave it. By the time I got back to the boat, a couple of local lads had made it out to Tarun in a dugout canoe with outrigger. They were the most opportunistic we had met so far. They asked to come aboard to see the boat so we said yes. Tony gave them some candy and coke and they asked for anything else they could; shirts, shoes, snorkel gear, hats, playing cards, whatever they could think of. We had a few giveaways on board and after trying to explain, that no, they could not have or shoes or snorkel gear we got them off the boat. The youngest one (8) was the most forward of the two. They gave a bag of mangoes that the pulled out of the bottom of the canoe. The water that they were sitting in was dirty brown and after they poured it out of the bag, we put it on the back deck. Although it was nice of them to give us the fruit, we will toss it over-side today. I'm not taking chances at this stage of the trip with contaminated food! With the anchor alarm set, I did manage to sleep most of the night and today as soon as everyone else gets up, we're off to he Island of Nomuka-Iki, 18 miles further south.

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Ha'apai (Again)

We got up at 03:30 yesterday morning and with the crack efficiency of a well trained and seasoned crew we were underway 20 minutes later. What a team. We had the sails up once we got abeam Ovaka Island and sailed the rest of the way in ESE winds to Ha'apai. A bit more forward of the beam than I would have liked. I think that we will be keeping track of how much to weather work we do in Tarun when the Braddocks are aboard. I seem to recall a lot of on the wind sailing when they came to Canada. We'll log it this time and see how it all works out. The major highlight of the sail was the blue marlin that we hooked with the new improved fishing rig. I was looking aft and the bloody great marlin is jumping and thrashing around just about 25 meters behind the boat, the length of the line. It only lasted maybe 5-10 seconds then that was that, line broke (300 lb test) and the new lure and line has now become a fashion accessory for some fish. It's amazing how quickly you can spend money fishing. We came up with another lure combination but didn't land anything else. When Tony pulled the line in however before we got to the anchorage, one of the treble hooks had been straightened out, so something hit it. I think we have to use smaller lures to attract smaller fish. We will experiment as we sail south through the Ha'apais'. We did have a great sail, averaged 6.6 knots again and were anchor down between the reefs off Nukunamo Island at 14:20. The passage into the anchorage is straight past a lot of coral and around 20 meters from a reef with breaking seas. Jan couldn't quite believe that we were coming in but once hooked we were well clear of all dangers (the reef is now al least 25 meters away). We will spend today cleaning the boat this morning and then wandering around shore this afternoon. Nukunamo is a deserted island and looks pretty interesting.

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Moving On South

We managed one night in Neiafu and with a bit of division of labour got everything sorted out without running around like mad. It's amazing the difference is makes having a couple of extra, experienced sailors on board. Its east having Jan and Tony, they know what their doing, understand the logic of a boat (if there is such a thing) and are relaxed about pretty much everything. Checkout with immigration etc was pretty straightforward except the Port Authority did not have a record of us arriving from Ha'api in September. We did inform them when we got back but somehow we slipped between the cracks or fell between the chairs if you're Swedish (odd how some expressions stick with you). Customs was a bit different as well. The customs agent, when filling out the clearance form, asked what type of boat we had, I said ketch. He didn't understand, asked if it was the same as a cutter and of course, I said no. Tony spelled it for him and then while he was completing the form, Tony drew out pictures of a sloop, ketch, cutter and schooner, labelled them and when we were done gave them to the customs agent. This distracted him enough that he did not inquire too closely when we were leaving. He did ask what time we were leaving Neiafu but not when we were actually leaving Vava'u. Immigration did the same thing and when they asked how long it would take us to sail to Ha'apai, he didn't think it strange at all that I said it would take us at least two days (it's only 65 miles!).
We also went once again to the fishing supply store and bought some 300 lb test line and new lure. Tony put together a shock line last night and tomorrow when we actually do sail to Ha'apai we are guaranteed to catch a nice Mahai-Mahi (if you believe, it will happen). For what I've spent so far on fishing gear, we could fill the bloody boat with fish. Never mind, it's the sport that's fun.
We sailed finally yesterday by 14:30 and headed first to Mala Island, too windy, then to Lapai Island, too windy, then on to Vaka'eitu where after a couple of attempts, got securely hooked by 17:30. We have a long sail today to Ovalau (4 miles maybe) but then it's an early morning departure (04:00) Saturday for Ha'apai.

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Tongan Cruising

Hi Guys,
Hope you survived the season and are winding down. We are getting ready for our last push to get to NZ in a few weeks. Be well and enjoy the winter and please pass our hello's, best wishes etc to everyone on the GNBN.

/Brian

We had a very pleasant sail from Tapana around the corner to Port Maurelle on Monday. We managed to pick up one of the two moorings here. Cathy and I have been in here a few times and there have usually been 10+ boats. This time, there were three, very pleasant. We all piled into the dinghy just after 14:00 for a ride out to Swallows' Cave, a MUST SEE for all Tongan cruising sailors. Not a hugely sunny day but still pretty nice. The cave is actually full of starlings, not swallows'. Oh well, whoever named it was about as good with birds as I am. The only reason I know they aren't swallows' is because I read it in one of the cruising guides. With four of us in the dinghy the trip was not the fastest on record but not too bad. When we got back, Tony and I reset the motor to try and get a bit more out of it. Definitely faster with one or two people it but not a lot different with 4. What can you expect out of 8hp. We took a ride down to Nuku Island yesterday and walked around the beach. Nuku is the favourite place for the locals to come and picnic and swim on the weekends. The king had his picnic there in August after the celebration(?) in Neiafu. Reportedly he over indulged and fell off his chair, kings will be kings. The island is actually a bit f a rubbish dump. One corner of the beach is piled with cans, bottles and trash and inland, the garbage is piled everywhere. It seems at odds with the people who are always neat and tidy.
Last night was the socializing evening. A Canadian couple I met last week on a catamaran named "Cop Out" invited us a and few others over for appies and drinks. Interesting evening. He's a retired policeman from Calgary (hence the boat name) and she was originally from NZ.
The idea is to head back into Neiafu today and re-provision, get fuel for the dinghy, check out of Vava'u and start heading south to Ha'apai. Needless to say, that won't all happen today.

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The Feast, The Fire, The Forgiveness

We decided to go to the feast once again at Ano Beach with Jan and Tony. When Tony and I booked it through Aquarium Café, Jason told us there would be fire dancing which proved to be different. We started getting ready to go but were a bit delayed as I ended up relaying a distress call from a catamaran called Top Cat that had hit a reef in on the eastern side of the Vava'u group and damaged a rudder. The rudder was jammed so they had a problem steering with engines. Another boat, "Linda" was able to help but for whatever reason, VHF had to be relayed through us until they were within hailing range. At the end of the day, Top Cat managed to get their damaged rudder freed up and with one good rudder and two engines they managed to get to the Tapana anchorage. We got to shore and browsed the local crafts, of course, Jan and Tony got talked into buying a few things from the locals. Tony was a mad photographer and took at least 150 photos during the time we were on shore. They evening started with the dancing which was pretty much the same as we had seen before but the Quina, the local fire dancer and his son performed the fire dance which was pretty spectacular. The feast was as good as before with tons of food and after eating we settled into the Kava circle while the locals jammed with guitar, banjo and ukulele. The kava is pretty weak. We shared around a bit of rum we had brought, much appreciated by the players!! Quina had asked Tony if he could burn the photos to CD and bring them into the village the next day so before we left, we asked him what a good time would be, and he said come before church at 10:00 and we could then go to church. We decided to go and hear the singing. Cathy and I had talked about it for awhile anyways. We were on our way by 09:00 this morning and after a good hot, sticky walk into town, tracked down where Quina lived, delivered the CD and he took us over to the local Tongan church. He was feeling pretty rough and didn't join us. You start by joining the men in a kava circle before the service. It was odd, they were all sitting around in the circle in the shirt, ties, jackets, and either dress wraps or pants. Cathy and Jan were the only two women there. The older minister was not too enthused about it but nothing was said. Allowances were made for the Palangi's. The service lasted an hour, the singing was terrific, the service was incomprehensible but we were thanked for being there at the end. Not really sure of the denomination but it really doesn't make much difference as it was all in Tongan. We had plans to move today but by the time we got back, everyone was pretty much beat from running around like mad since Wednesday. Maybe tomorrow, we will explore some more!!

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A Little Rain

After a bit more running around in Neiafu yesterday we left the mooring around 11:00 and headed out to sail down to Tapana Island. For the fist time we had to motor out of the harbour, no wind! Once we cleared the harbour the sails went up and we rifted slowly south. As always, the winds shifted around but with Jan on the helm and Tony tweaking we managed to keep steady. The weather was gorgeous so we stopped at Eukafa Island for lunch and a snorkel. Jan went, Tony decided not to. It was her first time snorkelling since they went to Fiji a few years ago. The visibility wasn't too bad and lots of fish and coral but not as good as the last time we went. Still, it was refreshing. When we were heading back to the dinghy we saw a couple of other people swimming against the current in the pass so we offered them a tow which they seemed to be pretty happy about. Mother and son off a Moorings charter. We managed a nice gentle sail the rest of the way to Tapana and picked up a mooring by around 16:00. Jan and Tony borrowed a cruising guide and charts from Janet and Colin and before they arrived and they had marked a few places to go. We managed two of them. Despite predictions, it rained in the night so once again, 02:00 I'm up, putting the enclosure on, pulling the bung out of the dinghy and generally getting really, really wet. As the saying goes; Into every life a little rain must fall, but why oh why at 02:00??

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4 Years and 10000 Miles Later

Despite a few hiccups, Jan and Tony got to Neiafu. Cathy and I had gone into town in the morning to get a few things and we checked with Chatham Airlines and they assured me that the flight was on time. Unusual but great. We took a taxi out to the airport just after 14:00 and got there about 15 minutes before the plane was supposed to land. I asked a couple lf people if it was on time, yes, no problem. Well arrival time came and went and no plane. Our taxi driver, Alemba, called the tower and they waid yes, the plane should leasve Tonga Tapu soon. OK, so another hour waiting. After 4 years nearly 10,000 sea miles, another hour was fine. They got in, we got in the taxi and headed back to Neiafu. The taxi got a flat tire. No apare! He called his son who also drives a taxi and he came out with a spare and changed it for his dad who actually has a problem walking so never leaves the drivers seat. We got to the boat around 17:00 or so. Lynn and Larry Pardee came over for a while for a chat which hwas a bit different. They are very traditional sailors with no electronics on board and no engine. They described using a GPS for the first time and checking it constantly with their sextant. Oh well, to each their own. The adventure continues as we try and figure out where we will go together and what new things we will see.

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Neiafu (again!!)

We finally left the mooring at the Ark Gallery at Tapana Island and headed back up to Neiafu. We had a great sail back, winds 15-20. We managed the whole sail with only one gybe and sailed basically to the harbour entrance. It took us a bit of time to find a mooring (anchoring REALLY SUCKS HERE) but we managed to get one on the west side (the quiet side). We decided to get fuel and water sorted today and got it all done. Fuel is not cheap but you have to have it, even on a sail boat. We've had to run the engine for power a lot as we have been on a sheltered mooring with not really much sun. Not much else happening in our life just now other than many get togethers on various boats for dinners and games to pass the time. Mike (Kokoamo) and Ernst (Accord), who are both single hander's have been a riot to get together with. Single handed sailors are definitely a breed apart. Ernst makes a mean lentil curry by the way. We will get a few more chores done tomorrow in preparation for Jan and Tony's arrival on Wednesday.

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The Cruising Life

After our obligatory couple of hectic days in Neiafu we did get out and sailed down to Tapana Island. We sailed off the mooring in Neiafu with spectators so that was fun and then managed to sail the whole way with about 30 minutes of power tacking to clear between a couple of small islands as we pounded head to wind. Our friends Barry and Ann were here off Cats paw IV who we hadn't seen since Bora-Bora so it was great to catch up with them again. We got together with a few boats that night onboard "Linda" and 1957 Rhodes cutter, beautiful boat! Friday was a slow day with a lazy morning and a bit of snorkelling. The weather was not too bad but there has been a distinct lack of sunny days. We were told that the locals were hosting a feast on shore on Saturday and we decided to go. Well there were over 60 of us all in all and it was great. The whole village gets into the act with local artisans selling their wares before the dinner. They started the night with a display of Tongan dancing. They were great and of course at the end of the dance they came and grabbed people to go up and dance with them. Once again, I got grabbed and Cathy did as well. We had a riot. The dancers ranged from early to late teens and all of us had a lot of fun. Dinner was laid out on long tables covered in leaves with the food presented either wrapped in tarrow leaves, laid out in large local celery, in half green mango's, or in half coconut shells. The cooked food was all prepared in a big umu (earth oven) and they spent most of the day preparing for the feast. The charge TOG 40.00 per person and it was well worth it. No plates, no utensils, you eat with your fingers. The food was prepared and portioned per person. There was LOTS of food. After dinner, there was a mad exodus but a few of us stayed and sat around with the family and the musicians. There was a banjo player and 2-3 guitar players as well a couple of wooden drums. The drums got passed around to a few of us and we banged away quite happily. They sang traditional songs, drank kava, and talked. The kava was very weak but it was shared around. Sunday was clean up day and Cats Paw IV hosted a pot-luck on Sunday night. By the time Sunday night came around the weather had turned for the worse. By late afternoon it had started to rain steadily. While we sat below on Cats Paw IV, the rain lashed down, the lightning flashed, the wind howled. We played dice. Monday was the sunny day we were hoping for and it was calm so Cathy and I walked into the village in the morning. Later in the afternoon Cathy and I along with Ann from Cats Paw took the dinghy and went over to Fafini Island and snorkelled the reef; lots of fish and coral. I saw one lobster hiding in the reef and Ann found an octopus. I towed the dinghy along with us so when we got tired we stopped, hopped in and went over to explore another reef. No matter where we go, we always see something interesting. We had quiet night on Monday and Tuesday, after I got a haircut courtesy of Sheri in the Ark Gallery, we took the dinghy and went out exploring. Sheri and Larry are great. They first came here in the mid 80's and have been more of less here since then. About 8 years ago they built a small floating home/gallery in the bay by Tapana Island and out in 10 moorings. Everything is well maintained and the mooring charge is reasonable. As I was getting my hair cut, Sheri chattered on about this and that and mentioned that Larry had been out Sunday night during the wind, rain and lightning checking the moorings and making sure all the boats were all right. He couldn't understand why no one on their boats. I told her we were all on Cats Paw IV and had no worries about the state of the moorings so, no problem. Wednesday we decided to take off for the day and then come back to the mooring. The weather is forecast to turn ugly again and this is a nice protected place with good moorings. We let go the mooring and sailed slowly out to Euakafa Island. The cruising guide said that the snorkelling was very good as there was good water flow through a break in the reef. We anchored just at lunch and went for a walk on shore before swimming. The beach was hard packed and sand was very fine, almost powder like in places. We met another couple from NZ on shore, Bruce and Ricky off Seagoing, a steel cutter from Tutukaka. They mentioned that they are looking for someone to housesit next year and who knows it might work out. The snorkelling was the probably the best we have seen so far on the trip. As soon as we got in the water, we saw a large stingray slowly swimming along the reef below us. It got better! The coral was large, colourful and healthy. By the time we got into the pass to swim to the other side of the reef we started to see fish by the thousands. I remember clearly, watching National Geographic specials with Jacques Cousteau and seeing massive schools of fish where they were diving. This was pretty close. As we swam along the other side I decided to dive down and take a closer look. Once underwater, I started to hear whales. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. We both listened but never saw the whales. Hearing them was, in its own way, just as special. We got back to the mooring at the Ark Gallery late afternoon after another very pleasant day of the Cruising Life.

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