From Niue to Tonga
On August 29, 2002 we left Alofi, Niue for Neiafu,
Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga. The Vava’u group of islands in Tonga is a popular
cruising ground with several islands all within a day sail. It is similar to Desolation
Sound, with palm trees.
8/29, Leaving Niue, Day 1
18 56.360 S, 170 39.110 W, 4:40 utc, 8/29/02, passage from
Niue to Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
At 11:11 am we let loose from our mooring in Alofi Bay,
Niue. Our dingy was secured to the foredeck; safe after it's little
adventure.
The winds are light from the S, SSE at 4-8 knots. The swell
is a gentle rolling 2-4 feet, spread far apart. The sun was shining today
with 60% cloud cover. The staysail is out and we are motor sailing. We are
all stretched out in the cockpit.
"The Kingdom of Tonga is the oldest and last remaining
Polynesian monarchy, never brought under foreign rule." -- South Pacific
Handbook. There are 170 islands, 36 of them inhabited, over 700,000 square
kilometers of ocean. The population was just under 100,000 in 1986. We are
headed for the Vava'u group of 34 islands, 21 of which are inhabited. It is
the cruising center of Tonga with Moorings having a large facility here.
Traveling to Tonga,
Rich, Elaine, Jesse, Sarah and Katmandu
239 miles to Neiafa, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
8/30, Day 2, approaching Vava’u
18 39.950 S 173 03.730 W, 5:03 utc, 8/30/02, passage from
Niue to Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
Today has been a long day. It has been overcast all day
with occasional rain showers. Now the winds are 16-20 knots out of the ENE.
Right on our tail. The seas are lumpy so we get tossed around a bit.
Weary from passaging
Ready to be at one
place for a while
The one bit of excitement was passing a long liner fishing boat
heading west. It is a fellow from San Diego who moved to Tonga in 1984. I am
not sure which island he is out of but he has an office in Neiafu. He warned
us about the customs folks, they could be a bit cheeky, he said in an
acquired New Zealand accent.
Anxious to be in
We are very anxious to be in and at anchor. We are weary
from passage making for the last few weeks. Looking forward to being in one
place for a while. The distances between anchorages in Vava'u are just day
sails or motors. Kewl.
And at anchor
We cross the international dateline before we enter Tonga.
They are one of the first countries for the new day. I will probably switch
the date over in the morning. If it looks like we have skipped a day in the
position update it is that we jump ahead to tomorrow. So instead of arriving
in Tonga on Saturday morning, it will be Sunday morning there.
Traveling to Tonga,
Rich, Elaine, Jesse, Sarah and Katmandu
101 miles to Neiafa, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Vava’u
9/1, Neiafu, Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga
18 39.788 S, 173 58.983 W, 3:25 UTC, 9/1/02, Neiafu,
Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
Malo e lelei (hello in Tongan)
Around 3am we saw a light of a vessel approximately 10
miles abreast of us. We monitored their position for the rest of the morning,
as we got closer. Later we saw that they were a sailboat and followed them
into Neiafu harbor. Unfortunately we didn't get their name. We waited for
daylight before coming in the harbor since there was some landmarks we need
to see and it is always prudent to enter in daylight. It was a good thing
since our chart and our GPS position did not line up. In fact, according to
the chart, Rich was driving the boat overland to enter the harbor.
Like Desolation
Sound with palm trees
By 8am we were tied to a mooring buoy near the Paradise
International Hotel. We recognize several of the boats here like Sojourner,
Mira, Elisabeth II, El Granchio, Bucephalus and Athanor to name a few. Since
everything is closed today, being Sunday, we got the boat straightened up and
took some much-needed showers and relaxed. It is soooo nice to be in a
harbor. The water is as calm as a lake. We can hardly wait for a good night's
sleep. It is especially nice since it has been raining most of the day and
the winds have been gusting to 25 knots, here in the harbor.
Paradise International Hotel
Tomorrow we will do the check-in thing and find out where
the important things are, such as grocery stores, laundry service, good
restaurants, DHL, fax machines and internet access. We will let you know how
it goes.
A passage is so much better when it is done!
Mou o a e (goodbye to several others going)
9/3, Neiafu
18 39.788 S, 173 58.983 W, 3:25 UTC, 9/1/02, Neiafu, Vava'u,
Kingdom of Tonga.
Malo e lelei
On Monday, Rich, Sarah and I went to the Mermaid Cafe and
tied to their dingy dock. It is quite the cruisers hangout. It is also known
at the Vava'u Yacht Club. We saw the CYC burgee hanging up on the wall from
Altair of Seattle (2001 and 2002).
Next we did the check in thing. We stopped at the ANZ bank
on the main street and got some pa'anga, local currency. You go to
immigration (next door to the police station) and fill out some paperwork
about the boat and entry cards for each person. The next stop is customs,
inside the warehouse at the wharf. Usually they want you to tie up to the
wharf so they can inspect the boat. They waived this since the wharf was busy
and I don't think they wanted to make a dingy ride out to the boat. In the
same warehouse is Practique or Quarantine. We signed a paper saying we had no
fresh fruits or vegetables and paid $20 pa'anga (about $10 US). At that was
it. We can travel around the Vava'u group with out anything more. When we
leave the group to go south we will have to check out. Our visa is for 30
days we will have to renew it in 2 weeks if we want to stay longer.
The public market is near the wharf so we checked it out as
well as some shops on the main street. We went back to the Mermaid Cafe for
lunch. Sarah and I had pizzas. Neither of us could finish them so Sarah took
the leftovers back to the boat for Jesse. What a nice sister!
After lunch Rich and I found the bakery and bought fresh
bread, right out of the oven. It smelled great.
Later in the afternoon Rich and I went over to Pacific
Bliss to visit with Gunther, Lois and their friend Richard. We chatted until
dark, much longer than we originally planned.
We went back to the boat, grabbed Jesse and Sarah and went
to the Chinese restaurant for dinner. Along the way we met the folks from
Harmony, a ketch from Everett, with Tika, Bob and their 11-year-old son,
Andy. Nice folks that we hope to visit with some more. After the rain abated
we made our way to the restaurant. It was a small place and there was one
other couple, some cruisers there. It was the first Chinese food we have had
since Dim Sum in Seattle when we visited in January. The food was good and we
were hungry. When the rains stopped we hurried back to the boat.
Unfortunately we had left some of the port lights open so some of the
cushions were wet. Ah well.
Today we did some laundry and a few other chores. The
internet service is pretty slow and expensive - $1 US a minute! So if you
need to get in touch, send a short message via sailmail!
Tonight it is dinner and a movie on board.
Mou o a e
9/7, Neiafu
18 39.788
S, 173 58.983 W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
Malo e lelei
I have been trying to fax in Sarah's Spanish Placement
test. First try at Beluga Diving (place with internet), no luck, second try
at Tonga Telecom, no luck, third try at Western Union, fax machine broken,
fourth try at Uta'Atu (Certified Public Accountants), okay but only one page at
a time. Next morning I got up at 5am to call Nebraska to see if they got it
(11am Nebraska time and the previous day), nope. I had them send it again,
one page at a time from Uta'Atu. At Uta'Atu it is $5US/page but I didn't have
to pay for the resend. I called Nebraska but they did not receive it. What
now? I went to Final Straw, borrowed their scanner and scanned each of the
pages, then converted them to .jpeg and emailed them from Beluga Diving. Hope
it gets there. Communication has been a challenge in many places.
On Friday nights, Ana's Cafe and Moorings hosts a fun race
around the bay. Austin and Kathleen of Pegasus decided to do the race and
invited the crew of Windarra and Final Straw to join them. It was a lot of
fun. Pegasus is a Tartan 44 and Austin is a good racer and helmsman, lots of
East Coast US experience. Jesse helped bring the jib around, Sarah was in
charge of the boom vang, cunningham and outhaul, Rich had main sail trim,
Clark would grind and I would trim jib on starboard, Kevin would grind and
Kathleen would trim jib on port. The marks had a pirate flag on them all
except the windward mark, because someone stole the flag. Competition
included 2 Beneteaus, a 50 ft one off and several smaller boats. No PHRF, no
handicapping, line honors only, which was right in front of the cafe on the
water. After the skipper's meeting we went out to do a few tacks before the
start to familiarize ourselves with the boat. We turned around and noticed
that the other boats were all on the same tack heading to the mark. Oops, we
missed the start. A quick about face and we were across the line and heading
for the mark. We passed one boat after another. Soon we were ahead of the
pack and we stayed there. We won, of course, much to the dismay of some of
the locals. For first place, Austin and Kathleen won a night at the Paradise
International hotel with $100 towards dinner and two nights free on a mooring
buoy. Pretty kewl. We all celebrated at Ana's after the race. Might even do
it again next week.
Crew Shot – Sarah,
Rich, Clark, Kathleen, Austin, Kevin, Jesse and Elaine the camera person
Pigs are pretty popular here. There was a sow with 6
piglets routing in the yard across the street from the Austrian cafe and
bakery. A porcine parade of portly piggies passed the portal of the Catholic
Church on the way into town. Hope to attend a pig roast while we are here.
Here piggy, piggy!
We did a bit more provisioning today. Plan to head out to
some of the other anchorages for a few days for a change of scene. Will let
you know what we find.
Mou o a e
9/12, Vaka’eitu
18 43.306 S, 174 06.053W, Vaka'eitu, Vava'u, Kingdom of
Tonga
Malo e lelei
On Sunday afternoon we motored through the islands to
Vaka'eitu. The island is part of a ring of islands that once defined a
volcanic crater. Now there are a few islands with coral reefs in between. It
is also known as anchorage #16 per the Moorings Cruising Guide to Vava'u.
Folks here are so used to the Moorings designation they often use the numbers
instead of the real names. After we set the hook we got our books and chose a
place to relax and went to it.
Monday was like Sunday afternoon but all day. Sarah was
feeling a little under the weather so she slept most of the day. That evening
Rich and I went to visit Ian and Kerrianne on Bucephalus. We have met them a
couple of time, in Rarotonga, Niue and here in Tonga. They are Captain and
stewardess for the owner of Bucephalus. Ian is from Scotland and Kerrianne is
from New Zealand. We had a great time talking to them. Bucephalus is a
Sundeer 62. In case you don't remember, Bucephalus was the name of Alexander
the Great's horse.
Tuesday afternoon the sun was out and all four of us joined
Ian and Kerrianne to go snorkeling at Mariner's Cave and Swallows Cave.
Mariner's Cave is on Nuapapu Island (18 41.456 S, 174 04.499 W). The story
behind the cave is that a young Tonga chief fell in love with a beautiful
maiden whose family was condemned to die so he hid her in this cave until he
could take her with him to Fiji to marry him. You need to dive below the
surface to get through the entrance into the cave. As the waves go in and out
a fog forms in the cave and then disappears. Meanwhile your ears are popping
from the pressure change. The sunny shining through the water at the entrance
lights the cave. It was quite exciting.
The other cave we went to was Swallow's Cave. The entrance
is on Kitu island and is large enough to ride the dingy into. Once inside you
can watch the swiflets (local type of swallow) go in and out and also see the
bats hanging from the ceiling. We tied the dingy up and climbed to the back
chambers of the cave. It is lit by holes in the ceiling, natural skylights.
The Tongan chiefs would hold feasts in the cave and lower the food in through
the skylights like a dumbwaiter. You can see the stalactites and stalagmites.
There is some bat guano thrown in for good measure. We snorkeled out the
entrance and along the coral wall of the island. There was a large school of
fish that watched us. You can see where the coral was damaged by the cyclone
that came through Vava'u on New Year's day.
Entrance to
Swallow’s Cave
After our trip snorkeling, we came back to the boat to
clean up. Jesse made a custard pie and we took it over to Bucephalus for our
contribution for dinner. We had a fun evening with them. It was a full day.
Wednesday morning we had Tika, Bob and Andy from Harmony
over for brunch. Unfortunately it started to rain and rain and rain (10
inches in one hour). We talked and commiserated, as yachties are prone to do.
By the time they left it was 2:45 pm in the afternoon. Since it was still
raining we watched movies for the rest of the afternoon.
This afternoon we went for a snorkel with the Tika and Bob.
Most of the coral is dead and broken on the bottom from the cyclone. We could
see where it is starting to grow back the new tips are bright blue. Small
fish dart in and out of the coral. Sarah dives for sea urchin shells.
Tomorrow we will head back to Neiafu. Plan to race again
with Pegasus. Need to drop off garbage and pick up some more flour for baker
boy.
Mou o a e
9/15, Neiafu
18
39.282S, 173 59.046W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Malo e lelei
Friday we headed back to Neiafu. We needed to get back so
that we could race again with Pegasus in the Friday night fun race. Besides
we also had garbage to get rid of and we were out of cookies (desperate times
when you can't buy chocolate).
We grabbed a mooring buoy near Mermaid's Cafe and went in
for lunch. It was 1pm and we should have plenty of time before the race.
Austin wanted to do a few practice tacks so we needed to be on board Pegasus
at 4:10pm. Well things move slowly in Tonga in the restaurants. Our meals
arrived just after 3:15! So much for a leisurely meal. Jesse decided to relax
on Windarra so Rich, Sarah and I went over to Pegasus. Austin and Kathleen
decided it was fan appreciation night so we all got Pegasus t-shirts. How
cool!
There was a little more competition for this race. There
was Ninth Charm, a trimaran, Sorcery, an Alden 70, Bonkers, a J130, Il
Granchio, a Beneteau, plus 4 Moorings Beneteaus. It was a tougher race than
last week. The winds were light and everyone was trying to round the first
mark at the same time! We came in third behind the trimaran and the Alden 70.
The folks on Bonkers, the J-130, were disappointed. They had taken off the
dodger and other items to be more competitive. We all had fun.
That evening we went into Ana's Cafe for beers and
celebration. Bob and Linda from Cardinal Sin joined us for dinner at the Chinese
restaurant. The music from the Bounty Bar and Mermaid's lasted into the wee
hours of the morning (read 4am!). Austin and Kathleen went to Mermaid's for
dinner. Apparently the Princess was in town and she likes to party at
Mermaid's. Of course the cafe stays open until the Princess is ready to call
it a night!
Today, Sunday, everything is closed. So we are just hanging
around the boat, reading, watching movies and during a few projects. We have
exchanged some DVDs with Bucephalus so we have some movies to watch that we
have not seen before, always fun.
Mou o a e
9/22, Neiafu
18 39.297 S, 173 59.057W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Malo e lelei
We have been hanging out in Neiafu this week, doing some
chores, etc. Jesse and Sarah filled the water tanks, filling jerry jugs on
the dock and filling the tanks. Since our water maker is on the friz again we
need to do it the hard way. I did some laundry, always a long chore.
On Thursday Sarah was invited over to Cardinal Sin's, Bob
and Linda to make cinnamon rolls with Pearl from Star. Pearl is a 12-year-old
girl that Sarah just met. They all had a great time and made 70 cinnamon
rolls! Bob and Linda invited all of us, plus other cruisers to come over and
partake of the bounty. They were delicious!
Friday was race day again and Second Chance arrived from
French Polynesia via Palmerston and Niue. Jesse is glad Travis and Brandon
are here to hang out with.
The race was interesting, a lot of wind and rain right
before the race so that we were soaked. The race was a very light air affair
since the winds died and we were coasting on puffs! We came in 3rd behind a
trimeran and the J-boat.
Today Sunday was the most exciting day. We joined the crews
of Pegasus, Mobile, Gitana, Rag'n Drag'n, Julia, Night Hawk, Duet and a few
other folks on a whale watching tour. The southern humpbacks whales come to
Tonga from the Antarctic to mate and give birth to calves. We watched a
mother and calf breach and twist in the air and dive under our boat. The calf
would practice slapping his tail or flukes on the surface of the water but he
was not very good at it. We all would ooh and ahh and cheer. We stayed with
the pair for at least two hours then we went to a beach on a small-uninhabited
island for a barbecue lunch. After lunch we found another pair. Four people
were able to get into the water and swam with the mother and calf for a
little bit. More folks would have tried it but the mother started slapping
the water with her flukes (15 feet across) and we got the 'back off' message
from her. It was a warm sunny day and a great experience. I wish that the
digital camera would take the picture faster; I could have gotten some unique
shots. I hope they can continue providing this experience for people here.
The king of Tonga is being wooed by the Japanese to sell hunting rights to
the whales. They are such great creatures it would be a shame. Lets hope for
the best.
Whalewatching boat
stops for barbeque lunch
Tail Slapping
Mou o a e
9/25, Anchorage #6
18 41.279S, 174 01.439W, Anchorage #6, Vava'u, Tonga
Malo e lelei
On Monday we came out to anchorage #6. It is a quiet place
next to an island and some small motus. There is a start of a resort on the
island, 5 bungalows. You can lease the island for 20 years at the cost of $5
million US. A private getaway? We went snorkeling between the island and the
motus. The coral is alive and in a range of colors from blue to bright
orange. There are lots of fish as well, Moorish Idols, Angel fish, Wrasses,
Parrot Fish, etc. Rich, Jesse and Bob of Cardinal Sin went spear fishing as
well. Bob speared a triggerfish he had for lunch!
Island Getaway?
In the evening we had Cardinal Sin and Second Chance over
for sundowners. It was great to chat and hear about Second Chance's
adventures after we all parted in Rarotonga.
Today Sarah and I made cinnamon rolls. We had cinnamon
rolls rising all over the galley. They were yummy when they came out of the
oven! Jesse went spear fishing with John, Travis and Brandon of Second
Chance, but they were skunked.
Sarah’s dough
rising in the pot
We decided to lift anchor and pick up an available mooring
buoy at the anchorage. Easier said than done. The anchor and rode were
wrapped around a bommie (coral head). Try as we might it would not come
loose. We tried a little more force with the engine and the anchor roller
bent at an odd angle. The bolts that connected the rollers to the assembly
had fatigued and with the strain broke apart. We called Beluga Diving and they
sent someone to dive and bring our anchor and rode up from the bottom at 60
feet.
So.... tomorrow we will go into Neiafu and pick up a
mooring buoy and see what we can do to repair/replace/jury-rig an anchor
roller to get us from here to New Zealand. Ah, cruising, repairing your boat
in exotic places.
Mou o a e
9/27, Neiafu
18 39.382 S, 173 59.005 W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Malo e lelei
On Thursday we motored back to Neiafu and selected a
mooring near Sailing Safaris. We wanted John to come out and take a look at
our anchor roller to see what can be done. Rich will need to grind off the
ends of the bolts so that it can be taken off the bow. This will also require
taking down the yankee and disconnected the forestay. No job is every easy.
At 5pm we caught a van with some other cruisers to go to
the Tongan feast near anchorage #11. Besides the feast we would also
celebrate Clark, of Final Straw, birthday.
The feast was being set up under a lean-to just up from the
beach. Ladies of the nearby village were selling woven items such as baskets,
placemats, serving trays and jewelry made of whale bone, mother of pearl and
cow bone. Cruisers were trying to beach their dingies without getting too wet
as the winds were blowing 15-22 knots and the coral was only 2 feet below the
surface and you had to wade about 10 yards to get to the beach. A few folks
were soaked before dinner!
A small band in the corner played traditional music for
dancers between the ages of 4 and 24. They would come up in groups of 2 to 4
at a time. If you liked a dancer you would go up and tuck a $1 or $2 pa'nang bill in their outfit.
Entertainment
before meal at the Tongan Feast
After the dancing came the meal. The table clothes were
banana leafs. The individual serving dishes were clamshells. The utensils
were your fingers. No napkins! The meal consisted of 2 salads, one with raw
fish, the other with eel, deep fried chicken, fish and octopus, roasted pig
and lamb, taro, yams, corned beef wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on the
fire, some sort of noodles, watermelon and papaya with coconut milk. Rich and
Jesse tried everything. Sarah and I were not as adventuresome but what we did
have was good. Suzie, Clark's wife, brought some birthday cake. Everyone
wanted a piece because it came with a piece of paper towel and we wanted to
wipe our hands off.
After dinner the band was playing and people were sitting
in a circle drinking kava. Now kava is a type of pepper plant that they use
to make the drink kava. It is a muddy gray looking liquid that apparently has
the taste somewhere between the water from soaking dirty sweat socks and
dirty dishwater. One effect is your tongue goes numb. As everyone one drinks
from a half of a coconut shell, they sing Tongan drinking songs with the
band, which is also belting down kava like jocks at a sports bar.
In came the Kava Kid. He is a tall, lanky, young man, his
hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a polo shirt from Rarotonga, shorts
and aquasocks. He sits down and takes the coconut shell bowl and belts down a
kava. He takes another, amid courses of encouragement from the cruiser crowd,
the Tongans just nod knowingly. The group starts in to a popular Tongan
drinking song. The tune is not too dissimilar from a ballad you might know,
the words go like this (pardon the spelling of Tongan):
Aye Bee See Dee
E Ef Gee,
Ashe Hi Jay Kay
Ell Emm Enn Pay Oh,
Cue Are Ess Tee
U Vee,
Doobul U Ecks
Why Zee.
(then it
repeats from the beginning.)
It was amazing how fast the cruisers picked up the Tongan
words and sang them like they were born to it. The Kava Kid had two more
kavas from the large bowl in the center of the group. The bowl was getting
low so they refilled it from a large bucket like you would find for getting
laundry detergent from Costco.
Can you guess who the Kava Kid was? We asked him about his
dreams in the morning but he said that he had nothing unusual. Another cruiser
was reported to be speaking in a strange voice in the middle of the night.
Hmmmm.
This morning we received our three boxes from Nancy. Books,
books and more books. Not sure where we are going to put neither them nor the
books from this last year! Jesse also got a chemistry experiment kit and
Sarah got a physical science kit including a build your own seismograph. We
went through the mail and the magazines. Thank you Nancy for the kitty treats
for Mandu and the DVD of Lord of the Rings for the rest of us!
Another day in Tonga.
Mou o a e
Rich, Elaine, the Kava Kid, Sarah and Katmandu
Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
10/4, Neiafu
18 39.382 S, 173 59.005 W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Malo e lelei
On Monday evening there was a cruiser party at the Paradise
International Hotel hosted by the Puddle Jumpers. There were 14 Puddle Jump
boats and about 30 other boats that attended. The folks from Gitana, Lil'
Gem, North Road, Taranga, Active Light and Irish Melody provided the music.
The dinner was good and the company great. It was fun to talk to some of the
boat from other countries. There is representation from France, Germany,
Netherlands, Brazil, Czech Republic, Sweden and others. Quite a community.
Rich crafted new words to the song, "MTA" by the Kingston Trio. The
new words are about Clark of Final Straw and the fact that he is on the radio
all the time and Suzie, his wife, cannot get him off. It was funny and well
received by everyone including Clark.
Puddle Jump Party
at Neiafu
John and Sheri of
Second Chance
Kathleen, Austin
and Marie of Pegasus with Sarah
Bob, Andy and Tika
of Harmony
Gunther and Lois of
Pacific Bliss
Tuesday morning we took off the damaged anchor roller. We
had to remove the head stay to do it. It was pretty bent up. John and Ryan of
Sailing Safaris worked on it all day Wednesday and we put it back on the boat
Thursday morning. They cut some of it apart and bent it back in shape with a
sledgehammer and then welded it back together. It is not pretty but it is
functional which is what we need until we get to New Zealand.
Thursday was also laundry day. Oh boy. I will be glad when
we can wash with hot water and get our whites a bit whiter. We are looking a
little grey these days. In the evening we went to the Italian cafe with
Kathleen and Austin of Pegasus and had pizza. Not bad. The fellow that runs
it does it all, waits tables, prepares the food, serves, washes the dishes
and is the cashier. He does a great job too.
Today, Friday, was the afternoon races. We raced again on
Pegasus and got first place, beating 7 other boats including a Beneteau 50.
It was a lot of fun. Look out Dennis Conner!
Mou o a e
10/10, Neiafu
18 39.382 S, 173 59.005 W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
As we have been making our trip across the Pacific we have
been witness to many different happenings but none can compare to the story I
am about to tell you. One thing before I start, I must tell you that this
story is true and is not over yet.
Last week a German couple in their fifties dressed in black
came to the Moorings office asking to charter a boat. They wanted to use the
boat as a floating hotel or accommodation while they explored and snorkeled.
They would need someone to take the boat to a location and anchor it for them
then come back after a week and pick them up since they did not have
experience in boat handling. Communication was a little difficult since only
spoke German. The arrangements were made and they were taken to anchorage #5
outside of Neiafu harbor and near the Tongan Beach Resort but still on the
island of Vava'u. They were instructed not to move the boat.
The folks from Moorings misread the date for picking them
up and went over on Monday, 10/7, instead of Tuesday, 10/8. Lo and behold the
Moorings captain arrives at anchorage #5 in the morning and the 38 foot
Beneteau named Genevieve is gone. Kristin of Moorings puts out a call on VHF
channel 16 for Genevieve. No answer. She then puts out a call to all cruisers
asking if anyone has seen the boat Genevieve.
At first there is no response. A cruiser calls and says
that the boat left early between 5 and 6 am on Monday, 10/7. Another cruiser
reports seeing the boat heading west past Hunga. As the days wore on, more
and more reports came in.
The German couple was busy during their week. They had
rented a jeep and did some shopping. Locals on the island called on the radio
to report that the couple had bought shovels, machetes, pitchforks, tarps and
a tent at the hardware store. They bought some large coolers at another
store. They had purchased a pair of pigs, a male and a female. From another
resident they got some cats, males and females, from another they got some
dogs and chickens including a rooster.
They had stopped at the Tongan Beach Resort for a meal. The
folks at the resort offered them each a t-shirt. The couple declined the
shirts since they were not black.
Searches of the nearby anchorages failed to locate the
sailboat Genevieve and her crew. Mooring chartered a Royal Tongan flight for
$8000 to fly over the Vava'u group and nearby islands and look for the boat.
A sailboat was sighted at Late island, 32 miles southwest of Vava'u. The
police asked the airlines to make another flight over the island of Late.
They could see the sailboat and a tent on the island.
Late, pronounced like Latte, is an uninhabited island,
which has an active volcano. It is about 3 miles long by 2 miles wide, the
sides are steep and there is no place to anchor. Some of the land has been
cleared for growing kava and watermelons and these plantations are checked
infrequently. Late island is also home of a small, flightless bird that is
almost extinct. It digs a nest in the ash of the volcano and buries the eggs.
The warmth of the ash acts as an incubator for the eggs to hatch.
The seas are too rough to send a powerboat. Two Moorings
sailboats, Jo-Jo and Makaila, left early this morning (Thursday, 10/10) and
sailed in 30 knot winds from the southeast and 16 foot seas to Late with 4
armed and very seasick Tongan policemen in hot pursuit of the sailboat
Genevieve. Since the charter boats only have VHF radios, reports have been
relayed back and forth. They have found the sailboat and it is the Genevieve.
The mast is broken in two places, the cockpit is cracked, the hull is badly
damaged and being pounded on the surf. Now it is 5pm and Jo-Jo and Makaila
are on their way back to Neiafu. They requested that a truck meet them at the
main wharf and pick up the goods that they are bringing back. We have not heard
if they found the German couple or not.
tune in tomorrow for more updates......
10/11, Neiafu
18 39.382 S, 173 59.005 W, Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to
make sense."
The story of the German couple is strange indeed. They were
apprehended yesterday when the two sailboats, Jo-Jo and Makaila went to Late.
There was an incident on the dock when they arrived when someone tried to
take their picture. The man became irate and assaulted the woman with the
camera before he was restrained. The couple was taken to the police station
here in Neiafu.
We thought that they would spend the night there but there
is a rumor that they actually stayed at the Backpacker's hostel across the
street. Not sure why. The police station does not serve meals. Usually the
family of the incarcerated provides their meals during their stay at the
police station. Since the Germans do not have a family here they are allowed
to go to lunch, at least, at one of the local restaurants. We don't know who
picks up the tab.
The parent Moorings company in the USA and Interpol in
Germany have been contacted about the incident. This morning the local
Moorings office received a fax from their parent office in the USA. It was a
print out of the couple's website, translated into English via a computer
program. Now the translation is not the best in the world. Werner von Braun
is translated at Werner from Brown. There are some words that don't even
translate. If you are curious the web site is: http://www.ufologe-bode.de/
We got to see a copy of the printout. It includes
everything from aliens to the messiah. The European Union grows to include
Russia, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. There is
one language in the new EU, German, one currency, the Euro, one religion,
Christianity. He writes about a great war starting in the east and involving
the whole world but the EU prevails since aliens support it. These aliens
will help the EU colonize the cosmos. It includes ramblings about the
apocalypse and the coming of a messiah from an island in the South Pacific.
To say it was strange is an understatement. We wonder how many hits this site
has received. In the past few weeks the Moorings have received inquiries
about Late island, mostly from Germany.
Interpol did some checking on the couple also. It turns out
they skipped out of Germany with $2.8 million euros in bills. This is in
addition to the jeep they rented here in Neiafu and abandoned before they
left for Late.
For those of you concerned about the small flightless birds
on Late and the fate of the menagerie the couple purchased, I have good news.
Apparently they had second thoughts about sailing to the island with live
pigs, chickens, puppies and cats on board. They left the animals with a
family near the Tonga Beach Resort with a promise to pick up the animals
later. The habitat of the birds on Late is safe.
The couple had provided a sailing resume to Moorings. This
allowed them to have the boat without a captain on board. They also signed
paperwork agreeing not to move the boat from Anchorage #5.
curious er and curious er ......
10/14, Anchorage #17
18 42.904S, 174 05.093W,, Anchorage #17, Vava'u, Kingdom of
Tonga
We checked out of Vava'u, filled our tanks with water and
headed out of Neiafu. We are anchored at #17 at the southern end of the
group. Tomorrow morning we will get up early and head for the Ha'api group to
the south.
We are starting to get anxious be in New Zealand. The
exodus is starting. A couple of boats are heading to the Ha'api group
tomorrow also.
No real news on the German couple. They are still at the
Backpackers hostel. They refuse to give a statement and the Tongan police
have not pressed charges yet. Moorings sent another sailboat to Late to take
photos. The saga continues.
Have you heard anything about the catamaran Hakuna Matata
with an ex-basketball player, his girlfriend, his brother and a French
captain and maybe another crewmember? The brother was detained in Arizona
with his brother's passport and other items. He recently overdosed in
Tijuana. The boat was found in Tahiti but no sign of the others. Well it
turns out that we saw the boat when Saperlipopette and us were at Vaiare on
Moorea. Rumor has it the brother shot the basketball player, the girlfriend
and the captain and ran off with the money! More craziness on the high seas.
More adventures to come....
Ha’apai
10/15, Ha’ano, Ha’apai
19 40.266 S, 174 17.485 W, Ha'ano, Ha'apai, Kingdom of
Tonga
We got up around 6 am this morning. After preparing the
boat for passage we pulled up anchor. The repaired anchor roller worked
great. The anchor was up at 7 am and we headed out the pass.
The winds were 15 - 20 from the southeast. Our heading was
due south. The seas were 1-2 meters just forward of the beam on the windward
side.
It took us a while to get back into passage mode. It took
Rich a little bit longer. Katmandu came up and slept on the cockpit floor
wedged by the binnacle. In the late afternoon he tried sleeping on the
cockpit cushion after Sarah went below to rest. He almost took a tumble down
the companionway as the pillow he was resting on slid off the cushion when
the boat heeled over. Luckily I grabbed he before he slid away.
By 5 pm we were anchored in a small cove with 7 other
boats. Jesse and Sarah are making pizza for dinner! Ifo, Ifo! (yummy, yummy
in Tongan)
More exploring tomorrow.
10/17, Pangai, Lifuka, Ha’apai
19 48.023 S, 174 21.468 W, Lifuka, Ha'apai, Kingdom of
Tonga
Yesterday afternoon we pulled up anchor and motored to
Lifuka. Lifuka is 2 islands south of Ha'ano. It is the main island of
Ha'apai. We went around the reef and entered from the southern pass and
anchored in 8 meters opposite the main wharf.
We prepared the dingy to go ashore but the outboard was not
working. At one point Rich was in the dingy, drifting away from the boat
trying to restart the engine. Luckily some cruisers on a boat near us saw him
and towed him back. This morning we brought the engine into the cockpit and
Rich cleaned the carburetor and greased it. It appears to be working again.
Porcine porkers
parading by
In the afternoon Rich and I went in to the village to do
our check in. The office was closed until 1:30 pm so we went to the Mariner's
Cafe for lunch. I think it is the only restaurant in the village since all
the cruisers were there. Lunch was not bad.
Rich in front of
Mariner’s Cafe
We returned to the customs office. The man there was
concerned that we did not check in yesterday but we told him that our
outboard did not work and that seemed to satisfy him. He would not fill out
our paperwork but insisted that we return tomorrow morning and he would have
it done. I hope so.
Jesse and Sarah had completed their schoolwork for the day.
Jesse did American History and Sarah worked on English.
Rich went over to Final Straw to help Clark with his
windlass.
Tomorrow we plan to head for Nuku'alofa. The weather seems favorable
and we want to take advantage of good weather.
Second Chance and Mobisle are 300 or so miles from Opua,
NZ. They plan to arrive on Saturday. So far they have had a good passage. I
hope ours is as good.
10/18, Passage to Nuku’alofa
20 17.512 S, 174 54.149 W, overnight passage to Nuku'alofa
Passage time again. All things considered this is one of
our best passages. We left Lifuka at 1:30 pm after going to customs to get
our paperwork. Right now it is 27 minutes after midnight and we are on a broad
reach with yankee, staysail and 3rd reef in the main. The winds are down now,
between 10-15 from the east and the seas 2 meters from the SE. The skies have
a high overcast with a bright moon behind. We are doing about 5 knots, SOG.
Not too bad.
Jesse caught two dorado. The first one was about 15 lbs and
a catch and release. The second was 20 lbs so we brought it on deck and cut
it up. A beautiful fish. We saw it jump for a flying fish and then strike the
lure. It was fun to see, quite a fighter. The deck was a mess! We attached a
hose to the saltwater wash down and cleaned it up the best we could. Blood
everywhere! But it should be a good dinner after we get into port.
We are following Final Straw and L'eau Life is behind us.
We check in with each other every so often. Other then them no other traffic
so far. We will need to keep a look out when we near Nuku'alofa.
Nuku'alofa is on the island of Tongatapu. It is the capital
city of Tonga and the king has his main residence there. We will have the
chief vet of Tonga come out to sign Mandu's paperwork hopefully. We will also
try to apply for our visas to New Zealand. But that will have to wait until
Monday since everything is closed on Sunday.
more later....
45 miles from Nuku'alofa
Tongatapu
10/20, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu
21 08.036 S, 175 11.200 W, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, Kingdom
of Tonga
Saturday at 7am we arrived at the outer harbor marker at
Nuku'alofa. The harbor entrance is a little tricky since there are multiple
markers, none are lit, and reefs. As we were motoring in two cargo ships were
negotiating the harbor entrance also. We anchored in front of the Queen
Salome Wharf along with 8 other boats from Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Czech
Republic and the US. Quite a collection.
We put on the sail cover, cleaned up lines, inflated the
dingy and made Windarra more ship shape after passage. Then it was time for
much deserved and much needed showers. It was time to go into town! We found
a Chinese restaurant just passed the Peoples' Republic of China embassy and
the International Dateline Hotel. The food was good and we were hungry. A
short walk further and a quick stop at the grocery store (they have dry cat
food!) and we returned to the boat. Time to rest.
On Sunday everything is closed except the churches. Sarah
and Jesse did schoolwork while Rich and I did some boat chores.
In the afternoon we went over to visit the crew on the boat
from the Czech Republic. It is not your typical sailboat. It is a hand built
replica of Magellan's boat, Victoria, a Caravelle. The crew is Henry the
Captain, Ivan, Miktal, Martina and Michael. Ivan started the project in 1996
near Prague. Ivan along with 11 others, including Henry, purchased some
timberlands and built a sawmill. They cut the trees, mostly larch and spruce,
saving the best pieces for the boat and selling the rest. They bought a hull
that had been started in Poland, basically a frame and sides to the water
line. It was towed on the river to Prague for the completion. It looks like a
pirate ship. Victoria has crossed the Atlantic 4 times and sailed the Straits
of Magellan to the Pacific.
Victoria from the
Czech Republic
We took over the bottle of Czech plum brandy that Arik had
given us. They were very excited about it since they had finished the last of
their supply. It is apparently very popular in the Czech Republic. They gave
us a tour of Victoria and we sat down for tea and brandy. For cooking they
have a wood stove and a small gas stove, one burner. For navigation they have
GPS, full instruments, SSB radio, and compass but no autopilot. This means
that they have to hand steer all the time. An engine was added when they were
in Florida. Their maximum speed is 4 knots, down wind!
We invited them over for dinner and a movie. We feasted on
the dorado that Jesse caught on our way to Nuku'alofa. The 9 of us crowded
around the table for the fish and watched 'The Fifth Element', their choice.
It was the first movie they had seen since leaving Chile seven months ago. It
was a big hit.
Michael, Miktal,
Martina, Ivan and Henry of Victoria over for dinner and a movie
It was a fun evening and we enjoyed talking to them. Hope
we will meet them again along the way and get to know them more.
Meeting new friends in Nuku'alofa... Czechs in the
mail!!! ;-)
10/21, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu
21 08.036 S, 175 11.200 W, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, Kingdom
of Tonga
After the morning SSB nets Rich, Jesse and I headed for
shore. Jesse went into town to internet cafe. Rich and I went to do the check
in thing. We first went to the harbormaster and paid our fee, which was based
on the gross weight of the boat. Next we went to customs. He looked at our
paperwork and explained what we would have to do when we checked out. Next
stop was quarantine to tell them about the cat. We showed them our paperwork
and our fax from the Chief Vet. They were very helpful and called the Chief
Vet's office for us. We have arranged to meet him at the quarantine office
tomorrow at 10 am. We will bring him back to the boat to check Mandu's
paperwork and id chip and sign off on the Vet Certificate A. Hope it goes
well.
Rich and I walked into town. Lee, a local tour guide gave
us a ride into town. We met Jesse at the internet cafe and checked our
emails, accounts, etc. What happened to the stock market? Ouch! We went to
the Friends' Cafe across the street for lunch.
Next stop was the New Zealand High Commissioner's across
the street. At the immigration office we got information about getting visas
for NZ. More paperwork to fill out.
A stop at the market, the grocery store and the bakery was
in order before we walked back to the dingy. Tonight is taco night on
Windarra. Ifo Ifo! (Remember this? Tongan for Yummy Yummy)
One more bit of information about the Czech boat, Victoria.
Originally they had to pull the anchor up by hand, 5 people pulling chain
across the deck. In a rail yard in the Czech Republic they found a hand crank
winch for moving cars in the yard. It was being replaced by a diesel powered
on. Now the winch sits on their fore peak.
Cat check tomorrow!
10/24, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu
21 08.036 S, 175 11.200 W, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, Kingdom
of Tonga
On Tuesday we had Siosifa T. Fifita, aka Joe, the Principal
Veterinary Officer of the Kingdom of Tonga come to the boat and check
Katmandu. Joe is a very nice fellow and we enjoyed talking to him. He had
been visiting in Seattle this past April - small world. Unfortunately, Mandu
did not look at this as a social call and was not interested in meeting Joe
at all. Luckily no serious social faux pas or faux paws occurred. On
Wednesday we went to Joe's office and he gave us a very official
International Cat Health Certificate from the Kingdom of Tonga. This was
faxed to the New Zealand MAF along with the other cat paperwork. We are
waiting to get our permit now.
Besides the cat paperwork on Tuesday we turned in our
paperwork for visas at the Immigration office of the New Zealand High
Commission. It was a little scary since they took our passports! The
application requires passport size photos. So we zipped down the street for
quick photos. Today, Thursday we picked up our passports and our new 1-year
visas for New Zealand. Kewl!
Today we also mailed in schoolwork for Jesse and Sarah.
They have been doing well keeping on schedule and trying to work ahead before
we go on passage. Sarah is taking Geometry, 9th grade English, Physical
Science, and Sociology and will start Spanish in NZ. Jesse is taking 11th
grade English, Chemistry, French III, American History and College Calculus.
School is keeping them both busy but they are taking some time to see
Nuku'alofa or at least some of it. Jesse walks into town and is a regular at
the internet pc at the Tongan Communications Center, home of the earth
station for TongaSat. Sarah joins Rich and I as we go downtown also.
Plaque
commemorating Tongan earth station
In between paperwork and trips to town, Rich and I have
been working on our list of boat chores. Today we inspected the steering and
autopilots and repacked the aft lazerette.
Waiting for a weather window....
10/26, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu
21 08.036 S, 175 11.200 W, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, Kingdom
of Tonga
We continue our preparations to leave. Rich and I went into
town this morning. We are out of kitty litter! Well, we have been out since
Rarotonga to be more precise. We have been picking up sand along the way.
Mandu is not fond of sand but is making do, so to speak. Anyway, rich and i
decided to go to one of the hardware stores in town hoping they would have
packaged sand, similar to what you would buy in the States for mixing with
cement. Three hardware stores later we decided to just get some sand near the
wharf. You should have seen the puzzled expressions we got when we asked
about sand, on an island made of sand!
We also picked up our import permit for Mandu off the
internet.
This is part of the process for his quarantine. We are
hoping to keep his sentence down to only one month!
Tonight we all went out for dinner at the Waterfront
Cafe that is near the wharf. It is a nice place with a good menu. Rich and
Jesse had sashimi while Sarah and I had Lasagna. After dinner we watched a
little bit of rugby on the cable TV in the bar. It was the Auckland Blues
versus Waikata Chiefs. What a crazy game! As we were watching a group of
Australians came in and sat by us. We started a conversation with a fellow
named Barry. They are members of the Rotary in Australia, here in Tonga for
some meetings. He was very excited about our cruising and wants to meet with
us tomorrow for some beers. He is from a town inland of Melbourne and Sydney.
We will let you know more later.
Tomorrow we will go in and fill the water tanks and get
ready to take on some more fuel.
Hoping to leave on Tuesday.
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