Tonga

Tonga Friday 29 May to Tuesday 8 June

The journey from Niue to Tonga was relatively short – 3 days and 260 miles. After the first day the wind dropped and we motored overnight before the wind filled in again and we were under sail.

Main street in Neiafu

We timed our entrance to arrive at 9am on the Friday morning to avoid entering at night and tied up at the Neiafu wharf (the capital of Northern Tonga group of islands) to go through customs and immigration.  That was all painless and 1 hour later we were heading off to pick up a buoy off the main town of Neiafu which are surprisingly are provided by Moorings/Sunsail. This is a very popular cruising group with lots of charter boats sailing round the 30 odd islands in this part of Tonga.

One of the many shops we visited

The town was much poorer than many of the places we had visited, being an independent kingdom and not reliant on aid from New Zealand or France like many of the Polynesian islands. We bought provisions for a few days so that we could head off to some of the more remote islands, going into 4 or 5 shops to find things since they are all small not as well stocked as the other islands we had visited.

Off to Visit the Islands

Main road through the village

Saturday afternoon we headed off to a small island with a population of just 120 people. The village is pretty much self-sufficient and sell fish to the mainland to get money to buy items like rice they cannot produce themselves. No cars, no mains electricity but they had 5 churches! We were invited to attend the church service the next morning and join in the Kava ceremony before the service – the chief of the island, his advisors and the preacher were there and as a special concession allowed 

Village Chief at Kava ceremony

Catherine to attend (normally a men only affair). We sat on the floor crossed legged while the chief drunk the Kava first and then everyone else was allowed to drink. We had four bowls of Kava while we chatted about island life. All very friendly although not all spoke English.

The church service was an hour long with the preacher getting very passionate in his address, waving his arms about and giving the impression the sermon was about hell and brimstone – it was in Tongan so we did not understand a word but he was very animated. The Kava may have helped! Although there was only 20 people in the church, the singing sounded like 100 people, all singing in perfect pitch we great loud voices and singing different parts in harmony. It was a great experience.

We were never going to be fluent

Afterwards, the local primary teacher showed around the school and gave us some lessons in Tongan. That afternoon we went back to the boat and Chris, Catherine and I were overwhelmed with tiredness and slept for a couple of hours. A side effect of the Kava.

Street seller on the island

The next day we headed off for another island, going outside of the reef and back into the group of islands further north. Not for the faint hearted since the reefs are not well charted, some are missing off the chart as are isolated rocks. We anchored off another village with 150 people and spent the next day exploring the island, walking along the shore on a deserted beach.  All very beautiful and very relaxing.  Unlike the journey to the next island the following day when we decided not to go outside of the main reef since it was rough outside and take the short cut through a pass between two islands – as per the pilot book. It was all going well with Catherine and Chris on the bow looking out for reefs and rocks until we came to two boats in the pass – one anchored and other aground in the middle of the channel after hitting an unmarked rock. So we retraced our steps and went back the long way.

Our next anchorage looked perfect, just outside of a village although a little tight between the reefs. Unfortunately the wind turned south which put us just 10m away from a reef behind us while at anchor. I decided that it was too close for comfort so we upped anchor and went round the corner to the next island and tried to anchor as night was falling. After 5 attempts (no other boats were in anchored here which should have told us something), we headed off across the bay to where all the other boats were. By this time it was dark but as luck would have it there was a buoy and it was free so we tied up and had a few drinks and a BBQ.

Back to Neiafu

We had to go back to Neiafu for a group dinner on the Tuesday night which was such a good evening. All the food was local cuisine with traditional dancers providing the entertainment. Dancing followed late into the night with the staff joining in and looked like they were having as much fun as we were. 

We may have overdone the gin and tonics during the night, we were certainly one of the last to leave along with Andy and Emma (no surprises) and we were all a little slow the next morning for our visit to the Botanical Gardens.

Making cloth from bark

I use the term Botanical Gardens loosely since it was a collection of plants and trees spread in a somewhat random fashion throughout the garden. The most interesting part was where they showed us some of their traditional skills – making clothes, rugs and other items from the bark of a tree (which is a painstaking process),  use of the coconut tree not only to make coconut milk but also using the leaves for roofs, windows and doors.

Traditional dancing

A Tongan lunch and more traditional dancing followed (not as good as the night before) and we headed back. A group of us including Catherine and myself (Chris stayed on the boat) meet for dinner in the Aquarium café that evening and we had fried red snapper and chips. It was one of the best fried fish I have tasted.

Off to the Islands again

On Thursday we headed out once more into the islands to see some of the remoter parts of Tonga. We anchored in a bay with two other boats – we did feel it was crowded given we often had the anchorages to ourselves. We were invited over for drinks to one of the other boats and took half a bottle of gin with us. None came back we had a great night. A couple from New Zealand who were on the ICA rally and another couple (Paul and Susie) who were from Dartmouth who did the World ARC last year and left at Fiji to go to New Zealand for a year. They were about to another ICA rally going to Thailand.

This gave us an idea. Rather than go to Australia with the World Arc where we would arrive at the end of July, we could join the ICA rally to New Zealand which arrives in November. It would give us another month in Fiji, three extra weeks in Vanuatu and we would visit New Caledonian. They were so enthusiastic about New Zealand we decided we would look into this as a serious option. And the Thailand rally next year would be a very attractive option.

We spent one further night at anchor before stopping off at the Blue Lagoon on our way back. A very tricky entrance, with narrow passages between the reefs but well worth the effort. We walked around one of the island surrounding the lagoon which we uninhabited but the views and the variety of trees were well worth it. The other island had a resort on it but when we went there for a beer, it had closed down.

Getting Ready for the Next Leg to Fiji

So Friday night back to Neiafu again so that we could attend the briefing on getting to the Lau Group in Fiji which would be another tricky entrance wending 15 miles through reefs to get to the anchorage where we would go through Customs and Immigration. This was a special arrangement since boats cannot normally check in other than the main islands 100 miles further to the west which would mean sailing east again back to the Lau Group against wind and the current. Not a good option so consequently very few boats visit these islands.

Chris and Catherine in the market

Local market

Saturday was spent shopping, visiting another 5 or 6 shops to try and find what we could buy for the next 10 days. Chicken was easy to get but other meat and vegetables were next to non-existent, even in the very vibrant market. So we bought what we could and we will have to be inventive in our cooking.

Our regular cafe overlooking the harbour

Sunday was a day of rest with nothing open and apart from visiting the church we spent the afternoonon the boat playing our last games of Crib with Chris which Catherine won. That afternoon we discovered that our gas bottles filled with butane would not work with our gas regulator – so no means of cooking! Using the gas regulator from the BBQ, and with the help of the Moorings maintenance team, we managed to fit the BBQ regulator to our gas supply just in time to go through our scheduled clearance time on the Monday morning and leave by lunchtime.

Chris left us early on Monday morning to start his journey back to England after 5 months. Chris was a good sailor, very practical and helped fix many things along our journey. And there had been many things to fix! He was also a great cook and a mean cribbage player.

So now it is just Catherine and I sailing the rest of the way to New Zealand.

Nuie

Nuie: 23 May – 27 May

We spent 4 days in Nuie, the world’s smallest independent nation with 1500 people on the island. The journey to Nuie was packed with adventure as always seems to be the case and we had a busy time in Nuie itself. 

We picked up a mooring buoy on arrival at 4am since it is too deep to anchor. It is not possible even to land a dinghy on the island so we used the crane on the dingy dock to haul out the dinghy every time we went ashore. Not as bad as you might think since the island encourages yachties to come to the island so it is well set up. And the winch is electric which helps!

Uga Cafe

On the first morning we found the Uga Café which became our place of choice to have coffee or lunch since it had a marvellous view over the bay and served the best coffee we had had since leaving Europe. We would spend many a happy hour there over the next 4 days.

That afternoon we played in a crazy golf tournament  which must be the most scenic crazy golf course in the world, snaking down and around the cliffs with a great view of the anchorage. Pictures attached. All the boats took part and catherine was on the winning team – alas not playing with me! That night we had drinks with the New Zealand High Commissioner at his residence on the island (very nice) and then a BBQ. A busy first day after arriving there at 4am.  

Catherine and I hired a scooter to see some of the island and went on some of the walks through the rain forest leading to beautiful caves and secluded beaches. It was very picturesque with views of the Pacific Ocean at the end of each of the trails. We stopped for lunch at the only bar outside of the main town only to find that they did not serve any food anymore. I had a go at the Par 1 golf course – the owner had built a small green into the rocks some 140m away which you could just see over the rocks and trees. In nine years no-one had managed to land a ball on the green and I did not change that statistic!  So back to the Uga Café for lunch.

In the evening we were entertained by the locals with music, singing and a buffet of local dishes which would have fed half of London. The food was wonderful with a variety of dishes all cooked locally and in the traditional manner – baked in pits covered with palm leaves.  The band was all locals who came together to play for us and just looked as though they were having a ball – it was very infectious and such a good evening.

The next day was Sunday when everything was closed apart from the Washaway Café where the crews from all the boats went for lunch and then we all went for an impromptu curry in the evening. One of the best curries we had had for a very long time and the whole group was in high spirits which made for an entertaining evening.

The highest point on the island is only 69 metres but still has a rain forest although it is not that high. It is funded largely by New Zealand and everyone spoke English with a New Zealand accent and most of the tourists are from there. Everyone was very friendly (as has been the case for all the Polynesian islands) and have a very relaxed way of life. We are now members of the Nuie yacht club which exists despite the fact there are no people on the island with a yacht!

Our last day we hired a car and Catherine, Chris and I toured the island. In the morning I picked up  my Nuie drivers licence from the Police Station which officially you need to hire a car. Not that I was asked for it and as none of the cars have insurance the cost of hiring the car was very cheap as long as you did not damage them!

Hauling out the dinghy

The day did not start well as it started to rain as we picked up the car and our first attempt at walking along one of the well-marked scenic trail ended up with us turning back to get our coats from the boat. That involved putting the dinghy back in the water, me going back to the yacht to get the coats (no point us all getting wet on route – well that is what Chris and Catherine said anyway – and then hauling the dinghy back out.

Chris and Catherine

We walked along three of the marked trails, often in pouring rain but all three well worth the effort. The views were spectacular and with the rain only adding to the effect..

Don't do it Chris!

Some the routes were a little treacherous in the rain but that did not stop us exploring.

The next morning we provisioned the boat before setting sail to Tonga. We were in no hurry to leave Nuie and really enjoyed the island.

Raitea to Nuie

Raiatea to Nuie  13 May to 22nd May

Wednesday morning we left after a trip to the local Gendarmerie to get our clearance papers (all negotiated in my restaurant French) and we left, despite the forecast of no wind for the next four days! Well the forecasts have been pretty poor out here so we left in anyway.

After 36 hours of motoring the wind filled in and we enjoyed some good sailing conditions in the sun and 500 miles to go to Suwarrow. It would be four days to get there at this rate - what could possibly go wrong!

The forecast started to show a depression building to the south of our route – 150 miles to the South so well out the way. The next day the foreast showed the depression building further joining with a low pressure system to the North and all the discussion on the SSB radio net was about this weather system which looked increasingly menacing. It was clear that not only was it going to be a vigorous weather system but it stretched over 300 miles and we would not be able to avoid it. The lightest winds were to be in the North so we all headed further North to avoid the worst of it.

The day before it was due, the weather was perfect – very few waves, a good breeze and a cloudless sky. The weather forecast again showed that the system had developed even deeper so would now 25-30 knots where we would cross it. We had two days to prepare the boat, lashing everything down that might move, checking the rigging, the engine and cooking a meal that we could just heat up on the day. We even caught a fish.

It was a relief when the storm did start at 6am as we had lived with the anticipation of it for three days. It started with 25 knot winds and built steadily to 35 knots during the day. Then the squalls started with horizontal rain coming across the boat and winds gusting between 40 to 50 knots. The autohelm could not cope and we took it in turns to steer the boat through the wind and rain. It was the first time since leaving Europe that any of us had felt cold due to the wet and wind. The sea became confused as the wind backed from East to West in about 12 hours so waves were coming in all directions.

In the middle of all this, the chart plotter stopped working, no doubt affected by the driving rain despite being both waterproof and under the spray hood. So we switched it off – we were sailing purely to keep the wind behind us and there was nothing out there to hit so we were not particularly worried.

By 8pm the storm had passed and we were in lighter winds (only 25 knots) so that we needed to unreef the sails to be able to sail again. Not ten minutes later we were once again hand steering through what would be the last of the big squalls which lasted 90 minutes. I helmed during this period and I was soaked, tired and incapable of any rational thought at the end of this so we put away the sails, put the motor on to keep a gentle pace and I had to go to bed for some sleep even though it was supposed to be my watch. We were all exhausted but Catherine agreed to take my watch so I could get some rest, well 3 hours sleep until I was back on watch but that was enough.

The boat coped very well with the storm and so did Catherine and Chris. Despite the winds and helming in atrocious conditions, spirits remained high and no-one gave any indication of being concerned. Everyone took their turn on the helm, sorted out any problems and we just got on with it.  We all had several changes of clothes during the day to be dry for at least some of the time.

Making Suwarrow was not feasible given the wind direction and continued squalls in the North so we continued onto to Nuie. Our route was rather circuitous to avoid the worst of the storm as our plotter chart shows.

The next day was spent under sail and drying out our clothes and the water that had been driven into the boat by the wind. The chart plotter had dried out and was working again and we were all still very tired but happy to be through it and we had good winds the rest of the way.

We arrived in Nuie on Friday morning (22^nd May) and had our first beer for 10 days. It may have been four in the morning here, but it was night time in the UK so it was definitely beer o’clock!.