Recurrent Recovery
11 October 2014 | Neiafu, Vava'u
Tuesday 7 October 2014
After discovering regrettable failure of outboard carburetor repair, we enjoyed promotion assisted brekkie (they paid half) at the Beach House Cafe and listened to fun facts about Northland services. Opua based ICA (Island Cruising Association) poobah, John Martin, also gave out good routing info to help cruisers avoid getting their bumpies handed to them by periodic adverse weather on the 1200 NM passage to New Zealand from Vava'u.
Wednesday
Speaking of good poop (as differentiated from 'a' good poop), learned a couple of cool facts about whales at last night's talk. They're able to stay suspended at, say, 30 meters below surface with neutral buoyancy because of breathing out after surfacing to catch a breath. "Huh?", you may say. Turns out oxygen is stored in their tissues, not lungs, so before going back down, they expel most of the air. Also (and this is where children should be shooed off to play with their Gameboys, X-Boxes or whatever), males have 9 or 10 foot long, 18 inch diameter love commandos.. and we thought Galapagos tortoises were studs! Neither application nor culmination 9 to 12 months later has ever been observed.. except presumably by the actual participants.
Thursday
Finest time "racing" yesterday to Tapana, AKA anchorage 11. Revelry once at anchor on 65' Rewa was over-the-top fun, followed by Tongan feast ashore. Sandy from the Giggling Whale and Thirsty Turtle regaled with songs that your children should never hear and would cause him to be stoned to death in many cultures.
Skipjack tuna that Jan caught on the way back to Refuge Bay won us a bottle of wine and 7 day's berthage in downtown Whangarei. New plan includes delayed arrival into Auckland to take advantage.
Saturday
Last night's pub crawl was another outrageously jolly abuse of brain cells with a flock of great and interesting rabble. Expect to leave here Monday for an extended recuperation period. Although there are a few places to engage in debauchery along the way, Vava'u outside of Neiafu and Ha'apai are generally much less conducive to sclerosis. Should be at Big Mama's near Nuku'alofa to stage for New Zealand passage before end of month where assault on vital organs may again be demanded.
Jack
PS After initial truculence displayed by outboard Tuesday morning following previous day's ministrations and subsequent verbal reproach, it has behaved well.