09/22/2009, Tonga
The crossing to Tonga was smooth down wind sailing: seas were under 3 meters, and we sailed fast- at about 6 knots. With the wind off the port quarter we let the lone 130 genoa pull us down wind. Setting the main would have blanketed the jib slowing us down and causing the genoa to deflate then snap full again. The last 6 hours we set a double reef main to pick up the pace a little. The wind had shifted to a beam reach and we wanted to get in during the daylight.
We arrived in the main channel to Neiafu a little before 4pm. However, we learned that overtime would be charged if we came in to the harbor after 4pm.SO we decided to drop anchor in an anchorage just short of the main harbor and wake up early in the morning to check in during regular working hours instead. We chose "Anchorage #4", according to the Moorings charter boat guide, and it was a great choice. After more than a month of rolly anchorages and passages, this was glass!! Birds called from every direction and echoed off the water. Bagheera was not far behind us and I sent by sailmail, our waypoints coming in so he could come in in the dark. He followed them on his chartplotter over reefs and land until he was right behind us. Dropping his anchor, we could hear every word he said to Nikki as they went through the exercise in the dark. And it wasn't because he was yelling, but because it was just so dead quiet in this mirror water!
We all slept well that night!
The next morning we enjoyed a nice hot breakfast, and then proceeded back to Neifu, about 3 miles away. Officials asked us to tie up at the wharf, and soon our paperwork was done , our fees were paid, and we were free to race to a mooring ball. We thought they would be gone- since there were SOOO many boats in the harbor already.but we managed to find one easily. We quickly learned where the best bread was, the freshest fruits and veggies, and where to fill our propane tank. A morning net got us a quick start on locating dinghy and motor options for Dosia. Within 2 or 3 days, we had several options including a $100 inflatable interim dinghy with the loan of our 3.3 Mercury. They however were made numerous offers by other cruisers loaning them some pretty nice dinghies so they opted not to purchase anything. Possibly in Fiji they will find the aluminum hull dinghy with a 15 horse outboard they really would like to have.
We departed Neiafu, and started exploring the out islands of the Vavau' group. We anchored the first night in anchorage #5, just outside the harbor, which was unremarkable. Then we had a rigorous sail in flat waters but 20 knots of wind, past Swallows Cave and in to Port Maurelle- Anchorage #7, then down past Sisia, and then up to Vaka Titu- Anchorage # 16. That all covers about 6 miles. Nothing is very far from anything here. I can't say that any of these anchorages are all that interesting...but all are well protected and great for sleeping and swimming from the boat if you don't mind cold water. They are neither high, nor coral atolls. The water is cold, filled with plankton, and there isn't a lot of that pretty turquoise water. The hiking and views are acceptable and pleasant, but just nothing extraordinary. Are we getting spoiled? The town of Neiafu was nice, and is made more efficient by the Expats building businesses there.a week here and we haven't really met any Tongans except those working in the Expats' businesses. Don't get me wrong- everyone is very nice, and the convenience of Neiafu is appreciated.but we are ready for the out islands. So far we have gone to 2 or 3 anchorages and everything here in uninhabited. We thought we were going to a "Resort" today, but it closed 4 years ago and is now just 2 broken down shacks with overgrown walkways. We will try some snorkeling tomorrow and see what that brings. Then move on to some more anchorages. We didn't see any whales in the area that is said to be the best place to look for whales.but maybe tomorrow. Winds are suppose to pipe up to 25 in the next few days so we may stay put, or we may move one anchorage over, and stay put there. IN about a week, we will head back to Neiafu and likely check out and start waiting for a good wind with not too big of waves since we will hopefully be on a beam reach, to Samoa. We would like to spend the remainder of the season in Samoa, and then head to Minerva Reef. If we get our fill of Samoa this year, we will have the bottom half of Tonga next year to do, and then be ready for Fiji. We won't have to beat in to unpredictable, un-established trade winds that are more northeastern in the earlier part of the season. We aren't in love with Tonga.it feels a bit like the BVIs.the anchorages all close together, mooring balls everywhere, lots of yachts everywhere, and decent facilities all close by. I guess we like it a little more remote and undiscovered.although that's virtually impossible out here I think.
Went to Anchorage # 13- on the Island of Hunga, next. The entrance is shallow- we saw 6.2 feet- at about half tide. If we had come in at full high tide there may have been 7. After examining the pass once we were inside, we came in a little too far to the left.on our way out, we saw 9.9 feet at the shallowest- again at about half tide.
The only interesting snorkeling there was outside of the pass which we enjoyed one afternoon. The lagoon itself didn't have anything in it, neither did the very shallow water over to Blue Lagoon. We also enjoyed a short hike to a viewpoint over Blue Lagoon. It doesn't look to be a very nice anchorage so I don't think we will try too hard to get to that one - its very exposed.
After 2 nights we were ready to leave, but then Dosia, Zen and Flashback came in so we stayed for another night to share an Asian dinner with them aboard Zen. The next day, we all departed, except FlashBack, out the pass in opposite directions. We went back to Neiafu after a brief overnight in Port Maurelle, Anchorage #7, with dinner aboard Brick House with Bagheera. Our final goodbyes were said there and some tears shed. We will not see them again for a few years, when we visit them in Australia in their new home. Its our first really big goodbye out here. W have been friends with them since Cartagena, Colombia, on increasing levels since we met over a year ago. But sailors paths always cross again.
The next day after a brief stay in Neiafu to get bread and veggies, we checked out and were on our way to Samoa. A weather window popped up too good to resist, and we sailed away in 25 knots of wind on our beam.
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09/04/2009, Niue
The small island nation of Niue has been a highlight for us. It is a tiny island, alone in the middle of the ocean, 300 miles south of Samoa. It's not quite as big as we thought, so we were able to see most of the caves and arches and hiking/biking attractions of the island in just a few days of bike/car rentals. The weather has become rainy and the anchorage rolly, so it will be time to leave soon. We have been here for about 8 days now.
But let me tell you about Niue and our passage from Beveridge Reef to Niue.
The passage was a little rolly with 9 foot waves behind us, and about 25 knots of wind, but fairly comfortable. I would think the quick snapping motion of a catamaran would be far more uncomfortable than the rolling of a monohull. Two day passages have become so routine now. I was afraid that we had left Beveridge too late in the day to get into Niue in daylight. We went so fast that we had to slow down just a little to arrive as the sun rose! We never saw less than 7 knots over ground the whole way, and often saw 8 and 8.5. That is fast for this heavily loaded boat, believe me! So we rolled in as the sun rolled up, and the huge rolling whales said good morning almost as politely as Niue Radio and the Niue Yacht Club did! The officials are very organized around this check in process. But it's almost as though the huge whales are working with the rest of Niue to encourage tourism from yachties!
As we arrived into the bay here, whale tails and backs and spouts accompanied us as we prepared to pick up a mooring. It was hard to concentrate at the task at hand with whales coming so close to us! There are a 15 moorings but there are a lot of cruisers here also. All of us ended up with moorings. ..even the mornings new arrivals, Bagheera, Dosia, Tender Spirit and Chandrika picked up the last mooring available. Anchoring means dropping the hook in 70 feet of water then hoping it will stay put in the heavy surge which at times comes rolling into this open roadstead. Everything you read in the books say it is awful anchoring here, that you can't leave your boat unattended, and its very very deep. Niue Yacht Club charges NZ$10 per night for anchoring and $15 NZ for being on a mooring. They provide a substantial electric dinghy lift, bathrooms, showers with solar powered hot water, laundry basin and of course the yacht club itself to hang out at, so it's all in all a decent deal for the services provided.
Clearing in went very easily, although some boats got searched, for god knows what. A local told us the customs officers are young and new and recently got training in New Zealand so they feel an elevated enthusiasm. It did not cost us anything upon checking in, and upon inquiry, they told us that it would cost $34NZ per person to check out. That's about $20 US currently per person. Between mooring and check out fees, it's actually fairly pricey (about $100 for the mooring for 8 nights and the check out fee), but I was determined to spend time in this island because it promised so many beautiful hikes and bike rides. It did not disappoint us like some islands do.
The second or third night, the yacht club sponsored a Potluck for the cruisers, and we all enjoyed each other's great cooking. The problem was that a small glass of wine cost the equivalent of $8 US and there was a $5 US charge for being there. It was very fun time though.
Since Dosia is now without a dinghy we and other cruisers make ourselves available to shuttle Drew and Margie to shore. I think their loss, although expensive, was a good reinforcing lesson for everyone out here. We are all much more cautious than ever, checking when other people on other boats, or ashore take our dinghy painter for us, about using 2 painters to be sure someone ties a good knot, and about keeping the painters in good condition so that no one ever mistakes frayed ends wrapping around the standing part for a knot in the painter in the dark. I guess when another cruiser said that its every captain's responsibility for the way we "leave them, tie them, lock them, insure them, lend them, and maintain them", he wasn't just talking about the mother ship. I don't think anyone hands the painter of their dinghy to another person now, with quite the same feeling. We are a cruising family out here and one cruisers loss or fortune is felt by all.
Everyone has been so helpful here that there could be some advantage to sharing rides ashore, especially in Niue where the dinghy must be hauled up out of the water with a crane and set on the concrete pier due to the lack of a sand beach and the terrible surge moving into shore..
Niue did not disappoint us with those land sites. One day we shared a rental car with Peter and Nikki on Bagheera. We got lost once, but managed to see all the trails and sights on the east and southeast side of the island plus one additional cave on the northwest side that wasn't even in the plan. First was "Vaikona Chasm". Another boat had told us that this was the hardest cave to get all the way in to. On Niue there are no handicap ramps, no nonslip stairs, no steel handrails you are responsible for yourself. It would be an extraordinary project to be extricated if an accident should occur. Some climbing and support ropes are already set in place. We were lucky to find Graham and Sue on Chandrika already at this cave. They are avid rock climbers. With their help, Patrick and I were both able to get all the way down inside the cave to explore a beautiful dark blue pool inside. If weather was warmer, it would have made a great swimming hole. But I was glad to have long pants and sweatshirt, both for warmth and protection from rocks. In this dark damp chasm, the rocks were very smooth and slippery. The ropes on the higher half were fine, 5 out of 6 of us went down that, but the second half, only 4 of us got across a crevasse. And probably 2 of us really shouldn't have gone across. You had 2 rocks about 6 feet apart, with a long deep fall down to water and rocks. If you fell, it would be your final fall. The two faces of rock we were moving from and too required a giant step with the landing of the foot requiring exact precision. Everything but that one little flat spot was vertical, smooth and slippery. There was equal little for the hands to grip. Graham had to tell me exactly where to put my feet and hands, and he also spotted me. I did take one small slip coming down it, and he caught and balanced me. Getting back out of this cave was a little bit easier, although there were a few leaps that had to be done with much prayer. All of us made it back out without incidence. That cave was really cool!
The ocean view at the end of the trail over the ocean was remarkable as well. Cliffs line the whole east side of the island, with table like plateaus or mesas in front of the cliffs. Waves probably 15 feet high crash on to the plateaus and cliffs sending spray high up to the hikers. We only got lost about 4 times returning to our car as we wandered off the poorly marked trail winding through thick vegetation and rough coral.
The second area we went to was called "Togo Chasm". This is a fairly civilized hike over a mostly paved trail with handholds. Towards the bottom is a tall wooden ladder that lets you make the final decent down to inside an open air, beach like area between tall cliffs. Peter couldn't refuse stripping down to his skivvies and swimming in to one of the caves, much to his delight. Again- too cold for the rest of us! We ate our picnic lunch there while Sue and Graham climbed the surrounding cliff walls. Those guys are like flies on glass. I followed Graham in to one cave, the one Peter swam in to, along the walls of the cave, and it was an awesome sight to see the waves rushing in to the cave and exploding.
Our last stop of the day, when we were all tired and ready to go back home, was probably our favorite. It's called "Talava Arches". A fairly short easy walk terminates in to a cave. You duck and squirm to get in to this cave, and it is possible to get pretty deep inside of it. Stalactites and stalagmites join to form columns, and there was water dripping in to small pools. There are times you use the ancient, smooth, frost colored, formations for hand holds. There is no park ranger here to tell you that your touch is going to damage thousands of years of natures work. These stalactites, mites and columns are as strong as concrete. A great view at the other side of the cave looks out over the ocean and over to a large arch over the water. Waves crash outside of the arch. Another couple said they have a picture of a whale tale coming out just outside the shallow water, under the arch. It's very beautiful here with tall cliffs surrounding you in every direction except where the ocean begins. There is another cave or two to explore here as well. Nikki found Oysters on the reef at low tide and had herself some appetizers. This is a very beautiful spot. We were eager to tell Sue and Graham about it - it seemed to be a good place for rock climbing! They were on bikes when we were in the car rental so they couldn't make it to this spot on the same day.
So we returned exhausted, bruised and blistered form our hiking and climbing, quite satisfied with ourselves. Needles to say, the next day was spent recovering.
One day Patrick and I rented bikes and peddled with Chandrika back to "Talava Arches", and "Matapa Chasm". The trailheads are right next to each other there. Graham and Sue freaked out when they saw these 2 areas, and WILL be returning with climbing gear for at least one if not two or three days of climbing fun. They were going to meet up with the Kiwis on Content for their climbing expedition.
"Matapa Chasm" was also a beautiful spot...a deep fjord like pool of deep cool blue water, surrounded on both sides by tall cliffs. Sue and graham will climb up these walls and fall back in to the water when they are done. Sounds scary to me. We hiked to the top of those cliffs and it's HIGH! There are so many incredible caves here which are easily accessible from the main road. It seems there are movie sets here begging to be used.
Our next spot was "Makalea Cave" and "Limu Pools". We had lunch at "Lima Pools", which reminded me of places south of Cancun where you swim with lots of fish and rays very turquoise protected water with lots of coral and rocks everywhere. It could also be compared to beautiful Tobacco Bay in Bermuda but this is far nicer.
The next 2 caves I remember though very very beautiful! "Palaha Cave" and "Avaiki Cave". One of them had unbelievable stalactites which were huge in diameter. Why did their weight not cause all to cave in? There were also long stalactites in the form of wavy curtains hanging all the way to the ground. Very very beautiful with the sea out in the front window.
When it started to get dark we were forced to leave these 2 very outstanding caves, and make our way back to the bike rental office, still 10 KM in the distance. Unfortunately Sue's tire popped its final hole, unable to be blown up so we started to walk. It wasn't long before a friendly local woman offered her a ride back, while the rest of us rode back in rain showers and darkness. Almost wish it was my bike that broke J
Our butts were now added to our list of soar parts. Why do they make these bicycle seats to tiny and hard? There was a cave in the south that I had hoped to bring Patrick to with human bones in it, but he wasn't getting on a bike again for a while and with the 2 huge blisters on the side of his feet, he wasn't willing to walk again for a while either. Funny how he has his priorities blisters on his feet at an atoll- he will warp them with tape and go diving for another day. Blisters on his feet after walking and biking. NO more walking and biking. I guess we know what he enjoys the most!
So, again the next day was a rest day at least until the evening. We were invited over for a quick nightcap on Wayward Wind. Aaron is a 39, retired football player from the Giants. His girlfriend Lauren is a beautiful endearing young woman of about 25 who has been sailing with him for 2 years. They are on a HUGE, probably 75 foot wooden schooner. Kathleen and George, a couple in their late 50s, early 60s, from the wooden boat Kalalau, the couple we sold our mid-sized rigging wire to in Tahiti,, also came over. We were enjoying a quick drink, and my popcorn and Kathleen's cheese and crackers, when Lauren announced that she was making us dinner! So we enjoyed a great chicken dinner with potatoes and vegetables to die for. It was a great treat! Then Victory Cat invited the whole boat load of us over for sushi! SO we all went over there in the dark while whales spouted all around our dinghies. Truthfully, it was a little scary going over there, hoping that the whales would not get mad at the dinghy and outboard motor noise!
We spent the next hour or two devouring sushi from fish that Kena caught on the way to Niue the day before, and that Ruth on Victory Cat so professionally prepared. It was beautiful, plentiful and a GREAT dessert! Lots of great conversation, some live music by the guys on Kena, and just a really nice time was had by all! And the whales spouted right off the back of the boat much of the night- perhaps enjoying the conversation and music as much as the rest of us did!
Again- spent the next day recovering actually not much recovering needed- mostly reading about Tonga, our next stop, and watching movies. Thank god for all the movies that Patrick's sister and brother in law send to us we never have a lack of movies to choose from!
Today we are going to town to get the last of any supplies we need, checking weather, buying up the coconut bread, taking one last hot shower in a stable environment, and then checking out so we can leave early tomorrow morning for Tonga. Looks like the weather will be turning to Southeast winds again, with smaller seas, and hopefully warmer weather than we have been having, although southern winds almost always mean cooler weather.
We were originally intending to go to Samoa, but we are instead going to Tonga to help Dosia locate a new set of wheels. Until they have some options, we are on the same track, route and schedule. They are quite sure that there will be a number of good options for them in Tonga, so we agreed to go there. So at midnight we dropped the mooring line. It was calm as we gently coasted away from the mooring field. As we drifted further to sea, wind caught our sails and pulled even tighter. It will be another fast down wind sail. 350 miles to Tonga then hopefully soon head north to warmer latitudes.
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