Tomorrow morning we intend to clear out of Tonga and head off to Fiji 500nm away. The weather looks promising for a fast passage.

Our stay here has been enjoyable and fairly relaxing. Damien has had a good look around the island and today went to a traditional Tongan Sunday feast. We started Sunday by attending mass at the Catholic church along with David Isom an Aussie friend also sailing back to Australia. The church was packed and the mass was sung with great gusto. The whole congregation formed an amazing choir with perfect harmony and timing, it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. We will leave with a lasting impression of the friendly Tongan people. When you walk down a street here and make eye contact with anyone, they light up and give you a big smile, even teenagers in school uniform. That would never happen in Australia where people seem to avoid making eye contact.

After being blown away by how expensive everything was in French Polynesia, it has been refreshing to find that costs here are very reasonable even cheap.

Bern and Da