All good on board here in Tonga. We have been here a week now and easily fell back into the Tonga routine save a few chores and a radar issue we are working through now. The plan was to head North by now but without radar we are reluctant to venture into atoll strewn path to the North Pacific cross the Equator and all it has to offer, then run around in the fog. So we continue to work through diagnosis and resolution scenarios. Not always a simple task in a small Island Kingdom mid South Pacific. So the research and troubleshooting and scheming continue. The last part of the passage was basically on the nose and we beat our way up here in mostly light winds with one really good day ripping along and hitting 11.4 kts top speed. That is about 20 kms/ hr, really moving along. Wow did that ever shorten the trip up, for a short while at least then it was back to light stuff on the nose and a reluctance to burn up the safe reserve of fuel we like to keep that kept us pinching along sometimes down to 4-6 kts of wind with big seas that were left over from the last front and pushed in from the massive trough that stretched from the Solomons thru to Nuie and provided wet and very unsettled conditions along its axis of which we were angling into for the last couple of days. This combination made it sloppy, not rough but just dirty and difficult to maintain sufficient momentum even on a thoroughbred to avoid the waddle, sway slam motion it created. It was indeed a tad frustrating and there was nothing to do but try and match up with the dominant and ever changing wave patterns best you could to get a push and some speed to avoid the boom slam. Gwen got really good at it then one night it all changed rapidly and she thru in the towel after a long stressful 6 hour watch trying everything to smooth out the ride so I could sleep. To no avail, the seas were just too confused and no one could do much with it. Fortunately it squared back up a couple of hours later and the ride improved but we did suffer from restless sleep for a couple of days. No radar meant listening for, smelling and sensing the squalls approach or proximity and trying to guess whether we were in line for a direct visit, read direct HIT, or just a slap from the perimeter winds which are generally the more fierce. As it turned out we did well and threaded our way thru many such and even had a full moon for two nights which was excellent for watch standing. Lost two hard hitting fish within a few hours of arrival. Both blew apart new stainless wire leaders and we never even knew they had hit. The second was within a few minutes of deploying it. Probably wahoo as they hit really fast. It was our plan to bring in fresh fish for either customs or Big Mama or both etc... Fresh pelagic fish are much coveted by South Pacific islanders and a joy to be able to offer them up to them. Speaking of customs and clearing in. When we arrived early afternoon on Monday last, we followed protocol and reported in to Nukualofa harbor control many many times but did not get a response. After a hour or so we decided to anchor out front of the port entrance and await a response. The crew of Explorer nice Lagoon Cat in the basin, chimed in and recommended ch 14 and advised there was a training exercise underway and most of the port was involved and as such we would have to keep trying. We did finally hear from port control and were advised to tie up alongside the assigned wall where customs, immigration, heath and quarantine would come and clear us in because he had notified them of our arrival. The wall is a concrete structure, not too bad a set up, we obtained fuel there two years ago and the after story to that is another tale to tell, but the space was occupied by a VAKA a traditional South Pacific style sailing cat re-creation from the days of old. We were instructed to raft up to them,,,,ahhh not happening, we were 3 times the mass and their beam left very little wiggle room inside the small basin where the brisk 15 knots was blowing us off the dock into a shambles of old rafts and docks. There was no bail out possibility at all in there. As we were spinning around and looking at the possible ways to do this, I heard a yell "hey Russ over here". Huh? It was Phil of Silloette and Larry of Althea who were in town and saw us. They were at a wall a hundred yards East into the outer basin with an easier approach and a tiny bit more wiggle room but much less appealing in terms of condition and unknowns. There were 2 foot steel I beams vertically, well they were once vertical, now protruding at all angles ready to gouge a nice chunk out of the boat if not hole it, every few feet, old tires, rabble rock concrete and who knows what else lying beneath the surface nor how much water there was. They, our fellow yachtsmen, said it looked OK? Trick was it too had to be a cross wind landing but at speed in order to swing in there and get the bow to come thru the wind and towards the general direction of the wall. Explorer crew Richard I think/ came out in his nice large dinghy and offered to act as bow thruster for us and push us over to the dock. How nice was that! On the positive side there were three cruiser friends there to catch lines and tie us off to old bollards, questionable condition, but the only way we could manage getting along side at all so we went for it after preparing for the attempt. That meant puckerin up boyo! I had about 4 hours sleep in the past 24 and been up about 16 at that point. Anyhow I lined up, hit the juice, got speed up and swung hard in reverse for the wall. It was so very close I had to adjust a couple of times to keep the stern from whacking the oh so un-welcoming wall and at speed in reverse with no bail out options, not certain if we would run the rudder into the mud or worse before arriving at the wall. It worked out great and Explorers assistance to push the bow over made the day, we got lines ashore and with some major exertion on the part of the sore folks we got secured along side and I could un pucker for a moment. Then the barrage and sensory overload came on really fast. How long did it take, how was the passage, what about weather, any fish, what are your plans, and on and on. Them some locals and other tourists got into it and it was all a bit much but endurable given all the great help. Now, we are still under quarantine and formally not permitted to leave the vessel, touch a person on shore, pass or exchange anything from shore etc,,, until officially cleared by quarantine and by Customs. It is the LAW. So we stood on shore and chatted with old friends and locals we knew and so it goes out here. I radioed the port control to advise we were along side but 100 yards to the east by the tattoo shop and bar. Hmmm no you better go back along side the VAKA that is the official customs dock. Crap. Well that's not happening, we will go out and anchor and you can come out to see us at the yacht. We know there is no customs boat here because it was wrecked and sunk, a friend of Earls rescued and restored it and offered it back for the costs but Customs would not pay for it so he kept it and drove it around with a big Customs insignia. He got us good a couple years ago as we had cleared out and were awaiting weather to head to NZ, and he drove up to Big Mamas putting the fear into us which I reported on a couple years ago. He thought it was funny, I did not. Ultimately after simply going quiet and waiting to see what would happen he came back,relented and advised the officials would be by shortly. Whew! A wonderfully nice lady came by from Customs who also did Immigration but it was past 4 and we were going to have to pay overtime of 200 TOP, Tonga Official Paanga the Kingdoms currency. Gwen buttered her up with treats and when she looked at the arrival time I put on the many pages of forms she said that it was ok we would not have to pay the extra whcih was really quite nice. No other issues at all, just very pleasant which has always been our experience here in Tonga. As for health and Quarantine, no shows. So we waited till nearly dark and dashed the two miles across the bay to Pangaimotu and anchored in front of Big Mamas. They will find us at some point was my rational. After securing ship, from sea mode to anchored mode we went ashore taxied by Phil from Silloette and had a fab reunion with Big Mama, aka Anna and the entire crew who remembered us and were so welcoming it was like long lost family, again about how we have found all of Tonga and its peoples. So, the clearing in process nearly completed, we went to town the next day after a flat calm sleep,mmmmm good, aboard the shuttle boat provided by Big Mamas and made contact with health and quarantine. I had Health and Phil from Silloette who still needed to finish clearing in had the number for quarantine so we rallied them up and waited for them to arrive for the shuttle , which was an unscheduled one we were paying for to arrive and ferry us back over to the yachts to finish clearing in. Here we were walking around town, before clearing in with quarantine. Odd to say the least. As it turns out Phil and I were both calling Health only different people and so when Netie, from Health arrived she asked where Quarentine was. Uh Ohhh, our plan was falling apart at the seams. We did finally reach Q and got everyone over to the boats for the formalities. We all came here first to A-TRAIN and filled out the forms, packaged up our trash which they take and incinerate so no foreign stuff makes it to shore and we were basically finished. Then Phil asked if they could just complete his clearing in right here on A-TRAIN. They did and never actually went aboard his boat, but he had some fish for them, which probably helped. Either way a fun process, totally painless really, no search of the boat at all, in fact we had to coax Customs to come below and have a look as she had not been on a yacht like this before. So another arrival over with, no hassles at all, very nice folks as usual and we have been comfy at anchor since. A couple of humpback whales cruised the shoreline while we were standing there then hung out around the boats at anchor the other day. Pretty nice to have them slowly cruise past us in no obvious hurry at all. We learned it was a cow and bull looking for a shallow sandy place to berth the calf, we hope to see it in a few days time. Pretty awesome stuff!

Oh sure a couple of good blows and absolute zero viz rain squalls have come thru forcing us to stand anchor watch at midnight while we ate dinner in the cozy and dry pilot house but the water tanks are full of that oh so soft rainwater, the boat is clean as ever and salt free, the sun is out now, the solar panels are keeping all systems go, the main hot water tank is now back together and back in service, the electrical monitor system is back up and running,and,oh didn't I mention those and the two past days of frustration? Nor will I! New rule, Leave well enough alone you idiot! Especially when you are, ,,yup, you got it! Way Out Here!