After almost two weeks at Niuatoputapu, by early Octover it seemed the weather for our next leg was as good as it was likely to get. We headed off early one morning into about 20 kts ESE, bound for Tonga’s Vava’u group, another 180 NM trip. We had a close reach for the first twelve hours or so, and then the wind backed a little more to the east and we were able to reach along for a bumpy but reasonable ride south.
What a pleasure to pull into the Vava’u archipelago the next afternoon: a little bit like coming home, since this was the first closely-spaced archipelago we have been to since we left Canada. Of course, there are no palm trees or mangoes or 27 degree Celsius waters at home, but if you squint at the scenery on a gray day, there are some similarities. We do have humpback whales at home, just like here though – in October this area becomes a whale nursery as the little ones are building their strength for the trip back to colder waters. We sighted one just as we came into the northern entrance to the islands.
There are more than 30 anchorages within about 20 square miles here, and it is all in protected, flat water with trade winds blowing most of the time, so the sailing is a real pleasure. You can even tow the dinghy without worrying about big waves chucking it around. Nice and easy.
Thanks to the Kiwi catamaran Moonwalker for the photo!