Samoa - Tonga passage, October 15 - 17
15 October 2013 | at sea to Tonga
Samoa - Tonga passage, October 15 - 17
The morning after our departure from Savaii the wind abates so we shake the 3rd reef out of the main and sail on a close port reach over dark, rough seas. They are rough as a result of being confused as we are in the lee of Samoa where the southern and eastern swells meet after sweeping round the islands. Here they jumble into and cross over one another. All the motion makes the topping lift at the end of the boom work its way loose - again! Jim and I must carefully choreograph our movements so that we can snag it without getting bashed in the teeth by the untamed shackle and without falling overboard! After a time, the boathook is handily extended and wrapped around the loose end at just the right moment. We pull the stray end of the topping lift onboard like a snagged fish and tie it more securely to the boom end.
Before nightfall we spot a UFO - an unidentified fishing object, namely a large, suspiciously behaving fishing vessel. It is on our course so we try hail it on VHF 16 - no response. It darts off out of the way then turns round with little finesse to backtrack to its original position. Illegal fishing is a big problem on the oceans. Jim does his civic duty and contacts a ham radio operator to report it, but whether any authority can do much about these buckaroos is a good question.
As we move out of the lee we encounter the most perfect sailing conditions: absolutely fabulous steady wind and minimal swells. The passage from Samoa to Tonga is reputedly rough, with lots of thunderstorm activity and big seas. We are lucky, however, especially as I am slipping from "crew" to "passenger" by sleeping a lot due to feeling lousy (another reason our blog fell so far behind!). I start a course of antibiotics to nip sinusitis in its tracks and get back on my feet. Trusty Jim holds up well doing double watches. Sailing makes him happy and he is full of boundless energy! The going's so steady he can practice his star shots with the sextant. And there are fascinating lightning shows to be watched, far off to the north and west during the nights.