Wayward Wind Ahoy

Vessel Name: waywardwind
Vessel Make/Model: Les Verity 58ft steel Ketch
Hailing Port: sydney
Crew: Matt Haling and Jodi Hawley
25 September 2012 | Pangai
23 September 2012 | Sandy Beach Resort
22 September 2012 | Tonga
16 September 2012 | Tonga
14 September 2012 | Nukunamo
10 September 2012
09 September 2012 | Tonga
08 September 2012 | Pangai
07 September 2012 | Luahoko Island
02 September 2012 | Nomuka'iki to Foa
01 September 2012 | Nuku to Nomuka'iki
17 August 2012
08 August 2012 | Port Villa
25 July 2012 | Fitzroy Island
31 December 1969 | Nuku'alofa
31 December 1969 | Kingdom of Tonga
Recent Blog Posts
25 September 2012 | Pangai

Sail to Pangai

Re-supply time again! This week we took Wayward Wind to Pangai. Why, have you ever tried to carry 30 eggs in a backpack on a bicycle? The other reason was that a taxi costs $80 for a return journey and that makes them golden eggs!

23 September 2012 | Sandy Beach Resort

Sunday chores

The locals aren’t even allowed to do their washing on Sundays. You can and will get a fine from the police if you’re guilty of working on Sunday.

22 September 2012 | Tonga

Spiders

I’ve never seen so many Golden Orb spiders anywhere. One tree is home to over 20 of these large spiders. Nina tells the story of her son JJ, who’s a big fan of spiderman. He got one of these harmless monsters to bite him to get super powers, needless to say JJ still can’t swing from building to [...]

16 September 2012 | Tonga

Sunday law

Sunday again, I love Tongan law!

14 September 2012 | Nukunamo

Whale rescue

Today we woke to the sad news that a humpback whale calf had beached itself and died on Nukunamo beach just 50 metres away from the northern tip of Foa Island and Matafonua Lodge. We’re anchored less than 200 metres away and chose to go scuba diving rather than go looking at a dead whale. The day was [...]

10 September 2012

Baking on board

One of the highlights on board is Jodi’s baking. Several times a week I enjoy fresh muffins, pastries or bread made from scratch. The bread comes in several forms from the tradition loaf to focaccia and a variety of buns. These are awesome despite the fact that the bread book got wet during the first [...]

Sail to Pangai

25 September 2012 | Pangai
Matt
Re-supply time again! This week we took Wayward Wind to Pangai. Why, have you ever tried to carry 30 eggs in a backpack on a bicycle? The other reason was that a taxi costs $80 for a return journey and that makes them golden eggs!
We anchored close to the small harbour, from here you look North about 2 km to Miukuku Point where Captain Cook anchored each time he visited Lifuka.
Also the place where he Port Au Prince anchored for repairs in 1806 before being boarded by 300 Tongans, ransacked and later burned. Another visit to Digicel to try to sort out our 5kb/s mobile internet and to the chinese store to excitedly get ice cream in our freezer. The small, sweet local bananas go nicely on ice cream with a sprinkling of Milo. The return sailing trip, with shopping if you can call it that, and a fantastic lunch at Mariner’s café takes about 6 hours.

Sunday chores

23 September 2012 | Sandy Beach Resort
Matt
The locals aren’t even allowed to do their washing on Sundays. You can and will get a fine from the police if you’re guilty of working on Sunday.

Spiders

22 September 2012 | Tonga
Matt
I’ve never seen so many Golden Orb spiders anywhere. One tree is home to over 20 of these large spiders. Nina tells the story of her son JJ, who’s a big fan of spiderman. He got one of these harmless monsters to bite him to get super powers, needless to say JJ still can’t swing from building to building on his home spun web.

Sunday law

16 September 2012 | Tonga
Matt
Sunday again, I love Tongan law!

Whale rescue

14 September 2012 | Nukunamo
Matt
Today we woke to the sad news that a humpback whale calf had beached itself and died on Nukunamo beach just 50 metres away from the northern tip of Foa Island and Matafonua Lodge. We’re anchored less than 200 metres away and chose to go scuba diving rather than go looking at a dead whale. The day was picture perfect with clear skies and calm, crystal clear blue water. Everyone enjoyed the diving and a day with good company. When we returned to our anchorage and took everyone ashore we could see a crowd on the tip of Foa and more on the beach around the carcass of the whale. We thought that like in New Zealand culture, the villagers might have been performing a ceremony for the whale’s spirit, how wrong could we have been? Jodi convinced me to take the dingy over for a look at the proceedings. I left my cameras behind, as I had no inspiration to film a dead calf. Yes I know should have to tell the story.
It turned out that the calf was alive and guests from the resort had busied all day pouring water over the bed sheets draped over the whales back. This was to help hold the cool water and to help stop the whale’s skin from burning in the sun.
For a couple of hours I helped a dozen others to stop the huge mammal from rolling dangerously onto its side. The position I had taken was beside the whale’s left eye and just forward of the pectoral fin so every time it breathed out I got sprayed with “whale snott” in my face and over my shirt. Others laughed each time while I laughed at myself and tried to work out why each breath contained a strangely familiar smell? I still can’t work it out.
The calf had been beached for 12 hours by the time the tide returned and we managed to carry it into deeper water on a makeshift bed linen stretcher. It remained motionless for a few seconds after we took the linen away then with a few kicks of the tail it was off to an eruption of cheers and tears. Darren and Ben stayed beside the calf to help guide it through the shallow reefs to the ocean while in my dingy Jodi, Dave Blanchard (from Sea shepherd) and I ran interference with the local fisherman who were standing by. The whale turned and swam along the beach on Foa Island in front Sandy Beach Resort and a sea of waiting spectators who had no way to get over to Nukunamo Island. When it turned in front of a startled swimmer and headed towards the beach the swimmer took it gently under the chin and guided it back out to sea as the wave of spectators descended to help with a gentle push. The whale finally followed Darren and Ben out to sea and was last seen swimming away vocalizing to the other whales that could be heard in the area.
Ben got some great footage shot with a GoPro that can be seen at the resorts website www.matafonualodge.com

Baking on board

10 September 2012
Matt
One of the highlights on board is Jodi’s baking. Several times a week I enjoy fresh muffins, pastries or bread made from scratch. The bread comes in several forms from the tradition loaf to focaccia and a variety of buns. These are awesome despite the fact that the bread book got wet during the first crossing and is barely legible with pages stuck together or missing. A game of “finish this sentence” has been successfully played many a time during the dough making process.

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