Sand Dollar dropped the hook in the lagoon at Niuatoputapu (New Potatoes), Kingdom of Tonga at 10 AM this morning which is actually tomorrow morning on account of the artificial location of the International Date Line. I was not happy about losing a whole day at this point in my life but I am told that I will eventually get it back.

All in all the passage was a breeze, so to speak. That is, the wind and seas were almost ideal and my arrival occurred when the sun was high enough for good visibility at the entrance. The Seattle boat "Marcy", with my friends Peter and Ginger onboard was the only other boat on the island when I anchored and I was delighted to see them. Soon, however, two other boats pulled in, both of which I know - the Swedish boat "Lorna" and the Norwegian boat "Helen Kate".

We spent most of the afternoon checking in with the officials. Their main concern was whether we had any cigarettes for them. You see, the island's smokers have run out of tobacco and the bimonthly supply ship is not due until the 24th. They are in dire straits.

All else is well onboard. I have not yet researched the angling opportunities.