Soggy in Tonga
03 October 2012 | Neiafu Harbor
Cloudy and rain.
I'm typing this as we sit across the harbor and will post it once we get back in town. We may only be a mile or so from the town center, but there is no WiFi out here. There's no dongle that we can plug into our computers and bang, connect to the world. That's not how it is here in Tonga. Get in town, find a restaurant that offers internet and then you can connect to the world. We're not in Fiji anymore Dorothy.
Well, time passes as we sit here in Tonga. It's totally overcast and raining. It's been raining, off and on, since last Saturday and it's Wednesday now. Hey, I know our record. Where ever we go, we bring lots of rain with us. When we were in Seattle, they had the wettest August on record and the third largest snow fall on record. In Mexico, rains followed us and while in Fiji last Winter(actually Summer there) there was flooding several times with entire towns near us under three feet or more of water. When we got to Tonga, they had had virtually no rain for three months. If they had known we were coming, I'm sure they would have welcomed us with open hands and hearts. Since we have been here(all of ten day) it has rained more days than not. Cisterns are getting filled all over the island and the grass is greening up and starting to grow again.
In between the showers, we've gone over to Neiafu in the dinghy and done some touring. We attended "Augustine's Circus Spectacular" at the Baby Grand Theatre. Now seeing that we are on an island out in the middle of no where, the "Circus Spectacular" is like any circus you get on the mainland. This "Circus Spectacular" was the tale and show of a special Flea Circus. The main performers were Fefe(femme fatale flea), Hercules(strong flea), and Jimmy(apprentice strong flea). All this was held in front of a packed house(thirteen people in all) in a side room of one of the store fronts. Starting at 1830 and going till 2000, it was a great show impossible to do justice to in this post. You had to be there to really enjoy it. Needless to say, it was an incredible show loved by all 13 of us.
Yesterday, we headed down to "Taste of Tonga". A new company here in Tonga that is setting up operations processing coconuts. Everything from the husks, to the shells, to the "meat", and the milk. We were amazed at all the uses of a simple coconut. Charcoal from burning the shells. Fertilizer from the husks(once mixed with other things that are found here) to coconut creme and of course the meat of the coconut. While it's just getting up and running, once in full operation, it will be quite an operation.
The "Regatta" ended last Friday night at the "Full Moon" party. Sixty five boat were at this years festivities, up a bit from last year when we were first here. Everyone had a great time. Lots of contests and a couple of boat races for the racers amongst us(not us). Even a morning dedicated to all the kids(boat kids to the local kids) with games and craft making for everyone. From the cruisers to the local kids, it was great fun. If you are going to be out here next season, come and join the fun. It's a great way to meet your fellow boaters and many of the locals.
We've cleared up the anchor locker and dug our way down to the forward head macerator that stopped running during our trip across from Fiji. It looks like the impeller blades inside had slipped a cog and stopped turning while the motor itself is still spinning. With all the rain, we've had to delay working on it till it clears up. Meanwhile, everything that was so salt encrusted inside the locker is getting a good fresh water rinse in all the rain(it's pouring again as I type this).
So here we sit, waiting for a clear day when the wind lets up a bit so we can get out of town and find a nice island to anchor off of. All in good time I guess.
It's now just about 1800(still Wednesday) and it has finally stopped raining(at least for a while). This afternoon, it was raining so hard that we couldn't see across the bay toward the city. It's now calm and we wait for the next shower.
Yesterday(Tuesday), once back aboard, we felt a sudden thump on the boat as though we had been hit. Zephyr shook like she had been hit. We rushed on deck and saw nothing. No boats nearby. My thoughts were of an earthquake. I turned on the VHF radio and it came alive with everyone talking about the same thump. It was indeed an earthquake. Reports this morning were that it had happened about 75 miles southwest of here and measured 5.3 on the scale. No damage anywhere but it made for an interesting few minutes.
It's now 2241(Wednesday) and it started raining again a few minutes ago. It's an on again, off again rain but when it starts, it's not a gentle shower most times. This is a downpour. It's slowly filling poor Puff as she sits tied to the side. We've already filled several jugs with the fresh water and used a bunch of it for a load or two of laundry. It had a shot at drying during a small window of not necessarily sunshine but more a period of no rain. It finished out drying hanging from a line stretched back and forth inside the main cabin. By the next morning it was dry. With any kind of luck and a period of dryness, maybe we will get another load done tomorrow. It's fun to walk around the cabin with wet laundry at every turn during a downpour outside. It makes an already humid space in the boat that much more humid.
Finally posted Thursday at 1652 Tonga time