Underway again
12 July 2023
Ashlee
Rover and the crew had a short but sweet stop in Raratonga on land
yesterday. Karenn and I got up before the sun and walked a bit of the
town and looked for baked bread and maybe a pastry to try. We ended up
seeing a space that they must use for an open-air market, a must see
according to one of the guidebooks, but it is only held on Saturdays. We
walked along the shore without being able to see the ocean crashing on
shore, but could sure hear it. There were lots of little shops and
stores that had not yet opened but it was nice to see the community in
the quiet of the morning. We swung by a small coffee shop, with doors
open and great hospitality and asked for a cup of coffee for our walk
back to the boat. The two places that I have visited thus far have been
beautiful and kind of majestic with their high volcanic landforms that
stand stiff and at the same time have an active process of the earth
taking them back. The mountains are covered with lush vegetation, exotic
palm trees and beautiful flowers. The peaks of the hills reach up into
the low hanging clouds that hug the island keeping the humidity and
temperature high.
We got back underway after provisions, diesel fill up and clearance from
customs and immigration officials. We set sail last night and headed
towards Tonga. Our original plan was to stop at 2 other spots but with
our weather window closing in, to be safe we are heading straight to
Tonga to avoid high winds and rough seas. This transit Karenn and I have
decided to share the cooking duties and we have been doing great tag
teaming and cooking great meals. We were a bit under the weather the
first passage and I didnât eat much more than noodles and drink water.
This transit is a bit better and we are making gourmet meals for
passage. We had oatmeal with all the toppings for breakfast, I made
wraps with potato salad for lunch and Karenn made pasta with white sauce
and Salmon for dinner.
I have to say it has become a bit colder as we head south, this is their
winter season but it is still 75-80 degrees F and high humidity. We are
all still wearing swimsuits or minimal clothes to keep comfortable and
cool. It gets really warm down below after cooking and during the heat
of the day. During our off time, not on watch, we have been catching up
on sleep, preparing meals, boat projects, reading and meditating to pass
the time. This transit will be a bit longer and we are trying to avoid
some rough seas and wind coming in by going behind it.
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