Rover

Once around the town before the weather comes down.

03 August 2023
Karen
Good morning sunshine! As we eat our breakfast sunlight streams into our
cabin. It’s been days, and with heavy rain at 4 am, this is a big
surprise to me.

We rally the troupe, gather our backpacks and shopping bags, lower the
dingy and install the motor and we are off to town.

A tee shirt place is our first stop. A woman from San Diego moved here
22 years ago. She works with local Tongan artists using their work to
silkscreen art onto tees and bags. Purchases are made and then we are
off to the market to buy locally grown produce. Supplies obtained, so
it's off to Tropicana Cafe for lunch.

The Tropicana is much more than a cafe, it is a one stop shop for
provisioning all things dairy (cream cheese and yoghurt), and make made
and ready made dinners. They also rent bicycles, yoga mats, kayaks,
books, refill your propane, do laundry, and can arrange taxis and
sightseeing. It is also the hangout of ex-pats, (we see the same people
frequently). The food isn’t great, but it’s consistent and the place is
kind of fun.

On the walk back to the dinghy dock, we take a detour to an old wharf.
On the way we encounter elementary school students, on their lunch
break. The school is located at the waterfront on a big shallow bay. We
observe kids turning over rocks and looking for crabs. They’re mostly
boys, the girls come stand around us. I go down to the shore and turn
over rocks too, and kids join me. Katie talks with some of the girls.
Its great to interact with these friendly children, some but not all
speak English.

We walk a little further and come to the old wharf. Small craft are
being repaired and other boats are tied to shore nearby. There is also a
ferry service to the outer islands from here too. We walk along the
shore and see all kinds of shells. This bay is known for pigs foraging
in the ocean. We see several of them doing this but are not sure what
they’re eating.

Soon we are back at the boat and it’s time for a swim, laundry and a
shower. We are all set now for the coming inclement weather. It’s
expected to come in tonight and stay for the next couple of days. The
wind and waves expected will preclude us from going ashore in the dinghy.

--
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Comments
Vessel Name: Rover
Vessel Make/Model: Valiant 42
Hailing Port: Seattle. WA
Crew: Eric and Linda
About:
We're making a big change to a cruising lifestyle. Eric retired in 2012 after 32 years in R&D (mostly) at HP. Previous passions included flying and bicycling. Linda will retire in 2013 from Oregon State University. She's been active in Zonta, was a Scoutmaster, and is a champion baker. [...]
Extra: Linda was barrel master and Eric participated in the Jackson Street Vintners; a group of friends that made wine from 2000 to 2013
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