Rover

Whale ho!

18 August 2023
Pete
We began the day spotting whales out the porthole!Maybe less than 50
feet from the boat, they made a pass through our bay, 4 humpbacks
puffing and diving.We lifted anchor after breakfast and motored to the
nearby island of Vaka’eitu, another lovely bay with a wrecked sailboat
on the beach.According to David, a local friend to Rover, and proprietor
of a weekly feast we plan to attend, the boat washed up on the beach
when a volcanic eruption caused a tsunami.

In the afternoon, we took the dinghy over to a small islet and
snorkeled.The coral shelf of the shore was teeming with life.We saw
several moray eels, a sea cucumber with bright spots the size of a large
throw pillow, urchins, and a great diversity of reef fish. Tonga is
magical, what can I say.The sea is so clear, and the colors so vibrant.I
am loving life onboard, sleeping well with the gentle waves rocking us
to bed, eating good food, swimming several times a day.

Our new friends, the Beresons, had me aboard in the evening and Andy
supplied me with a guitar to play to accompany him on fiddle.We played
and talked for a while, sharing songs and singing duets with his wife
Kate.Their son Nat is learning to play accordion, though he wasn’t
feeling like joining our jam.He and his sister Anna are whip smart kids,
homeschooling on the boat and living a unique adventurous life at
sea.Lovely folks, I hope to look them up when they are back home in Seattle.

We ate a delicious dinner of corned beef hash, complete with fried eggs
and chocolate for dessert.Spirits are high and the weather has
improved.We are now enjoying a night sky filled with stars.The Milky Way
galaxy stretches across the sky directly overhead and we’ve identified
the constellation Scorpio and the Southern Cross.

--
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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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