We crossed into the eastern hemisphere in the early hours of this morning. Our position at 15.00 GMT is 25 36 S and 178 58 E. We left Minerva after lunch at the tail end of an exodus of all six boats in the anchorage. Are still at the tail end, much to the captain's dismay and much tweaking of sails, but there are just some faster boats on the ocean!
We've had winds of 20 - 25 knots, so are making good progress though the forecast shows 'light and variable' ahead. There was a period of diversion this afternoon when a NZ airforce plane was in the area buzzing each boat then calling them up on the radio (C, remember 2am in Canadian waters?). We have already had to send off a fairly comprehensive form, and also have to call up or email 48hrs before arrival, so this, nearly 700 miles out, seemed a bit OTT though sounded a pleasant job for the crew concerned.
Caught a nice small mahi mahi this morning, perfect for 2 meals.
October 30, 2008
Minerva Reef
After a good night with 15 - 20 knots consistently from the SE, and reasonable seas, we have stopped for a few hours at the only stopping spot en route. It's a circular reef with one passage through to a 2 mile long lagoon. Therefore shelter is possible in any wind direction. Will be interesting to see it on Google World - apart from some nearbye bits of reef it is the only shallow water for many miles around.
So we have fixed what needs fixing, checked the rest, made bread and cake, generally tidied up, and had a bit of a rest. After lunch we'll head off again - there were 6 boats anchored here and all are leaving today.
Position 23 38 414 S and 178 53 492 W
So we have fixed what needs fixing, checked the rest, made bread and cake, generally tidied up, and had a bit of a rest. After lunch we'll head off again - there were 6 boats anchored here and all are leaving today.
Position 23 38 414 S and 178 53 492 W
October 29, 2008
NZ Progress report
Well we knew this wouldn't be an easy trip, but weren't expecting squalls of 40 knots the first night - we didn't get round that low. Luckily saw the first one coming so got the sails reefed. Another boat lost part of their rig, got their prop and rudder fouled with lines, and are now limping back to Tonga. We spent a few hours standing by, but then a research ship heading that way said they would accompany them so we got back on route.
So it has been a night and day of quite rough seas but the wind is now around 25 knots and we're making good progress. We plan to stop at Minerva Reef which we should reach tomorrow morning. We have a broken mizzen topping lift - easily mended but easier to do at anchor - and also have the opportunity for a bit of sleep.
Position at 0800 GMT 29th is 22 59.238 S and 178 00.430 W 62 miles to Minerva Reef, and 900 to NZ
So it has been a night and day of quite rough seas but the wind is now around 25 knots and we're making good progress. We plan to stop at Minerva Reef which we should reach tomorrow morning. We have a broken mizzen topping lift - easily mended but easier to do at anchor - and also have the opportunity for a bit of sleep.
Position at 0800 GMT 29th is 22 59.238 S and 178 00.430 W 62 miles to Minerva Reef, and 900 to NZ
October 28, 2008
PEGASUS: The last lap to NZ
Pegasus weighed anchor from Nuku Alufa, Tonga at 10am local time (9pm GMT time the day before) today 28 October heading for Opua, Bay of Islands, NZ. We are currently heading just west of the rumb line hoping to miss a low coming in from Fiji. Then, when we get near Minerva reef (an optional stopping place), we will head more westerly hoping to keep north of a high near NZ. Then when we get level with NZ we will head south picking up the westerlies that the high will have caused. That anyway is the theory and current plan, but weather systems move fast in these parts so we will have to see.
Wind at the moment is SE 15-20 kts but the sea is lumpy and not that comfortable. Current position 22:00 local time is 21deg 49.596min S and 176deg 03.991min W.
Wind at the moment is SE 15-20 kts but the sea is lumpy and not that comfortable. Current position 22:00 local time is 21deg 49.596min S and 176deg 03.991min W.
October 21, 2008
More Tales from Tonga
We are now in the central, Ha'apai, group of Tongan islands. An area seldom visited by 'palangi' or foreigners except for one island which has a small airport. Even the hundreds of yachts now in Tonga waiting to cross to New Zealand (those going to Australia have taken a different route) for the most part miss this area out. So we are a select few souls who are prepared to do without supplies, technical assistance, bars cafes and restaurants and ice cream. Instead we have uninhabited or sparcely habited islands, miles of sandy beaches which are a shell-collectors paradise, unspoilt reefs, and enough fish to keep us on a mainly fishy diet. Also traditional villages where time has stood nearly still.
On this island, Luangahu, the population is 200. The village consists of one small store, a church, a school, and a straggle of very basic houses. Pigs, goats, chickens and a few tethered cows snuffle, chew and peck at their extremely free range diet of ripe mangoes and coconuts with a bit of breadfruit. The villagers are very friendly. We met a family on the track into the village with an ancient wheelbarrow in which was packed a small girl, several papaya, a bag of mangoes, taro, and some leafy vegetable. They presented us with a large papaya and we found out that he was the pastor - his English was much better than that of most of the villagers. We were already quite laden with fruit. Another man had said he could supply us, and marched us off to his house where a group of women were sitting on the floor finger weaving panandus mats. It was hardly a house, more like a wooden shed, with a large pig fast asleep under a hammock slung outside the door. We then followed him along paths through plantations of palms and fruit trees with patches of taro, yams, and cassava. Soon we had a stalk of bananas, a few lemons, lots of mangoes (in season at the moment and dropping off the trees), and a papaya.
As we get further south, we are out of the real sticky tropical heat which is very nice, but it also means that snorkelling expeditions are chillier, and a walk on a beach is often more tempting. Our shell collection is getting quite large, and our 'Seashells of the World' book is well-thumbed. There are fruit bats (flying foxes) on several islands, and many terns that object to our landing on their territory. But good whale sightings have eluded us. We have seen a few from the boat, blowing and jumping, but not close too. I really wanted to see mothers and babies, as this is the season and place to see them, and eventually went on a commercial whale watching trip with some other cruisers. It wasn't meant to be though, the day before there had been whales right next to the boat, and also the day after. On our trip we only saw a few whales, and all quite far away. The boat did have an underwater microphone, and it was wonderful to hear the (distant) whales 'talking' to each other.
Only a couple more weeks before we choose a day for the last leg of our trip - to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. The weather is calming down in that notorious stretch of water between here and there, and we have started to keep an eye on the weather reports that we can download on our email system. Some families are sending mums and children by air from Nuku A'lufa, the capital of Tonga, and others are flying in extra crew. We are giving the boat a good check through, and just keep fingers crossed that the seas will be kind to us. As we run down our supplies, Pegasus is riding high in the water which hopefully means we can go faster.....
On this island, Luangahu, the population is 200. The village consists of one small store, a church, a school, and a straggle of very basic houses. Pigs, goats, chickens and a few tethered cows snuffle, chew and peck at their extremely free range diet of ripe mangoes and coconuts with a bit of breadfruit. The villagers are very friendly. We met a family on the track into the village with an ancient wheelbarrow in which was packed a small girl, several papaya, a bag of mangoes, taro, and some leafy vegetable. They presented us with a large papaya and we found out that he was the pastor - his English was much better than that of most of the villagers. We were already quite laden with fruit. Another man had said he could supply us, and marched us off to his house where a group of women were sitting on the floor finger weaving panandus mats. It was hardly a house, more like a wooden shed, with a large pig fast asleep under a hammock slung outside the door. We then followed him along paths through plantations of palms and fruit trees with patches of taro, yams, and cassava. Soon we had a stalk of bananas, a few lemons, lots of mangoes (in season at the moment and dropping off the trees), and a papaya.
As we get further south, we are out of the real sticky tropical heat which is very nice, but it also means that snorkelling expeditions are chillier, and a walk on a beach is often more tempting. Our shell collection is getting quite large, and our 'Seashells of the World' book is well-thumbed. There are fruit bats (flying foxes) on several islands, and many terns that object to our landing on their territory. But good whale sightings have eluded us. We have seen a few from the boat, blowing and jumping, but not close too. I really wanted to see mothers and babies, as this is the season and place to see them, and eventually went on a commercial whale watching trip with some other cruisers. It wasn't meant to be though, the day before there had been whales right next to the boat, and also the day after. On our trip we only saw a few whales, and all quite far away. The boat did have an underwater microphone, and it was wonderful to hear the (distant) whales 'talking' to each other.
Only a couple more weeks before we choose a day for the last leg of our trip - to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. The weather is calming down in that notorious stretch of water between here and there, and we have started to keep an eye on the weather reports that we can download on our email system. Some families are sending mums and children by air from Nuku A'lufa, the capital of Tonga, and others are flying in extra crew. We are giving the boat a good check through, and just keep fingers crossed that the seas will be kind to us. As we run down our supplies, Pegasus is riding high in the water which hopefully means we can go faster.....
October 5, 2008
Tongan Feast and Things
We have had a few days of good weather, starting on my birthday when we went for a very hot bike ride. Then moved to one of the outer islands of this group, quite difficult to get to as it involved finding the deep channels between very shallow bits of reef, and as the electronic charts are well and truly out of position, they weren't much help. Worth it though, it was a lovely spot with a long beach and exposed rocky area at low tide, and a path through to the ocean side with cliffs and pounding waves. Extracted ourselves yesterday in 30 knot winds - carefully following the GPS track from our inward route.
Now in a much tamer anchorage with lots of other boats, but we came here so that we could go to a Tongan Feast last night. This is a weekly event put on by a Tongan family for tourists, but exactly the same as the feasts put on for any local celebration. It all took place in a simple shelter just behind the beach. There was music provided by a banjo, a couple of guitars, a wooden drum and some good strong singing voices. (helped along by a large bowl of kava drunk from coconut shells) Then a group of local primary school children did some dancing - no hip shaking here, but a lot of hand and arm movement from the girls, and warlike stamping and gesturing from the lads.
The food was delicious. A long table was covered with banana leaves, and we ate food packed in banana leaves, in short lengths of halved bamboo, or coconut shells. So no plates, no utensils, and all local ingredients - fish cooked and raw, clams and other shellfish, chicken, pork, and raw and cooked vegetables. All the cooked dishes were from an 'umu' an underground oven, which cooks slowly and gives a delicious slightly smoky taste to everything. The 'guests' were a mixture of New Zealanders on holiday, a French couple teaching in NZ, and a Dutch, French, and Colombian crew from a yacht. 14 of us in all.
We still haven't seen any whales, so I'm booked to go whale watching next Wed with some friends on other boats - G has seen whales often in S Africa so isn't so interested. No doubt between now and then we'll see them all over the place!
Now in a much tamer anchorage with lots of other boats, but we came here so that we could go to a Tongan Feast last night. This is a weekly event put on by a Tongan family for tourists, but exactly the same as the feasts put on for any local celebration. It all took place in a simple shelter just behind the beach. There was music provided by a banjo, a couple of guitars, a wooden drum and some good strong singing voices. (helped along by a large bowl of kava drunk from coconut shells) Then a group of local primary school children did some dancing - no hip shaking here, but a lot of hand and arm movement from the girls, and warlike stamping and gesturing from the lads.
The food was delicious. A long table was covered with banana leaves, and we ate food packed in banana leaves, in short lengths of halved bamboo, or coconut shells. So no plates, no utensils, and all local ingredients - fish cooked and raw, clams and other shellfish, chicken, pork, and raw and cooked vegetables. All the cooked dishes were from an 'umu' an underground oven, which cooks slowly and gives a delicious slightly smoky taste to everything. The 'guests' were a mixture of New Zealanders on holiday, a French couple teaching in NZ, and a Dutch, French, and Colombian crew from a yacht. 14 of us in all.
We still haven't seen any whales, so I'm booked to go whale watching next Wed with some friends on other boats - G has seen whales often in S Africa so isn't so interested. No doubt between now and then we'll see them all over the place!
We have had a great three days of calm sunny weather, but now the low is sitting over us again. It poured with rain for hours yesterday and we have nearly filled the tank and have all drinking water containers full. Then last night the wind came up and the forecast for the next couple of days is 25 - 30 knots. We are in a lovely anchorage with a string of 3 little islands and long beaches. The 'ocean' side is steep cliffs and chasms, blow holes, and lots of splash. A path goes over from this side. Even did some good snorkeling while the weather was calm - lots of sea cucumbers of all sizes and shapes, bright blue starfish, and a good selection of little fishes.
Tales from Tonga
Since our last update it has been windy, rainy and at the best very overcast - a slow-moving convergence zone stretching over the whole area. We stayed longer than planned in Rarotonga (Cook Islands) because of the weather, but the only harbour on the island was fairly exposed and quite uncomfortable too - we had to be tied stern-to to a concrete wall, with a bow anchor out. Such was the slop though that we couldn't be close enough to the wall to step off the boat, but had to keep the dinghy as a 'stepping stone' between - a bucking bronco between would be more accurate. The slop caused huge pull on our mooring lines, and although we didn't have problems (good, thick, fairly elastic ropes) others had lines breaking. By the time we decided enough was enough we had two anchors out and six mooring lines; and one very nervous Dane who spent most of the day and night pacing his decks to check on things, had three anchors and 13 lines, a bit of a spider's web.
From the Cook Islands to Tonga was a 5 night trip, fast, but fairly rough with squalls the first couple of nights (they always seem to hit at night time). Still we arrived safely in the Vava'u group, happy to be in this ideal cruising area of sheltered water.
Tonga is about the only independent group of islands in the South Pacific - it has never been colonized. It is a monarchy, and you may have seen in the press that the latest coronation was an occasion of great pomp and ceremony (and expense) only a short while ago. But it is quite a poor nation, with little aid coming in, and no welcoming destination for migrant workers though many do manage to get work in New Zealand and Australia. The capital is Nuku Alufa in the south; and there are no other towns of size. The main town of this group has very healthy looking pigs and piglets running around the streets, and the 'supermarkets' only sell very basic goods. It is quite a 'yachty' area, there is a Moorings charter base here, and sailing people provide most of the visitors except for a cruise ship that anchors off every now and then and floods the little town with 2,500 people.
The Tongans are tall and heftily built, helpful and friendly. Their singing is wonderful, and going to a church service is one of the 'highlights' in all the tourist info! We were walking through a little village last Sunday and passed a pastor calling his flock to worship by banging a hollowed horizontal tree trunk with a large wooden mallet. The sound was very loud, and much more mellow than a bell or gong. There were two tiny churches very close together, and the singing was loud and harmonious, - and competitive! The missionaries in the early 1800's did a very effective job here, as religion is firmly embedded in the culture. Sundays are strictly observed, to the extent that no one is allowed to swim or go out in a boat, and everything is closed. Dress is very conservative, and clothing should be below the knee and over the shoulders.
The formal Tongan dress is a woven panandus 'mat' which both men and women wear wrapped around them like a rather stiff skirt. Traditionally the more mats you have, the wealthier you are, and they are used for sitting on, sleeping on, things are carried in them, and they go over the head to keep the rain off. The panandus palm leaves are boiled trampled in the sea, rinsed, sun dried and made into thin strips. They are then finger-woven. The best quality mats are creamy white, supple, and they gleam like silk. Everyday mats are brownish, and rather stiff. Even if mats are not worn, a wrap-around skirt is very common for men. The school uniform seems to be a choice of skirt or trousers for boys, worn with a shirt (and tie for church). Trousers are hardly ever seen on women, and are forbidden, or at least frowned on, for church. And as in other Pacific islands, a slim figure is not seen as any more beautiful than a large one. When wrapped up in a mat like a flat-bread wrap it would be difficult to look slim anyway!
On many of the islands we have visited disposal of rubbish is a big problem. Here, lacking a regular collection service, all the boats are asked to bring their rubbish to a particular jetty in town between 9 and 9.30 3 days a week. Happy is there with her car, and for a small charge loads her car up and takes it all off to the tip. As there are 100 boats anchored off the town at any one time, she has taken on a major task. She says that it gives her a chance to advertise the fact that she also does laundry and sells meat!
This area is one of the best in the world for seeing humpback whales, and most people we have talked to have seen them and even had mothers and babies in their anchorage. We haven't as yet, but are keeping fingers crossed.
From the Cook Islands to Tonga was a 5 night trip, fast, but fairly rough with squalls the first couple of nights (they always seem to hit at night time). Still we arrived safely in the Vava'u group, happy to be in this ideal cruising area of sheltered water.
Tonga is about the only independent group of islands in the South Pacific - it has never been colonized. It is a monarchy, and you may have seen in the press that the latest coronation was an occasion of great pomp and ceremony (and expense) only a short while ago. But it is quite a poor nation, with little aid coming in, and no welcoming destination for migrant workers though many do manage to get work in New Zealand and Australia. The capital is Nuku Alufa in the south; and there are no other towns of size. The main town of this group has very healthy looking pigs and piglets running around the streets, and the 'supermarkets' only sell very basic goods. It is quite a 'yachty' area, there is a Moorings charter base here, and sailing people provide most of the visitors except for a cruise ship that anchors off every now and then and floods the little town with 2,500 people.
The Tongans are tall and heftily built, helpful and friendly. Their singing is wonderful, and going to a church service is one of the 'highlights' in all the tourist info! We were walking through a little village last Sunday and passed a pastor calling his flock to worship by banging a hollowed horizontal tree trunk with a large wooden mallet. The sound was very loud, and much more mellow than a bell or gong. There were two tiny churches very close together, and the singing was loud and harmonious, - and competitive! The missionaries in the early 1800's did a very effective job here, as religion is firmly embedded in the culture. Sundays are strictly observed, to the extent that no one is allowed to swim or go out in a boat, and everything is closed. Dress is very conservative, and clothing should be below the knee and over the shoulders.
The formal Tongan dress is a woven panandus 'mat' which both men and women wear wrapped around them like a rather stiff skirt. Traditionally the more mats you have, the wealthier you are, and they are used for sitting on, sleeping on, things are carried in them, and they go over the head to keep the rain off. The panandus palm leaves are boiled trampled in the sea, rinsed, sun dried and made into thin strips. They are then finger-woven. The best quality mats are creamy white, supple, and they gleam like silk. Everyday mats are brownish, and rather stiff. Even if mats are not worn, a wrap-around skirt is very common for men. The school uniform seems to be a choice of skirt or trousers for boys, worn with a shirt (and tie for church). Trousers are hardly ever seen on women, and are forbidden, or at least frowned on, for church. And as in other Pacific islands, a slim figure is not seen as any more beautiful than a large one. When wrapped up in a mat like a flat-bread wrap it would be difficult to look slim anyway!
On many of the islands we have visited disposal of rubbish is a big problem. Here, lacking a regular collection service, all the boats are asked to bring their rubbish to a particular jetty in town between 9 and 9.30 3 days a week. Happy is there with her car, and for a small charge loads her car up and takes it all off to the tip. As there are 100 boats anchored off the town at any one time, she has taken on a major task. She says that it gives her a chance to advertise the fact that she also does laundry and sells meat!
This area is one of the best in the world for seeing humpback whales, and most people we have talked to have seen them and even had mothers and babies in their anchorage. We haven't as yet, but are keeping fingers crossed.
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