Vava’u to Ha’apai Tonga

[hoops name=”break”]Thursday, 9/26/2013

Wow….has it really been 4.5 weeks since we arrived in Vava’u Tonga…..where did the time go. Kathy did try and update the blog with pictures from Suwarrow and Niue but the internet is just too slow and about all we could do is get emails 🙁 ((

We are on a day passage to the Ha’apai group where we hopefully will spend about 2 weeks before going further south to Tongatapu and staging for the run to New Zealand. We will go to an anchorage called Ha’ano and then on Friday go on to Pangai to check in. This passage is about 65 nm and so far it has been an ok passage….winds 10-15 kts and 5-7′ swells all on the beam!!!! So far the fishing score is: Fish 3, YB 1. I checked on the reel after about an hour in the water and found no line on the reel…..WTH…..must have been something really big and must have hit while we were listening on the SSB net as neither one of us heard a thing 🙁 (((( Next, I barely got another line in when a huge marlin hit…..6’+ and a huge girth…..did the tail walk 4-5 times, looked me in the eye and said watch this…..another head spin and bam, there goes another lure…..wow, are those amazing fish or what. Then, I put a line in again and as I’m letting it out, bam, a nice size Mahi for dinner…..now that was fun….except the filleting and cleaning up in these beamy seas 🙂 )))) And finally, another spooled reel….this time I was there, had the drag all the way, Kathy was slowing the boat down but all I could do was watch the reel spool and then it was gone 🙁 (((((( Yikes, what a very expensive Mahi!!!!!!

We have had a blast in Vava’u…..I describe Tonga as the South Pacific version of the BVI’s…beautiful islands and anchorages, the passages are 4-10 miles long in protected waters, the diving ranged from good to excellent, the local people are very friendly and the local customs fascinating, some pretty good restaurants and the crusier social agenda is alive and well!!!

What could be better…..well, we have not had the up, close and personal whale experience that we want. Tonga is the breeding and birthing area for the Humpback whales and we are in prime season. There are many whale watching boats that take people out and hopefully you get to swim with the whales…..maybe even with a mom and calf…..and we did go on one trip…..and while we did see 10+ whales and got into the water and heard whale song…..alas, Kathy and I still can’t sing whale…..we did not get to see one up close……bummer 🙁 (((((

There are over 40 different anchorages in the Vava’u group and we did about 10 of them! The pace definitely slowed down which is what we needed after coming 7000 nm. When we arrived in Neiafu, we slept for like 3 days barely going into town for provisions. We played in Neiafu for the next few days catching up with some boats we had not seen in a while and going to various restaurants…..something Kathy appreciated after cooking almost nonstop for a month. The we left Neiafu and went out in the outer islands. We got back to our ideal days…..get up when you wake up, coffee, emails, more coffee/tea, read, dive, beer, lunch, read, nap, read, happy hour with friends…..sweet!!!!!

One of the more unique experiences happened our last night in Vava’u. We had returned to anchorage #16 (20+ years ago Moorings numbered the anchorages as pronouncing the names is very difficult). This is one of our favorite places and where we dove a reef called the Pagados 4-5 times, an outstanding reef and the best since the Tuamotus. A couple owns this island and we quickly befriended David and Hika. They had lived in Nuku’alofa and Neiafu for most of their lives, but because work is hard to find, they decided to return to this island that his family owned since his great grandfather. No buildings still existed so they had to start from scratch. The first week we were there they still had no generator…..very primitive living. But, they had their kids and were living a very happy family life. We went to the church on Lape island with them….the service was in Tongan but we got the message just fine…..and boy, can those people sing!!

Many Tongan’s raise pigs and on special occasions they smoke a bigger pig in an “umu” a type of underground oven or spit roast a piglet on a open fire….easier to spit and tastier with much less fat. Well, Graham on sv My Muse suggested we have Happy Hour on one of David’s beaches and invited them to come along…..sv Iolea was there too. In honor of our last night with David and Hika they brought a piglet to roast……and that is what we did…..we made a good size fire, David cleaned and gutted the piglet (1 month old……they have 9 more….they will eat the 4 males but use the females to breed), they cut a green branch and spitted the pig and then for the next hour David and Hika turned the spit while we all sat around and talked and drank wine. When the pig started to slide off the spit, David said it was done……and we all dug in to the best tasting pork with not much fat, the skin crackled like bacon…..the meat was moist and tender with very little fat…..yummers indeed. After the HH David and Hika came over to MM for more drinks and they talked about life in Tonga and on this remote island….wow, what a magical night for us!!

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Stats:

Position: 19 40S 174 17W

Traveled:64 nm total

Course: 186M COG

Wind: 10-15kt ENE clocking to East

Waves: 4-7′ ENE 10 sec period rollers

Speed: avg 7.7 kts SOG; 1600 rpm

Weather: 10% cloud cover; sea temp 79 deg F

Boat sightings: 1 – Minnie B is about 3-6 miles behind us

Fishing: 1 landed Mahi, 1 blue marlin that gave us a show; 2 spooled reel

Sail: not up

Fuel burn: no reading

Hope all is well!

John[hoops name=”break”]Mystic Moon