Sailing in the northern Vava'u
group of islands is a
wonderful experience. These islands offer everything : Beauty, variety,
pristine and gorgeous coloured waters to swim and snorkel in, walks, villages
to visit and safe anchorages and moorings in protected coves. In fact for us it
is like a holiday – people say the distances are so short between destinations
there is hardly time to put the sails up before you have to bring them down
again! We have had some great sailing recently and have some more overnights
coming up so it suits us well. Also this area is very challenging with all the
reefs to avoid so this more than keeps us on the alert.
Chart of northern Vava'u
Neiafu Harbour
The area is basically unspoiled with only a few restaurants
throughout the different isands.
The following are the anchorages and moorings we visit:
Port Mourelle (Kapa Island)
This very attractive anchorage is protected, and for these reasons is very
popular. We take the dinghy ashore for a long walk which leads up to a village.
A very welcoming woman invites us in over a stile near a large gate to keep out
stock but we felt a bit intrusive on their early evening, even though we spot a
well kept cricket pitch.
We are excited to find an Aussie boat anchored next to us
and enjoy exchanging experiences over drinks on their yacht.
We are looking forward to trying out Di’s dry ginger recipe.
Their brew is delicious and very refreshing.
We have a visit from Graham from a nearby yacht. He is
looking for details from one of our sister ships, Sweet Chariot. We know they
are still in the Med.
We pass through Faihava passage outside to the Pacific Ocean
and track down the west coast of Hunga Island.
We have to enter the very narrow entrance at high tide to
come in over the reef. There is also a dangerous rock in the centre of this but
it is easily visible. The lagoon here is unique because it is completely
surrounded by islands and reef and so is very calm and protected.
 |
| Coming into Hungar Is. mooring |
 |
Mooring at Hunga Island
Ika Lahi fishing Resort
 |
| View over the lagoon, with Impulsive |
 |
| Hand woven basket filled with fruit |
We see a turtle off the back of the boat. Apparently Caroline
and Steve used to feed them papaya by hand until they realized the local people
were taking advantage of the turtles trust and harpooning them so they resist
feeding them now.
Caroline and Steve invite us ashore for drinks in their well
set up lodge. They have a special haven here, having come here thirteen years
ago from New Zealand to set up their business. Steve has world class fishing
here eg with marlin. Caroline grows all their vegetables and produce she can.
Snorkeling just of the stern of the boat in beautiful clear
waters is idyllic.
Leaving Hunga Island - a very narrow passage
Blue Lagoon
We have a good start to the day with freshly squeezed juice
from the mandarins we were given yesterday afternoon, in a hand made woven pandanas
basket.
It is a short motor to arrive at this spectacular anchorage.
The raymarine GPS is totally unreliable so we use our sight and polaroid sunglasses
to come in past the few rocks and reefs. Fortunately it is a clear, sunny day.
The Blue Lagoon
Lape Island
This island advertises its market on the net this morning so
we track over and pick up one of its moorings. They find this is better than
having to go into the market at Neiafu. It is a delightful set
up with its thatched rotunda by the water. The women have weaved many pandanus baskets and there is some of their produce, sarongs and jewelery made from the local coral. A young girl escorts us into their small village of 32 people, 16 adults and 16 children. They are very independent here
up with its thatched rotunda by the water. The women have weaved many pandanus baskets and there is some of their produce, sarongs and jewelery made from the local coral. A young girl escorts us into their small village of 32 people, 16 adults and 16 children. They are very independent here
with subsistence lifestyle. The village and its gardens are
well cared for.
Avalau Island
We anchor at this island which is said to be the “island
that has everything”. The weather is perfect and there is only one other yacht
here. The 2 young men with their 2 dogs are having a weekend away because their
partners had a weekend function elsewhere. They are both living and working in
Neiafu so are interesting to talk with. We will probably see them when we
return to Neiafu.
We enjoy the peace and tranquility of this island, its
beauty especially when we go ashore with its rainforest and lovely white coral
beach, and the snorkeling over the large coral head here.
Again there is time to paint.
The morning sked is very sad this morning. The vessel Nina,
a 70 ft. schooner with 8 people on board has been missing for some time. It was last heard of June 4th.
when they were caught up in a huge storm out of N.Z. with 26ft waves and winds gusting
up to 6o kts. There have been air and navy searches for some time and they are
now assuming the vessel has sunk. This is a particularly chilling time for all
yachties.
Kenutu Island
Ross has planned our passage from the west side out to the
exposed east side while the forecast is favourable with light winds. The
easterly winds are against us but will be coming up stronger from the east in 2
days time. Also it is sunny so easier to spot reefs and rocks through these 2
difficult passages.
Anchored at Kenutu Island is very peaceful and has an
excellent holding. It is lovely listening to birds which we can hear from the
yacht. A couple on a yacht anchored some distance from us has taken a parasail
out to a nearby sandy cay and are having a great time with the winds coming in
off the Pacific Ocean.
Kenutu Island
Ofu Island
The wind is forecast to increase from the east this evening
so we track back through the first pass and then north to Ofu Island on its west side. We can anchor in 6
m. water just off the village and there is good protection here.
This anchorage is very attractive. The village is built
along the line of the beach with a well tended grass path lined with many
planted tropical plants in front of all the buildings. We wonder if we have
come ashore during siesta time as the village is not very lively. We see a
family fixing the one truck on the island and they suggest the women may be
weaving (for the pandana baskets etc.) and the men in the forest behind dealing
with the husbandry. We see many piglets running about freely.
The children are on school holidays so it is surprising not
to see them out playing. One man sitting on a seat to watch the sunset tells us
many people from the village have gone to Neiafu on their boats today.
We see many pandanas cuttings in the shallow waters. They
only take a few days to shoot and then are planted elsewhere.
Tapana Island and Pangaimotu Island ( moored in the bay off the
southern tip of Pangaimotu Island)
 |
| Aerial view of pass between the 2 islands |
 |
| The Ark Gallery |
Strong winds are forecast again so we come inside the second
reef today to moor on a buoy at the floating Ark Gallery at the southern tip of
Pangaimotu Island. The gallery is run by Sheri, the artist, and her husband
Larry who organizes their 5 moorings and the boats as they come in. They have
been living here for 15 years and have set up their own little paradise.
Walking along the eastern side of the island we realize how
protected this anchorage is as the strong easterlies blow in across this narrow
strip of the island.
We only plan to stay here one night but because of the
forecast, and we enjoy it so much, we stay for 3.
 |
| Putting out stern mooring line |
La Paella Restaurant
The Spanish couple who own this restaurant have been here
many years now and present us with delicious traditional Spanish cuisine
accompanied by the husband playing the guitar and singing.
Also on the moorings are Roy, from Ireland, and Sal and John
from Townsville. We are always excited to see the Aussie flag.
Roy’s partner is meeting him again in Fiji. He spends time
with Ross fixing the furling line jammer, which has been fixed once before so
we hope it holds. Sal and John are retired vet’s and give us advice on dressing
Ross’ finger in its final stages of healing, and add to our chart system.
Friday, 5th. July
We enjoy this time of relaxation and are now ready to move
on again. We sail most of the way with the headsail up and have winds south-east
to east gusting up to 30 kts. as 2 fronts come through with rain, even though
the forecast is for them to lighten up. It is overcast today which we are not
used to !
Unfortunately the furling jammer broke again, but we are
pleased to have a new one ordered and Ross has something else that will do the
job in the meantime. This starts off a chapter of accidents. The car for the headsail sheet track broke off in
a squall and we are lucky it didn’t break a window, and the anchor winch handle
flips overboard while we anchor at Vauleleva Bay. This is the third thing and
luckily nothing is dramatically serious.
Tongan Beach Resort is near this anchorage but isn’t serving
dinner tonight (probably resting after celebrations last night), so we just go
in on the dinghy to have a look and a walk. Dinner on board is getting down to our last fresh veges and salad
dinner. The provisioning has been very limited here but fortunately we still
have some fish in the freezer.
This is a very calm anchorage but the anchor chain drags
over an old coral reef even though we are in 7 m. of water. It makes a very
loud grumbling noise so we sleep in the stern cabin.
Saturday, 6th. July
 |
| Lape Island |
Di and Ken on Platinum are already here so we enjoy catching
up with them again. They spend a great deal of time on these islands helping
the women fix their sewing machines. This is a marvelous and positive way to help these people, who are so grateful.
There are 13 boats moored or anchored off this small island.
Everyone goes ashore at 4pm for a tour of the island and its facilities ( there aren't many) to see
what the islanders daily life is like. Their gardens and vege gardens are well tended. This is followed by a magnificent Tongan
feast. The islanders have gone to so
much trouble with the pig on the spit and many salads including delicious
seafood. It is all beautifully presented. Our plates were made from banana
plant trunks – very practical and attractive. There is music and some dancing. The few showers that pass are no problem.
 |
| Tour of the island |
 |
| The school |
 |
| Stripping pandanas leaves |
 |
| The Tongan children enjoy playing with the younger children and babies |
The feast
Waking up this morning I thought I saw a yacht's mast pass by our cabin's starboard porthole. I mentioned it to Ross and we decided when we couldn't see Platinum moored just behind us as they had been we decided they must have changed plans and left early. In fact they had broken free of their mooring and were so lucky because they had just got up and could take the boat out to anchor. It would have been a different scenario if it had happened during the night!
We are invited ashore for the church service at 10am today. This is a wonderful occassion especially with all their joyful singing, as it was last night. The islanders are all dressed in their "Sunday best". The little girls look gorgeous in their pretty dresses and their hair done with brightly coloured clips and ribbons. The men are wearing their special white tapa wraps.
 |
| Dressed for Church |
 |
| Playing after Church, with Di |
During the afternoon I have a lovely snorkel off the back of James and Lesley's boat with Lesley and Di. There is some interesting coral and a great variety of beautiful fish.
We cast off the mooring in time to track around to Hunga Is. to get into the fishing resort at high tide. We come into an amazing site - a large cat is beached right in front of Steve and Caroline's fishing retreat. Apparently the prop anodes have been neglected for some time and the prop is damaged.They are hoping to be able to fix this up on the beach but unfortunately it isn't possible and they are trying to get her off on this high tide.
 |
| The beached "cat" |
This morning we are up early to leave on the high tide for Neiafu. We need to prepare for our sail to Fiji. We have organised for the shipwrights we met at one of the islands to help us with a few minor issues, organise for refuelling and checkout, provisioning and the complicated forms we have to send at least 2 days ahead to check in at Fiji.
Favourite recipe this leg:
Provisioning this trip has been challenging because usually
I plan menus ahead but here we have to just use the available ingredients eg
veges and fruits in season which is an excellent way to eat but there is not
much variety.
Red tuna with ratatouille:
Barb-e-qued red tuna, marinated in lime juice
Serve with black bean sauce, wild rice and green salad (
tomatoes are difficult to get here)
Ratatouille – lightly brown 2 cloves of garlic
add a sliced Spanish onion and cook
until opaque
add sliced zucchini, wetted and
sliced eggplant, can of diced tomatoes
add one and a half cups of vege. stock, bring to boil and simmer
until
cooked
and tender
Alan helps Ross with the few boat issues eg checking the
engine, tightening the fan belts, changing the engine oil, checking the
generator, the toilets, and the dinghy bung. He is a very competent operator.
Apparently to check into Fiji, our next destination, we need
to send our forms at least 24 hours ahead of our arrival. Lisa in the Tropicana
café supplies this service so we spend time there. The forms are extensive
including requiring a photo of the boat. The weather is overcast with periodic
heavy downpours so we also take advantage of Lisa’s washing and drying service
which is excellent for the sheets and towels. Drying these on board in this
weather would be very tiresome and difficult. The wi-fi connection here is very
efficient to catch up with emails and the blog.
We order some of Lisa’s home made lasagna to pick up
tomorrow which will be very handy for dinner on Impusive tomorow night,
especially if it is a bit rough as forecast.
The fish market will have no fish available until net
Saturday so we are pleased to still have a few serves in the freezer.
Tonight we plan to have dinner where we can skype with
Scott, Jeanette and Oliver when he is awake. He is an adorable baby boy, and
makes Alexander look much older. It is school holidays there so Augusta and
Lily are sleeping in!
The locally caught lobster here is delicious and is cheaper
than Australia.
Tuesday, 9th. July
We are hoping to fit in a trip to the Botanic Gardens this
morning but realize we haven’t time. Also there are many torrential downpours
and we hear later the tour was cancelled due to the weather.
We have really enjoyed our time in Tonga and have met many
lovely people and caught up with fellow sailors we have met previously. These
people are from all over the world and chances are we will meet up again
somewhere – we hope so.
There are potential problems leaving today (the forecast is
for a bumpy trip for the first night) but it looks better than leaving on
Wednesday. It is also better than deferring our departure as we probably
wouldn’t get reliable trade winds until next week.
It is very quiet and easy to tie up at the dock for
refueling and our checkout appointment. The refueling goes smoothly and then
out of nowhere comes a heavy squall with strong winds pushing us up against the
dock. Apart from the general safety of the boat we have the added problem of
the support bracket for the new spinaker pole holder which protrudes slightly
out beyond the gunnel. Ross borrows a very large fender from nearby workmen and
then runs ashore to ask customs and immigration to clear us out so we can
leave. Fortunately they agree to this even though the port captain isn’t
available and they waiver his $100- fee. This all takes time so I adjust
fenders appropriately and find a large pack of bubble wrap to protect the
bracket. There is a yacht in front of, and behind us and we are all concerned
as we watch the large inter island ferry approaching but fortunately it doesn’t
seem to make much wash. This is all happening in another heavy downpour of
rain.
Ross runs back and insists we have to leave the dock which
is very challenging especially with the boats so close in front and behind us.
Using the bowthruster is a great aid and having Ross and two other men helping
to push off is very helpful. The problem is being able to turn the boat out
from the yacht very close in front of impulsive but without hitting our stern
on the dock. We give the people on the yacht in front a few worrying moments
but then we are all relieved when we are free of the dock.
The weather quietens down as we are protected coming out
through the islands, and then we head out on a course of 260T just south of west for Fiji. This trip
should take 3 overnight sails so we arrive on Friday morning.
We have good wind on the beam so have both sails up until we
are just out of the islands and then the wind drops out. After about 2 hours,
when we are wondering if we will have to motor the whole way with just half the
of the mainsail up the winds come up again close to the beam and up to 17 kts.
The seas are rolly with a couple of metres swell, so it is bumpy as Bruce
forecast, but we don’t get the squalls that are first predicted. We motor sail
with both sails and the engine just ticking over to give us an extra kt. in
speed averaging 6.5 kts. This holds right through to Wednesday at noon when we
can sail.
Ross saw just one vessel pass by us last night when he was
on night watch.
Wednesday, 10th. July
At 10.30am we are startled by a loud engine noise nearby. We
soon realize it is a plane which flies very low over us and they call us on the
radio. It is a visit from the New Zealand air patrol and they take all our
details including our destination and ETA. It’s quite comforting they know
where we are and what our plans are.
We sail through the rest of the day and all through the
night with steady winds reducing from 22-18 kts down to 15-18 kts.
We sail until 5am
Thursday morning when we motor sail with lighter winds through the Omeata Pass.
The wind comes around behind us so mid morning
we put out the spinaker pole with the headsail out to prepare to track
295 to starboard to Savu Savu.
Sailing again on this lovely sunny morning with settled seas
we can see some of the Lau Islands as we track to Fiji. We planned to visit
these islands on our way through but the authorities say you must check in at
Savu Savu first. We have heard from many people if you just arrive at the Lau
Islands you incur a huge fine and have a very difficult time with customs. This
is a pity because it is a beautiful area apparently but it is too far to come
back 150 n.miles.
We try to get permission to visit the Loyalty Islands by
joining the Island Cruising Assoc. in New Zealand to come with a rally but
their timing doesn’t suit our schedule.
We are still having a great deal of pleasure from our large
anthurium pot plant we bought in Raiatea. It just keeps flowering. Also the
basil plant seems to be happy at sea too.
We motor sail most of today with the engine just ticking over
to maintain the boat speed. It is a lovely balmy afternoon in the cockpit for
reading, and later it is still calm enough to enjoy having dinner out there
with the new moon appearing and the thousands of stars starting to lighten up
the sky.
We motor sail with calm conditions through the night and
arrive in Fiji late morning Friday as
Ross planned with our departure time from Tonga.
