A Day Late and a Dollar Short
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Sat 23 Sep 2017 04:12
Two Glaswegian student friends used the _expression_ "a day late and a dollar short" to refer to someone who was disorganised. The Greek equivalent is something along the lines of "he with little brain has strong legs". Amazingly I have been on the receiving end of both expressions. I was reminded of these unwarranted cruelties as we arrived in Tonga where we really have lost a day. We set out from Niue on 13th September for a 2 night sail to Tonga (Vavau) but somewhere along the way we lost 15th September and arrived on 16th. It's gone, disappeared without a trace and having been 11 hours behind the UK we are now 12 hours ahead. We aren't even sure where we lost it. We are still only 173 degrees west but Tonga likes to be in the same time zone as New Zealand. So, those of you who enjoyed 15th September please let us know what it was like. For all we know we might have had a bit of it; possibly an hour as we were 11 hours behind the UK in Niue but on the other hand, maybe we lost an hour of 14th also. It is all rather confusing................. From time to time we dive down into the depths to see what there is around the reefs and beneath the waves. Niue is not renowned for its fish life but the water is crystal clear because rainfall on the island percolates down through the coral before entering the sea - there is no silty runoff. Niue is the largest raised coral island in the world. There may be little fish life but as a result of the coral there are wonderful caves, some of which are accessed via an underwater entrance. Now, diving is not an undertaking we were especially designed for and great reliance is placed upon the cylinder of air on your back and the connecting tube to your mouth. Any problem with either means using the spare tube on your buddy's tank or a controlled rise to the surface (its counter intuitive but you have to breath out on the way up as the air in your lungs expands). I have only ever been comfortable knowing that there is a surface leading to our natural environment directly above - caves or even covered arches mean a denial of your means of escape and I have always had a phobia about going into them. So, two cave dives with a group really excited about the prospect meant a two stage approach. Firstly attempt the smaller cave with a fairly short (20m) entrance tunnel. Secondly, if successful and still alive, try the cave with a 50m long entrance tunnel. Oh, and just for good measure each would be in the company of sea snakes - black and white banded and one of the most venomous creatures in the world. These have been the subject of a David Attenborough documentary. This is yet another example of where you can reap the rewards of conquering your fears and discover something hugely enjoyable and rewarding. It actually felt quite cosy in the torchlight entering and surfacing within the the first cave. The waters around the cave were teeming with snakes and they swam between us in the tunnel entrance; one was coiled up on a stalagmite in the cave. The little darlings were beautiful and (to us) harmless. Leaving the cave was wonderful as you faced out towards the source of the eerie blue light with shoals of cave fish silhouetted in front of you. The second cave was similar except there were less snakes but lots of coconut crabs (we aren't sure how or why they were in the cave as they don't go in water but have to lay their eggs in it). We removed our tanks and climbed around inside, admiring the beautiful pale stalactite and stalagmite formations. Getting out again was a bit arduous in the pitch black what with juggling the GoPro in one hand, torch in the other, getting the tank back on, adjusting to the right buoyancy for descending into and travelling along the tunnel - I gave a good impression of a doddery old fart but at least a happy one. At one point we were walking through woodland with trees above and coral rock formations beneath and for a senile moment I wondered where on earth you could repeat the experience. Of course in many places, including some of the loveliest areas in the UK where there are limestone hills. Carboniferous limestone which forms the Mendip Hills and Peak District is former coral reef, laid down 350 million years ago around the equator. Over time it drifted slowly northwards until bumping violently into the granite of Scotland coming down from the north west. As the two plates ground and squeezed together there was a period of violent earth movement and mountain building known as the Variscan orogeny. Orogeny; one of the most wonderful and evocative geological words.   |