18:39.49S 173:59.01W

All is well on board and we’re delighted to have arrived safely in Neiafu.  Our 350 n.m. trip from Samoa took us 3 full days and nights, on a single port tack and hard on the wind all the way.

The last 12 hours were particularly challenging as the wind gusted up to 30 knots at times, the rain lashed down and it was so dark out there that you couldn’t distinguish the sky from the sea.  It’s the first time we’d had our foul weather gear on for a long, long time.

As we approached Tonga we had to slow Macushla down to ensure a day light arrival and things finally started to calm down, as expected, once we were in the lee of the Vava’u group of islands, even though the wind continued to blow in the high 20’s.  We made our way through the islands to small town of Neiafu where we would check in.

In something of a daze and dog-tired we were delighted to be called up on the VHF radio by friends Geoff and Alison on sv Saraoni as we approached the harbour.  They gave us the low down on checking in procedures and mooring options for which we were extremely grateful.  We went along the Customs Wharf to complete the formalities with Customs, Immigration, Health and Quarantine and then headed over to the mooring field off the town where we picked up a buoy.

We’re looking forward to catching up with Geoff and Alison and other cruising friends, but for now we just need to SLEEP!

With all the formalities complete, it’s time to raise the Tongan courtesy flag: