After almost 4 months in Tonga it was time for us to depart. 

As what seems to be the norm for Mustang Sally we are always heading off in what you could call unusual weather as we are still heading north or at least this time north east with the winds forecast to tend east as we near Samoa so the first part of the passage head us to the east.

 

We cleared customs yesterday morning and dropped the mooring lines off at around 1:00pm from Neiafu and were on our way.

As forecast, for the stage of our journey, the winds were SW and around 15-20kts although the seas were rather confused so conditions on board were rather uncomfortable for a while.  Once we cleared the island of Vava’u we gybed over onto starboard tack and started heading in a general easterly direction as the winds started to clock around to the South and then into the South East.

Around midnight the winds had abated so was time to start the engine and are currently motor sailing at around 6.5knots heading at 30M with around 240NM to go to reach the eastern tip of Upolo in Samoa.

 

Will report more shortly