Nordlys

NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Sat 29 May 2004 04:21
BACK IN THE KINGDOM OF TONGA
 
 
Nuku'Alofa  29th May 2004
 
 
In the early hours of the morning of the 26th May Nordlys was reaching at 6 plus knots under double reefed main only.  The genoa was rolled as I was not prepared to be within five miles of land until dawn was showing itself.  The loom of the lights of Nuku'Alofa were visible off our port bow but otherwise all was absolutely black due to complete cloud cover.  The GPS and most importantly our now working radar showed us where we were but with the chart saying 'reefs reported up to four miles south of the island shore in 1942' the idea of bowling on into the blackness did not appeal.  Four hours after sunrise we dropped the hook just off the town of Nuku'Alofa on the island of Tongatapu.  It was seven days almost to the minute since we had left Opua.  We had sailed some 1085 miles through the water to achieve 1025.  The difference being mainly due to the erratic wind direction causing us to 'wander' around the course and also in two cases we sailed off in the wrong direction to avoid particularly nasty looking black squalls.  We had motored exactly one day out of the seven and had all winds from close hauled to running and from nothing to forty knots.  Generally a mixed bag.  What is more important is that both of us are now back into that delightful state where we can walk around both inside and outside and do what is necessary even if blindfolded. We can also read even in the wildest motion  without feeling ill.  With such varied conditions we were forever changing sail sizes and combinations and for some days hand holds were essential all the time.  The nights were very dark due to much cloud and a new moon.  The sails and rigging are fine but took an awful hammering mainly due to lots of running over a disturbed sea and only ten knots of true wind giving about five over the deck.
 
Tonga itself is a bustling hive of activity.  There are fourteen boats in the harbour, another twelve anchored outside with us and two miles away there are some ten plus anchored off Pangaimotu.  This in contrast to the five in total that were here when we left last October.  Four large Tongan men with their skirts and mats wrapped around them were ferried out to Nordlys by Annette to complete the paperwork.  Unfortunately because Jago and Claire are coming here on a one way ticket we have had to spend two sessions in the immigration office in town getting the necessary letter of authority to fax to them.  As I write this Annette is at the airport meeting them so hopefully our efforts will be successful.  Our own social life has been most enjoyable as apart form Kitty and Simon Van Hargen on Duet (RCC) one day after our arrival our Norwegian friends on Embla sailed in.  We hope, all three of us, to head north into the Haapai group on Tuesday.  We had last seen Embla in the Society islands and it was great to catch up with them.  Annette also has a chance to 'practice' her Danish as Norwegian and Danish are very similar.
 
Tonga, the country, is in a slight crisis as its airline, Royal Tongan, has gone bust, due we are told to very poor management.  This has left many of the islands without communication and in the case of the Vavau group it is a financial disaster.  Moorings the charter operation cannot get its clients there.  The hotels, whale watching, diving and other tourist operations are in a state of complete crisis.  We have heard that Fiji has offered to let their airline provide a service but that the King of Tonga has refused this offer.  What the truth is we really do not know but if there is not a resumption of services to Vavau soon there will be a lot of financial hardship and in the case of many of the small islands there will soon become a shortage of needed goods and medical supplies.  We have just this morning heard that the only interisland ferry is stuck on a reef and while not in danger is out of action with the crew and passangers running short of food and reduced to one working lavatory.  This is all we know at this stage.
 
This is not the place to talk politics but it is interesting to note that with all this cruising activity there are no American boats here at the moment.  Apparently they are tending to keep together and to not often fly their ensigns at the moment.  How long before we have to re-register under the Danish flag!
 
Our very best wishes to all our friends who read this, always assuming that some do!  I will write with photos in about two weeks from Vavau when hopefully we will have experienced some more basic island life in the Haapai group.
 
David and in absentia Annette