Nomuka Iki Island, Ha'apai, Tonga
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Thu 4 Jun 2009 09:39
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20:16.587S 174:48.268W
Slightly before dawn on May 22, we left the
anchorage at Pangaimotu Island and Big Mama's Resort and headed north to the
Ha'apai group of islands in company with Storyteller and Lady Kay. Unlike
the rest of Tonga, our charts of the Tongatapu Island area are accurate, so
we felt confident leaving the place in the dark. What we didn't count on
was a Tongan pilot boat (the boat that delivers and picks up local Tongan pilots
to and from large commercial vessels so they can safely guide the
freighters into and out of the Nuku'alofa port) traveling
toward us with no navigation lights. What is it about Tongan
boats an their tendency not to use basic safety equipment like
navigation lights and radios? Unfortunately, we are fairly certain
that the reason lights and radios don't seem to be used often is not
because the Tongans have a death wish, but because the equipment either
doesn't exist on their boats, or it's broken. In either case, the money to
buy or fix the equipment is probably not available. Knowing or at
least guessing at all of this, we simply changed course to give
the unlit pilot boat a wide berth and kept going with nothing more
that a shrug and a, 'Did you see that pilot boat?' exchanged between the
two of us.
The 65 mile sail to Nomuka Iki Island was
nothing less than marvelous. The wind was slightly more than moderate,
slightly aft of the beam, with seas slightly more uncomfortable than
our stomachs (ok, my stomach not Don's) would have liked, but it was all worth
it as we zoomed to the island and arrived within eight hours at
an average speed of 8.1 knots. Not too bad. We, of course,
crowed that we beat the trawler Storyteller - never mind that they left
Pangaimotu Island a good twenty minutes after we did, it's the fact that a
sailboat beat a motorboat that's important. Speaking of such
things, cruising boaters like ourselves generally claim that they are not
competitive, that when they sail in groups from one island to another
or one country to another no one pays attention to who arrives first or
who beat who. As the Brits would say, 'Rubbish!' We all
secretly care and have not a little competitiveness crawling under the
surface of our outwardly passive and pleasant faces when we proclaim to our
boater friends that 'It's not a race. We are just in it for the
fun!' Yeah, right.
We anchored off Nomuka Iki Island for
only one night and never left the boat. The anchorage was rough due to the
slightly more than moderate wind and lack of protection with only a reef between
us and the slightly more than moderate sea swell. The spot was
beautiful, but we decided we would move on to a calmer anchorage
the next day, especially since we knew more of that famous Tongan
unsettled weather was headed for us in a day or two.
Picture 1 - This was our view of the beach
on Nomuka Iki Island. Beautiful sand beach, but looked a little
sinister with the wrecked Tongan fishing boat on it. Note the white
capped wind waves on the water - the wind was coming from the east southeast
(left of the picture) and so was not blocked by the island. Hence the
bumpy anchorage and desire to leave after only one night.
Picture 2 - Don caught yet another tiny
fish. This time a tiny tuna. It went back into the sea and our
freezer continues to be fishless.
Anne
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