Tonga Arrival
Wandering Dream
Steve Litson
Sun 14 Jun 2015 05:36
18:39:0S 174:00:0W
Neiafu, Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga
We arrived at the entrance to the island group at 0100 hours. Fully
intending to navigate the entrance in the dark. As we got closer to the passage
through between the islands, within five minutes the wind had picked up to 50
knots , the current swept through against us. If we went straight against the
wind we didn’t go forward, if we moved to port or starboard we were swept
immediately through thirty degrees. Our sails were down, “discretion is
the greater part of valour,” they say, so we discreetly turned and headed back
out of the passage. We were being pushed along at a phenomenal speed, so
used the engine to slow us. We back tracked for a couple of hours in the lee of
the shore, then when we felt the wind may have abated we turned and tried
again.
By this time it was 0500, the wind had dropped sufficiently and as we
neared the main anchorage and the customs wharf, daylight had arrived, making
the captain so much less anxious! We had sailed through the night, thirty six
hours non-stop, taking turns at the wheel or dosing in the cockpit. Tired but
with a sense of satisfaction, we set off in search of breakfast and a
shower.
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