Niafu, Tonga
Boundless 1
Richard Clennett
Fri 15 Jul 2011 18:25
18.39 S 173.58 W
Finally crossed the International Dateline and on
the same day as AUS!
We had a very uneventful sail from Palmerston to
Niafu in the V'avau group of islands in Tonga. SE trades lightening and
strengthening slightly, a few hours of motorsailing only. No fish, no sealife at
all really and one other yacht - it's a mighty big ocean out there! Lots of
reading, our Amazon "Kindle's" are really great for watchkeeping, with their own
light to read by.
After clearing in - four very friendly Tongan chaps
and many cold drinks later - we were able to step off the boat at the wharf to
the local fruit and veg market and restock! We picked up a mooring off the
Aquarium cafe and explored ashore. Several boats we had met in Papeete are here,
although we are actually ahead of the bigger fleet yet to come. The Tongans we
have met have been very welcoming and friendly.
Barb arrived yesterday afternoon (very pleased to
have left Hobart's bleak weather behind her) and we enjoyed a good meal ashore
last night, after watching the local friday evening yacht race around the bay
from the cockpit. The temperature is very pleasant, less humid the further south
we come, which makes life much more comfortable.
We are about to head in to the market and pick up a
few supplies before we head out to the islands, armed with our "Moorings"
cruising guide.We have certainly dropped the bar
as far as provisioning is concerned - after searching for cold meats and cheeses
yesterday, the best recommendation I could get was for a "lovely cheese" as I
was shown a foot long block of Gouda in the fridge - that could be bought at the
Fish Market!!! All meat is frozen in the supermarkets, it's a matter of raking
through the chest freezers to see what you can find. Tonga is apparently known
for it's pumpkins - at least we can stock up on those - and we did manage to
find tonic yesterday after a long search, so all is not
lost!