Tonga Here We Come
Nakesa
Wed 26 Sep 2012 13:07
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S18 38 W169 57
Tonga Here We Come
We all love ocean passages, no really, after the
initial sickness has worn off and we get into a sleeping pattern, a great
calmness trancends over the boat and we all thorougjly enjoy the trip. This has
now happened on this passage and what was to be a relatively short (200nm)
trip to Palmerston Atoll has turned into a proper long distance sail
to Tonga (900nm).
How? Well we were to arrive in Palmerston Atoll
around mid-night due to a much better average speed than anticipated and so I
took in the headsail and we sauntered along at 3-4 knots through the night to
arrive in daylight at 0800. The wind was uncharacteristically from the west
and straight on to the reef but I spotted a mast and made radio contact with our
old friends 'San Miguel' who confirmed that there were secure moorings to
pick up. Due to the steeply shelving sides of an outer atoll reef the mooring
bouys were only about 100ft off of the pounding surf and so with an inshore wind
it was still rather sporting picking up, I raised Phaedra and Aston for this and
they were brilliant!!
Having spoken to Francoise on San Miguel and
excited in anticipation of the warm welcome of Palmerston we were disappointed
to hear that we would not be allowed ashore until 1100 the following day when
immigration was open. After a 36 hour beat to windward this wasn't what we
wanted to hear! The Atoll may have the reputation for the friendliest place in
the world but it still apparently subject
to petty beauracracy, (we had cleared in at Aitutaki for Palmerston) A
day and night tethered and bouncing on a thin rope only a stones throw from
a lee shore of coral didnt appeal and Atlanta throwing up with sea sickness
(first time in 2 years) finally did it, so at mid day we slipped our
mooring and headed for Nuie, 380 miles away.
En passage to Nuie a number of interesting e mails
arrived from old friends..apparently Tonga was having a regatta week culminating
in a Friday race and a full moon party on the beach..they all suggested we
come......enough said, forget Nuie..Tonga here we come. In all honesty we were
getting concerned about time for getting to Fiji next weekend especially as we
again were due to arrive in Nuie at mid night, this time due to a slower than
anticipated passage and so after checking in etc it would have been time to
leave! We will do the Cook Islands next time around.
And so here we are, motoring through the night
(generator not working and needs spares from UK) with 242 miles to go, day 5 at
sea and not wanting to stop.
Will post the Tahiti Moorea and Bora Bora pictures
when we have internet proper!
Hope your week is going well........must dash we
have a deadline!, or should I say starting line to meet!!! (if you dont hear
from us for a few days we didnt win!)
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