Britannia under a colorful rainbow after a squall
So you may have noticed we've slowed down quite a bit. Tonga has plenty to keep us busy- of course I'm playing it fast and loose with the word "busy." It maybe better to say that we're not bored yet. Krister and I have tried to balance playing, fun times with work and boat projects. Here's the quick run down of what's been going on with us and Britannia in Vavau, Tonga.
• Sailing; lots of it. Fabulous wind, fabulous weather, and over 30 anchorages all within a day's sail. Racing Friday nights on Piko with friends and in the Vavau Regatta (We took dead last in the Boot and Rally Race).
Friday night racing on Piko with Adam and Eve
• Snorkeling; colorful coral gardens, diving into lava tube caves, free diving, swimming over to visit friends, and of course checking the anchor.
Tonga's rocky, blow-hole filled coast; not a place for swimming or boats!
• Beach Days; thin strips of white sand beach to search for treasured seashells, read books, walk, and sometimes even sleep.
A day at the (most perfect) beach.
Walking another of Vavau's white sand beaches
• Sun-downers and Pot-lucks; there's alway something going on. We're thankful for the wonderful group of cruisers that always have a story to tell, advice to share, and something delicious to drink and eat.
Celebrating Rob's Birthday (and Blue Moon's 25th)
Cruising couples from Dillagaf, Britannia, Architeuthis, and Shalimar
• Boat work; never-ending cleaning, resealed the leaky portholes, tested and stowed the para-anchor and drogue, fixed the furling line, replaced sheared-off transmission bolts, cleaned the winches, created a rainwater catchment system, loads of laundry washed and wrung by hand, organized the provisions and lockers, garbage duty and we still have more on the list.
Birds on Britannia's bow kept me company on laundry day
• Sight seeing; Swallows cave, Mariner's cave, blow holes, sink holes, whale watching, jungle hiking, and going to the market.
The amazing blue water of Swallow's Cave
A dinghy full of explorers
Taking a walk
Tongan basket weaving
Vavau's market
• And there's never enough time spent on listening to the rain, watching the sun set, playing guitar, beading jewlery, knitting (yeah it's starting to get cool here at night), staring at the wall, and drinking coffee.
The latest news is that due to unforeseen circumstances, Krister will be helping to deliver Dillagaf to New Zealand along with Lauren-boy from Piko. The boys fly to Nukalofa on Monday and are hoping to hit a good weather window on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Lauren-girl and I will be on mooring balls at Ano beach taking care of our boats and getting ready for our own passages. Krister's friend, Joe, is joining us on November 5th to crew on Britannia. With Krister doing two passages back to back, we'll be lucky to have him along. Krister and Lauren should return the first week of November. Although we'll probably have to skip the Hapai group, we'll still be basically on schedule; arriving in Opua, New Zealand mid-month.
Still loving it! Life is good!
Happy Birthday Kathie!
Congratulations Convivia!
And Happy Halloween to all :)
