En Route to Tonga

This is the longest passage yet for Bill and me – I mean as a couple, just the two of us, no one else on board.  We’re about 24 hours into it now.  And all is well.

Before leaving, we enjoyed an extra couple of days in Huahine.  The check-out procedures involved a couple of small bureaucratic faux pas, and each one added a day to our departure.  In the end, it was more important for the gendarmes to prepare the paperwork and our clearance certificate perfectly, than to ensure that we left on time.  Just as well.  If they’d insisted we leave on time, according to their documents, I’d’ve been setting out with Captain Donald Fletcher – and neither Bill nor I would’ve liked that. 

Anyway, we were just as glad to wait out those extra days, because the weather was really gloomy.  Two solid days of rain interspersed with dark skies.  Better to hang in the harbour than to set out in such unsettled conditions. 

We could still swim and snorkel, and take care of little boat chores – including my favourite, scrubbing the bottom of the boat! – something the captain insists on doing before a long passage.  I couldn’t imagine ever caring, not even one iota, about a little green slime on the bottom of the boat.  But it turns out, it’s not just a little slime, and I swear Turtlebones glides more gracefully on a smooth bottom.  I think it’s a bit like having the right amount of air in your tires.

Another thing about waiting out the gloomy days. Just when you thought you’d seen all the sea-sky combinations of blue that are on offer down here, along comes stormy weather and an almost-purple sky draped over green water. Nice!

In the pouring rain, we had to make our way back from Port Bourayne to Fare, the main town and the gendarmerie.  We were seriously running out of time, and it’s about a 6-nm jaunt.  No choice but to travel inside the fringing reef and motoring – in other words, no auto-pilot, hand-steering all the way.  Now, Turtlebones has many great design features, including two helm stations, one at the stern of each hull – however, neither helm station is covered, no protection at all from the elements.  We got completely soaked, by far the soggiest time yet on this journey. 

But wetter yet was the young man out paddling his traditional canoe in the pouring rain.  Who could blame him for slipping in behind us and drafting in our wake for the last 4 nms.

When we were just hours from pulling up the anchor, the skies started to clear and a magical rainbow appeared to announce we’d be good to go.

So, now we’re underway once again.  Nothing but water, in every direction, for the next several days.  For the first day, we had the kast of the Society Islands in sight.  Sailing along the south shore of Raiatea,  Bora Bora and Maupiti.

We planned for a 7- to 10-day passage to the Kingdom of Tonga.  But one thing I’ve learned, passage planning always remains a bit of a work in progress.  Has to be that way.  90% research about where you want to go, checking out weather models, doing all the planning you can.  And 10% knowing it could all change – as the weather changes, as new developments arise with your destination, or with your boat. 

For this passage, weather remains a factor.  Overnight the sea was lit by a bright half-moon, and then by a skydome chock full of stars after moonset.  Gorgeous day today, and really perfect sailing conditions, couldn’t be nicer.  But right now, the sea has suddenly become bouncier, and we have four separate storm cells gathering in front, behind and to the north of us. Not clear just how that will affect our wind forecast. 

As well, with our extra time in Huahine, we were able to re-visit destination planning.  Suwarrow (Cook Islands) and Niue are two very different islands that lie between French Polynesia and Tonga.  Each has a doable anchorage in the right conditions, and each (or both?) could make a welcome pitstop en route.  Unfortunately though, both destinations were closed to visitors ever since the pandemic.  And the other Cook Islands are unfortunately untenable as anchorages for us.  Hence our plan to barrel on straight through to Tonga. 

But … news alert … within the last month, both Suwarrow and Niue have re-opened to visiting cruisers, albeit with new entry requirements.  So, today we applied for permission to enter Suwarrow. The only national park in the Cook Islands, it is uninhabited except for a few park rangers. The atoll is designated as an Important Bird Sanctuary which is accessible by kayak. And its rich marine biodiversity includes so-called “megafauna” – giant sea turtles, sharks, mantas and at least three species of whales. It’s just four days from here, instead of 7+ to Tonga.

If we get our entry approval (fingers crossed!) and wind predictions hold, we now plan to stop at Suwarrow for several days respite, birding and snorkeling – and perhaps the best opportunity we will have to use our hydrophone. 

Time to go prepare our sails for what is shaping up to be a stormy night.  Bon nuit!