Peggy & Pat's Sailing Adventures
We had been watching the weather, looking for the right conditions to make the passage from Qamea to Vanua Balavu Island, about 70nm southeast. If we do about 7 knots, this is a 10 hour passage, too much to do in a day and still arrive when it is light. But it is an easy over night passage and the
In most places, when you pass someone you don’t know on the street, the most you expect is a nod and maybe a polite ‘Good Morning.’ In Fiji, you often get a loud and enthusiastic ‘Bula!’ with a big smile. It almost feels like you just got a hug from a good friend. Fiji is a very special place. We
Back in Neiafu for July 4, but there were no fireworks or other celebrations, this being Tonga, not the US. Still, we had a good time at a fund raising dinner for a veterinarian who travels from New Zealand to do mostly free work for the Vava’u community. On July 5 we went whale watching. Tonga is one of the
On the morning of June 16 we arrived at one of my favorite places – Vava’u, Tonga! Some the things that make Vava’u so special are the huge number of bays and little places to tuck in for a safe anchorage with crystal clear water, great snorkeling, and very comfortable temperatures! There is a decent sized city, Neiafu, with stores,
We left Samoa on June 9, sailing along the northern coast of Upolu to the Apolima Straight between Upolu and Savai’i, the two main islands of Samoa. The wind died when we got into the straight but picked up again as soon as we exited the southern end. The seas also picked up and we were in 2.5 to 3
Note: I forgot to publish this a while back so it is out of order. This was from early May. After sailing in French Polynesia for the past two years, it was exciting to be heading out to a new country, the Cook Islands. They are their own nation but linked with New Zealand who is in charge of defense,
Our plan had been to go from Palmerston to Niue and then to Vava’u, a group of islands in northern Tonga. While we were preparing for the trip, we were also watching the weather. It was clear that some heavy winds and waves were coming up from the south and would soon arrive in Palmerston so we needed to move.
Palmerston is a small coral atoll about 200 nm west of Aitutaki and part of the Cook Islands. It has 37 residents and they are all descendants of William Marsters who came there in 1863 with three Polynesian wives. Initially, he was part of a company producing copra but in time he took over the local operations and was officially
Continue readingPalmerston – The Story Of William Marsters And His Three Wives
On May 1 we pulled anchor and headed west, destination Maupiha’a. This is a small island, still part of French Polynesia, with 8 inhabitants in three homes. The people are mostly involved in copra, the harvesting of coconuts. Every 2 to 4 months a ship comes by, drops off supplies and collects the coconuts that have been split in half
Continue readingMaupiha’a – A Special Place On Our Way Out Of French Polynesia
April 20 – May 1 Our time in French Polynesia is coming to a close. We arrived nearly two years ago in the Marquesas and have had many great times. But if your boat stays longer than two years, you need to pay an import tax that would come to tens of thousands of dollars. So we needed to be