The Dangers of Cruising

Throughout our travels you hear tales of disaster and misfortune on yachts but up until this time it has always appeared distant although thoughts can’t be ignored as you set of on another passage or leave the boat. However, since cruising this time the realities of the risk are evident for us to see.

There has been a long list of events in recent weeks. The first occurred here in Fiji. One of the cruising yachts that left New Zealand with our rally struck a reef off Vianni Bay, the yacht was lost but fortunately both husband and wife were alive. Apparently whilst sailing in a narrow passage between reefs the yacht was pushed on to the reef by strong current and waves. The couple survived although at one stage they were separated from each other when their tender was upturned. The yacht was reduced to pieces and local Fijians rescued them and located their grab bag on a nearby beach. Having their passports in it at least allowed them to return to New Zealand with a minimum of hassle. The yacht was their home and is now in the hands of the insurance company. Since this event another yacht has also gone onto the reef in the same vicinity although it was able to get off and survived to tell the tale. In part this is why we chose not to head in this direction when we left Savusavu although it is meant to be very beautiful.

Our first mooring buoy in Savusavu was in front of the remains of a yacht pulled up onto the beach. It was rusty with a collapsed rigging and mast and it appeared to have been in a fire. It turned out to have been destroyed 2 months previously when it suffered from a gas explosion. The Canadian couple were sadly both killed. We are now obsessional about turning off the gas at night and when leaving the boat.

This week the HF radio has been sadly filled with the news of another disaster in which 2 yachtsmen are still missing and their yacht destroyed. Leaving Tonga the yacht ploughed into the side of a volcano / island at night and there has been no sign of the pair. Debris has been sighted across the ocean by an extensive search but there is no sign of the men. Speculation is rife as to the cause. They were only 23nm from Tonga so fatigue should not have been a factor. It was night but conditions were good and it’s a massive island visible in daylight for many miles. Yet another cautionary story.

The final story comes from New Caledonia where a yacht was lost when it hit a submerged container. The sailors were able to get into their life raft but again there are ever present risks many outside of the yachtsman’s control.

So I guess what I’m saying is that we love the cruising but in the back of our minds we are always looking for ways to manage the risk and hoping that nothing happens to us or those we know. I hope this is the last story of disaster that we hear of but when they tell you that 8 yachts are lost each cruising season in Fiji it makes one very cautious!  

Leaving Tonga in our wake

We had an enjoyable and very sociable time in Tonga meeting lots of other cruising folks and visiting their yachts and so in some ways it was sad to leave this community behind. We regularly came across some the boats that had sailed as a part of the rally from New Zealand; it was like meeting up with old friends although our paths had only crossed for a brief period. We met other yachts in Tonga, many people from all walks of life. There were “Puddle Jumpers” from the Americas who had made the long trip across the Pacific, Arc boats on an 18 month whirlwind circumnavigation of the globe but there were others who were spending the winter cruising the Pacific Islands like us. Who knows, are paths may cross again.

We left Tonga a little earlier than planned as there was a good weather opportunity which if we had lingered longer may have delayed our arrival into Fiji. We didn’t want to be late for a rendezvous with Jonathan and Sarah at the beginning of July. We cleared customs with little hassle got all the paper work sorted this time and left Neiafu that afternoon spending the night in Port Mourelle some friends Sue and John offered to cook us roast lamb that night which was a delicious send off from Tonga.

The sail to Fiji was easy with winds to the stern quarter from the southeast with a strength up to about 22 knots. The seas were gentle and the moon provided some night time light. It took 3 days and nights although on the final night we heaved too outside of Savu Savu Bay because customs take a dim view of any yacht arriving in the dark and dropping anchor. We picked up a mooring at 9am with the help of the Copra Shed Marina boat man Simon.

Customs were organized by the Copra Shed who ferried the various officials to Dreamweaver. It was the middle of the afternoon before we were able to leave the yacht and go and gain our first insight to Fiji. Savusavu is in a large bay with the township sheltering behind a small island. It is very picturesque with high sided hills hanging with vegetation, coconut palms, mangroves and mahogany trees, lianas drape through the higher tree canopy, distant rain forest clad mountains fill the horizon and it appears very tropical set against blue seas and sky. The town is along one street and it was obvious that the culture was very different to Tonga, more affluent even with the current political status.  There are some expensive houses on the hillsides and some more modest homes but on the whole a very different situation to Tonga. There was no evidence of wondering pigs and many less dogs looking ill cared for. The multi racial aspects of Fijian life were evident with most of the businesses being operated by Indian Fijians. Shops offered a greater range of goods and it was easier to re supply our stores.

Throughout our stay the weather was very hot and humidity was extreme. Unfortunately you are unable to swim from the yacht and so we sought respite at a local hotel pool on one occasion. We decided to leave Savusavu which is on Vanua Levu after 4 nights and head across Bligh Water to the island of Viti Levu. We had thought of heading east around to Viani Bay but more on why we didn’t shortly. We weaved our way through the complexity of reefs and made a safe crossing across a notoriously windy area of water. Our next destination is Vuda Point Marina in a few days time.

Sailing in Vava'u

This archipelago of Tonga’s is composed of 60 islands and they say that for every nautical mile you sail there are 4.8 tropical islands to see. This really seems to be the case. When ever you anchor at one island others form the picturesque view, often with areas of reef changing the blue hues of the sea. Most islands are reasonably high with hillsides covered with trees, a mix of coconut and other species such as mango, figs and many I don’t recognize. The beaches are white coral sand usually having a fair collection of shells to see, with remnant reef structures with sea cucumbers, crabs, and blue star fish and a few coloured fish in the shallows. This scene creates some really beautiful locations to drop an anchor and while away the days!

Neiafu is the major village in this island group and has a huge number of churches and these are the most significant buildings. The affiliated schools of which there are many are also imposing particularly those supported by the Mormon Church! When moored in the deep harbor you are woken by the sounds of cockerels crowing, bells ringing and hymns emanating from all the churches. The village offers cafes, the internet at a reasonable speed and the chance to re provision  the boat by shopping at the market and hoping that some of the very small stores have what you need. Forget the Coles or Woolies version of a supermarket!

There is a hospital which has been built by Australia and a new wing donated by the Chinese. This houses a very impressive dental clinic! Whilst Nick was with us Roger unfortunately lost a part of a filling which subsequently developed into an abscess! Not only did he fear the customs officials the thought of locating and using a Tongan dentist was almost sending him back to Aus’! Any how the dental department was only opened in February 2012 and proved to be up to the job. We have visited twice the first confirmed the problem and gave us some more antibiotics although Roger had already commenced these and we returned again this week and a temporary filling was put in by a Tongan trained female dentist. Initially she seemed a little severe not much small talk and lots of equipment but a local anesthetic worked and despite Roger thinking he was going to have a heart attack with a rapid pulse and trepidation all worked out well!!  It cost $50 much cheaper than Aus that’s for sure!

We have met many other cruising people all with a story to tell and many sailing around the World on the World ARC rally. There yachts on the whole are larger and have all the gizmos etc on board, it costs them 18000 pounds just to enter the 2 year rally!  We have had a very sociable time here in Vava’u eating out in the village or sharing meals with other boats. It has been a lovely destination which we have enjoyed visiting. Any how it’s time to move on to Fiji and we plan to leave on the 8^th June so that we can meet up with Jonathan. There seems to be a good weather window over the next few days so its back to passaging and a few nights of disturbed sleep. 

Customs in Neiafu

Customs in Neiafu

Ok we couldn’t put the inevitable off any longer we were going to have to face the customs officials and sort out our not clearing out of Tongatapu correctly. Nick disowned us and Roger and I set off for the customs building located on the wharf. It was a little tricky identifying the location but eventually we were ushered into a warehouse type building and a bench and table pulled together. A very serious man in dark clothing and wearing a traditional mat type skirt sat us down and Roger solemnly explained the situation, after all it was his responsibility as ships Captain!! A large ledger was placed on the desk and dusted off. Our details were taken and Dreamweavers stats were added to the tomb of other boats. “Welcome to Vava’u.”  There were to be no fines, no jail sentence or emergency dash from one end of Tonga to another we were free to go. Roger and I could not believe our luck. On returning to the boat after a much needed beer we learnt that $1000 fine could be applied. We counted our good fortune and planned our next island location sighing with relief.

Vava'u

We departed the Ha’apai group of islands in a hurried way, not to run from the customs officials who I think were only to happy to see the back of us but because as always, the weather changed from that predicted earlier in the day. We had planned to spend the day anchored out from a resort but with the wind moving more to the south this was untenable as an anchorage. Two choices return to Pengai the major village on Lifuka the administrative centre of Ha’apai and wait until later in the day or to leave earlier than planned and arrive in Vava’u in the middle of the night, We set off aware that we would either have to go very slowly, an impossibility on Dreamweaver with the wind on our stern quarter or hope to find an easy anchorage that we could safely anchor in the middle of the night.

 The passage north is about 65nm in deep water with the occasional shoal and reef to avoid. The wind reached 25 knots and we made brisk progress arriving in the Vava’u group at 2am.We decided to anchor in Port Mourelle a cove tucked into a bight on Kapa Island, this anchorage is well protected from most wind directions. The radar clearly defined the shoreline of the deep fiord like water ways on our approach which gave us confidence in our electronic charts. On entering into the cove 2 other yachts could be seen at the far end which at least defined the area for us. We could not believe our good fortune to discover 2 vacant mooring buoys!! No anchoring in the dark questioning the proximity of coral or shelving beaches. Thank you Tonga tourist board a welcome site late at night.

We awoke the next morning to the sounds of crows ushering in the next day, the sky blue and anchored in a deep cove surrounded by high cliffs, hanging with verdant greenery and topped by coconut palms. The beach lay in front of us the sand white and the sea a multitude of blues as it extended forwards to lap on the shore changing colour as it traveled across coral and sand. A welcome sight after a long day and night.

We chose to spend the day here unwinding and enjoying such a beautiful setting. The thought of facing customs officials put of for another day!

Sailing the Island Groups of Tonga

Sailing the Island Groups of Tonga

Tonga is divided into three distinct island groups and there is roughly 65 nm between each of these areas. The islands of Ha’apai are the central archipelago and offer the classic pacific scenery of coral reefs azure blue and turquoise waters dotted with lush islands with fringing coral reefs. These have white sandy beaches and swaying coconut palms. Some have small resorts or villages on them but the many are un-inhabited with the population of Ha’apai being around 8000 people.

The people live an uncomplicated life, poor with very modest homes put together in a ramshackle way, lots and lots of pigs wandering about the place with the occasional goat or cow munching about in the bush. They live on fish and chicken supplemented by canned corned beef sent in from New Zealand and a surfeit of soft drinks. Rubbish is a major problem with much of our western based cans and plastics being left dumped around the villages. I felt the need to start up a clean up Tonga Day much like our clean up Aus day but of course who am I to dictate what should and shouldn’t happen here. However, much of the island group is very beautiful and it was impossible for the above issue to detract from this. In the distance towering peaks of still active volcanoes could be seen and the extensive barrier reefs and shallow lagoons made for good anchorages.

We visited several islands Nomuka’iki which is now uninhabited but was an old prison site. There were few remnants of its past only the plantations of mango trees gave a hint of previous settlement. On the beach is the wreck of a fishing boat which came to a sad and tragic end in more recent times. From here we sailed a short distance to the island of Ha’afeva. This was interesting and confronting as we explored a local village. The reality of the life of the pig was very evident as this large squealing pig was wheeled past in a wheel barrow. Obviously that night’s village dinner. From here we moved to one of the outer barrier islands Uonukuhihifo, where Nick had his first sample of strong winds requiring a night long anchor watch. 30+ knots with lots of reef around kept us vigilant all night!

Throughout our trip through the Ha’apai Roger had a nagging thought that we had failed to adequately clear out of Tongatapu for the inter island customs! It turned out that we had not done this properly and Roger feared some enormous fine or a night in jail. We visited the customs in Ha’apai and with a great showing of humble groveling for the situation. It was all too difficult for them at 3.30pm so he advised us to head north and solve the issue in the next group of islands. Rogers’s sleepless nights were to continue! Onwards to the next islands Vava’u!

Leaving New Zealand

GOODBYE NEW ZEALAND -  TONGA VIA MINERVA REEF

The sail from the Bay Of Islands to Menerva reef was some 840nm and roughly ¾ of the way to Tonga. We chose to break our journey effectivly giving us a bit of break to catch up on some sleep and give ourselves an experience that may prove hard to replicate else where.

Leaving New Zealand on a suuny morning, some 33 boats lined up for the effective start to the rally. Not a highly stressed event but it was still an impressive sight, we at last felt a if we were heading for the tropics. Light winds saw our blue asymetric sail flying which allowed us to pull away from some of the heavier and cumbersome cruising yachts. Roger was in his element! As day passed into night and the distance from land increased the seas become larger with an intermittent side chop, the positive for us was at least it was on the stern quarter and not a beat for a change! It took us less than 5 days to get to the reef and on our last night we had to reduce sail significantly allowing us to arrive at North Minerva in day light.

The passage through the entrance is not that narrow but it is quite something to enter into a circle of protective reef, blue flat water and a depth of only 25 meters when outside there are 5 meter waves and an ocean floor of several thousand! We anchored and enjoyed a restful 4 days waiting for the wind to move around from the north east which would allow us to set sail for Tonga.

We explored the reef taking the tender to the edge of the flattened surface which at high tide is covered by the pounding surf as the Pacific Ocean comes to an abrupt holt. The reef has built up on the rim of an extinct collapsed volcano or sea mount. The pounding is dramatic but not more so than looking out from the boat at night with no visible signs of this barrier and feeling that you are anchored in the middle of a vast ocean with the largest moon in recent times glowing down on the water! Quite surreal!

We departed the reef and had a fantastic 36 hour sail to Tongatapu Tonga arriving at 8.30am having negotiated the reefs into the lagoon. We anchored at “Big Mama’s Yacht Club’ and called in our arrival and awaited the arrival of customs and quarantine. This was a Saturday and we had negotiated for an early clearance so that Nick could join us as soon as possible. We had not appreciated that the following Sunday was mothers day! A significant cause for celebration! Any how at 5pm true to their word a boat pulled along side us. 4 large Tongan men boarded Dreamweaver and we went through the formalities. We had imagined some difficulties but the whole process was rapid with more talk about the rugby than anything else. Did we have drugs or fire arms? No! Then we would be glad to know that the islands were free from any communicable diseases and we were welcomed to Tonga! All too easy.

Nick has now joined us and we have eased into Tongan time and the pace of island life. We have explored the main town of this group of islands and tomorrow we set sail for a slow wander up through the other island groups. Sand, sea snorkeling and relaxing times ahead although it has taken over 6 weeks to get to this point!