Month: November 2012

November 27, 2012

We woke up and listened to the Stragglers’ Net, getting confirmation we had made a good decision leaving today as everyone had a rough, bumpy ride last night.  The weather outlook was better for today.  We start getting ready to go and encountered a frequent phenomenon in cruising: the dreaded last-minute crisis.  Why oh why do boat problems love to pop up just as we’re about to head out on a passage? In this case, it was fuel in the bilge, which meant a leak someplace. Not until we tracked down the cause would we know whether this was a big problem or a little problem.

Rich tracked down the leak quickly, and it turned out an o-ring had fallen off the fuel filter housing last time Rich had changed the filter. Fuel had been dripping out for a few days.  Luckily we had lost very little fuel, and soon the problem was fixed and we were back on schedule.

By now, we were the only ones in the bay next to Big Mama’s.  I think very, very few cruisers can ever say they’ve been alone here, and it is a strange feeling.  Everyone had joked to us, telling us to turn out the lights when we left.  As we pulled out at 9:45, leaving an empty bay behind us, I almost felt like we should be turning out a light! We may well have been the last boat to leave Tonga in 2012.

The wind was between 12 and 14 knots as we motored our way out of the Tongatapu island group, a process that took about 3 hours.  Once we got out on the open ocean, it was a bumpy and somewhat uncomfortable ride, but much better than it would have been if we’d left yesterday.  We were on our way.  –Cyndi

Note: Well, here’s another opportunity for putting in more pictures that didn’t make the cut before.  So along with a picture I have from us leaving, I am adding in some others from our time in Tonga.

November 26, 2012

Early Monday morning, Rich took his turn as net controller on the Pacific Drifter’s Net as the final boat from the previous group was arriving in New Zealand.  Bright Angel had left Vava’u the day after we did and were now heading into the Bay of Islands.  I got on the radio and talked to Linda, who warned me about the temperatures close to New Zealand, saying they’ve been in long underwear, long pants, sweaters, jackets, foul weather gear, hats and gloves. My heart sank as I sat there in my shorts, tee shirt and bare feet.  I didn’t even know if I had any gloves!

It would have been tempting to head back into the Ha’apai group for a couple more weeks, but cyclone season was starting and it was time to go. Today, our group would be leaving and would be much smaller and more casual than the previous groups of up to 30 (or more) boats.  In light of this, Rich slightly changed the name of the net for our group: “The Pacific Stragglers’ Net.”  It was a perfect description.

Later, we got ready to be ferried into town, saying some good-byes as we headed into Big Mama’s.  By the time we got back, everyone would be gone except Gato Go as we were bringing them back some vegetables.  We were the only people on the ferry today; so they put us on a smaller boat, like a Mexican Panga.  I’ve always wanted to ride in one of those things, and here we were, flying over the surface of the water in one.

That was the advantage of being only two people.  The disadvantage: they didn’t ask us when we wanted to come back but pretty much told us to be there at noon.  That left just enough time to do the check-out process and the last minute provisioning, but not enough to enjoy a final coffee/lunch at Friends or Escape.

When we arrived back at the anchorage, everyone was gone except Gato Go.  They were very happy to see us get back early as we headed over with fresh veggies and wishes for a good voyage.  Within an hour, they had left, too.

The winds were still feisty enough that Big Mama’s hadn’t put the docks back up.  This meant beach landings along with wet rides in the dinghy.  I had hoped for a final beer and dinner at Big Mama’s this evening, but it just seemed to be getting windier.  Since we were wet anyway, we decided to take our final trash in right then and then bring in and stow the dinghy.  In a way, stowing the the dinghy is the unofficial start of a passage as it signals the end of your time on land.

After taking a real shower after our involuntary salt water showers today, we had a relaxed afternoon and evening on the boat.  The good news was that Rich had, for the heck of it, tried the internet connection here yesterday and found the internet service was back! We were able to check the Gribs (weather files) and e-mail our weather router, Bob McDavitt.  Tomorrow morning, we were still looking good to go! It was exciting and unnerving at the same time.

While we didn’t get that final beer ashore, we did have some good-bye-Tonga rum in the cockpit.  We felt good about the passage ahead and ready for a change.  -Cyndi

Note: I have some pictures from our cruise that I love but never quite fit into the posts.  Here are a few from Tonga:

November 24, 2012

“It’s all real.” That’s the thought that popped into my head this night as I looked out at Pangaimotu’s beach and palm trees in the light of the near-full moon.  Gray-white clouds hung over the island, and stars twinkled above them.  It was one of those perfect warm nights in the tropics, and one of our last nights in Tonga.

And all I could think was: it’s all real: palm trees swaying in warm trade winds under the moonlight; skies filled with a million stars on moonless nights; lush green volcanic mountains plunging into the sea; tranquil lagoons in sleepy atolls; water in every shade of blue and green from almost white to almost black; being greeted by tropic birds and dolphins as we near land; fiery sunsets in red, orange and pink; drenching tropical downpours; golden evenings with charcoal gray clouds and rainbows; swimming in pools at the base of waterfalls; swimming in the ocean with fish of all colors, or sea turtles, or manta rays, or even a humpback whale and her calf; and being in water so clear it looked as though our boat was floating in mid-air.

Cruising the tropics has its frustrations, discomforts, and hurdles, but if you’re willing to endure them, the rewards are great.  For us, the South Pacific has more than lived up to its promise and is as magical as we dreamed it would be.  We were very much looking forward to New Zealand, but we will always treasure our memories from this part of our cruise.  -Cyndi

November 25, 2012

By Sunday, it was apparent that a weather window was opening, and everyone had made their decisions on when to go.  Two of the boats left today to anchor out near the entrance to this island group (the Tongatapu group).  Meanwhile, the last boat, Gato Go, arrived at Big Mama’s.  All the boats planned to make the jump to New Zealand tomorrow (Monday) except one: Legacy.

We weren’t trying to be different; it just made sense for us to leave a day later, on Tuesday.  One reason was, worried about leaving Legacy unattended in strong winds, we hadn’t checked out on Friday; so now we’d have to check out Monday.  But there was a bigger reason: 15-knot (plus) winds would be coming from the southwest all day Monday and Monday night, and we’d be heading right into them.  We preferred to wait one more day for the wind and seas to calm and be more in our favor.  Why go out and be miserable when you can wait a day and have it be so much better?

The group naturally gravitated to Big Mama’s that evening to have a few beers and (for some of us) dinner.  We all sat together, and while weather was discussed, the gathering felt as casual and relaxed as usual, like this was no big deal.  Everyone felt good about the forecasts and conditions and ready to leave.  Still, there was definitely an undercurrent; the feeling of a tribe gathering in the face of . . . something.

We did talk about the Pacific Drifter’s Net.  As the rest of the fleet had pretty much arrived in New Zealand, there were no net controllers on the radio.  We’d need to pick a person from each boat willing and able to run the SSB (single side band radio) net: once in the morning, and once in the evening.  It is the net controller’s job to get on the radio at the appointed time, call first for any emergency traffic and then take position and condition reports from each boat participating.  Rich would be one of the net controllers and would kick it off tomorrow morning.  Our little fleet had come down to eight boats.  Beau Soliel, Gato Go, La Luz, Morning Glory, Sam, Sockdolager, and Picara would head out on Monday.  Legacy (Tiger Bait once again) would head out on Tuesday.

The evening ended with some dart games and milling around by the bar before everyone broke off to head back to their boats for a good night’s sleep.  It would be the last one for awhile as passages mean long night watches.  -Cyndi

November 21 – 26, 2012

We were anchored in front of Big Mama’s at Pangaimotu for about a week, and in all it was a great place to be.  The biggest drawback was not having access to town whenever we felt like it, but the advantages more than made up for that.  We had laundry service, diesel-jug-filling service, and one of the things most treasured by cruisers: a nice, comfortable place for everyone to gather and have a beer (or three) right next to the anchorage.  It was a great place to hang out, especially after a day spent working on the boat or provisioning in town. Plus, the sea breezes kept this area cool even when it was hot in town.  –Cyndi