Author: richwest3

November 12, 2012

We may not have been heading to New Zealand yet, but like the rest of the fleet we were preparing to leave Neiafu very soon. We had decided on Wednesday because it looked good for the overnight trip to the Ha’apai group of islands south of Vava’u. In that time, we did some provisioning, filled our propane and diesel tanks, extended our Tongan visa, and had one last pie night at the Balcony with our friends Bob and Linda from Bright Angel. We also went to visit the town doctor (the subject of the previous blog).

In spite of watching the vast majority of the fleet head off to New Zealand, we felt very relaxed and good about our decision to stay in Tonga awhile longer. For us, waiting was the right thing to do, and we looked forward to having some uncrowded anchorages as we headed into the southern islands. -Cyndi

November 12, 2012

We had talked to some friends about some of the anxiety we’ve experienced thus far on our cruise, to the point we gave ourselves a nickname back in French Polynesia: The Little Girls on Legacy (crying, whining, and wanting to play with their Barbies when that mean Mr. Ocean got rough).  Anxiety can be a good thing when it’s appropriate, a reminder to be careful, alert or to take action to insure your safety.  But sometimes anxiety can come up in situations you can’t change, with things that are merely discomforts to be endured.

In that case, it only causes needless suffering as you find yourself overreacting to something that isn’t all that dangerous or uncomfortable.  All your anxiety helps you achieve then is high blood pressure.  Our friends had recommended Valium as you can take half a pill, relieve needless anxiety and still function on the boat, which is crucial.  They recommended we see the doctor in town as she could probably prescribe something along that line; so we made an appointment.

On Monday morning, we did see the doctor and explained our situation.  She listened and was very insightful, suggesting that we might be suffering a mild variation of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the first passage (LA to the Marquesas). She agreed to prescribe just a few Valium, but she thought what we really might benefit from was antidepressants and prescribed them for each of us.  She was right: we both benefited quite a bit. It’s not that antidepressants cured all of our anxieties or negative emotions; it’s just that when they come, they’re more appropriate for the situation.  We’re both feeling better in general, more “even” and less erratic in our reactions to life’s ups and downs.

Rich wrote a blog about this, too.  Actually, he’s the brave one who instigated this blog. I was feeling less sure about wanting to write about something so personal.  But he’s right: if only one other person benefits from reading about our experience, it’s worthwhile.  (Besides, anyone who knows me knows I’ve been a basket case for years! ;)) -Cyndi

(FYI: We’re each taking ½ pill daily of a drug called Lexapro)

Here are my favorite pictures of evening skies taken around Vava’u.

November, 2012

10. Bought the non-refundable plane tickets a long time ago… have to make the flight

9. My insurance says I need to be out of the cyclone zone by xxx date.

8. Aunt Mildred is flying in and I need to be there to meet her!

7. Baaaaa – the flock’s going, I should too.

6. I’m just done with this stuff! I’m ready for something different.

5. Just plain bad weather information or decision making.

4. I just want to get this passage over with.

3. Fear of cyclones.

2. A party, function, rendezvous, regatta, etc.

1. Desperate for Starbucks! (OK, maybe this is just us!)

-Rich

November 11, 2012

It was interesting to see the effect of the weather delay on the fleet. Instead of being intimated or wanting to wait for really optimal conditions, being thwarted in their plans made them desperate to go! The storm had come through only yesterday, but today the town was packed with people doing a last-minute re-provisioning of fresh goods.

Boats planned to start leaving as soon as tomorrow (Saturday), then the bulk of the group would follow on Sunday. At this point, there was a weather window for New Zealand, but the conditions weren’t all that good. One of our friends planned to leave in the Saturday group, and Rich talked him out of it by pointing out that it will take two or three days for the seas to calm after the blow. He agreed and decided to hold off as long as possible–Sunday!

Aside from that feeling of being totally ready and then getting delayed, there were other factors causing this group restlessness. One of course was that they had all checked out of the country and if they stayed they’d have to check back in, which is a hassle. The other was the feeling that even though this wasn’t a named storm, it was a reminder that cyclone season was starting, and it was almost as though there was a feeling of having dodged a bullet – you’d better go now because the next one could be here any minute!

We ran into a friend in town, and when we told him we weren’t leaving Tonga yet, he looked at us sadly and said not to wait too long, he wouldn’t want to see anything happen to us. Of course the herd mentality was huge right now: I felt like a buffalo watching the herd stampede away and opting not to join in – you just feel like everyone is going; you must go, too!

And so over the next few days, we watched nearly everyone go in spite of the fact the weather here was terrible: windy and rough, and a low was predicted to be passing under the fleet as they neared New Zealand. The herd was stampeding and nothing would stop them! By Monday night, the harbor was nearly cleared out once again.

Rich and I, too, felt restless and ready to head on, but we were sticking to our original plan to wait and do the crossing at the end of the month or early December. Our plans now were to do an overnight passage to the Ha’apai Group of islands south of the Vava’u. After spending a few days there, we would head on to Nuku’alofa to provision, check out of the country, and wait for a weather window to New Zealand.

There were a just a few boats left with similar plans, I think seven in all (and three of them were still here only because outside circumstances had delayed them). Rich and I had gone from generally being at the front of our “pack” (the people we started with in the Marquesas) to being at the tail end of the entire fleet. Our hope was now to enjoy roomy anchorages in the Ha’apai Group and a reasonably gentle passage to New Zealand and not get ambushed by any early-season cyclones. -Cyndi

Here is another collection of sunset pictures from our time here.

November 10, 2012

I have traveled around the world, searching. I’d thought I found it once in French Polynesia, but I was wrong. I was sure Mexico would have it, but no. Certainly none could be slower than in my hotel in American Samoa but I was wrong about that too. Finally, my quest is complete. I have finally found it – the slowest internet access in the world – right here in Tonga. It seems that the entire country shares one 2400 baud dial-up connection. Over this connection, at any given instant, 3000 people are making Skype calls. That leaves the rest of us with enough bandwidth to download approximately one email per day (if you start early enough). I might be exaggerating just a little bit, but it’s slow!

Oh well, I guess even a year ago internet access in the South Pacific was rare. Now wifi is pretty common, while “useable” internet connections are still somewhat rare. -Rich