October 8, 2012
Neiafu, Vava’u, Tonga… We’ve been underwater for three days and my fingers and toes look like that of an 94 year old lifeguard with way too much time in the water. We get wet when we walk, we’re wet when we ride in the dingy, we’re wet when we venture out on deck or in the cockpit. My shoes are wet, my pants are wet, my shirts are wet and if I ever wore socks, they’d be wet too. It’s been raining for three days.
Actually, it’s kind of fun and different. We roasted in Apia, Samoa so this is a nice change. It will get kind of old if it doesn’t let up soon though. This isn’t just any rain. It has two speeds: constantly drizzling and raining so hard that finding air to breathe might become a challenge.
Our rain gauge is our dingy (small inflatable rubber boat). Yesterday, I dumped it out after about three hours of sitting in the rain and it had about a foot of water in it. Last night, while we were ashore for dinner, it accumulated about 10 inches. Oh, and what joy, while at dinner, the tarp over the patio opened up right over the back of my chair. Everyone in the restaurant turned to stare at the guy sitting under the waterfall. Me.
When it lets up… if it lets up, we’re going to go explore some of the more than 40 nearby anchorages. For now, we having fun in Nieafu, despite the rain. -Rich
