Day 354, Year 1: Anchored Off Vaka’eitu Island, Vava’u Group, Tonga
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2006
Weather: Partly Cloudy Day
Location: Vaka’eitu Island, Vava’u Group, Tonga
We received an email from our daughter Heather and her husband Jed saying that they were spending the weekend at Jed’s family farm in Boothbay, Maine. Heather said they would be enjoying the brisk fall days with high temperatures in the mid-fifties and would be apple picking, walking in the woods, reading, and knitting. All I could think is that she and Jed are living in a completely different world from us. Is it really possible to enjoy high daytime temps in the mid-fifties?!! I’m sitting here in the cockpit tonight in a long sleeve shirt and am still cold with an air temperature of 75 degrees F. Tomorrow I could go coconut picking and walking across the island to a secluded beach-not quite the same as walking in the woods and picking apples, but almost-but instead, I think I’ll go snorkeling. We came to this anchorage after reading about the fantastic snorkeling possibilities, so I hope the books are right.
It is a small cruiser’s world out here. We got into the anchorage and immediately saw that Quantum Leap and Jade are here. We anchored next to Jade and Arnie came over and talked for quite a while once we arrived. It is hours later now, and just a few minutes ago we heard the shrieking laughter of young children as Nancy and Molly and their two friends from another boat returned to Jade. Arnie told us that the girls were “out” for the day with friends, but now we know they are back with the friends. The children out here lead such a fantastic life and it is so much fun to watch them.
We heard from Doug and Sylvie on Windcastle and they are hoping to leave Niuatoputapu tomorrow and arrive here on Monday. I mentioned in an earlier log that they chose not to fight the winds and stopped off in the northern Tongan islands. Another boat headed this way had engine problems and also had to stop in New Potatoes (the name cruisers use when they can’t pronounce Niuatoputapu), but we think that the engine problem has been resolved and that Matt aboard Elsewhere will also arrive on Monday.
THE only topic of conversation these days is the weather between here and New Zealand. We have definitely decided that we are not going to Fiji. We are going to enjoy Tonga and work our way south to the capitol at Nuka’lofa in the Tongatapu Group. From there, we will wait for that weather window to take to New Zealand. It takes tremendous study of current weather patterns to be able to even begin to predict the weather for the passage. Every cruiser we know is making this a full time job these days. We will be paying for a weather consultant, Bob McDavitt, but even with years of experience his predictions are not always right. You have the best advice you have and combine that with your own information, and then go for it. For now, however, I’m only going to worry about the weather tomorrow. Will it be nice enough to snorkel?
