For the last three days Dominic and I have been seriously workin’ it. We’ve checked out, refilled the diesel tanks, and reprovisioned our fresh food supplies (a few treats: green apples, spinach, zucchini, and mushrooms). We’ve changed the fuel filters, done laundry, and touched up our pedicures. We, along with the nearby armada of boats in the same phase of departure preparation, have been engaged in careful weather study to predict an optimal date of departure.
Read MoreWe hooked this meter long beauty as we pulled into Nuku’alofa this afternoon. She was our second mahi mahi of the day. The first snapped the fishing line just as Dominic was about to pull him into the cockpit. This lady put up a good fight once she got onboard—she required a fair amound of bludgeoning and knifing to subdue before Dominic was able to slice up some delectable fillets we’re going to roll into sushi this evening.
Read MoreIf only I could upload audio—this bird sings three dashing trills, followed by the whistling equivalent of a pole vault, a high peak then a plunging fade: tweet tweet tweet tweeeooop, the bird book might say.
Read MoreAn ideal day in the life of cruising:
7:30 am: Dominic wakes up, makes coffee, listens to the SSB net, and checks the weather updates. I wake 30 minutes later, frying up toast and eggs for our first meal in the cockpit. We soak in the view, the island, the turquoise waters, the design features of our neighboring boats in the anchorage, and consider the outline of our day.
Read MoreAll of our fishing efforts paid off as we sailed across Ha’apai. We caught two fish—both black skipjack tuna, about two feet long—within ten minutes of each other.
Read MoreAnd today, we’re off. We have another lovely day sail on the agenda, making passage eastward from Ha’afeva to one of the barrier islands in Ha’apai, Uonukuhahake (which is Tongan for Lobster Island). Light winds and calm seas are in the forecast, so despite being an upwind passage we’re expecting another gorgeous, easy day of sailing in the tropics.
Read MoreWaiting out the terrible weather for a week in Ha'apai was totally worth it as our weekend was one for the record books. The weather has been spectacular, full of clear skies with just a few puffy clouds, and ten to 15 knots of wind to keep the temperature comfortable and the sails full.
Read MoreHelios got some love in the September issue of Latitude 38. I don't believe we're quoted in the article (haven't read it entirely yet), but it looks like they enjoyed our picture from Fakarava..
Read MoreDominic and I have an ongoing discussion as to which beach is the best we’ve visited since leaving Mexico. We rank them according to width and length, softness of sand, swimmability and temperature of water, presence of garbage and glass.
Read MoreIn the last two days, we have spent four and a half hours trolling and six man hours spearfishing (Dominic with the speargun, me with the Hawaiian sling), and all we have to show for it are a few scales falling listlessly through the water. We had two solid bites on the line, one as we left the pass in Foa, one as we entered the pass in Uoleva. We got a few good shots off on parrot fish and a job fish hiding in the coral, but all fish lived to tell the tale. Mother Nature 4, Dolcis 0.
Read MoreDominic has stepped up his snorkel status from keen observer to fierce hunter. The reef around Foa provides the ideal seascape: ample coral, water that is shallow enough to dive comfortably (10-30 feet), and exposure to deeper waters that keeps larger, pelagic fish in the area.
Read MoreReaders of the blog, rejoice! The sun is out! Gone (for now) are the days spent down below, cooking, cleaning, and watching Dominic’s beard grow.
We made good use of our time confined to the boat—taking care of some projects we wanted to complete before our passage to New Zealand, having pizza parties with our neighbors aboard Arbutus—but we were ecstatic to wake Sunday morning to a sun dappled galley and breakfast in the cockpit. The winds subsided over the course of the day, so we spent the afternoon exploring a coral village about a quarter mile off our stern. The reef was active with fish, colorful reef dwellers at the surface and larger, more appetizing swimmers 40 feet down under.
Read MoreWell, I can’t say that my sun salutations yesterday were entirely successful. We had sustained rain and 25 knot winds for the duration of the day, and the anemometer started pushing 30 as we sat down to dinner. The conditions have actually been impressive: usually high winds push squalls through quickly and leave us with mostly sunny skies; or, alternately, we get rain clouds that stagnate overhead with no breeze to move them along. Not so this time around, we’ve been lucky enough to experience wind and rain…wind and rain for days.
Read MoreIt’s worked in the past—combining bright, blue sky’d blog posts and ample ashtanga sequences—to tempt the sun out from behind the clouds. So in good faith, enjoy this photo of our smiling faces from our sunny hike to the Belvedere in Moorea.
Read MoreTwo days of twenty-five knot winds, rain, and steel to black skies have even the whales hiding in the depths of the warm water. Did I say warm? I meant the chilly water, because according to Bob McDavitt (our weather guru out of New Zealand), there is a 'cool finger' of water extending from Fiji to Niue.
Read MoreWe spent our first weekend in the Ha’apai group of Tonga in Ha’ano, a northerly island with fantastic ocean and seashore views as well as a little roll in the anchorage. The underwater delights made any discomfort from the rocking boat well worth it. The island is fringed with a universe of coral more vibrant and expansive than any reef we’ve seen yet. There were mountains and ravines of pastel colored hard corals and many softer anemones housing Nemo-esque clown fish families. There were whales just a mile or two offshore, so we could hear their strikingly loud singing while we were in the water. There were a moderate number of reef fish and a four foot grouper in the area.
Read MoreLast night we sailed 63 miles south to Ha’apai. We were sad to leave Vava’u behind. The wildlife there is phenomenal, underwater, on the beaches, and chirping from the treetops. It is the kind of place where snorkeling is accompanied by whale songs, arugula is bountiful, and the anchorages are filled with friends.
Read MoreFlying foxes are the local name for fruit bats. Despite ample caves, these flyers like to spend their day hanging in the bright sunshine among the top of the canopy. A few hundred will take up residence in a series of trees, and they loved the peninsula south of our last anchorage in Pangaimotu. They seemed like restless sleepers, occasionally stretching or screeching if a neighbor got too close. If we looked closely, we could find a bat with a baby clutching to her abdomen. Around dusk, one or two would cruise to more fruitful grounds. They had enormous and iconic bat silhouettes, but instead of short, darting flight patterns, they had long wing strokes and direct routes, much more like eagles of the night than the bats I’m used to (or foxes, for that matter).
Read MoreWe had a wonderful time in Kenutu, filled with hikes, beach walks, bonfires, old friends, and new ones. The winds whipped up to 25 knots, so yesterday way cruised back to one of our favorite anchorages on the larger island, Pangaimotu. Our friends aboard Peregrin came with us, so we’re all enjoying the sunshine, picturesque cliffs, translucent waters, and excellent protection from the gusts.
Read MoreThe collared kingfisher is one of our favorite birds to play peek-a-boo with here in Tonga. They’re a frequent friend, usually hanging out alone in large trees along the shores of small islands around Vava’u. They’re silent until disturbed, at which point the belt out a surprisingly loud screeching sound.
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