Trying to leave Tonga becamse very problematic with the weather playing a large part in holding us up by causing us to sail up and down the chain of islands. On top of that what we thought would be an easy uneventful trip was not quite as planned either.

Vavau- Nukulofa Vavau

First we diecided to make it easy for our new crew by sailing down to Nukualofa. We had a good uneventful sail past a one of the volcanic islands.

New Crew

A couple of guys from Auckland , Ant and Mike, had decided to join us to help sail the boat back to NZ. Grateful for the help we left Vavau and sailed down to Nukualofa in anticipation of picking them up. We arrived and anchored amongst a bunch of other cruisers at Big Mama only to discover a couple of problems.

Firstly their flight from Auckland was cancelled and they were delayed for a few days which seemed OK at first. The next problem was a significant change in the weather forecasts with talk of 50 knot winds coming through Nukualofa around the time Ant and Mike were due to arrive. The prudent thing to do was to return to Vavau and wait out the weather with the crew flying up to join us.

Retracing our steps we made our way back Vavau and anchored in shelter as strong winds (+30 knots) were forecast up there. Meanwhile on their new flight Ant and Mike arrived in Nukualofa to discover their flight to Vavau had been cancelled but ever resourceful they found some suitable accommodation and as importantly a local with a freezer to store the NZ meat they had bought with them. After two very story days in Nukualofa the crew finally arrived in Vavau.

Filling up with duty free fuel and stocking up with supplies we were good to depart a few days later. Clearing customs we headed off down the channel deciding to anchor for the night leaving early the next day.

Finally Departing

As we headed off the auto pilot decided to stop working which was going to be a bit of a problem. We rely on the auto pilot to steer the boat and only hand steer when manoeuvring. After investigations of power supplies, fuses and other electrical checks it was convinced to work again by tapping the pump motor with a hammer – Perfect. Little did we know but the hammer had to be used everyday until finally it didnt work any more.

Breakfast at Minerva

We arrived at North Minerva reef just after sunrise and went through the entrance for a look. It was a gray windy day and the water was not very warm but our hardy crew and the captain decided to go for a swim. An opportunity to give the bottom one last clean before heading to New Zeland.

Hew wisely decided not to swim and instead cooked a big breakfast of bacon and eggs, hashbrowns, tomatoes which was gratefully devoured by a now chilly crew. An extended visit did not seem very appealing so after breakfast we up anchored and continued south.

Assisting a Demasted Yacht

The night after leaving Minerva we heard a call on the radio from a dismasted yacht ” Ruffian” asking for diesel. It turned out to be friends we had met in Vavau. As they were nearby we shadowed them until daylight then went over to see them. They had had the rigging replaced in Guatemala less than 12 months ago and it had just folded up in front of them. Luckily no one was hurt but they were in shock.

At this stage were we still sailing close to Jamie and Sophie on Zipper and they also stopped to lend a hand. Zipper was to have further adventures after we parted rescuing the entire crew off another boat a couple of days later.

We decided that the conditions were good enough to launch our dinghy so we volunteered to ferry supplies and fuel. A new experience bobbing around hundreds of miles from land.

After about 3 attempts at different ways of pumping diesel out of our tanks we managed to fill 3 20L containers of fuel and we also picked up 2 more from Zipper and ferried that across. Ant, one of our crew offered to go with them, an offer gratefully accepted as they had 700 miles of motoring in front of them.

After confirming that he was a Kiwi and so no visa problems and that he didn’t mind eating vegetarian food, we also ferried him across with his bedding. He was later to discover that they were not vegetarian but as they had a small fridge had no meat on board. Unfortunately by the time this was discovered we had already left them with the meat Ant had bought up from NZ still in the freezer on board Eleuthera.

Storms

The forecast was for all high winds at one point but as the two fronts approached and passed it did make for some great sunsets and sunrises and cloud patterns.

After heading west to stay above the weather systems we finally turned south planning to slide through between 2 fronts and get in with perhaps 12-15 hours of lumpy weather. However like all plans, reality was slightly different, the 2 fronts joined up and we had 2 days of 25 knots gusting 35 knots and quite big seas. Sailing with reduced sail we had spray across the boat continuously but Eleuthera handled it well giving us pretty comfortable ride.

In the end both wind generators called time with one stopping completely and the other just running away sounding like it was going to take off. The braking solution turned out to be a line tossed into the blades which wrapped around until the blades stopped.

No 240 volt and then-No Autopilot

Two days out from Whangarei we started to have problems with the internet and we thought it was Starlink causing issues. This was inconvenient in the bad weather as the downloads stopped working. At that stage we didn’t think of the 240 volt system but shortly after comments were made about a burning electrical smell. Closer inspection revealed the inverters had stopped working – the white smoke had escaped. Uncertain as to the cause we didn’t start the generator and instead relied on the 24v system with charging from solar and the main engines.

The next day the autopilot failed finally and would not respond to being hit with the hammer any more. So it was hand steering for the last 24 hours – This was when we needed out fourth crew member. Good practice for the crew!

Navigating down the Northland coast is was a relief to get into the lee of the land which reduced the sea state if not the wind.

Arrival to Whangarei

We arrived in Whangarei at Marsden Cove Marina first thing in the morning. It was lovely and calm and the customs and biosecurity staff were great. They enjoyed coffee and Barb’s ginger crunch like many other border security people elsewhere in the world. We were cleared by lunchtime and then went to a marina berth to try and sort out the electrics. We could not connect as we did not know what the effect would be.

It turned out we had an array of electrical issues and are not sure which caused what. Most likely an indicator light shorted/failed on the main switch board with smoke but no fire thankfully. This possibly caused an inverter to fail but as usual the solution involved liberal use of the credit card.

With a new auto helm pump, new rewired switch boards, a repaired inverter and a new relay on the bow thruster we gained our NZ Electrical Warrant of Fitness and were good to go. Having been operating on an extension cord for a 10 days it was a relief to get everything back up and running again. Barb enjoying being able to plug a heater in 24/7.

We arrived first thing in the morning everything was quiet and still. We had to wait for another yacht to clear with customs before we could go onto the fisherman’s wharf. The entry procedure was easy and relaxed. The paper work, the rubbish had been taken away, we had treated the officials to some ginger crunch we were ready for a nap.

We anchored further up the bay because there were no moorings. Hew, and I had a rest while the girls got changed and took off to socialise. They also needed to sort out what was happening with the sailing week and register us. They came back with all the info after having had a few drinks at the bar.

Meanwhile James went for a run as an escape from being caged up on the boat with the girls for a week. He is also training for a marathon in November. Being at sea is not great for this!

There were many dinners and cocktail events and also talks but we wanted to do a few other activities as well because both girls had to go at the end of the week. Then we found out that there were no flights for five days at the end of the week due to the aircraft going into maintenance on the Friday and not back until the following Wednesday. Therefore James also had to leave earlier than planned.

The first night in we all went to dinner at Mangos the local yachty bar owned by a local who is a Cathay Pacific pilot.

Caves

The next day we were off to have a look around at a couple of the anchorage’s and the caves. The first cave was Mariners where you had to dive down to get into it . Hew, James and I explored that one while Deb and Pauline looked after the yacht. There is no where to anchor near these caves so the yacht just had to hover around.

The next one was the Swallows cave and Hew looked after the yacht while the rest of us snorkelled into it. This cave was very disappointing compared to the last time I had been here. Graffiti all over the walls and not birds or bats or fish. Though there were plenty of fish outside and slightly further along the coast.

The third cave was just a little up the coast and a smaller but much prettier cave

A video of the caves: https://youtu.be/SWc5F9B9-8I?si=NH4ZD20lHPlcxAmh

Port Maurelle

We anchored for the night at a lovely bay called Port Maurelle and the paddle board came out. Barb went for a paddle, then Debbie and https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBSuo90vPm1/?igsh=MWVyZnY1NnFxZnVmNA== and the next day James took it for a long paddle all the way down the coast.

Sailing Week and socialising

Debbie and Pauline made the most of the bars and restaurants – checking them all out for us. They started with Bears floating Bar – The Hideaway – serving margaritas, beers and fish and chips.

The Wednesday Race

The main event of the week is a social race on the Wednesday. We of course had to enter and invited 4 additional crew, Peter off S/V Yellow, Sunny and Canute from “La Kahina” and Kara from Whangārei Marina. We had a lot of fun but it was not uneventful.

After the briefing At Mango cafe, the race started when the traditional local Tongan yacht passed in front of the bar, and off we went in the dingys to the yachts.

We were third around the first mark in the channel, raised the spinnaker and it all looked good.

Soon the yacht in front of us broached in a gust and we decided to lower our spinnaker before we hit the same patch of water.

All was going well. We were starting to catch the boats in front with the code zero out then we hit a calm patch. The Code 0 back winded on the spreaders and ripped a hole.

Down came the code zero and out went the genoa.

Our mates in Soul were hot on our heels as was another large monohull Hassebas. Some of the crew were down stairs mending the code zero with sticky back tape. We headed for the bottom mark and island. Repairs completed and with slick crew work the sail was re-hoisted before we reached the mark

We were holding our own on the inside for a port rounding of the island, metres from the lay line the starboard sheet was winched on a touch with the electric winch and suddenly bang – the sheet broke. We immediately tacked over to the on to port and there still seemed to be just enough room to clear the island when the port sheet also broke – our electric winches are very powerful! With the genoa flapping in the breeze we started the engines to ensure we cleared the reef off the island while our two competitors pass us wondering what we were up to.

Deploying the now repaired code zero we were back chasing the others but struggling for height. James climbed up the forestay to attach new sheets to the genoa and we were back racing. It’s good to have the young and fit onboard. However by now the other boats were well ahead and we sailed on our own to the finish which required a crew member to go ashore at Mangos and register.

As we approached Mangos restaurant instead of launching the dinghy James did a lovely swan dive off the bow and swam in for us to register a finish.

In the end we were 4th over the line and the 3rd catamaran and somehow managed to pick up a voucher for 2 loads of washing at Bubbles laundromat – perfect for washing bedding etc for departing crew.

There are lots more photographs of all the activities on the Vava’u Sailing week facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/VavauSailingFestival

Quiz night at Kraaken

The Quiz night was run by Whangārei and Opua Marinas , and was a lot of fun. We won a voucher from the Kraken Restaurant which Hew and I duly enjoyed later in the week. By the end of the night Pauline and Deb were so happy they were beside themselves!!

Swimming with the whales

Although there were many activities on the race week we decided that we had to go whale watching while we were in Vava’u. We went out with David Lino from Beluga Dive who also run the moorings near their base. The experience was brilliant here are some stills from our adventure with a mother and calf.

We were in the water 4 at a time with a guide and just cruised on the surface allowing the whales to come to us. The calf would surface for air every 5-7 minutes and the mother would come up every 15-20 minutes. They became used to us and the calf became inquisitive and the mother relaxed and was happy for us to be nearby – a fabulous experience.

Back to Civilisation for the two Trollops

On Thursday all three of the crew had to leave to get back to NZ for the following week. Debbie and Pauline took off early to spend a day in Nukualofa, James waited for the late flight relaxing and enjoying the peace on the yacht.

It was a great three weeks and we really enjoyed the hectic schedule, but when they were gone we could finally relax.The first time on the boat without guests and crew since Martinique in April.

Bora Bora Arrival

With only 2 days between crew leaving and picking up new crew in Bora Bora there was not much downtime. After crew changes in Raiatea, Mark leaving us after a couple of months for a reunion in London we sailed across to Bora Bora, a lovely 25 mile sail, to pick up our new crew for the great expetition to Tonga.

Bora Bora lived up to expectations with a spectacular peak and beautiful sheltered water. This comes with a cost as the place is much busier and more commercial than the previous islands. 

Moorings To’opua and the Yacht Club

Timing our arrival for mid afternoon we picked up a very sheltered mooring off To’opua Island just up from the Conrad resort and had a relax with the boat to ourselves in the company of several other cruising yachts we recognised.

After a visit from the mooring man we paid our mooring fees for our stay and discovered how the system worked. A really nice guy and very welcoming, he collects garbage from the boat a couple of times a week and apart from the moorings over at the Yacht Club which are limited to 2 nights only we could stay as long as we liked on the other mooring fields. We had been warned that anchoring and mooring in Bora Bora was difficult and fraught with officialdom but our experiences were quite the opposite – maybe a rumour to keep people away.

The next morning we watched boats leaving the Bora Bora Yacht Club moorings so decided to relocate as they are closer to the ferry terminal to pick up our new arrivals. Also the Yacht Club has a great location and the thought of a happy hour cocktail made the move more attractive.https://www.boraborayachtclub.org/

The Town of Vaitape

A trip into town to start the check out procedure was next on the agenda as it is a 48 hour process and we were also at the end of our 90 day visa and were going to be overstayers by the time the last of the crew arrived.  With some trepidation we approached the Gendarmerie and officialdom with a list of “plausible” excuses as to why we needed an extra day or two.  Our fears were completely unfounded with a very pleasant young Gendarme processing our paperwork with no questions and then telling us to return on Monday with the crew passports for stamping after which we would have 24 hours to leave.

Next on the list was Supermarkets and fuel as we needed to resupply Eleuthera through to Tonga.  With a mass of Pearl shops on the foreshore we wandered up the road and checked out the 2 supermarkets.  Both shops were well stocked and conveniently within walking distance of the harbour and the dinghy. The fuel dock was easy to access so we were sorted for the resupply.  Returning to Eleuthera with baguettes and some fresh lamb chops for dinner after our cocktails all was well.

Barb of course went snorkelling on the nearby point and had a great encounter with a Manta Ray which did a spectacular flyby which she managed to film while holding her breath and lying on the bottom. Manta Ray https://youtu.be/FtqSPmvFIhg

New Crew and Departure Preparation

Our son James and sister in law Pauline Davis arrived next morning and we made sure we were waiting for them at the dock.  There is a free ferry from the Airport to downtown Bora Bora which makes it very easy. Armed with croissants and baguettes we all returned to the boat for swims and a relax after their overnight flight up from New Zealand.

Cocktails and dinner at the yacht club that  night rounded out a relaxing day as we worked through the list of boat jobs before the next ocean leg.

Next day it was off to the fuel dock to fill up with tax free fuel for the voyage.  At around NZD 2.00 per litre it was the cheapest diesel we will see for a while. Claiming our spot on the dock was a case of might is right as the local boats tried to push in on a busy Saturday morning. As well as fuel James received instructions from the locals as to how to climb to the top of the peak which was on his list to do.

Off back to the mooring field we had a bit of an explore but the snorkelling was limited and the locals were not particularly friendly when we were off “their” shore.  We did manage to watch some of the Louis Vuitton Cup racing thanks to Starlink.  James and Hew managed to refill the props with grease and clean the bottom for a speedy voyage.

A visit from a French boat next door led to us swapping a RNZYS burgee from one from YCLB (La Baule Yacht Club) in France as the skipper Arnaud Naintre’s father is Commodore there. He is sailing round the world in his Outremeer 51 and in good cruising fashion is waiting in Bora Bora for parts and repairs. Great to talk to a fellow yachty who was like us interested in the Americas cup.

We had a young Humpback whale swimming around the mooring field which was great to see.  Young juveniles remain in these waters to grow while the adults swim back to Antartica.

Final Crew Member and Last Minute Shopping and Climbing

On Monday morning Debbie Whiting arrived and Barb and Hew went in to collect her as she was bringing more Gin and other essential supplies.  Barb and Deb went off to the Gendarmerie to check out which was a 10 minute process and we were good to go, passports stamped and exit documents complete.

Moving the boat back to the Yacht Club moorings, we had a booking for dinner, Debbie and Pauline felt the need engage in some retail activity and James had a mountain to climb.  Delivering them back to town Hew left them to find their own way back to the Yacht Club.

The adventurers returned laden with retail spoil and photographs of a successful climb to the top of the mountain.

Departure

After final cocktails and dinner we departed Bora Bora at 7.30 pm heading for Aitutaki.

Aitutaki

We had a great sail across averaging 200 miles a day for the voyage only slowing down in the last few hours to ensure landfall in daylight. 

We were all looking forward to Aitutaki. All the pre arrival forms and been fulled in, harbour master, customs and immigration all knew we were coming and they said there was room in the harbour. On the way we had a message from our friends on Zipper, saying they had a problem with a leaking skin fitting. It was very similar to the same problem we had had so they changed course and also headed for Aitutaki. We planned to catch up with them and the day before we arrived they told us they had just got in and it was very full, but we might squeeze.

We arrived with the crew excited to get ashore on their promised 4 island tour of the Pacific. Calling up the harbourmaster on the radio established that our booked berth had evaporated and we would need to anchor in the lagoon. Also it would be best if we came in the dinghy to check it out.

James and Hew took the dinghy in down the recently dredged channel to discover the Boat Harbour is muddy work in progress and full of boats.  Additionally the supply ship was due the next day and the 2 catamarans already there would have to move to allow the barge to operate as the ship anchors outside the reef. An inspection of the “anchoring” area quickly established there wasn’t one suitable for Eleuthera.  We did find Zipper and left them with a plumbers plunger to seal their skin fitting from the outside while they repaired it.

With no room in the car park we decided to move on and head for Niue, another 550 miles away.  After a chat to Bubbles the local whale watching boat we had seen with whales a mile or so away we hoisted the sails and carried on. 

Passage Activities

Slipping into an onboard routine Scrabble and 5 Crowns were in regular use with the whole crew playing the games.  Very difficult to beat the Scrabble queens and their list of 2 letter words. Cooking has become a regular pastime and the crew continues to eat well.  Our new crew members Debbie and Pauline are also new to catamaran sailing and struggle to get used to the sometimes loud crashes and bangs underneath from the waves passing through.  Debbie likens it to travelling on the underground.

Debbie caught the first fish – a flying fish off the deck. Perhaps she is a pink lure!

Beveridge Atoll & Niue

A change in the weather forecasts suggested that a delay in visiting Niue would be beneficial as some Northerlies were due which would make staying on the mooring field untenable.  Also there were no moorings for our original arrival time at Niue.

A suggestion was made that we visit Beveridge Reef on the way so course was altered for a new destination.  Calculations were made and the sails trimmed to reduce speed and allow for a daylight arrival as Beveridge barely breaks the surface of the surrounding ocean. A detour to Beveridge for a beveridge seemed to hit a chord with the crew.

As you may guess as we were approaching Beveridge we get a message from Niue saying they do have a mooring for us – too late!! We were almost there.

Arrival

Having delayed our arrival for daylight we approached the reef which is only visible at less then 2 miles when we had a whale join us less than 100 metres away. As we gybed to head down to the entrance the whale breached in spectacular fashion and we were treated to this huge creature airborne alongside the boat. Of course no one had a camera ready but we were all amazed by the sight. The physics of getting 50 feet and several tonnes of whale into the air are a little daunting

Arriving at slack tide we had a very easy ride in through the entrance. Clear water but good depths in the channel and our charts seemed accurate. Then we headed for the NE and an old fishing boat wreck. It was great to be in still water – no swell in the anchorage and only 10 kts of wind. The scenery was beautiful – dark blue and turquoise water with beautiful clear skies.

The anchorage was easy with only a few Bombies and nothing very high. Everyone kept into the water when we got there because it was so clear and beautiful.

We had a rest then later that later that day did a snorkel on the wreck and then on the Bombies all the way to the yacht. James had some work to do and the girls were more interested in cocktail hour after being deprived of their favourite beverages for 5 days.

Sand Bar

We could see a sand bar at low tide on the western side so we were very keen to across for a look and a walk on dry land.

James had his drone with him which showed the colours of the water and the clarity very well.

Departure

After our interlude on the sand bar it was time to depart the next morning. If we didn’t leave then the forecast was for high winds, big swell and rain. With a low reef bigger seas break over it and set up a very unpleasant wave pattern on the inside. The other yachts were staying until after the weather so they could go to Niue, we decided to skip the island as the forecast weather on the moorings would have been untenable. So off we went into the sunset again.

Next Blog: Vava’u Sailing Week: https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2024/10/vavau-social-and-sailing-week/