1600 position 18-39S 173-59W. On a mooring in Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga
The cruising here in Vava'u is similar to Hawaiian cruising in many ways,
but also very different.
We are at latitude 19S, which is about the same distance from the equator
as Hawaii so climate is generally similar. The winter climate here is
dominated by the weekly passing of both a low and high pressure system
heading east to the south of us. As the high passes to the south we have
strong trade winds from the southeast. Then the low passes, and the winds
back to the east, north, and west before returning to the southeast with
the next high. You can almost mark your calendar by this weekly winter
weather cycle. In Hawaii we get the troughs that pass us heading east
during the winter, but they are not as regular and we don't see the wind
moving around the clock like it does here. In Tonga we plan our
itinerary around these passing systems making sure that we are in an
appropriate anchorage for the expected winds.
Today, for example, we are on a mooring in Neiafu as a low pressure system
passes to the south. It is raining, as it usually does during the low's
passage, and the wind has backed from north to west to south since we got
up this morning. A good day to be on a strong mooring without worrying
about dragging anchor as the wind shifts. Well worth the 15 pa'anga
(Tongan dollars) it costs to use the mooring for a day. This low's
passage was forecast, so we took the opportunity to head into town,
reprovision, mail some post cards, check email on the restaurant WIFI
networks, and do some blog writing. We found some good looking lamb chops
in a small store and a bottle of cabernet for dinner. I'm keeping my
fingers crossed that the rain will let up enough for me to grill tonight.
Lori just beat me in our daily cribbage game, and now she is reading. By
tomorrow the low should be far enough to the east for the weather to
settle down and we will be on our way again exploring new anchorages.
Flora in Tonga is similar to Hawaii, but there is a striking lack of bird
life here. We do see some sea birds and plenty of blue herons, but not
much else. It seems strange not seeing or hearing birds with tropical
forests covering the islands. We thought that perhaps there were brown
tree snakes here like the ones that have devastated the birds on Guam, but
we are told that there are no land snakes in Tonga. What is really eerie
here are the bats. We see more bats than birds. The bats are as large as
boobies, and hang upside down in trees to sleep during the day. There are
still plenty of them flying around during daylight hours though, and
their squawk sounds a lot like a piglet being slaughtered.
Geology is also very different from Hawaii. The islands here in Vava'u
are all limestone, the remnants from coral reefs that have been thrust
upwards as the Pacific Plate pushes under the Indo-Australian Plate.
There is lush soil on top of these limestone islands, but no basalt can be
found.
It is the sheltered water, numerous beaches and anchorages, and sixty
islands that really make Vava'u unique. Yesterday we sailed the ten miles
from our anchorage at Avalau Island back to Neiafu. We were on the wind
the whole way, dodging islands and reefs in 12-16 knots of breeze. Not a
drop of water on deck though since there is no fetch for seas to build.
Nearly every island has at least one secluded white sand beach, many have
multiple beaches. Yesterday's beach on Avalau was one of the best yet,
and we had it all to ourselves.
The other truly unique feature here is the support given to the community
of visiting yachts. Yesterday a local fishing boat called in a mayday on
the VHF after the morning cruisers net. The entire community mobilized to
find these guys who had engine trouble out in the ocean about fifteen
miles to the north. A visiting New Zealand sport fisherman found them,
took them in tow, and had them back in Neiafu before dark. The same thing
would have happened had these guys been visiting cruisers.
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