24 June - Kenutu

1600 position 18-42S 173-56W. At anchor in 25 feet off of Kenutu Island,
Vava'u, Tonga

We decided it was time to explore the eastern end of the Vava'u group a
couple of days ago after reprovisioning in Neiafu. The most recent low
pressure system had passed, and the weather looked like it was going to
settle down for about a week of trade winds. We got a late start the
first day, and ended up anchored off of Lotuma Island, a Tongan Navy R&R
facility that is only a mile outside of Neiafu. It was so secluded and
private, we could have been fifty miles away from Neiafu. The next day we
hoisted reefed main and jib and worked our way to windward around Kapa
Island to a protected anchorage in the lee of Pangaimotu. We had intended
to anchor near the Ark Gallery, a floating art gallery in an adjacent
protected bay, but there were about fifteen boats in there, and we prefer
empty anchorages. We'll try the Ark Gallery when it is less popular.
Instead, we anchored one bay further on in the lee of Pangaimotu Island.
There was another boat there, but we never saw anybody aboard. Another
peaceful night, and we were off for the easternmost anchorages which are
only accessible by passing through the Eanua Tapu pass, a narrow and
poorly defined S shaped pass through the coral. It didn't look too bad on
the chart and in the guide books, but when we arrived there the clouds
had filled in and I couldn't see any pass at all. We furled our sails,
turned the engine on, and surveyed the approaches until I developed some
confidence that there was indeed a pass there. It was narrow and
difficult to see, but we made it through unscathed. It would have been a
lot easier had the sun been shining. Once through though, we entered a
different world of shallow reefs, sand banks, sand bars, completely
different from the high islands and steep drop offs found to the west.
This was similar to Tahiti cruising. We worked our way up into the
anchorage in the lee of Kenutu Island and have been here ever since.

Yesterday we went ashore and hiked the 150 yards across Kenutu to the
cliffs on the windward side. There is nothing to the east of Kenutu but
open ocean, and the waves breaking against the cliffs were spectacular.
Lori claimed she could feel the earth shaking as the seas hit. After
returning we were paddling the dinghy back to the boat and encountered our
first sea snake. It was about three feet long, half an inch in diameter,
and was white and black banded. It slithered on the surface of the water
like snakes do on land, and then slithered up a rock on shore. Other
cruisers have joked about checking our swim step before stepping onto it
at night to make sure a sea snake hasn't taken up residence there or
coming up the sink drains. Yikes! They are apparently very poisonous,
but have a difficult time biting people except in places where we have
folds of skin like between our fingers. We are told that they won't
bother you while you are snorkeling or swimming unless they are provoked.

Today we dinghied over to Umuna, the next island to the north, and hiked
to a sinkhole in the middle of the island that was described in the
cruising guides. There we found a lake about 100 feet down at the bottom
of the eighty foot diameter cavern.

The best thing about Kenutu though is the beachcombing. Lori is loving
spending hours wandering up and down the beaches that cover the entire
western shores of these islands searching for shells. Her collection
continues to grow. The second best thing is the seclusion. There is one
other boat here, a catamaran at the other end of the island, but he has a
camp ashore and looks like a long term resident. Nobody else has arrived
in the past two days. I suspect the journey through the Eanua Tapu pass
might keep a good number of potential visitors away.