8 July - Firsts

1600 position 18-43S 174-06W. At anchor in 51 feet, Vaka'eitu Lagoon,
Vava'u, Tonga

We had a few days of ideal weather to do some exploring, light winds from
the east, so we decided to check out the unprotected southern islands of
Vava'u. After departing Port Maurelle, we headed for Maninita, the
southernmost island in the Vava'u group. Maninita looked interesting to
us both because it was remote, and it reportedly had a keyhole anchorage
on the western side of the island that offered protection from the swells.
We had a beautiful ten mile sail to the island, but were a bit disturbed
to discover uncharted reefs along the way. Fortunately, the visibility
was good with the sun behind us so we saw the reefs before they became a
problem, but it is becoming clear why all the cruising guides recommend
moving during good visibility only. The entrance to Maninita's anchorage
was very tight, perhaps thirty feet wide. It's surprising to me that
Moorings would recommend that charterers take their boats into such tight
spots, but once through the pass it opened up a bit and provided a safe
calm anchorage. Lori and I snorkeled ashore, and walked around the
island's circumference. On the back side of the island we found a pack of
small black tip sharks feeding in the shallows, our first shark encounter
in Vava'u. Fortunately they didn't seem to like the side of the island we
were anchored on and we didn't see them again as we snorkeled back to
Moku pe'a.

Our final destination for the day was Kenutu, a spot we had anchored
before. It was directly to the north of Maninita along a designated
channel just inside the barrier reef that runs along the eastern side of
the Vava'u group. Earlier in the day the wind was from the east which
would have allowed us to sail directly north, but by 130PM when we
departed Maninita the wind had backed to the northeast and it was still
backing further making sailing northward, into the sun, more difficult.
We gave it a try anyway, but after a few miles of tacking and a few more
close calls with uncharted reefs on the edges of the channel, we gave up,
bore off, and headed through more open channels to an alternate anchorage
for the evening. We decided to try the anchorage at Tapana Island, which
we hadn't tried before and which would be sheltered from the wind that was
now coming from the north and forecast to stay there for a few days. We
dropped the hook at 430PM after sailing twenty seven miles for the day.

The Tapana Island anchorage was perfection, and we had it to ourselves for
two days hiking on the trails ashore, exploring the three other small
islands that surrounded the anchorage, and beachcombing. Staring into the
crystal clear water behind the boat one afternoon we saw our first squid,
a whole bunch of them in fact, taking shelter in Moku pe'a's shadow. They
were only about an inch long, but when startled were still able to eject a
stream of ink that left the water stained. Tapana also provided our first
spam encounter of the trip where it was enjoyed with eggs and rice.

The wind continued to back as the next low pressure system passed, and
Tapana would not be sheltered in a westerly wind, so we weighed anchor and
headed back to the Vaka'eitu lagoon anchorage that provided protection
from all directions but north. We had a beautiful upwind sail in five
knot winds and along the way encountered our first humpback whale of the
season. It had attracted a couple of spectator boats and was pec
slapping, breaching, and headstanding.

We've been hunkered down in Vaka'eitu for a couple of days now while the
low passed and the wind backed through west and south and has settled
again in the southeast. It is blowing hard and raining, but we are
protected here and are enjoying reading and visiting with the other
cruisers in the anchorage. We've spent a couple of cocktail hours with
Richard and Fran on the sloop "Red" from Alaska, and just got done
visiting with Paul, Ally, and their two daughters on the catamaran "Kepa
II" from Auckland. We also enjoyed another Tongan feast yesterday with
David, Hika, and five of their eleven kids, a Tongan family that owns
Vaka'eitu and lives on the beach.

David had come by in his boat the day before, indicating that he might
cook a pig if enough cruising boats were in the anchorage. Early the next
morning we heard a pig being slaughtered (not a pleasant sound), and
figured that something was up. Sure enough, an hour later David came by
and invited all of the cruisers to a pot luck on the beach at 1PM. That
sounded generous, so Lori made banana bread and lomi salmon and we took
canned food and toys along too as gifts for the kids. The roast pig was
excellent. Hika also made some potato salad and coconut dumplings. Other
cruisers brought goodies and we had a great time feasting and visiting.
David's family sang songs and showed us the trail to the other side of the
island. It was a great time, but once there and eating David let us all
know that this was intended to be a fund raiser for his family, and that
significant monetary donations were expected. This isn't the first time
that this has happened to us, and it's a part of Tongan culture that I am
having a hard time accepting. They get us to agree to something, like
accepting what appears to be a gift or invitation, and then turn it into
an obligation for us to give them back significantly more than we
received. Oh well, we are sill learning, still having fun, still enjoying
Vava'u, and still exploring.