2 August - Fish and Fishermen

1600 position 18-42S 174-08W. At anchor in 30 feet, Hunga Lagoon, Vava'u,
Tonga

We were scheduled to meet Matt and Vicki Dyer in Neiafu in a couple of
days, and we didn't want to have to do the entire ten mile sail in a
single day, so we departed Tapana for Port Maurelle. About a mile into
the sail, in the middle of the pass between Taunga and Kapa, we hooked
into our second fifteen plus pound spanish mackerel on our Randy Reed
special lure. This one bled all over the boat to Lori's dismay, and even
after hours of cleaning I can still see some blood spots on the bottom of
the bimini. We didn't want to clean the fish in the tranquil and clean
water of the Port Maurelle anchorage, so we dropped the hook behind Sisia
Island for an hour to get the fileting done. Port Maurelle was crowded
with eleven boats, but we found an open spot for the night.

The whales had shown up in force, and just before sunset we had one
headstanding with it's tail in the air for about fifteen minutes right
outside the anchorage. The next morning, on our way into Neiafu, we had
to alter course to avoid them.

The fleet had gathered in Port Maurelle because thirty plus knot trades
were forecast for later in the week and Port Maurelle is an ideal spot in
those conditions. We had to get into Neiafu though to meet Matt and
Vicki, so we picked up a mooring when we arrived there rather than
anchoring so we'd be more secure in the heavy winds.

Matt, my favorite fisherman, and Vicky arrived by taxi at the Aquarium
right on time and we enjoyed drinks, dinner, and swapping stories with
them before we returned to the boat to settle in. The next morning we
took them ashore so they could enjoy the experience of shopping in Neiafu.

We have really been looking forward to showing Matt and Vicki the best of
Vava'u, but they arrived during a period of unsually heavy trades, so our
anchorage options were limited. We didn't want to go to Port Maurelle
with it's crowd of boats, so we sailed instead to the Hunga lagoon which
we have had to ourselves for the past two days. Matt wanted to fish on
the way out here, but I wouldn't let him because there's no room for more
fish in the icebox. Yesterday we hiked to a secluded beach on the south
end of the island, and today we dinghied across the lagoon to our favorite
anchorage at Fofoa Island.

There has been a lot of cribbage games, a lot of talking, a lot of
laughing, and a bit of drinking since the Dyers have arrived. Nothing but
fun, and it is a continuation of the fun we had with them in French
Polynesia three years ago.