0800 Position 19-03S 169-56W. On a mooring off of Alofi, Niue
We sighted Niue from twenty miles away at 4PM, a remarkably flat slab of coral rising slowly above sea level.
Just after dark the outhaul on the mainsail let go with a bang. No problem. We put in the first reef and continued on.
Night time arrivals are becoming a habit as Van Diemen works its way across the South Pacific. It was pitch black as we rounded the south end of the island and headed for the mooring field off of Alofi, the island's main town. We were surprised by how few lights we saw ashore as we motor sailed along Niue's west coast.
I tried to call the Niue Yacht Club on the VHF radio a couple of times as we approached Alofi, but got no response. After my second call the skipper of another yacht came on the radio and said he didn't think there was anybody at the club. He and another yacht had departed from Niue a half hour earlier heading west, and he said the mooring field was now completely empty.
The range lights into the wharf were lit, but the rest of the town of Alofi was dark as we made our approach to the mooring field at 9PM. Without a moon or lights ashore it was very difficult to judge distance. Powering in towards a dark shoreline in the pitch black was quite unnerving, but we spotted a mooring with the flashlight and picked it up. Time to relax.
We were just getting comfortable in the cockpit enjoying our first "Van Diemens" of the evening when we heard the "whosh" of a humpback whale taking a breath twenty feet from the boat. We couldn't see the whale, but heard him clearly as he worked his way astern of us.
The open roadstead off of Alofi was remarkably calm last night, and we all slept great. Piers got up this morning and went to have a swim off of the stern only to find a sea snake slithering along beside the boat. No swimming this morning.
We've just finished a pancake breakfast and are getting ready to call the officials on the VHF to clear us into the country. It will be a busy day.
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