Glory Days
Gulfstar 50

December 1998

Sept 19 We decided that we really needed to spend some time enjoying ourselves here so we rented a motorcycle (100 cc) and drove all over the island. Rarotonga is only 5 miles long and 3 miles wide, however we fill the day with lots of stops and many inquiries. The fertile soil is farmed in a fashion I know as garden farming. All crops are harvested and sold immediately. A great deal of the farming is done by hand. Rod filmed a man named Turama (I think) planting taro in a bog. He used a stick to make the holes in the mud then added the taro shoots and filled the hole by stomping the mud around the shoot. He plants a 10 yard by 40 yard section at a time and spaces the plantings by 2 weeks so he has a constant supply of taro for market and he can do all of the work himself. He farms about 20 acres. We also talked to a young man who was harvesting sweet potatoes. He said they harvest by hand as the soil is usually too wet to use a tractor and if they were to use a shovel they would end up cutting too many potatoes. They claw the red sandy soil with their hands to harvest. We also saw lots of tomatoes, papaya, cucumbers, and snake beans(green beans with a 12 inch long pod). We also stopped to visit with a wood carver. He gave us a lesson on Rarotongan history and we bought a most obscene statue of an ancient Rarotongan god. We also bought a carving of a mask and received an explanation of the symbols on the mask. And we found a breath-taking view high atop a hill. A fun day.
Sept. 20 Off to mass today. We went to the Maori Mass as we wanted to hear the beautiful singing. We were not disappointed. Although the Catholics were less formal and less rehearsed with their singing than the Protestant church of last Sunday, it was non-the-less beautiful. Since the sun is out today, Brenda uses the harbor's coin-operated washer and hangs the clothes out to dry on our life lines. It is a wonderful treat to have access to an automatic washer. Hand laundry is tiresome.
Sept 21-23 We are still waiting for our debit cards to arrive in the mail. The debit cards are our primary source of cash , otherwise we must get a cash advance on our VISA card or use our emergency American dollars. So this is important mail and we feel we must wait. We make good use of this time and work on boat projects. Rod rebuilds one of the toilets, mends the batten pocket on the main sail and replaces the batten that we lost on the trip here from Bora Bora. Brenda gets out her sewing machine and works on various sewing project including making us a Tonga flag . It has been almost three weeks since we have been in the water, not since Bora Bora. Tied here to the commercial dock the water is often cloudy and sometimes we see diesel floating on the top. We are being really careful with our water consumption now since we are not running the water maker. All our friends are further west by now and we would like to get going.
Sept 24-25 More days of "no mail". Bummer! Called Bruce & Kathy to learn of the mail disposition. They reply that the US postal service cannot track the parcel and they project a 10 day delivery. That day passed 6 days ago. Still projects to do so we keep humming along on those SLJ's (sh--- little jobs) that I've been procrastinating over. On Sept. 19th, (while renting the motorcycle) we stopped at a resort and had a late lunch. We met a local named JJ and he seemed very interested in our lifestyle so we invited him to stop by the harbor and pay us a visit. JJ showed up on the 24th and spent a pleasant evening with us. We served pretzels as an appetizer; JJ had never seen these before. The spaghetti we had for dinner, he was familiar with. He is the youngest of 12 children and still lives at home with his parents. He is in his early 20's. He was so thrilled to see the inside of a "yacht". It takes so little to bring someone else so much pleasure. After saying "good bye" to JJ, we walked to the movie and saw "7 Days and 6 Nights". It was filmed on some islands we either visited, Tahiti, or by which we sailed within 2 miles, Makatea. Makatea is the generic name given to coral upliftings (high limestone plateaus). We didn't stop as it has no anchorage and is inhabited by only a few people. JJ had seen the movie and was humored by Harrison Ford's American pronunciation of Makatea. We have invited Rick and Paula from the L.A. boat Leviathan over for dinner tonight. They were the first boat to leave Puerto Vallarta and one of the last to make it to the Cook Islands. They had an unexpected 4 month stay in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, to replace the engine in their boat.
Sept 26-28 More days of no mail. We went to church on Sunday and spent the balance of the day with Rick and Paula playing Rummy Tile. Monday, after the morning visit to the Post Office, we decide to leave without the mail and start making preparations for our departure. Brenda decides we should treat ourselves to dinner at "Trader Jacks" the best restaurant in town. It was a good meal, too.
Sept 29 We are out of the harbor by noon. The winds are 20 to 25 knots with brief excursions into the upper 20's. I put the main sail up, double reefed, while still in the protection of the harbor. That is all we have up and we are averaging 6.5 knots. This will put us into Palmerston at 6:00 am, 29 hours from now. It's 1:00 am 9/30 now. The seas are rolly so we are getting a lot of motion. This is how sailing enthusiasts euphemize the fact that we are getting the s*&$ beat out of us. Brenda just went to sleep at midnight and it started raining at 12:30. Good timing, Brenda.
Sept 30 It has been overcast this whole trip. Rod is wearing jeans, a long sleeve shirt and a jacket and I am in my sweats. We are making good progress. The wind has been consistent and blows steadily about 25 knots. We rolled out part of the jib when the wind went to 130 degrees apparent but after about five hours the wind shifted back to 150-160 apparent and we couldn't keep it full. So, at midnight at the change of shifts we furl it back in. That is OK, we don't want to go too fast and arrive in the dark. The GPS is now predicting our arrival to be at 8:00am and that's perfect.
Oct. 1 The moon set about 3:00am and the sky is still completely overcast. It's spooky traveling at 6 to 7 knots in the pitch black. Every thirty minutes the person on watch turns on the radar and does a double check for any unseen objects. At 7:00am the GPS and the radar tell us we are 10 miles away from Palmerston so Rod calls on our VHF radio and speaks to two boats that we know are anchored at Palmerston. By 7:30 we can see, in the distance, several small islands and know we are close. About 8:00 am two small fishing boats come out to greet us and to our surprise one of the local fishermen leaps off one of the skiffs and boards Glory Days. (We are in 8 to 12 foot seas!) Carl announces to us that he is to be our host while we are in Palmerston and he will start right now by guiding us to the anchorage. Palmerston is an atoll. It measures 7 miles from north to south and 5 miles from east to west. Seven islands are scattered along the coral reef surrounding the lagoon. All the islands are covered by coconut palms, but nevertheless the overall height of the islands are rarely over 50' above sea level. There are several small boat passages into the lagoon, none deeper than 4' so we anchor outside the atoll, on a coral shelf near the reef. We have our anchor set by 9:00am and shortly other aluminum skiffs tie up to our side and the cockpit is soon full of men coming to greet us and pick up packages which we have brought with us from Rarotonga. (While we were in Rarotonga the word spread that we were headed to Palmerston and we were given many packages to carry to relatives, mostly food, including l0 loaves of bread, two bags of tomatoes, one sack of oranges, eggs, cabbages, and two cases of bottled drinks. An inter-island freighter (about 80 feet in length) does visit Palmerston, but only once a month. So the island inhabitants depend on "yachties", like us, to bring them supplies, which we are glad to do.

Carl, our host, invites us to his home. So, after a quick wash-up and change of clothes, we jump into his skiff and are taken ashore on an E-ticket ride through the coral studded waters to the island of Palmerston. The islanders are the descendants of one patriarchal figure, William Marsters, a Lancashireman who settled on the island with three wives; all from Aitutaki, an atoll in the Cooks; in l862. He fathered 26 children, divided the island; and all of the atoll, into three parts for three families, and established strict rules about intermarriage. Today his families still live and control the entire atoll. In addition, they are scattered among the other Cook Islands, New Zealand, and Australia.

After a visit and introduction to numerous of the family members including Mata, his fiancé, we head back to Glory Days for a nap; we are both tired from our passage. Carl then retrieves us from our boat at 5:00 PM and we head to the volleyball court. The islanders love their sports and they are quite accomplished at volleyball making us yachties look like beginners. Rod dove after a ball and came up bloody on the knees so his water sports will have to be curtailed until the healing process gets underway. Bummer, as the air temps are at least 10 degrees warmer here than in Rarotonga and the reef looks very inviting. It's about 81 degrees here. After volleyball we head to Carl's and Mata's home and feast on the mahi mahi he caught early this morning. Since one of the yachties have some video movies, the locals are going to watch them tonight. Brenda and I excuse ourselves and head back to the boat for a shower and slumberland.
Oct. 2-9 This week will be a week that we will both remember the rest of our lives. The outpouring of love and caring on this small island is truly special. Although these families live very humble lives, they shared everything they have with us. We felt loved by everyone on the island. It is their tradition, that as yachties arrive, one of their families adopts the crew of the boat for as long as they visit. This includes providing dinner every night as well as hosting various island activities. Carl, who is 22, and Mata, who is 17, were our hosts. Carl and Mata live in a two room house. Carl earns a living by catching fish and exporting them to Rarotonga where his father sells them to the hotels. Every night we feasted on fish. We ate parrot fish, leather jacket, yellow fin tuna, wahoo, and mahi-mahi. We had it fried, baked and raw in a coconut milk, lime juice, and onion dish. The usual side dishes were taro and rice. We enjoyed the dinners. The night they came to our boat for dinner, we served BBQ chicken , potatoes and coleslaw; something different for a change.

Carl took Rod and Thane of "Shakti"spear fishing. Since both Thane and Rod were a little concerned about spearing fish around North Island, because of the reported high shark population, Carl took them to less productive waters and we still brought home 20 very nice fish: mostly big parrot fish with some smaller leather jacket fish. The sharks were with us for about 50% of our fishing outing and were right there to claim rights to fish we shot and injured but could not throw into the dingy. I don't think I'll ever get accustomed to swimming with sharks. When a 6 foot shark looks me in the eye scrutinizing me as a fearful enemy (or for dinner) my adrenaline level doubles. Obviously, the sharks got their cripples, we were happy with the view, and we got our fish and were all the better for an exciting and productive 2 hours of free diving exercise. Carl and I gutted the fish and Carl gave me lessons on filleting them. He used a sharp machete. So much for the belief that one needs a fillet knife to do a good job. Carl also saved the heads and the center bones of the fish as these portions contain allot of wasted meat. The head, as Carl says, "is the best part with the tastiest meat". He froze and gave to us the fillets. Our freezer is full.

The day Carl took Rod spear fishing; Mata and her cousin, Mitts, took Brenda and Corrine (a French woman from the yacht Shakti) on a trip to Bird Island, one of the nearby uninhabited motus. It was a wet 45 minute trip across the lagoon in the fishing skiff. The ladies had a good time swimming, looking for shells and birds, and enjoying the packed lunch. Mata climbed a tree and gathered some flowering nuts and Mitts used these to make Brenda a crown . Mitts also gathered coconut palm branches and taught the ladies how to weave mats.

In addition to the "hosted" activities we also did a few things on our own. Rod went spear fishing close to the anchorage area with Neil from the boat "Margarita". He speared a 26 inch parrot fish only to have it get off the spear and hide under a piece of coral. While reloading the gun in effort to dive and get the wounded fish, guess who appeared? Mr. 6 foot black tipped reef shark! The shark made a direct approach to the coral outcropping and, within 5 seconds of flying sand, swam away with "MY" fish in his mouth. He didn't even say "thank you" although I do think he smiled at me. The locals report no shark attacks in these waters. However, they also point out that if a shark wants your fish, then by all means let him have it. I think this seems like good advice.

Monday morning a cruise ship, named World Discoverer, anchored nearby. While the tourists spent a few hours ashore, Rod and Brenda went snorkeling (without the gun). We saw lots of 2 foot parrot fish and innumerable beautiful reef fish and a shark the size of our dingy. On Tuesday, Rod organized a sail outing for the locals. Glory Days, Shakti, and Sara took the locals sailing on our yachts. This was another special day, as some of these folks had never been sailing before. We organized a competition to see who could catch the biggest fish, the first fish and the most fish. The local fishermen arrived with their lines, lures, knifes and killing mallets. The Glory Days crew caught three beauties, two dorados and a giant (4 feet long) wahoo. It was quite exciting. Shakti caught a wahoo also and Sara came back with none. (I refused to "race" as: #1, "Racing is hard on the boat and if we break our boats it is a long walk to a repair station": and #2, "If I lost I would have to go buy a faster boat and I cannot afford this"). The sail was a magical experience. The locals really enjoyed themselves and we got to know some of them better in addition to having a great mild weather sail. The Palmerston "heroes" have taken the fishing jinx off of "Glory Days". While we were out sailing with most of the young men and women of the village, the older women stayed home and cooked, confident that we would come back with fish. We watched as the fish was cut into steaks and pieces for sashimi. The BBQ/feast on the beach that followed was delicious. The evening concluded with ukulele music and dancing in the sand.
Oct. 10 We are on our way to Nuie, having departed Palmerston at 5:00pm. Earlier today, Carl and Mata took us around to the families on Palmerston to say "Good-bye". We were gracious with our gratitude and received numerous farewell gifts. However, when Carl and Mata delivered us back to Glory Days in their fishing skiff and we had to say "good-bye" to them, all of us were wet eyed and awkward.

Upon our arrival in Palmerston, it was Carl who boarded our boat and helped us select the best anchorage. He then introduced us to all of the residents of Palmerston, took Rod diving for fish; of which he filleted and froze for our freezer. He invited us into his home for all dinners except for one dinner on board Glory Days. Suffice it to say, we were (are) sad to leave this unbelievable settlement of fishermen and their families. Their generous out-flowing of hospitality, friendship, and respect is so touching that we can only hope to carry forward in the same light, spreading good will and love throughout our travels throughout our lives. Our trip to Nuie will be close to 400 miles. We expect this to be a 2.5 day trip. Shakti left yesterday evening and the other two sail boats aren't ready to leave yet, so we will make this passage alone.
Oct. ll We have been having a good sail. The winds have been averaging about 15 knots. We have been sailing conservatively with a double reef in the main and a full (100%) jib. We could put up more sail, but we are averaging over 6.5 knots and don't want to get to Niue too early, i.e. in the dark. Once again our passage has been primarily under overcast skies. Rod has been wearing his jeans and a Patagonia jacket (thanks Rhonda). I have been in my sweats. Late this afternoon, as Rod was going to bed, the auto pilot alarm activated indicating a failure. As luck would have it the wind was increasing to 30 knots also. Brenda hand steered while Rod tore off our mattress and bed covers to gain access to the auto steering system. After about 60 minutes of trouble shooting, Rod discovered a loose wire to the motor. The original installation was faulty. Within 80 minutes of the alarm we were up and running. Sitting in a comfortable chair, this may not seem like a big deal. However, when you are looking at 12 foot seas and 30 knot winds in the face, having the auto pilot working again brings a big sense of relief.
Oct. 12 We were planning on the passage taking 60 hours, however we were blessed with good winds the entire trip and arrived at the island of Niue at 02:00. The captain insists on being present if we are within 15 miles of land so Brenda went to bed and I had a most "excellent experience" sailing into the protected side of the island in the 1/2 moon lit sky. The 1/2 moon illuminated the surroundings and the tamed ocean became a friend. I had to sail slowly back-and-forth, behind the lee of the island, until the sun came up; but it was beautiful and spiritual and I loved it. Soon, the sun induced dawn arrived and we retreated to the anchorage. After picking up a mooring, that the local yacht club installed, we put "Glory Days" to bed. At 8:00 Rod makes a trip to the island and gets the official entry paper work completed. Since Brenda isn't feeling well (she is getting a cold) she stays on the yacht and goes back to bed. Rod returns to write and nap. Then later we join Thane and Corrine, from Shakti, for a buffet dinner at one of the two resort hotels.
Oct. 13 We start this day with a visit to the local tourist office. We pick up a land map and a brochure which describes Niue as the "world's largest raised coral island". The island is about 60' of coral perched on top of a seamount rising from very deep water with a land area of l00 square miles. Niue's 2300 residents enjoy dual citizenship, as an independent nation in free association with New Zealand. However, imports run 6 times as high as exports so the island is totally dependent on official aid from New Zealand, which supplies two thirds of the local budget. Along with Thane and Corrine, and Susanna, a peace corp volunteer on vacation from Samoa, we pay to go on a guided tour of the island's rain forest. Misa, our Niuean tour guide, does an excellent job leading us through the forest. As a boy he was raised on this land by his grandparents and knows all the "old" ways. He stops often and points out the various trees and explains how the wood and leaves of each was used. He also tells us how to make bird and coconut traps and other interesting bits. Most amazing is the fact that Misa walks through the limestone floored forest in bare feet. This would be like walking across a scrap metal pile without shoes.
Oct. 14 Rod goes snorkeling this morning with an organized group. The dive master takes them to "snake alley". There are many varieties of sea snakes in the Niuean waters. Although poisonous, their mouths are too tiny to bite, or so we are told. Rod reports that there were snakes everywhere; in piles on the sandy bottom and swimming up and down from the bottom to the surface, since they breathe air. Not a real pleasing experience. I'm glad I didn't go. The rest of the day is spent reading and napping; Rod is still tired from our passage of two days ago.
Oct. 15,16,l7 We rent a small motorcycle and tour the island. It's quite fascinating exploring this limestone island. Over the centuries, ocean floor upheavals have created fissures and cracks, which have resulted in many caves and chasms. Some of the trails took us through fantastic petrified coral forests and others took us into the depths of caves with stalagmites and stalactites that reached 10' or more in length. The coast line is very rugged with steep coral cliffs and there are very few swimming spots however we take a refreshing dip at Matapa Chasm where a fresh water stream mixes with sea water and fills a small canyon. It is said that this chasm was used as a swimming place in the olden days by the kings. The highlight of these three days was our trip into Viakona cave. This outing was lead by a local artist named Mark Cross. He offered to take us to "his favorite place". Viakona isn't a recommended tourist stop. The walk to the cave was over a mile of difficult sharp limestone upheavals. The chasm is about 70 feet down and much of the entry involved scaling very steep limestone walls. One slip and the vacation could be over. Once in the chasm, we were greeted by pools of brackish water. We swam from one pool into a second pool by diving 6 feet down and swimming through an opening. The inner pool is in a cave so it was very dark. However, the sunlight from the first pool did shine through the entrance opening and provided the most outstanding visual that I think I (we) have ever experienced. After swimming back and forth a couple of times and exploring the inner cave above water level, we headed out of the chasm and hiked back to the motorcycles. Although this experience will always be one of my very best adventures, I couldn't encourage others to go on it. It was just too dangerous.
Oct. 18 We are planning on leaving for Tonga tomorrow so today we spend most of the day preparing for our next passage. We store things away, Brenda precooks some food, Rod checks the charts and gets several weather faxes over the SSB radio, and we both spend time in the water with our masks, snorkels and fins cleaning the bottom of the boat, so we won't be slowed by clinging seaweed and barnacles. The bad bottom paint that we were sold in Mexico is doing very little to inhibit marine life from growing and prospering on our boat bottom. The sea water is crystal clear and we can see the mooring that we are tied to 110' down. Occasionally a small sea snake or fish swims by but no sharks.
Oct. l9 The weather is changing, rain and strong wind is predicted. After reviewing the weather faxes and listening to reports from other cruisers on the SSB radio, Rod decides it would be unwise for us to leave today. So instead, we pay to be taken on a tour of the two largest caves on the island. Our native tour guide, Tali, drives us and one other tourist to land that his wife inherited. From our parking spot, we take a short hike to the entrance of the cave. The caves are breathtaking! There are no inner pools to swim in like Viakona, but the caves are much larger and seemingly older since the stalagmites are much bigger. Midday the rain starts and it is a downpour. It rains most of the afternoon and evening. In one four hour period we collect about 4" of rain in our dinghy. Our friends, Skip and Cass on SARA, join us for dinner tonight. Brenda cooks some of the parrot fish that Rod and Carl shot when we were in Palmerston.
Oct. 20 The rain continues and the winds are shifty. We decide to sit here at least one more day. It's disappointing. We are anxious to get on to Tonga, but we would rather be cautious and comfortable than foolhardy. We take advantage of this delay and arrange to have our laundry done. We drop it off at the dock and it will be delivered back to us tomorrow. A nice treat.
Oct. 21 The rain continued last night but the weather faxes indicate the frontal system is past us. Rod studies the faxes and decides to give it another 24 hours to stabilize and then we'll leave. We use the day to do additional projects on Glory Days and to buy some duty free beer and a few store items. Since "Gabes" has an all you can eat buffet tonight of the local dishes for $8 US per person we are talked into joining the other "yachties" for a final feast prior to departure.
Oct. 22 We are underway to Tonga with beautiful sailing. We were away from Niue with full main and full working jib by 8:30 am. This is the only the second time since Nuku Hiva that we have deployed the full main sail. The first time was for 5 hours after leaving Bora Bora. The winds are on the beam and the seas are only 2 to 3 foot. The winds picked up to 13 so we were making 7.3 knots when a Mahi Mahi decided to lunch on Rod's newly remodeled fishing lure. Within 30 minutes he was filleted and we ate a BBQ lunch of fresh Mahi Mahi. It will be difficult to beat this. But maybe we can catch a Wahoo tomorrow and we can feast on both cooked fish and sashimi. The freezer is full of fish from Palmerston (parrot and wahoo) and about 8 big steaks of mahi mahi but I figure that since my luck has changed and I'm catching fish, I have a lot of time to make up and a lot of fish to catch. We will be in Tonga in a day and can give other yachties any "extra" we have. (While I gloat.)

The sail continues to be fast and comfortable and warm. No jeans and jackets this trip. It is 23:00 and Glory Days is galloping along at 7.2 knots (8.5 mph) in approximately 15 knots of wind. The wind has turned more to the south east so we are on a broad reach now, still with a full main and working jib.
Oct.23 We are passing over some of the deepest parts of the ocean, the Tonga Trench. In some places it is l0 miles below our keel! The good speeds and comfortable sail continue. We are estimating arrival at Tonga at 18:30, just before sunset. This isn't the best timing as the entrance into Tonga is 10 miles long and weaves throughout the islands. I inquire with some friends who are in Neiafu, the biggest town, and they report that the entrance has no hazards and the radar will be a good set of navigation eyes so we decide to go for it. The advice was sound and by 20:30 we are tied up to a mooring, with the help of Peter on Max Grody II. We averaged just shy of 7.l knots on smooth seas and gentle trade winds. This was the very best passage we have made in the South Pacific. If only the prior 2000 miles of passages could have been this lovely.
Oct. 25 Tonga is on the west side of the "date line", so we lost a day. Tonga is comprised of l70 islands, 37 inhabited, and sprinkled over a vast area. Cyclone season is getting close and since Tonga gets an average of two tropical cyclones a year, we will not have time to see much of this kingdom this year, before we flee south to New Zealand to get in safe latitudes. Our first day in the Kingdom of Tonga is consumed by putting the boat back together following the passage and by visiting with friends. Anchored nearby are several boats that we know from our l6 months in Mexico, as well as others we have met along the way. Corrine, on Shakti, and Myron, on Endurance, had a birthday party tonight at Ocean Breeze, one of the islands better restaurants. We joined about 25 other cruisers for dinner; the food was great!
Oct. 26 Agricultural and Health Inspection and the Customs Inspection were conducted on Glory Days while at anchorage. The inspectors were willing to dingy to Glory Days instead of me delivering Glory Days to the industrial wharf, a nasty docking arrangement for a yacht. Unfortunately, we don't stock sodas nor cigarettes and these were the items they would have liked us to give them. They didn't hold a grudge and let us through with a smile and a 4 pa'anga overpayment of the normal 20 pa'anga dues. Graft and stiffing the visitors is a way of life all over the world. Later, Brenda and I headed to Neiafu for Immigration check in and a day of shopping and browsing the town. The tour books report Tonga to be a poor country and our observations certainly would agree with that. The poverty appearance is exaggerated by the 5 month drought brought on by el nino. The shanties lived in by most people are surrounded with red clay dirt. Pigs roam freely throughout the town. It seems a contradiction that The Kingdom of Tonga is a world renown cruising ground and yet it supports such poverty. Some people are very friendly and others are equally not friendly. The "rich" visitors spend a lot of money in Tonga but, to some of the natives, our presence doesn't seem all welcome. Maybe they are just having a bad day. (Addendum: After consulting other cruisers we conclude that our impressions are universal. Too bad. We know of cruisers who have left Tonga, after only a short stay, for this reason and that costs the locals money.)
Oct. 27 After a morning of shopping and doing errands we take Glory Days to anchorage #11. Kristen on "Hio Ave", has announced a Tongan Feast on the island of Olo'au, anchorage #26. It is a local feast where the food is cooked in the traditional ways so we want to attend. The "other" Tongan feasts are touristy and not as authentic. This one is a fund raiser for a church and indeed it turned out to be a real "cultural experience". We joined five other Americans at Olo'au for the dinner. We were ushered into a long narrow room (approx. 20'). Running the distance of the room was white plastic, approx. 4' wide. Spread along the plastic were heaps of cooked food including three small whole pigs, dishes of local vegetables, fish, noodles and cakes. We were asked to sit on the floor cross legged on either side of the plastic. After a long prayer (spoken in Tongan) we were instructed to grab anything we wanted and to eat it with our hands. Since there were no plates and silverware this was rather awkward and messy. Eventually our discomfort was noticed and several plastic spoons and paper napkins were located for our use. Also seated and eating in the room with us were many older men who were the church officials. Unfortunately they didn't speak English. Outside the shack many locals looked in. We felt quite conspicuous eating such a feast while the poor people watched. After a half hour or so of eating , a large finger bowl was passed, another long prayer was said and we got up and went outside. Most of the food still remained and quickly the neighbors streamed into the long room and helped themselves to plates of food which they took home. We left a donation in the church to pay for our dinner. The dingy ride to the feast was a little rough and wet but we were going down wind in 3 foot seas. The dingy ride back was very rough and difficult as the sun was setting and we couldn't see the coral reefs until we were almost right on them. After a navigational error, we had to walk the dingy through the shallows near anchorage #12 and then motor around the island of Tapana into our anchorage. We finally got back to the boat after darkness set in. We won't do that again as there is just too much coral around here and the winds and waves were just too strong. Doing a dingy ride of this size would be a lot safer with a chart and a VHF.
Oct. 28 Our morning is consumed by chores followed by a lazy day afternoon. Rod reads the book (that Brenda just finished) about the "Queens Birthday Storm" which occurred between NZ and Tonga several years ago. Ten cruisers were disabled by the storm and had to be rescued by passing ships. Great book to read prior to making the passage (wrong). Brenda takes the dinghy to shore for shell combing. As the sun sets Rod barbecues steak and we end the evening with a game of cribbage. Rod wins again. (10 to 1)
Oct. 29 This anchorage is so peaceful, we would enjoy staying longer. But, the cruising season is coming to a close and we want to see some of the other l70 islands in Tonga, so we consult the cruising guide and pick a spot that is described as having excellent snorkeling. Interestingly, there are so many anchorages, all with tongue twister names, that the guide has assigned them numbers. We motor sail over to #l6, past several small islands. After lunch, we go snorkeling around a small, nearby island and see few fish but are delighted with the neon blue starfish. Later we meet up with our some friends for a potluck dinner aboard a lovely 58' custom yacht from Germany named Sandra Maria.
Oct. 30 Our friends that are anchored nearby depart this morning for Fiji, leaving only one other boat in this anchorage and that is a large fishing boat with a family from Alaska. We work on more boat projects this morning . In the afternoon we go snorkeling again. This time we walk over a nearby reef in knee high water, then don our fins and masks and jump into the surf and swim into deeper water. We are rewarded by finding a spectacular coral garden, about a mile long and 30' wide, with many types of coral. The various coral growths seem to fit together in a giant collage of many colors and textures. This is the most beautiful coral we have seen in the S. Pacific.
Oct. 31 Our morning snorkel proves to be more breath taking than yesterday. It is nice to see such healthy coral. Some of the larger pieces of coral are as big as a dining room table. Not only do we float past fantastic specimens of coral, we see many varieties of colorful fish including three small reef sharks swimming in the shallows. We eat lunch underway to anchorage #7. This is a pristine bay with a pretty sandy beach and palm trees. Not much to see underwater but a pleasant place to swim and relax.
Nov. l The weather continues to be in the eighties. We marvel at the beauty of this place and remember that we will be returning to winter in Idaho in one month. Rod and four other cruisers go for a morning scuba dive. Since we only have one set of scuba gear, I stay back and put on my snorkel gear and work on cleaning the bottom of the boat. This is another never ending project. It seems as soon as we scrub off the algae growth it starts growing again. Not only is it unsightly, it creates drag and slows us down. In the evening about 20 adults and five kids meet on the beach for a BBQ potluck. After dinner we linger since it is such a lovely night with almost a full moon. Finally about l0:00pm we dinghy back to the boat.
Nov. 2 In the morning, Rod and Thane, on Shakti, dingy to Mariners Cave and free dive into it. The entrance into the cave is 4 feet underneath the surface of the ocean and 10 feet long. It is an exhilarating experience and the view in the cavern is spectacular. Rod enjoyed it so much that he swam in and out of it several times. In the early afternoon, we visit Thomas and Irene on MAX. They built their boat and it is a one of a kind speedster with water ballast, twin dagger boards and rudders and a great layout for a 34 foot boat. Later we dingy to Sparrows Cave and enter into the cave by dingy. It is 40 meters deep. We walked over some rocks to the inner cavern. Upon returning to the dingy we saw 2 large sea snakes coiled up inside pockets in the rocks. I hate snakes so we swam to the dingy and exited. We still had time to return to Neiafu for happy hour at Ana's Cafe and dinner at the local Italian restaurant.
Nov. 3 We check out of the Vava'u group of islands with the port officials, do some errands and head out of the city of Neiafu to anchorage #6. Brenda wants to snorkel the coral at #6 but is turned away by all of the jellyfish. At 4 PM we meet up with Margarita at Mariners Cave so I can show Sarah the cave. Diving into the black abyss is a bit disturbing. There is a point where I wonder if this is a good thing to be doing. Then, I see the end of the tunnel and the surface of water on the inside of the cavern and surface. Sigh of relief. Sarah enjoyed it too. After this brief stop we motor sail to anchorage #13. Along the way we sight whales twice; first two or three small whales on our port side and then on our starboard side we see two big hunchbacks breach. They are on their way south to Antarctica for the southern hemisphere summer. We enter into a lagoon named Hunga by passing through a narrow entrance with high cliffs on each side. It is quite dramatic and very protected inside from the ocean swells. Hoptoad invites the Margarita clan and us for dinner. We feast on lobster and have a great visit.
Nov. 4,5 Anchored inside the Hunga lagoon feels like being on a lake. We are surrounded on all sides by hills with trees; but the giveaway is the three small sandy beaches and of course the salt water. Twice we take the dinghy through the lagoon entrance and snorkel on the outside. The landscape underneath the water is rugged with huge boulders lying on the bottom and large specimens of coral wedged in between. The water is very clear and we see large fish swimming in the underwater canyons.
Nov 6,7 We had planned to leave on the 6th but the rain changed our minds. It rained so hard we had to bail out the dinghy several times. Finally on the evening of the 7th we decide to make the trip south to the Hapai(middle) group of Tongan islands. We leave at last light, about 7:00pm. Not too far ahead of us are three other boats, Margarita, Hoptoad and Hio Ova. The weather is still not settled and during the night we sail through several small squalls and don our rain jackets.
Nov 8 It was an overnight sail, we arrive at the island of Uoleva in the morning and have the anchor set by 9:30. The water is crystal blue and we can clearly see our anchor, which is set in 23 feet of water. Even though this passage was only l4 hours we are very tired and after we are settled we both take a two hour nap. The rest of the day is spent reading and we retire to bed early.
Nov 9 The long, white, sandy beach here has a gentle curve and beckons Brenda to walk its shore and swim in the gentle surf. Rod, on the other hand, is lured by the nearby coral reef where he thinks there may be good hunting. We both call two of our cruising buddies from nearby boats and off we go to have fun. Rod, Niell, and Sonny were indeed successful; between them they caught 7 parrot fish, enough for a BBQ. The ladies make side dishes and we have an enjoyable dinner party on Glory Days.
Nov 10 Rod goes spear fishing again and Brenda stays on the boat and precooks some food for our passage tomorrow. Later all six sail boats that are anchored here meet on the beach for a potluck and bonfire. We end the evening roasting marshmallows and talking with friends.
Nov 11 We say our good-byes and are on our on way by l0:00am. We expect this to be a 24 hour passage. We have a lovely, warm sail in l5 knots of wind with almost flat seas. The first several hours we weave our way around other Tongan islands and coral reefs and then eventually we find our way to deep water and set the autopilot. Along the way we are successful in catching a nice sized dorado. We freeze 2/3 and eat the rest for dinner. About sunset, Rod realizes we have made a navigational error and are much closer to our destination than we expected to be; now instead of having 88 miles to go, we have only 25 miles.
Nov 12 At 1:00am we have only 8 miles to go, but it is unsafe to proceed in the dark. The chart shows a circuitous track to the harbor, through shallow, coral strewn patches. We decide to heave to and slowly drift and await the sun. We continue our 4 hour shifts. At 7:30 we resume sailing and find our way to the small harbor of Nuku Alofa. By l0:30 we are stern tied to the jetty.
Nov 13-l7 We spend this time preparing for our upcoming l200 mile trip to New Zealand. This includes buying diesel, propane (for the stove), obtaining visas, buying groceries, having laundry done, etc. There are about 8 other boats here, all preparing for the same trip. The constant topic of conversation is weather. Hurricane season began November 1, so we are all a little anxious. Then two days of stormy weather, complete with thunder and lightening, added spice.
Nov. 18 After numerous delays/projects we pull anchor in Nuku Alofa and move to a reef area so Rod can dive on the boat and clean its bottom and the propeller, just prior to start of our trip to New Zealand. The "nasties" are already growing on it after only a week but it was a small job in comparison to the previous 2 cleanings. The anchor chain was covered with a white sticky mud and Rod had to scrub all 150 feet of it. Brenda would raise one foot of chain, using the windlass, and I would scrub it while in the dingy. Whew, I'll not delay putting a wash down pump in any longer. Coincidentally, as we left the reef area after cleaning the boat bottom, our Swiss friends, Thomas and Irene, exited the harbor so we motored across the 12 mile reef strewn area together and exited the Tongatapu area through a poorly marked entrance named the Egeria Channel. Once in deep water we were greeted by only 8 knots of wind and it was on our starboard stern quarter. This means that as we sail we reduce our apparent wind. We could only make 3.5 knots so we started the Perkins sail and are now running at a medium rpm and are motor sailing. It is midnight and the temperature is still 81 muggy degrees. Thank goodness for fans. The latest weather fax shows a "low" forming at 28S 163E, about 1600 miles to the west of us. This is the area where hurricanes can form so we'll keep a close watch on it. Hopefully it won't deepen and it will move slowly so we can scoot south to NZ without its influence.
Nov. 19 Rod: Engine off at 6:30am. Nice fair weather sail going 6.5 knots. The weather faxes from NZ show the low deepening considerably. Since it is moving south it will not develop into a hurricane but it will produce adverse weather and high winds. I changed our course to N. Minerva reef after reading the faxes , a circular reef which is just above sea level during low tide. It is a good place to anchor if adverse weather sets in. Thane, on Shakti, bought a 5 day weather analysis from an expert in NZ and he shared this with us at 14:00 hrs. The weather analysis is for unusual but good weather to make the crossing to NZ. The low is expected to move slowly across the North Island of NZ and attenuate the higher winds offered by an approaching high. If we are lucky we can go straight to Opua and avoid the longer west then south route, which some cruising experts suggest. I reference Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes". After Thane's report I changed our route again, now we are headed direct to Opua and will skip the stop at Minerva reef.

After 5 hours of very pleasant sailing we exited the convergence zone which had plagued us with light winds and light rain for the majority of the early morning hours. The exit was a roller coaster ride with the letter "E" printed on the ticket. Whew, 35 knot winds and 10 foot seas came up instantly. We reefed the main and furled in 60% of the jib. All is OK except the skipper who started feeling sea sick, and the first mate who got a little overwhelmed with the ferocity of it all. Cheated death one more time. It is currently 01:00 on Friday Nov. 20 and the cabin temp is a cool 81 degrees. Cooler temps are supposed to follow us into the lower latitudes.

Brenda: I've been anxious about this l200 mile passage since the day we left home. This trip has a notorious reputation of being one of the roughest segments of a circumnavigation. Today we experienced two hours of squalls, but most of the day has been rather benign. In fact we turned on the engine at 8:00 pm to help push us along a little faster. I can handle this. The Southern cross seems to shine brighter in the sky the closer we move to New Zealand.
Nov. 20 We motored all night, the seas were flat. Finally at l0:30am the wind picked up and we were able to sail. The wind stayed at 10-15 knots at 60 degrees apparent the rest of the day and night, which provides a comfortable sail. We were able to shower and cook three meals while underway with no problem. Rod even grilled some of the Mahi Mahi we caught last week while inroute to Nuku Alofa. To our surprise, the temperature is still warm and we are wearing shorts and shielding ourselves from the sun while we read in the cockpit. The charts show numerous submerged volcanoes (some are still active) in this area. Today we saw several patches of yellow stuff floating in the water. A few of these patches were larger than a football field. We wonder if this is sulfur from a volcano or if some large ship dumped a holding tank. The weather picture still is a difficult call. The low has intensified and the Fiji weather analysis calls for 45 knot winds within 200 miles and 35 knot winds within 500 miles of the center. For this reason we will continue sailing with a double reefed main and set course for the waypoint which is north of the northland at 30S and 175E. It's a little farther but I would not like to get the 9 to 12 clock position of the low's rotation on the nose without having some room to crack off. The 01:00 temperature is 81 degrees. It hasn't fallen as fast as we had anticipated.
Nov. 21 Had a great sail this entire day. The boats which are behind us by as little as 40 miles have 8 knots of wind and are sailing slowly. We have 15 knots of wind and are averaging 6.9 knots on a comfortable close reach with a double reefed main. Brenda likes the double reef as it allows the boat to heel less. I like not being thrown around too. This morning's weather faxes from NZ show the low stable at 992 mb and moving at a faster speed than originally anticipated. This is good as it will get out of our way faster and allow a direct run into Opua. I heard some fellow boaters on the HF radio who were in the thick of the low. Their winds were in the 25 knot range so the 45 knot winds didn't develop. I spent several hours trying to project the lows movement relative to our progress toward NZ and continue to come up with a big "It will be close". If we get close to NZ and we start getting into 25 knot winds on the nose we'll either continue bashing into it (Glory Days does pretty well at this.) or we'll heave-to and let the uncomfortable weather pass by and then continue. For the non sailors out there; heave-to is a maneuver in which I point the boat into the wind but we stay in about the same position. It allows staying almost stationary and it is usually quite comfortable for the occupants. I spoke with Ian on the 62 foot Deerfoot during our 7:30 PM HF radio net and he was 300 miles from the center of the low and experiencing only 20-22 knot winds. He was going west at 216 degrees true as he will certainly be getting winds on the nose tomorrow. Meanwhile we continue along at speeds of 6 to 7.5 knots. The winds are turning variable in intensity. I assume the surrounding clouds are the culprit.
Nov.22 Brenda: At 5:00 am during my watch we passed the half way point of this passage. We were expecting this trip to take about 8 days and at this rate our estimate will be right on. I was planning on waking Rod for a celebration but the waves were getting bigger and the ride getting lumpy so I decided to hold off the party. Rod woke me up at 9:30am and asked me to go on deck with him. Since the wind speed had increased to over 25 knots, he thought it wise to reduce sail area of both sails. We have a rule that neither one of us can leave the cockpit without the other being on deck. We put on our harnesses and attached our tethers. First, we furled in the jib 2/3 then Rod crawled up to the mast to reef the main sail to the third reef point. I stayed in the cockpit to release the main sheet, etc. This is the first time we have ever felt the wind and sea state warranted such small sail area. The wind ferocity increased and we both got wet as waves striking the boat sent spray over our boat. Our wind instrument broke about this time so we are not sure, but we guess the wind was blowing from 30 to 35 knots (40 mph). Then we did another thing we've never done before: we removed the bimini (sun awning), installed the companionway door, Rod sealed the cracks between the door and the door sill with tape to prevent water entering through the spaces, and went down below to watch through the ports. We spent the rest of the day and night sealed up like this, with an occasional quick peak outside. Turning on the propane stove and cooking a meal was out of the question since the boat was constantly jerking around. Cold cereal for breakfast; cheese, apples and crackers for lunch; and peanut butter and jam sandwiches for dinner made up our diet. Probably the worst part was listening to the howling wind and the big thuds as huge waves (l4-20') crashed on the side of our bobbing home. Interestingly, although the winds are the strongest they have been, we are going the slowest (4.5 knots) since we have so little sail area up.

Rod: I guess we found the low pressure cell. Now that we have done this, next time I'll be happier to skirt the gales and let those more hardy than I tell of their heroics. The good news is that we are on the outer fringes of the low now as the winds seem to have dropped to approximately 25 knots and the barometer is up 2 Mb. We are expecting and have been getting wind shifts to the south from the west. According to Des on Russell Radio, we'll have 15 knots of southwesterly winds tomorrow. Maybe we can get out of our hole then. It is a surprise how quickly Brenda and I adapted to this situation. The 15 to 20 foot seas breaking onto the boat, the boat dropping off of some of these wave crests with a bone jarring impact, and the constant howling of the wind through the rigging is no longer a big stress. I guess this is good. None the less, I'll pass on the opportunity to relive this experience. Thank you very much. I noted in the Pilot Charts that the probability of having a gale is 1% this time of year. Aren't we the lucky ones!
Nov. 23 Brenda: Sleeping last night was almost impossible, the boat continued to jerk about all night and the crashing waves caused loud jolts as the boat was slapped or fell off a wave. However we never felt afraid, just uncomfortable. We have great faith in Glory Day's capacity to ride through the rough seas and it is reassuring to remember that Rod replaced all the rigging before we started on this voyage. A little after dawn I woke Rod and we decided the winds had decreased enough to let out the rest of the foresail, this would allow us to sail faster and point higher. As we went outside we able to get a good look at the waves, still big but not mountainous as they were only hours earlier. Rod took over the watch and I was finally able to sleep. We ate a late lunch this afternoon in the cockpit. We were surprised by the warmth of the sun; bouncing around down below and listening to waves crash you just assume it is cold and nasty outside. Outside we discovered the entire boat is covered with a coat of salt crystals from breaking waves of yesterday. Now we have to hope for rain to wash the boat. The wind continued to decrease, at sunset we had less than 20 knots, so we went from the third reef to the 2nd reef to keep up our speed. Unfortunately, the wind and waves are still coming from the south and that is the direction we are headed so we are not going as fast as we would if the wind was coming across our beam, but more importantly our ride is still jerky and uncomfortable, but much improved over last night. At midnight we still have 315 miles to go; we are both getting anxious to arrive at a smooth anchorage.

Rod: At 00:00 I took over the watch. The wind has shifted more to the west so I can make a course adjustment to the west towards our "Bream Point" waypoint. Bream is at the mouth of a 10 mile bay in which we will leave our boat at a town named Whangarei (pronounced Fhangarei). The seas have also subsided sufficiently that we are able to make better speeds (6.8 to 7.5 knots). Not running into walls of water is faster. The GPS tells me we will arrive at Bream at 03:00 on Thursday AM. That assumes that the winds don't lighten nor change direction. The chances of this are very very small. The weather faxes tell me that the building high pressure area located NW of NZ should continue to shift my winds more west. This is good as I can stay on course, ease the sails out, and stop beating into the seas. It will give us a much improved ride. I guess it is time to start studying the port charts to learn my options if we do arrive at night. If we arrive in the daylight we'll continue up the bay to Whangarei. In the mean time sailing close hauled at 7 knots is a nice change over yesterday's gale.
Nov. 24 The wind shift I was so elated with last night didn't hold. Within 4 hours the wind died to 8 knots and shifted to the southwest putting us on a south course. Since we need to go southwest, this is not good. After studying the port charts and the tide table for Whangerei I decided to stop sailing south and motor towards our destination which is south west. I was anticipating that the wind would shift to the west allowing us to sail and 4 hours later my guestimate proved correct. We are now sailing at 6.5 to 7 knots directly toward Whangarei. I hope this condition will last for the 35 hours we will need to get to our destination. The weather here changes so fast. One moment the disturbance is moving NW at 5 knots and the next moment it is heading our way at 20 knots. It makes weather planning a short term thing. It also illuminates the importance of having a well built well prepared boat. I hope I have both.

I spoke with Jill and Andy Rothman yesterday on the radio. They heard me call Russell Radio for a weather update and made contact. We had a great chat. I am really excited to see them again. I raced in SF Bay for 4 years with Jill and Andy. They are great friends. They have been cruising for the past 2 years and just completed there 2nd year in the South Pacific spending the entire cruising season in Fiji. They got hit by a 3 day gale coming back to NZ. They had a wave break on the boat and remove their dodger. Their 120% jib was shredded as it was made of material too light to take the abuse and their main was torn in several places. Fortunately, they were able to use the main sails 3rd reef and hoist their 90 % jib when the winds subsided to make it into Opua. The good news is that they are safe and in great humor. I can hardly wait to see them.

The sail all night was very pleasant. We are still heading directly towards Whangarei. The temperatures have fallen to 74 degrees F during the day and 68 at night. We haven't experienced weather this cold since mid April when I was trade wind sailing from Mexico to the Equator. I wonder how we will adapt to the cold in Idaho. We will be there in 14 days or 13 days taking into account the International Date Line.
Nov. 25 One month until Christmas, one day 'till our arrival in New Zealand. We expect to make landfall at 5:30 am tomorrow and start traveling up the 14 mile river to Whangarei. The sun will be up by then so we won't have problems. Of course the NZ weather is going to take one more lick at us before we get there. A cold front is traveling north and will clear the north island by midnight. We felt the effects of it at about 4:00 PM when the wind velocity increased from 15 to 25, followed by a rain shower about 8:00PM. We had hoped for rain to wash off the boat and we got it! Be careful for what you ask. The winds turned SW after this front passed making it impossible to find any point of sail that would bring us within 70 degrees of our goal so we turned on the motor . After seven days and seven nights of interrupted sleep and living, cooking, and bathing inside a rocking, tilted box we are ready to use the diesel rather than extend the passage for another 24 hours. (We wouldn't be able to transit the river in the dark.) Unfortunately, our speed is less than four knots (you could walk this fast) since we are going directly into the wind. Now we understand why this crossing to and from NZ to the tropics has a notorious reputation. It is just full of ever changing conditions and surprises.
Nov. 26 We wanted to be in New Zealand by Thanksgiving. Well, we made it! At 3:30am we could see land on the radar and at sun up Rod called "land ho". We entered the long river channel about 9:00am and at noon we were tied to the customs dock. The immigration, agricultural and customs check-in was the most complete we have experienced in any country. Two officials boarded our boat to check our paperwork and conduct the inspection. We were told to throw into their garbage bag any fresh fruit, vegetables and meat we had on board. Fish was exempt. Also confiscated were any diary products, such as eggs, cheese and milk. Luckily we had been advised months ago that the agricultural inspection was tough here, so we had made it a point to eat most of our fresh groceries before arriving. Also taken were our canned clams and Raid spray. This process took about an hour and a half, then we continued our motor up river to the Riverside Marina where we had a reservation. By 2:00pm we were tied to the dock, just in time for a shower before the turkey party attended by about 30 yatchies. It had been a long time since we had seen many of the yachties so the Thanksgiving celebration was extra special. Great to see Blue Jay, Annapurna, Go West, Wind Raven, Cinnabar, etc. And we were delighted to meet new people; most of whom sailed to the NZ area last year and spent the winter in the Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia areas. They returned to NZ this cyclone season because they liked it last year.
Nov. 27 We had our traditional 14 hour post passage sleep last night. It will probably take us several nights of long sleep to recover from our 7.5 day passage. It's nice to be tied to a dock again and to be able to just step off the boat and walk. We spent most of the day today involved with clean up activities. Rod used the dock hose to wash off the boat and I used the coin laundry to wash clothes and bedding. It started raining this afternoon, so I will put off walking to the grocery store. I'm sure a few days without fresh veggies will not bring on scurvy.
Nov. 28 It poured all night and the wind began howling and gusting again. As we made our passage from Tonga, Rod hosted a radio net with twice daily check-ins of all the boats currently underway. We know that there are least ten boats still out there making their way to New Zealand. First thing this morning, Rod turned on the radio to try to make radio contact because he was worried about our friends that are still underway in this bad weather. Now that we are in a harbor, radio reception is poor due to all the interference and it was very frustrating trying to make contact. At 8:00am Rod was advised by Des on Russell Radio that our acquaintances on Freya (Marion, Bruce and their l3 yr. old son, Heath) had hove to last night in 50 knot winds and had missed a 06:00 check-in with Des. That news alarmed us. Rod tried to make connection with Freya during their normal check-in time but was unsuccessful. About 10:30am a Mayday message was transmitted across the VHF radio announcing that Freya's EPIRB had been set off at l0:15am and search helicopters were being sent to look for them. Then later in the afternoon another Mayday message was heard on VHF by the helicopter. This Mayday was from Mike and Julie on the boat Salacia. Unfortunately Salacia does not have an EPIRB or a working SSB radio. The only info the search vessels have is their last reported position. Hearing this kind of information is very upsetting. It drives home how quickly a pleasant time can turn into a time of peril. But I believe Rod and I were even more shaken because it was just 4 days ago that we were in gale force winds ourselves. The 35 to 45 mph winds tested us considerably. These people are in 70 - 75 mph winds and the seas are mountainous (50 foot). At 3:30pm we received news that the 3 persons on Freya had been airlifted off their sinking boat. Thank God. However Salacia is still missing. In the meantime the wind continues to howl and the rain continues to fall. (I guess we didn't need to use the hose yesterday to wash off the boat.) This Thanksgiving we have an extra reason to be thankful: we are tied to the dock and not out in those life threatening seas.
Nov. 29 New Zealand does not have a US Coast Guard equivalent. Emergency airlift rescues, like Freya's yesterday, are done by volunteers. There is a service that coordinates but none which conducts rescues. Early this morning a 20,000 ton container vessel was diverted from its course to search for Salacia. The vessel was near the last known position of Salacia. In the dark, this huge freighter did indeed find the missing 15 ton sailboat. We don't know the full story but in the huge waves the rescue was extremely difficult. While the freighter was attempting to save our friends, Mike and Julie, it smashed into Salacia dismasting her and putting a hole in her hull. Life rings were sent to Salacia. Mike was pulled to safety but the ring that Julie was in was pulled back to the freighter, empty. It is presumed that Julie fell out and drowned. Perhaps you can imagine how upsetting this news was to us. We knew these people. This happened only days after we sailed through the same area on the same passage. We visited Marion, Bruce, and Heath in their hotel and gave them some clothing and our well wishes. The stories they told us about their vessel being rolled and knocked down repeatedly is the most fearsome story I've ever heard. And following our experiences in the Gale I have some appreciation, and only some, of what they went through. Absolutely frightening!
Nov. 30 It is our anniversary today. It was two years ago that we sailed under the Golden Gate bridge. Our day was made special by a visit from our dear friends, Jill and Andy Rothman, from San Francisco. Andy owned the sailboat "Glory Days" which I (Rod) first raced on, back in l984. Andy and Jill retired in l995 and started cruising a year earlier than us. They spent this last cruising season in Fiji and made their passage to New Zealand about l0 days ahead of us. They are now have their boat anchored about sixty miles north of us.
Dec. 1 A one day visit was too short and we were successful in convincing Jill and Andy to spend another day and night. We shared photos and stories. And they have given us some advice for next season when we go to Fiji. A delightful two days.
Dec. 2-6 We furiously work to prepare to leave our boat for three months. We take off the jib, fold, and prepare it for the sail repair loft. We change the oil in both the Perkins and the Onan generator and we fill the diesel tank so hopefully no algae will grow in air spaces. Rod flushes the outboard engine. I empty and clean the refrig, etc. On Dec. 4 Glory Days is pulled out of the water and moved to dry storage. For two days we must climb up and down a ladder to get to our home and use the marina's shower and toilets. It makes living on board more inconvenient but we want Glory Days to have a chance to dry out while we are gone.
Dec. 7 The family of three that was air rescued off Freya is living in a motel. We visited with them and took them some clothing and other incidentals. They are doing well but are not too sure they want to own another boat. Amazingly, their only physical injuries are bruises. Although they lost everything they are in good spirits and happy to be alive. Rod and I invited them to stay on our boat while we are gone and they have accepted. They will move in tomorrow . We bid farewell to Glory Days and took a taxi to the bus station. Our bus trip is a comfortable three hour ride to Auckland. We travel though beautiful countryside, passing rolling green hills occupied by herds of sheep. We spend a day being tourists in the big city, a huge change from the villages we have visited during the past eight months.
Dec. 8 After a night in a hotel room and a little more sightseeing , we caught a van to the airport. We fly directly to Los Angeles, and then onto Boise, Idaho. The whole trip takes about 24 hours, with lay-overs and delays. The temperature is 22 degrees and there is snow on the ground. But Rod's Mom's and Dad's open arms warm us.

So now we are land lovers for three months. We will spend the Christmas holidays with Rod's family and then visit Brenda's family in January. In February, we will travel to Oregon to check-on our investment properties and on March l1th we'll fly back to New Zealand. We have at least a month of boat maintenance/improvement projects ahead of us when we return. We will cruise the Bay of Islands before we head north into warmer waters. In l999 we will return to Tonga and then sail westward to Fiji and then back to New Zealand in November. In l998 we traveled about 8000 miles. In l999 we will take it slower and perhaps see the odometer add another 3000 miles.

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