Local friends, tractors, whales and clear water.

As the wedding celebrations abated it was time to shift gear. Since Sint Maarten we had enjoyed the company of others aboard Joline, which has been fabulous but now it was time for  just John and I to relax and enjoy Joline together for a couple of months. It felt like a new chapter in this brilliant year.

We headed west to a small atoll called Maupihaa. A place where the supply ship visits only every two years and is the home to a grand total of eight people. On arrival we were greeted by an old aluminium skiff and  four  locals who thought we were another boat bringing some food sent by their sister in Maupiti. We offered them some dry stores  and invited Grandma, Grandad, daughter and grandchild aboard Joline to use our starlink. They had very limited communications and to see their faces light up as they facetimed  their relations in Maupiti – a real treat.

This was the beginning of a beautiful week of interaction. There are only eight folk living  on the atoll and they lived a very basic life  farming copra for a living. Unfortunately their communal tractor had been broken for months and  John offered to try and fix it.. which he did, and we know have friends for life. The extraordinary hospitality extended to us made it an incredible week. They cooked us dinner a couple of times and every day brought us fresh lobster and parrot fish – this and coconuts is all they had. Been a fan of Lobster and fish it suited me and it certainly tested our creativity designing new ways to cook these armoured coated creatures.

A weather window opened up and it was  time for the 8 day crossing to Tonga…this was  a blissful down wind treat with  Joline chomping through the seas like a racehorse. We arrived in Vavalu at Neiafu town to check in to Tonga. This was a good exercise in form filling and took about  six hours!. We were rewarded by a few weeks of crystal clear waters, plenty of deserted island anchorages and the highlight – swimming with Whales.

It is law in Tonga that you have to go Whale watching/swimming with a certified guide, which makes a lot of sense. It took the boat crew a hour or so to find an obliging mother and calf that was stationary and then it was all action as four of us popped into the water with snorkels.  It was an amazing and unforgettable experience, a good 20 minutes at a time just watching these majestic animals close up. All three times it was extraordinary.

Tonga was our joining point for the Pacific Rally, – this caused it to be a very sociable gathering as not only are we meeting new like minded folk but we are starting to bump into folk we have known for years. Kalani, we met five years ago up the west cost of the USA when John and I had separate boats – brilliant to catch up with them. We had BBQ on the beach with new friends and explored the numerous anchorages bumping into Pacific rally folk one night and being alone another – a beautiful combination.

After three weeks we spotted another good weather window  to make the three day hop to Fiji. This time we sailed in the very company of Audacious Duo new friends from Australia. It was another blissful few days at sea, where Johns fishing lure made out of a tooth paste tube excelled – a Mahi Mahi, Shortnosed Spearfish and a Yellow Fin Tuna is now occupying our very full freezer.

We headed for Nawi marina in Savusavu a beautiful spot and it feels like a bit of a holiday to be in a fully serviced , very well ran marina. A great place to plan our Fiji adventure.