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Tuesday April 29, 2008

Bella Donna is tied to a dock in perfectly still water next to a huge Princess Cruise Line ship. Tonight the cruise ship will leave and tomorrow we will move to the anchorage at Marina Taina to fuel, provision, meet with immigration and otherwise prepare to depart for Hawaii.

 

Today our quest is to drive around the island clockwise to a very famous international surf beach, Teahupoo, where a major international event is taking place through May 8. The waves formed on this costal spot of Tahiti are legendary the shape and development of the pipeline wave may say is the best in the world, better than any in Hawaii. Their shape and not their size is what make them famous even though their size can be really big.

 

Our car is tucked away in a small parking space with too many cars in it near the quay. Several near misses and back ups go forwards later we spill out or speed out, onto Boulevard Pomare going the wrong way; it's a boulevard and left turns are not permitted. Traffic is heavy and constant but a pedestrian crosswalk is strategically placed to the left of the drive out allowing us to exit; the French stop for people and bicycles in the crosswalk and there is a copious supply of people and bicycles. Having made the necessary u-turn several times yesterday looking for parking we exit circle and reenter the boulevard.

 

The French hate stop signs and traffic lights; instead they place a circle at every intersection. There are rules about who has the right of way as you flow, dance, through the circle and hopefully exit in the direction you want to go. The only rule you must follow is do not hit anybody and do not let anybody hit you. Everything from scooters to large trucks and buses move swiftly through these circles. Remember the way a Frenchman drives is an extension of his mood.

 

Soon we realize our mistake; there are 20 to 30 congested traffic circles required to get to open road at the edge of Papeete going clockwise. If we had not made the u-turn there would be a French freeway, 90 kilometer limit, with only a few traffic circles required to get to open road and the clockwise route was only slightly shorter. It takes us about 2 hours to reach Teahupoo; we only got lost a few times; reminds me of but is much better than Grenada. Look for painted stones on the side of the roadway that mark the kilometers as you progress.

 

Teahupoo is where the road ends near the southeast end of Tahiti; you can not miss it. You are presented with limited parking on dirt and rocks in a rural setting. There is a brightly painted surfboard planted in the ground with Teahupoo written on it next to the painted stone kilometer marker numbered 0. There are some minimally constructed tents near the water's edge made from things you would find around the house; it is kind of like what the homeless might construct following an earthquake to protect them from the sun. There are minimal plastic seats and tables surrounding a snack shack. I can not find my appetite.

 

Beyond the end of the road a walk bridge takes you over a small stream to a wet dirt road or path that makes its way under giant shade trees past minimal farm houses turned into surfer rentals during the event. Almost all the people encountered on the road or path are much younger. Several times you step to the side to let a fit surfer carrying a longer than usual, almost as big as the one I used in the 70's, board to the event area. We ford a cold rocky stream of water making its way to the shore. It's a good thing I am wearing my Crocks. Finally we are standing on a point overlooking the event area witch is about a quarter of a mile out in the ocean. You have to actually board one of a few small powerful boats called taxis to go out close enough to the pipeline wave spot to see the action; this limits the crowd. There is a minimal platform that resembles a small oil drilling platform placed in the middle of the event area. I guess that is where the event is judged from. Anyway, the preliminary heats are all finished and the finals will be held next time the waves are good enough. Today the waves are minimal, 12 to 18 feet. Last Saturday, when most of the competition occurred, the pipeline had 40 foot waves.

 

Back safely on Bella Donna the cruise ship, Tahitian Princess is departing. We wave to all our friends and wait for the roulottes to open. The move tonight is Juno.

 

God Bless Bella Donna

 

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To: (null) <popietom.belladonna@blogger.com>
Subject: Post
Sent Date: 4/29/2008 2:19:09p

 

Monday April 28, 2008
After completing the last post the skies opened up and the winds blew; it actually got a little cold. We were going to Marina Taina to have a sundowner and a simple dinner with John and Deborah; however we have spotted lightning and more rain looks to be on the way. We opt to stay at the Hotel and have a rain downer and light dinner there. The afternoon is good for a nap in between storm interrupted viewing of the only English television program, CNN International.

 

The bar is full for happy hour; nearly everyone must have napped and opted for staying at the hotel; most of the restaurants in town are open to wind and rain. There is a seafood buffet being set up so a Hinano beer mixed with good conversation is good until its 7 PM start.

 

 Bed comes early as CNN is damaged by the storm and I just know it will not be fixed until Monday morning. Nothing happens on Sunday in Tahiti; they take Sunday as a day of rest very seriously. Sure enough, at exactly 8:30 AM Monday morning CNN is fixed. No sign of yesterday's storm, no wind and the sun is bright; it is very hot and humid again. See picture.

 

While researching coconut milking machines for Ceviche Dave's, a grass shack restaurant in Kona Hawaii, we spot a French exercise group in the pool; see picture. After coffee by the lily pad pond, we talk to Canadians in the hotel lobby while waiting for our taxi to the airport to rent a car. John calls to tell us to drive to the commercial dock in Papeete to meet Bella Donna. Getting the car we are told that if we are returning on Thursday, they will be closed for Working People's Feast Day. I wonder what people do who fly in on Thursday expecting to rent a car. Driving down the quay in Papeete we spot Bella Donna motoring towards a dock next to the Tahitian Princes Cruise Ship like the one we saw leave Kailua Kona for Tahiti last week. Moving our baggage onto Bella Donna we spot the Canadians we spoke with earlier boarding the Princes cruise ship; the cruise ship departs to Bora Bora tomorrow afternoon. It is interesting that the old Tahitian language does not include the letter B so Bora Bora is actually spelled Pora Pora.

 

We have not had time to provision so we are off to Papeete for a lunch; the Poisson Cru was great. Arriving back at Bella Donna I meet Matt, a young Frenchman who runs a thriving WIFI business with his wife from his sailboat in Marina Taina; See picture of Matt with Deborah. He walks up to me and says "Tom; you don't know me do you"? "Of course I do", I respond. Two young lovers, he and his wife were sailing around the world starting in France. They sailed into Tahiti a few years ago needing money and saw an opportunity to start the WIFI business while giving birth to two children. Today he was installing WIFI on board the ARC fleet of 70 boats that are sailing around the world together and could not believe he saw us across the harbor. He proudly announced he had a second child, a two month old boy. He and his wife want to continue their around the world trip; thus the WIFI business is up for sale. They need a larger boat as the family is growing; he jokingly asks if I would sell him Bella Donna as she would make a good boat for his family.

 

After some chores and getting Don's passport back we relax and talk with John and Deborah until it is dark. Time for dinner we go ashore on the quay where the "roulottes", little trucks or food vans, are set up with picnic tables in between serving great food at low prices to mostly local families with a mix of people visiting Tahiti looking for local color. Ah, the smells; I am hungry.

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Sunday April 27, 2008

Sunday mourning at the Le Meridien Hotel, very French. We arrived about 10:30 PM, Tahiti is in the same time zone as Hawaii. We traveled over 5 hours from spring to fall. The feeling of Tahiti is like Hawaii in October, hot and humid. The pretty young Tahitian girls in long traditional dress are handing out the small familiar white flowers to put behind your left ear if you are married and behind your right ear if you are available.

 

I was first to leave customs and immigration. Don and I both answered the immigration questions the same, "we are returning to Hawaii by sail". The authorities confiscated Don's passport because he had no return airline reservation. French Polynesia loves to hold a several thousand dollar bond to cover sending you home. They want you to come enjoy, spend money and then depart; you may not stay. The bond serves as an insurance policy the money is available to send you back to where you came from. I guess I was just lucky tonight; I still have my passport. We will have to post bond for Don on Monday.

 

As I exited the sliding glass doors leading into the crowd of people waiting for arriving passengers, I automatically scanned the crowd as I always do this time knowing that I would not see Captain John's familiar face. Bella Donna is not to arrive until late Sunday or early Monday; we are on our own. Towards the back of the crowd a slim and tired looking smile connects with me; yes, it is John. This just isn't right, how can this be? John says he had good conditions and decided to burn a little more fuel and be here to meet us. He still hasn't had a good night's sleep in ever so long but was determined this would not be the first time he would not be here to greet us. Bella Donna is on the Q flag, not cleared, so we can not board her until the official offices open on Monday morning to clear her in.

 

We drop John off at the Marina Taina dock and continue on to Le Meridien; which is several miles, too far to walk, past the dock. Le Meridien is a five star hotel resort bordering on the lagoon that surrounds Tahiti. About midnight we finally find our room that was very hot and humid; we were definitely glowing. Five star means there must be air conditioning. We open the patio door into the relatively cooler night air while we search for the climate controls. Shortly after the air conditioning is turned on the room is cool enough to shut the door.

 

The room is hard, simple and stoic. In the USA based just on the room this is a slight cut above a Motel 6. The TV channels are all French except for International CNN which is in English.

 

This morning we awoke to a beautiful day. We enjoy Sunday breakfast on the covered patio overlooking a lily pad pond. People from many foreign places speak several different languages; the coffee is great.

 

After breakfast we walk to the sandy beach lagoon and swimming pool. First we pass a spot where we can see huge waves breaking over the reef that protects the island. There are many families with children sunning and playing in the protected water. I am reminded of John saying that it took several attempts to anchor Bella Donna in the swift currents created by these waves just beyond the reef in the lagoon by these. Next week we will disembark into the sea, I hope it settles. The scene is a lot like the Waikaloa Hilton in Kona Hawaii. The bar is a place where wifi internet is supposed to be provided; a place where I can finish this blog entry and send it.

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Saturday April 26, 2008

At this moment we are in the Continental Airlines President club in Hawaii waiting another 30 minutes for the 5 PM Hawaii Airlines flight to Papeete, Tahiti. We should arrive there around 10 or 11 PM tonight. We are staying in the Meridian Hotel near the anchorage where Bella Donna will arrive either late tomorrow night or first light Monday morning. John and Deborah can't clear customs and immigration until Monday morning. Remember nothing is open in Tahiti on Sunday. In fact all the stores close at noon on Saturday. We can not board Bella Donna until it is cleared by customs and immigration. John and Deborah can not touch foot on land unless they are proceeding to clear themselves. Thus we are kept separate until officialdom says it is OK.

 

It was hard to leave Kona this morning as the weather is so pleasant there. The variable winds were blowing the vog over us and north. As we landed in Honolulu the sky looked exactly like Los Angeles does on a hot summer day. The sun turns all the gases from Kialuea to what looks exactly like what the hot summer sun does to the exhaust gases in Los Angeles. The atmosphere in the airport was gloomy. Beyond the haze there were not many people in the terminal and many of the shops were closed. I guess Saturday afternoons are slow here. Add to that the fact that all the Aloha Airlines space was completely deserted. With less than 6 people in the President's Club we are getting a lot of attention from the drink steward; this is not exactly what I needed after having an after salad drink about 12:30 AM this morning.

 

Well it is almost time to board our flight. Wish us luck. I will write more as the trip unfolds.   

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Friday April 25, 2008

Well it is Friday in Kona and we have been here one week today. Tomorrow we fly to Tahiti on a late afternoon flight out of Honolulu. We can’t wait to see Bella Donna; it has been a very long time since Tonga last October. Bella Donna had some extensive work done on her in Whangarei, New Zealand. Outfitted with several refinements; she spent most of the southern hemisphere summer (cyclone season) in a shed stripped of her mast. The passage from New Zealand to Rarotonga was not easy. The winds were up to 40 knots for days and the seas were 30 feet. Even worse the wind was off the nose making progress slow (sailing difficult to imposable), consuming quite a bit of fuel while abusing the crew as well as Bella Donna. The optimal schedule to leave Tahiti for Hawaii has been moved at least a week, thus this is why we spent the last week in Kona instead of traveling on to Tahiti as planned. Rarotonga, a brief fuel stop, Ant left on schedule to return to New Zealand to continue the next phase of his life. He was to leave from Tahiti. John and Deborah will sail Bella Donna, just the two of them, and meet us in Tahiti Monday after checking in with customs and immigration.

 

Kona is very pleasant even though there is a lot of work being done on the house here. There is also the daily vog (volcano fog) that lingers over the island because the usual east-west trade winds are absent leaving 10 to 15 knot variable winds to stir the gases from Kialuea over all the islands FBI (from big island) to Honolulu on Oahu. The mornings here are bright and sunny with blue sky; however, by sunset the skies are dark and gloomy; at least part of the day is beautiful. We are resurfacing the walks with natural stone and building beautiful wooden extension to the lava rock walls between us and our neighbors.  There is a lot of dust mixing with the vog.

 

I still do not know where Bella Donna will make landfall in Hawaii. We have talked to the harbor master here and we are too big for the small boat harbor that has limited space for large cats up to 65 feet; we are 73 feet and take more than 40 feet of beam when stern to on the dock. We can anchor in Kailua Bay near the house. The sea swell is unpredictable this time of year. Right now it is virtually flat, maybe 2 foot swell. However, the swell was much bigger last week. We have charts, maps and tide tables. We will have to wait and see sea!

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Thursday October 25, 2007
Well we are not on Bella Donna we leave early this morning for Auckland, New Zealand. The weather window is still in doubt, but we must be back in the USA by October 28 and our booked flight is from Auckland. The Kingdom of Tonga is not real happy with our decision to leave; this morning about 6 AM I was half awake and half asleep having a dream about cleaning third story windows on some house in Hawaii. First of all our house in Hawaii is only two story and can't my subconscious realize I am on Bella Donna. Anyway just as I was worrying about the functioning of where the sectional latter I am standing on joins a roar and whirling sound suggests sudden high winds. Alarm bells start sounding from the chart table and I awake to realize the wind is not in my dream but the real thing. Bella Donna is moving about swinging aggressively on its 300 feet of anchor chain. The wind not only increased dramatically but is coming from a very different direction. I react with a brief panic but realize we are ok except for a few loose items that may not be entirely secure on deck. The pitch of the rigging hum tells me the chart table alarm is reliably responding to high wind; we set an alarm for very high winds while at anchor in case we slept through the blow. Then the heavy rain hit; what we are experiencing is a sever squall.

I start to complete my packing with the thought that Bella Donna is just fine. Then I remember John being worried about a yacht anchoring too close in front of us just yesterday. He had radioed them to say their yacht may be over our anchor and if we needed to weigh anchor there may be a problem. If we swing 180 degrees we would be in danger of coming into contact with the yacht anchored too close. I drop the packing task and hurry out to the salon. John, Deborah and Ant are already on deck. The anchorage is in chaos; some dinghies are upside down, some yachts have clearly drug their anchor. Miraculously there are no collisions or other serious problems. We have swung exactly 180 degrees but the yacht anchored too close swung too and even though his anchor chain is much shorter than ours he is more than a boat length off our stern, not comfortable but good enough.

The ride in the dinghy with our entire luggage in another hour is ok but a little rough and wet. A long taxi ride is followed by unfamiliar airport procedures. Finally we are on the plane which is a big seven seat across Boeing aircraft. Therefore the flight of 1000 miles takes a little over 2 hours, not bad. Auckland is well a little cold. There is a strong cold wind and most of my clothes are shorts and tee-shirts. The hotel is a real winner; Dani has done a great job of finding just a great place. It is close, within walking distance; to most all of the things we want to see while waiting for our flight home on Sunday. It has a great gym, pool and caters to the business traveler with internet, news papers and great free breakfast.

Our night ends early around 8PM I fall to sleep reading information on what there is to see and do.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Tuesday October 23, 2007
I skip ahead one day because recent events overshadow the shopping trip we made yesterday.
This morning was like any other morning on Bella Donna with coffee and breakfast. Suddenly
the VHF radio channel 16 that we always monitor comes alive with a distress call from
sailing vessel Nomad Life. They left for New Zealand yesterday morning and hit very rough
weather. There is just a husband and his wife aboard and about 11 PM last night the
husband had laid down to grab some sleep while his wife stood watch. She had been sea sick
and throwing up but the husband had to get some sleep. The husband was awakened by a loud
noise and rushed to the cockpit to find his wife with a serious gash above her eye and she
was out cold. She must have passed out and hit her head on something sharp on the
companionway.

What followed must have been very difficult for the both of them. When we heard the
distress call Nomad Life was a little over 20 miles out in rough seas battling head wind
and seas trying to tack back to Nuku'alofa. Papillon was doing a superb job of
coordinating other yachts, medical care and port authority to help the distressed yacht
with an extremely tired single hand sailor aboard. At this time the wife's head wound was
still bleeding and she was slipping in and out of consciousness. John offered and it was
accepted to contact a doctor thought to be aboard a big blue mono hull that arrived late
yesterday anchored next to us. Before he is able to speak to the doctor Nomad Life radios
that his wife is experiencing convulsions and when she comes out of it she does not
recognize her husband. The French doctor turns out to be a surgeon and his assistance
immediately improves the medical advice available to the distressed husband and the wife's
bleeding is at least stopped.

It becomes clear that the husband needs help bringing Nomad Life back to Nuku'alofa to get
his wife back to the hospital. John prepares the gear including life jackets, GPS, Charts,
stabilized binoculars, hand held VHF radio and satellite phone. John also drops by and
picks up the French surgeon and jerry cans of fuel from other yachties. After getting a
GPS position for Nomad Life, Ant runs John and the doctor on a course in our dinghy
towards Nomad Life. It becomes clear to me that John is doing an excellent job of what he
is trained to do. We listen as I am sure all yachties are to channel 16 to get the
progress reports.

On the way a faster fishing vessel picks John and the doctor off our dinghy and rushes at
over 20 knots per hour to the distressed Nomad Life in minutes. Ant returns our dinghy to
Bella Donna. After coordinating how to board her in the rough seas John and doctor
transfer to Nomad Life. Heading downwind to steady the yacht the doctor examines the wife.
The news is good; she is stable and can wait the 3 to 4 hours until Nomad Life makes it to
calmer sea near the fuel dock before being transported to the hospital. The doctor and
John are just what are required; they have a calming affect on the whole situation.

Like I said the events of this morning makes the coffee shops, shopping and walk to town
yesterday way less important. Tonight we are scheduled to go to the cultural center to
learn more about Tongan life. Cheers until tomorrow.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Sunday October 21, 2007
Yesterday Argentina defeated France in the rugby world cup semifinal to determine who
finishes in third place. France just could not get excited about the game and were
defeated badly by a hungry Argentina team. Today is the final between England and South
Africa. You bet we are going to the game or at least watch it on big screen at the local
Bill fisher Bar. Ant has the South African flag and is exploding with support for his
country's team. Deborah is of course squarely behind England and looking for an English
flag. John says he has been gone from South Africa for a long time and married to Deborah
so he is neutral. This should be interesting.

It is Sunday morning in Tonga even though the game is played at 7PM Saturday night in
France. Tonga does not allow any work to be performed; police fine people for exercising
on Sunday. You will be stopped if you are running and in big trouble if it is on the
street in front of a church. The town is very quiet there are very few cars on the street.
Almost all businesses are closed. The only place to get breakfast or coffee is in a hotel.

We dinghy ashore and walk the quarter to half mile to the Bill Fisher Bar. A lone man, the
only bar employee we are to see, is at the front gate to let us in. There are chairs set
up in front of a big video screen set up in front of what is usually a busy bar. Nothing
is be served the bar is not making any money; it is a weird scene as everyone takes their
seat and stares at the screen. Most of the crowd has England leanings, but the South
Africans lead the entire game. When a good play is made by either team everyone applauds.
It is only when a team scores that the in favor fans show emotion and approval. South
Africa wins the try less event.

There is nothing to do in town, so we return to Bella Donna to enjoy a lazy Sunday
afternoon. We notice a catamaran built in South Carolina leaving for New Zealand. The
husband and wife aboard had been at Big Mama's last night. He is a dentist and she teaches
music. They have been cruising around the world, mostly South America and the South
Pacific so far, stopping in each place for weeks at a time. They contact the local schools
and offer to come in and hold learning experience for the students. They brought a huge
amount of tooth brushes partially purchased and partially donated by the manufacturer. The
husband handed out the free tooth brushes and pencils to students with a lesson on how to
properly brush. The wife worked with the music classes. Her task was more difficult in
Tonga where music is a series of numbers rather than notes, thus like a foreign language
translation. Both helped with language and science classes as well. They are both
beautiful and generous people; I am sure they have made a difference everywhere they have
been.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Saturday October 20, 2007
Yesterday afternoon we did some sailing south to look at beaches. There is one perfect
sandy beach after another. You could dinghy ashore to a mile of private beach on an island
probably not inhabited by another soul. Unlike other beautiful beaches we have visited
there are no stinging or biting insects.

Late that afternoon we head south for 90 mile passage to Nuku'alofa, the capital and
largest city in The Kingdom of Tonga. Unlike the last passage the winds are gentile and on
our stern. Bella Donna sways gently along in the open Pacific Ocean.

Just before first light we can distinctly smell land. As the sky brightens John points out
the first island that could easily be mistaken as a cloud. It takes us almost 2 hours to
reach the harbor at Nuku'alofa. We count about 20 cruising yachts at anchor. When John and
Deborah were here in August Bella Donna was one of three yachts at anchor here. We anchor
close to town because we must check in with Customs and Immigration. Several calls on the
radio go unanswered as it starts to rain so we decide to take a taxi to town. Nuku'alofa
is swarming with Saturday shopping locals, cruisers, backpackers and Forum attendees. Yes,
the Forum ended here and the streets around the International Dateline Hotel, between
Bella Donna and town, are closed to everyone for security reasons.

The taxi lets us out at the TonFan so we can purchase some internet wifi time so we can
use internet on Bella Donna from the harbor. Walking towards the harbor through town as it
starts to pour down rain; we scan all the stores full of Saturday shoppers. Our first
purchases are umbrellas. We have come half way around the world without umbrellas, but it
is time to buy. We stop in a bookstore where John and Deborah bought the Lonely Planet
guidebooks on Samoa and Tonga we have been reading. I see a Lonely Planet guidebook on
Hawaii and thumb through it. How unique it feels to be in Tonga and reading about a very
different Polynesian Island that you know well; in fact you own a home there. In the end
we buy no books as we think we do not want to pack them back home; besides, they are
cheaper purchased on the internet.

In out of the rain, we have coffee and treats at the Friend's Café where many cruisers,
backpackers and tourists hang out. The place is packed; you just get a number and everyone
at your table orders on it and they bring the treats to you. They offer internet at a
price, both wifi and a computer if you see one available. The crowd represents many
countries. Most are Kiwi and Australian; several are clearly from Europe and Asia. The
Americans are few.

The rain has let up and we walk back to the Dock; it is a long walk. The pontoon wooden
dock starts to violently twist as we walk out to our dinghy. We turn around to see a Huge
Tongan man who is calling to us, "Hey Bella Donna"; he turns out to be customs and
immigration ready to come aboard Bella Donna and check us in. He asked John for a Bella
Donna tee-shirt in August and John told him he was out of tee-shirts; he told him we were
bringing tee-shirts from the US and he would give him one in October. He comes out to
Bella Donna and spend a long time with us; he got his tee-shirt. I hope it fits; extra
large is the largest we have.

Back on Bella Donna we decide to go to Big Mama's Yacht Club for happy hour and perhaps
buffet style dinner we have heard advertised. The steaks Deborah has taken out will wait
till tomorrow night's Bar B Que. Big Mama's is on an island less than a mile away where
many of the 20 cruising yachts are anchored. We drop anchor there just as the winds kick
up to more than 20 knots. The ride into Mama's is wet; the dock lading is acrobatic, but
not as acrobatic as in the dark after a couple of drinks and dinner with wine. Mama's is a
large covered deck with bar and tables. Several of the cruisers from the yachts anchored
around us also show up and happy hour is extended until after 8 PM. A dinner of chicken,
sausage, fish, slaw, potato salad and French bread is served buffet style.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Friday October 19, 2007
It is a beautiful morning in Pangai and the locals are standing on the dock staring into
Bella Donna. After a quick breakfast we all take off in different directions to town. I am
determined to take a long bike ride. Once again we take the 4 foot dinghy ride to the dock
me with by bike. I decide to head north out of town toward a low water crossing from this
island to the next. The guide says one should be careful that locals often drown trying to
cross due to swift tides and wind. I decide to bike there to see how bad it is and decide
when I get there the feasibility of crossing with my bike.

A paved road heads north past The Friendly Book Store, a very small one room building jam
packed with stacks of magazines and books that look well used. There is very little
traffic on the road, just the occasional bus or taxi. There are private vans and trucks
usually filled with locals. There are extremely few private cars with one or two people in
them. They drive on the left side here so I think about riding down the right side so I
can at least see the vehicle approaching me. This does not work well because the oncoming
traffic drives close to the left side even though there is not traffic coming the other
way. I decide the prospect of a rear end collision is better than one that is head on and
ride on the left side.

I pass several cemeteries that have the now familiar local graves with the colorful quilts
draped over more than a head stone; it is a head wall I suppose. I then spot a cemetery
that looks like one you would see in the United States. Upon closer inspection it is
labeled as a European Cemetery. A prominent grave is of a Christian minister who died in
the 1800's at the age of 82. I looked at ages and I am hard pressed to find many over 50
years old. Even today the life expectancy of a local Tongan is said to be 50 years. Many
of the women died young; I saw many 28 to 34 year old women with "The Wife of …" on their
headstones. Maybe childbirth plus the hard life far from home was too much in the 1800's.

Tongans passing in vans and the backs of pickup trucks slow down and say hi-bye to me.
Again toddlers wave and say bye as I ride past. I have done some research and I think the
little guys have heard the older kids say hi then bye to strangers like me and they just
shorten the greeting to bye. Every time I slow down people working in the fields wave and
greet me. There is no farm machinery in Tonga; the fields are cultivated with a digging
bar by hand.

Every time I stop people, mostly children, walk up and talk to me. They want to know where
I am from and where I am going. I ask if I can take their picture and they say yes and
break into a pose. I have heard that Tongans do not like their picture taken so I always
ask first; I think the guide books are wrong about this, at least in Pangai. I always show
the review on the camera screen to them and they always break out into a big smile. I
don't think they have seen many digital cameras, if any. One about 7 year old boy came and
sat with me on some rocks. He asked the usual questions and just wanted to sit and share
the view. When I have to leave his little face looked sad; it broke my heart, but I had to
move on to be back by noon.

It turns out the low water crossing at the north end of the island is now a one lane
causeway about a quarter of a mile long. Some care must still be exercised as there is not
width enough for a bike and a bus; we all know who would get wet.

I ride for quite a distance through small farm villages until the road becomes a dirt path
into a private parcel of land. I turn around and ride hard back to town to meet everyone
at noon. Back at Bella Donna, I go through the side of the road routine with children in
school cloths, lava lavas. They keep coming back with more friends for another posed photo.

I found John on his way to Mariner's to meet everyone else. We instead find them all in
the internet building next door. We hang at Mariner's for lunch and then go back to Bella
Donna for a departure to Nuku'alofa.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Thursday October 18, 2007
We left Vava'u Island group after dark and sailed back out in the South Pacific Ocean.
Immediately Bella Donna started to roll with the swells. We are too seasoned to become
seasick, but just taking a step takes preparation. I just crashed into bed and let Bella
Donna rock and roll all night. Getting up to use the restroom during the night posed a
serious journey each time. It was definitely something you do not want to do half asleep.
You could end up on your face, ouch.

The winds blew 18 knots, but we slowed Bella Donna down by not putting out all the sail
and throttling the engines back; we need to go only 70 miles. We do not want to enter
Pangai in the Ha'apai Island Group until just before 9AM tomorrow. There are reefs and
shoals that aren't on the electronic chart or at least if they are charted, they are not
where the electronic chart says they are. The last thing you want to do is go bump in the
night. The angle of the sun at 9AM allows you to see danger by the color of the water; the
darker the blue the better, lighter blue is caution and green, black or brown means danger.

We arrive before 10AM and do a med docking, stern to. This is the first time we have been
on a dock since the Panama Canal; we have anchored throughout the Pacific. As soon as we
dock the town's people start coming out on the dock to look at Bella Donna. We are told
Bella Donna is the largest yacht that has ever docked in their town. All the children and
the adults speak very good English. All education is performed in English; all subjects
are taught in English. The children are also taught Tongan and Tongan is spoken at home.
Throughout the rest of the day and into the evening the locals come by the dock to stand
and stair into the cockpit and salon of Bella Donna. We consider putting up the privacy
screen, but then it would seem we be walling us off from contact with these beautiful
people that are getting so much out of just seeing us enjoy our yacht.

We quickly walk ashore to check-in and check out what is here. The wharf area is very
quiet; the next cargo ship is not due until next Wednesday; it comes once a week. This is
a big event that everyone comes out to the wharf to celebrate and take a look at items
coming into the local stores. The buildings near the wharf are quaint old wooden
buildings. Behind them is the main road through town. Between these buildings and the
ocean is what looks like huge Banyan trees that provide a huge amount of very cool shade.
Standing in the sun it is very warm and you perspire a lot; standing under the trees as
locals are doing it is very pleasant. We walk from one end of town to the other in about
5 minutes. There is one store of every expected type; however, each store has general
merchandise items. For example, in the hardware store you can buy pastries and bread even
though there is a bakery just a few blocks away. The school boys are playing touch rugby
which is somewhat like touch football as there is no contact, just a lot of non-stop
running. Some of the town's people are chopping down trees, raking the ground and burning
the little pieces, but taking all the large pieces of wood to their homes. We learn that
the King has inspectors come by every few weeks to inspect how the town is taking care to
kept things clean and tidy. All the homes are like farm homes built small and simple with
some kind of shed or barn structure. A local get ¼ acre of land in town and 3 acres
outside of town to grow food on and/or raise animals on. I have seen horses, cows and
goats, but not in town. Just as in Vava'u the pigs and chickens are open ranging from
house to house liberally using the streets just as much as people, bikes and cars do.

We find one tavern in town, The Mariner's Inn, which caters to non-locals and is owned by
a South African man and his long time Polish girlfriend. We stop by for beer and French
fries before returning to Bella Donna for dinner and a movie in the salon. We can tolerate
the locals watching us from the dock as it is dark and we can't see them there. Eating in
the cockpit would be hard to do; we would have to invite them in to share and there are
too many of them.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Wednesday October 17, 2007
On the radio net at 8:30 we hear the first airplanes carrying the South Pacific Forum
visitors have been spotted landing. This means the motorcade will pass through town in
about an hour. We rush with breakfast and dress better than usual to join in the
festivities in town. When we arrive on the dock the fresh paint, flowers, flags and
balloons have transformed the town. Tents by the dock have been set up to shade tables
full of fruits and other foods for the Forum attendees to snack on.

We walk up to the main road which is lined with locals. Many of the children are waving
small Tongan flags. People are hanging over balconies and out of second story windows
above the street. The sidewalks and storefronts are standing room only. We stand in the
hot sun for nearly an hour waiting for the motorcade. We meet a nice Kiwi woman who offers
us insect repellant; it turns out she is from the New Zealand town where Bella Donna is to
be hauled out. An Australian TV channel is filming in the street. We overhear the
newswoman's comments, "As you can see the many happy people in the streets are in sharp
contrast to the disagreements among South Pacific leaders attending the Forum". The Tongan
soldiers are stationed here and there up and down the street armed with real weapons and
large colorful water guns. I never understood what the water guns were for; I assume they
are to have fun while waiting.

Just before the heat becomes unbearable the motorcade passes through. Lead by the King of
Tonga the Forum attendees make their way to the hotel. The last vehicle is a bicycle; the
man on the bike is wearing a backpack with a colorful tree or plant sticking out of it. A
sign on his backpack in Tongan must have said something like, "That's All Folks"; anyway
the local crowd laughed. We make a beeline to The Tropicana, our favorite hangout in town;
I have a cappuccino and Afghan Biscuit. Deborah and Ant have a fruit smoothie. John worked
out and skipped breakfast to join us so he has a meat pie and a lemon mar rang pie.

After lunch we say good bye to town and head south. On the way out we answer a distress
call from friends whose dinghy has run out of fuel. Ant takes one of them back to the fuel
dock in our dinghy for a jerry can of fuel. After towing their dinghy from a lee shore to
good shallow anchorage to wait for Ant we sail a few miles south to anchor in front of a
resort that Lisa at Tropicana recommended we stop at for sundowner drinks on our way
south. The resort's beaches and dock are uncommonly unique. Up on a cliff the bar has a
beach sand patio with hot tub overlooking the dock and beach below. Lisa told us that an
American owns the restaurant. The bar is empty and the bartender explains this is a slow
month and they only have 5 guests.

We meet a guest, a Kiwi woman, who turns out to be the mother of the owner's girlfriend.
Her daughter has a business in Tonga filming DVDs of her customers swimming with whales.
She says her daughter is filming the Forum and the owner is the sound system expert for
the Forum event. Another Kiwi woman shows up who is traveling by herself because her
friend was Israeli and Tonga decided recently to require a visa from Israelis. She turns
out to be a Pediatrician and spent the day touring Tongan hospitals. I will just say that
what she said make me think I would get to New Zealand if I need a hospital.

After sunset we weigh anchor and head south back out into the Pacific Ocean.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Tuesday October 16, 2007
It is now definite, the weather window is not going to open in time for us to make passage
to New Zealand before we leave on the 28th. In fact the weather router, Commanders, that
route a lot of the large racing yachts sent an email starting their report with, "DO NOT
GO". They are predicting 40 knot winds and 15 foot seas on the nose. This would be a no
win situation, so we are going to hang out in Vava'u for a couple of days and then start
hopping south through the islands ending up in Nukualofa for a flight to Auckland New
Zealand on the 25th.

Today we plan to return to Port of Refuge. We arrive as the town is preparing for the 13
state South Pacific Forum. A 500 yard zone has been cleared in front of the big new hotel
where the Forum attendees are staying. Large wooden arches are being constructed over the
main streets entering and leaving town to hold a banner. The arches are decorated with
ferns, flowers, flags and balloons. Many of the businesses are busy putting a fresh coat
of paint on their buildings. Several power washers are being used to remove the layers of
dirt accumulated on the sidewalks and streets since the last big state meeting that
required cleaning the town.

We walk a few blocks off the shore to use the best and least expensive, $1 per hour,
internet connection in town. We are able to reach our wives in a hotel room in Bridgeport,
Connecticut. A very unreliable video-voice connection is made but just seeing a few still
shots and hearing their voices thousands of miles away means a lot to us. This is probably
the last inexpensive internet for a while; we are leaving to head south tomorrow.

We walk to the other end of town; Tongans are busy everywhere getting ready for the
special state event. We stop at the Aquarium to have a few sun downer beers with the crew
of Vent d'est, an over 100 foot mono hull that just arrived from Tahiti where we last saw
them. One of the female crew is a young South African the same age as Ant and in fact went
to the same school as Ant and lived very near when John lived in South Africa. We also met
a fellow we last saw in the Canary Islands 2 years ago. He and his girlfriend are on their
second circumnavigation. After that much time on a small boat together the relationship
must be more serious.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Monday October 15, 2007
Today is a sailing day. We scratch the morning walk and in stead we break anchor early and head west to The Blue Lagoon near where the girls are practicing for the kite board contest. The winds are advertised to be 10 to 15 knots, but we are hoping for 15 to 20 knots. Bella Donna does not disappoint and soon accelerates to 10 to 11 knots in flat seas on winds 16 to 17 knots. We sail from blue water, to blue water, to blue water weaving our way from one lush green tropical island with perfect beaches to another. The light blue to green colored water marks shallow water reefs and shoals. Many reefs are visible with white water breaking over them. This place is the picture perfect South Pacific. It is a great place for a cruising vacation with guests who want to experience high performance sailing in tropical paradise without once feeling sea sick. The GPS electronic charts are very inaccurate; we have been sailing right over islands off and on all morning. You definitely do not want to sail at night; in fact you must sail from 9AM to 3PM to see the dangerous places by the color of the water.

We decide to stop short of The Blue Lagoon to have lunch and watch the kite board girls practice for their event. The 35 girls have rented an entire island resort plus some are sleeping in tents and others have chartered Moorings yachts. Ant went to shore to see if we could come on the beach to watch and maybe have a drink in the resort bar. He is told that he should not be on the island while the girls are there. We are not welcome while the girls are in town.

John and Ant go to scout The Blue Lagoon anchorage in the dinghy. They return to report that the anchorage is too windy for anchoring over night. We settle for sundowners in the fly bridge and watch professionals filming the kite board girls doing flips in the shallows that run between their island and another small island.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Sunday October 14, 2007
Another bright sunny day here, we decide to take in a little walk. Last night at the feast
we noticed cars and trucks driving down to the beach. The island rises up quickly to a
hill with widely separated palm trees on what appears from a distance as a lush green golf
course, but surely there is no golf played here. All land belongs to the king, if you are
pure Tongan you may be granted land for your family to use forever as long as the king
approves. You may lease land for a period say 25 years to a non Tongan. I do not think a
golf resort would invest under these circumstances.

Getting ashore was our first almost acrobatic landing since arriving in Tonga. Keeping
yourself dry meant lunging from dinghy to rock on shore. The road left the beach into
thick jungle but quickly climbed a steep grade to the green hill top that looked like a
golf course from Bella Donna. From there the road continued for less than 2 miles to a
little village. It is Sunday and the church services are in full swing. A lot of chanting
and singing, not everyone was in church. Women could be seen doing wash and children could
be seen at play. There were the usual pigs and chickens roaming the streets of the town.
The condition of the housing showed just how poor the people are. Homes were little more
than a tin roof shed with a dirt floor; a place more suited to farm animals. Many of the
roofs were in such need of repair that plastic tarps were used to keep the rains out. It
is amazing how contented these people are with their simple life.

We decide to stay another night in this anchorage and eat at the La Paella restaurant on
another island near by. We radio La Paella and set reservations for the fixed menu Spanish
meal at 7PM; only one other party has booked, a slow night, the other party is a couple on
their honeymoon. We are told they are out of red wine and feel free to bring our own. They
do not have a dock so we must make a wet beach landing. The restaurant is the building on
the hill with the Spanish flag flying over it. The little cottage near the beach is rented
by the just married couple. Other yachties that we know recommended La Paella. They talk
about it is unique with a horny goat, friendly dog, good food and a wonderful
entertainment. The cost is fixed, 60 Tongan or $30 American per person.

We elect to go early to have a drink and watch the sunset; however, as we approach we
realize the sun will set on the other side of the island. When we arrive we are greeted by
the horny goat and friendly dog, a female golden retriever. The goat is clearly male and
equipped with horns that he is not shy about using to get your attention; this is our
first guess why he is called the horny goat. It is not until his aggressive affection for
the golden retriever reveals the real basis for the comment that we understand our
friends' comments. The golden retriever is quite the lady embarrassed by the goat's
advances and simply sits down leaving the goat standing there with his tongue hanging out.

The restaurant is run by 3 people, a couple which are both Spanish and a very large
muscular Tongan man. The woman warmly greets us at the door to a very rustic open air, one
room, wooden floor room with 4 or 5 tables that look out over the bay; the entire front
and side walls of the room opened up with raised shutters supported with tree limbs. The
entire back side of the room is a kitchen with a rock oven/grill with a wood burning fire.
The ambiance is like being invited into the Spanish couple's home for dinner. Even the
horny goat and golden retriever join in and hang out under foot under our table all
evening. At one point the goat rumbles the table and is disciplined by the large Tongan
man. A gentle sea breeze carries just a hint of smoke from a small circular fire built on
the ground outside. We are told this is to repel any mosquitoes that many try to bother us.

The meal is served in 4 courses including fresh baked bread, garlic gazpacho, cheese
crockets, Spanish enchilada and chicken/oyster paella. Following the meal the barefoot
Spanish man who looks like a Tennessee mountain man, some say like Charles Manson, with
full beard sings a series of classical Spanish songs playing guitar and chest mounted
harmonica at the same time. His bare foot pats the wooden floor so soundly that items
start to fall from a nearby table. The Spanish woman and the Tongan man join in with
accompanying musical instruments. The way the Spanish woman looks adoringly at the Spanish
man passionately performing for us says they have a special relationship. Her feet are
dancing to his song even though she is sitting down. All three of these people are unique
and 100% genuine.

Looking around on the walls of the restaurant are mementoes of their past in Spain. She
was a professional dancer and there are pictures of her at 7 years old dancing in Spain.
They tell us about their dreams for their restaurant and of the last hurricane in 2001.
The Spanish man says the rain was blowing through the floor boards of this restaurant
reaching the ceiling and falling again. We leave with good byes like we were leaving
someone's home. What an interesting evening; we will remember it for some time.

God Bless Bella Donna.

post

Saturday October 13, 2007
From Ant's report of Friday night in town, we did not miss much. The bars were quiet
compared to last week and many closed earlier than normal. On the radio net at 8:30 AM
they announce the delay of the women's kite board contest on Sunday, now it is going to be
held Monday if the wind blows.

Town is extremely active on Saturday morning, the businesses are open until noon then they
close until Monday morning. The locals take advantage of Saturday morning to do major
shopping. The streets are full of locals and yachties mixing as they hurry from
destination to destination. Locals sit or stand in front of businesses either catching up
on the local gossip or just people watching. The Bella Donna crew met at Tropical Treats
for smoothies, cappuccinos and muffins; John had his favorite, pie alamode. It's back to
Bella Donna and we prepare to depart.

Since it is our plan to sail today, we use the engines to lift anchor, but immediately
raise the main and Genoa. Under sail we accelerate to 8 knots down the Port of Refuge. We
must look good from shore as we generate considerably more speed than the boat that won
the race last night. We raise all sails in a cutter configuration as we glide down island
at between 9 and 10 knots. The water is very flat and the winds are out of the southeast
at 15 knots. These are some of the best sailing conditions we have had since the Bahamas.
Bella Donna is about as heavy as she gets with a full fuel load and provisions for the
coming passage. If we could lighten her up and with a few more knots of wind we may hit or
exceed the speed we saw in the Ionian on our way to Greece of 11 to 12 knots in seas that
were not flat. What amazes me is how seldom the conditions are just right for the perfect
sail as you spend your time sailing around the world. I will have to say this about Vava'u
Tonga, the sailing and anchorages here have to rank with the best in the world. They blow
away the Caribbean. The islands are more beautiful and the people are way friendlier.

After a three and a half hour sail we drop anchor near Ano Beach where we are to attend a
Tongan Feast at 6PM. At exactly 6 we make our way through coral heads in our dinghy to the
beach. Local craftsmen have laid out their handicraft; lots of mats, quilts, bowls, shell
jewelry and carved wooden things. Lots of Tongan children look like children the world
over throwing themselves head over heels into the water and swimming. The women are busy
cooking the feast in a brightly colored yellow tent. The men are warming up their musical
instruments circled around a large traditional kava serving bowl.

Slowly the music and the dancing become more organized, the sun sets and a lone flood
light aluminates an area in the middle of the circled feast guests. Young girls and boys
come out and line up ready to dance. A Tonga basket is placed in front of the dancers for
donations. The dancing is performed as one boy's dance followed by one girl's dance over
and over ending in a single dance by boys and girls. The girl's dances involve a lot of
very expressive hand movements with little motion of hips; it is very different from
Tahitian and Hawaiian dancing. The most talented of the 4 girls who probably was the
youngest had a smile that spread from ear to ear. You really got that she loved to perform
the dance. The boy's dance was war like and involved precision aggressive movements with a
wooden sword. Again the best dancer was also the youngest. At the end the men played music
everyone could dance to and locals came to invite each feast guest to dance.

Following the dancing we were asked to sit and enjoy Tongan food eating with just the
hands from food in bowls made from fruit and vegetable pods. First there was a slaw like
dish that had bits of shrimp and fish, very tasty. Little bundles tied with a bow like a
present were really roasted pig meat in taro leaves wrapped and steamed like presents.
Larger bulkier bundles wrapped in banana leaves were steamed dumplings. Thin slices of
fried fish were served on a large green leaf. Cross sections of Octopus were served in a
tasty sauce in a carved out melon. Finally something that looked like a cross between a
banana and a bread stick that also tasted like just that was served as bread and/or
"fork/spoon". All said and done the meal was good and was not too filling.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Friday October 12, 2007
As forecasted, bright sunshine greets us and is promised to last all day without rain.
This is the first full nice day since we got here 2 weeks ago. The plan is to go ashore
tonight and take in the Friday night activities. The kite board girls' competition is here
for an event on Sunday afternoon and many of the girls have arrived in town. Ant has had
the binoculars out. There is the regular Friday sailboat race put on by the Mermaid
Restaurant.

My plan is to first ride my bike south of town to explore the caves and pools at the south
end of the island. Then ride to the north end of the island to a lookout point to get a
picture of Bella Donna, the anchorage and town. The ride south goes quickly covering
familiar ground until the turn off where an unfamiliar road begins. First a paved road
passes through a neighborhood but soon turns to rock and dirt; a sign says caves and pools
are straight ahead. The road veers steeply upwards and becomes rockier. Soon no amount of
reasonable downshifting can make the pedaling easier. I get off my bike and push it as a
burden up the hill. I pass a rural house and a big Tongan man in just a lava lava without
a shirt says hello to me. At the top of the hill is a cemetery with recent looking
burials. A concrete wall is constructed behind a few of the sites each with a large
brightly covered quilt draped over it. This seems to be the Tongan custom.

Just beyond the cemetery a sharp cliff overlooks a gorgeous tidal pool some 100 feet
below. Much to my surprise a sign pointing over the cliff says cave and pools below. A
very poorly defined path zigzags down the cliff. Since I have come this far I negotiate
the first turns down the side of the cliff. I can hear young boys' voices echoing as if
coming from a cave below. I can see where they have discarded some things before
continuing on. To continue you must use foot and hand holds on a vertical section of
hillside. This is where my cave adventure ended. Obviously some local knowledge is
required to safely reach the cave.

Returning to my bicycle I ride through town north towards Mount Talau, a flat toped over
300 foot hill with almost vertical slopes. Again the paved street becomes little more than
a dirt and rock trail. Soon even the bright sun is lost in the jungle canopy. Many tall
palm trees do a good job of hiding the sky; large dense green growth fills in under and
between the palms to a height well above eye level. The heat and humidity are intense; the
insect populations thrive in this place. I forgot my mosquito repellant.

The path is flat now, but because of the heavy rains we have had for days it is very
muddy. I dismount the bike electing to walk on thick green ground cover to buffer my feet
and bike tires from the mud. The vertical slopes of Mount Talau rise just a few yards from
the right side of the trail. Blending well almost reclaimed by the jungle is a sign,
"Mount Talau Park and Nature Walk", just what I was looking for. I chain my bike to a palm
tree and start making my way up a steep trail up the vertical slope with my camera to try
for the perfect shot. All goes well for 5 or 10 minutes; the trail then starts a long
steep muddy climb up to a point I can only imagine. There is a very long skid mark on the
muddy slope where a previous hiker took a slide. The skid tracks disappear into thick
jungle canopy below. The guide book did say beware of the climb after a rain. So I hate to
report failure to accomplish both my adventure goals; there was some satisfaction attached
with the try.

Bed time happened early, 8PM. No energy for the big Friday night in town.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Thursday October 11, 2007
Today it is supposed to stop raining, yea. We have checked with the routers concerning our passage from Tonga to New Zealand and the lows are continuing to create the dreaded southwest winds that would mean bashing into the sea. There are no weather windows possible into next week, so we wait, but the flight home forces a departure from Tonga by October 19 or we will fly home from Tonga through Auckland and John will make the passage first chance after our departure. We decide to spend the time waiting for weather window in Vava'u as it has the best facilities for yachties.

We break anchor at 9AM and head back to Port of Refuge to top off our fuel tanks so we will be ready to leave if the weather window suddenly opens up. We decide to put out a fishing line on our way back as the waters have churned with feeding tuna. For days we have seen large flocks of birds swirling around the feedings to gather the bits of flesh floating in the water. As soon as we put out fishing lines out, we see nothing but calm water. Later in the day we do see some signs of fish, but sadly no catch.

The fueling people radioed us to see if we were on time. We assured them that we would be at the dock on time for the fuel truck to deliver to us. We arrive half an hour early and tie up at the dock and transfer fuel from port to starboard tank until the starboard tank is full. This way we only have to fill the port tank which is next to the dock. At 1PM the truck did not show. John found the fuel truck driver waiting asleep in his truck for someone to open the gate so he could approach Bella Donna.

We are once again close to town so I decide to take a long hike south of town. I climbed from the Moorings dock to the main road. I noticed that bright red and white banners lined the sides of the road. Houses and Businesses were sporting ribbons, bows and flowers. Obviously this was a special day, maybe a holiday. As I walked up the first hill, students from the University of the Pacific were walking in the opposite direction into town sporting very light blue lava lavas, both the men and the women. It turns out a Royal Princess visited the town today.

I walked past the University of the Pacific and followed more students in light blue lava lavas as they made their daily journey to their homes south of town. I walk about 2 miles thinking the students must live closer to their school; they do not, some are still walking as I turn around. I walk through a little village, Toula, the only business in the village is a refreshment stand on the side of the road. There are a couple of resorts which look more like a Tongan bed and breakfast. A man is selling tee-shirts and wood carvings in front of one of these resorts. The only other tourist I saw was a Scottish university aged lass touring Tonga with a camera who asked me how far it was to town.

Little children the ages of my grandchildren are playing near the side of the road. They all seem curious what an old strange looking man is doing so far from town. They wave and say bye. I think bye must be a Tongan greeting of some sort, but I have not found out what it means.

On the morning radio net we heard an advertisement for Chao, an Italian restaurant owned by Franco. Peter and Virginia from Sail Dance tried Chao and recommended it to us one night. It is a beautiful starry night in Tonga as crew takes the night out in town.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Tuesday October 9, 2007
Early morning we weigh anchor and head off south to an anchorage documented by Moorings to
be near some interesting sights. It is nice being near the second largest town, but it is
time to venture out and experience what Tongan life is like without so much outside
influence. I would have to say so far we are surprised by the beauty of Tonga; actually we
are told we should refer to this as The Kingdom of Tonga. Referring to just Tonga you are
thought to be talking about a place in Africa.

Tonga is made up of 4 island groupings from north to south covering about 300+ miles. They
are Niuas, Vava'u, Ha'apai and Tongatapu where the capital, airport and largest city,
Nuku'alofa, is located. Most yachts use Vava'u to check in and that is what we did. The
charter company Moorings is located here; the best cruising and anchorages are here. We
all believe this area to be one of the best cruising areas we have seen. There are a few
large islands and many small islands many rounded rock with a lip like shore covered in
lush green vegetation. Each little island resembles a green frosted cup cake floating with
bottom half submerged.

We anchored off the island of Kapa. The crystal clear water is boiling with schools of
fish as sea birds are feeding on anything left floating in the water. Skin divers are out
with spear guns gathering fish for dinner. In the dinghy we set out for adventure. First
we located Swallows Cave. Locating the entrance on the rock wall shore of Kapa Island,
John carefully drives the dinghy inside. It would be dark inside if it were not for a beam
of sunlight entering through a big round 10 foot in diameter hole in the top of the cave.
Beyond the light the cave continues towards the interior of the island in complete
darkness. White "Swallows", actually they are white rumped swiftlets, sleeping in the dark
hanging to the roof of the cave come flying out and over us. The only thing that tarnishes
this experience is a little graffiti thoughtlessly left by a visitor.

Next we took the dinghy to a village on Kapa Island. On a beautiful beach lined bay a
crude concrete dock and a flag pole mark the village. We follow a muddy dirt path that
meandered through several very basic houses, barns and pastures with pigs, chickens and
horses. Tongans share all they have and produce, so these farm animals probably support
all who live in the village. Along the way we meet several teenage children who
immediately take an interest in us; it is probably not often that strangers like us visit.
They speak pretty good English telling us their name and asking us for ours. They also
want to know where we are from. We ask permission to walk through their village. I am not
sure they completely understand our question, but they do answer yes. Deep into the
village the path climbs a hill and passes what is clearly a community meeting place. It is
a large one room white building with a Sky Pacific satellite dish on the roof. There is a
large screen TV inside and several locals are sitting on the floor watching rugby
highlights. When an older man steps out, John asks permission again to walk through their
village. We get another yes. When the man learns from John that we too like to watch rugby
and that John is South African, the man beams a smile from ear to ear. In the background
you can hear a generator running to power the TV, and then we notice that each house has a
solar panel that probably charges a battery so they can have light at night.

We hurry back to Bella Donna; it is about to rain again.

God Bless Bella Donna.

POST

Monday October 8, 2007
Sunshine, dark clouds then a 15 minute downpour over and over again is the experience of
the day. Our goal for today is to complete some housekeeping chores around Bella Donna and
attend an informal gathering at the Aquarium of skippers and crews of the sailing vessels
headed for New Zealand at 3PM in the afternoon. The radio net mentioned that someone who
made the passage last year and who now is a New Zealand resident wants to answer any
questions we have.

One of the best chores to do on the boat on a day like today is scrub her down. If you are
lucky you can scrub an area and the periodic rain will wash away the soap suds with the
dirt leaving a clean surface when the sun dries up all the rain. I feel like singing the
kids song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider Crawled Up The Water Spout".

Time flies and it is 3PM before we know it. The man answering our questions turns out to
be an American from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was the store manager for West Marine
there. He and his wife took off in their sail boat making it through the Panama Canal,
down South America and across the South Pacific to Tonga then New Zealand last year. As
many cruising yachties do, they decided to stay in New Zealand and work for a while.

The yacht crews at the meetings represent a wide spectrum. The smallest sailing yacht is a
22 foot sloop that two young men sailed from Denmark. The yacht with the least equipment
is a small German mono hull with a VHF radio and charts. Almost without saying Bella Donna
is at the high end of the spectrum. The crossing of the South Pacific to this point has
been easy for everyone; the fair winds are very predicable and dependable. Seldom if ever
has anyone had to sail to weather which is uncomfortable in any yacht. The conditions from
Tonga to New Zealand change as highs and lows roll out of the Tasman Sea; pushed by the
southern hemisphere jet stream they dominate the weather we will face. The idea is to use
a weather router who tells you when to leave and what route to take. We are using 2 of the
best routers. The other thing that helps us is we are motor sailing the less than 1200
miles and should complete the passage in 6 days. Some of the smaller yachts could easily
take 10 days or more as they can not motor sail very far.

It is spring in New Zealand; the summer sailing season is about to start. It starts slow,
most of the locals start their vacations in mid December for Christmas then high season
lasts into late January. There will be some great cruising in Bella Donna's future.

God Bless Bella Donna.