FROM TONGA TO FIJI

Marcy’s passage from Tonga to Fiji started off in rough seas. After sailing out the pass and clearing the end of the island under double reefed main alone, we bore off to our heading. The rhumb line (direct heading) to our destination lay directly downwind. The motion on board wasn’t nice - there was a nasty roll on top of a quick corkscrew motion. The waves weren’t huge, but they were steep and confused, and just the right wavelength to really bounce Marcy around. Peter felt seasick for the first time since leaving Seattle, and Ginger was looking a little green herself. A lone whale spouted ahead of us as we held on for dear life and tried to adjust to the movements. We talked about our time in Tonga and remembered the sweet natured children we had met there.







We had brought some watercolor paint sets and other school supplies to donate to the elementary school, and the kids exuberantly posed for our camera.



Our memories of Tonga were great company on this passage. The first night of the passage was one of those we like to forget: cooking, eating and reading were out of the question and neither of us got much sleep. By late in the second day, though, conditions were easing up. We shook out reefs, unrolled the jib, and as we closed in on Fiji all of the surrounding islets had provided protection from the waves. The last day felt like sailing on Puget Sound on a summer day, without a trace of ocean swell. We entered Savu Savu harbor and picked up a buoy at the historic Copra Shed marina to clear into Fiji.



Steaming hot volcanic streams empty into the Savu Savu bay.



The anchorage has a good view of the commercial pier, where a succession of ramshackle ferries dock. These ships are handled like dinghies, with all maneuvers carried out at top speed. This ship has dropped anchor and is backing down to the pier, her vehicle ramp is already dropping down.



After the visits from the officials, we went ashore to change money and pay the fees at the various offices.



The phone booths fascinated us. Are those some sort of primitive weapons? They look like a Captain Kirk jousting weapon from Star Trek.



At last we were able to replenish supplies. Beer first, of course. Fiji Bitter is pretty good stuff. We still rate Vailima export from independant Samoa as the best in the Pacific so far…..



The market had all of our fresh food and kava needs….





Cruising sailboats need to carry a supply of kava bundles rolled in traditional ceremonial newspaper to present to the various chiefs that we will encounter in exploring Fiji.

From our mooring in the bay we had heard some workers singing beautiful traditional songs during their lunch break. The sounds drifting over the water at mid-day made us pause and listen. Later we noticed this skiff ferrying the brush clearing workers across the harbor on their way home. Throughout the Pacific we have seen no reluctance to really load a boat down.



The most interesting cargo load we’ve seen yet was a water tank being transported island to island in Tonga. This boat had crossed several miles of open ocean and had run a rough pass by the time we took the photo.



We’re happy to be snug in a protected harbor. In the morning we wake to the scent of tropical flowers and the sound of strange bird calls.



After a few days in Savu Savu we will head north to explore the east coast of the big island of Vanua Levu.

Time to leave Tonga Ginger (Friday 9/14)

We just received the last of our books from Pago Pago (delivered by our friends on Adelia who got them from Zero in Pago) and it's time to head on to Fiji. We've spent two busy and memorable weeks here in this quiet anchorage and the time has come to haul anchor and move on. This stop has been one of the highlights of our trip. The first couple of days were a busy whirl of activity as we cleared into Tonga, paid our entrance fees and settled in to the island pace. After almost 6 weeks in "big"
cities it was a relief to be in a quiet protected lagoon. When we arrived school was out for a two week vacation. There were kids everywhere and they were usually at the head of the wharf hoping for some "lollies" or some other small gift. In fact, there are some small children in town who cry "my lollie" whenever they see a palagi (non polynesian visitor)and I've decided for them "my lollie" and "palagi" are synonyms. With the exception of one day in the last two weeks every day was a social
whirl both on boats and ashore. We hosted 6 dinners/drinks aboard Marcy and enjoyed hors d'oeuvres aboard Miss Jody with all the boats in the anchorage. On the 3rd there was so much rain most people collected water and filled their tanks completely. People averaged about 100 gallons that day. We chose to fill our dinghy and kayak with the hopes that we could luxuriate in a bath on deck when the rain stopped. Alas, the kayak isn't built for that kind of stress so we took off 10 gallons for our
tanks and dumped the rest when we saw the boat straining. We spent lots of time ashore. We met a family that makes a big effort to host the yachties and shared a few meals and even an adventure with them. As we prepare to head out of the bay this morning it's with sadness that we're leaving such a great place to visit and we look forward to returning in a few years to visit again. We're deflating the dinghy and taking off the sail cover so we'll elaborate on our Niuatoputapu adventures soon.
Next stop.. Savu Savu, Fiji.

Niuatoputapu, Tonga (say that 3 times fast!) Ginger

We left Apia, Samoa yesterday morning, Tuesday. Our trip lasted only 27 hours but we arrived in Tonga at noon on Thursday. We lost a day but gained another stamp in the passport and a notch in our cruising belt. Neither of us has ever crossed the dateline before. The trip here was fast. We were on a beam reach most of the way with 8 foot seas on the beam. It was a bit salty but as we got close to our destination the rain squalls washed off most of the salt. We saw two whales breach in the
distance as we approached the island and as we threaded our way through the pass it was a welcome relief to enter the calm blue lagoon. We're anchored in 30 feet of beautiful water and are reminded of our time in the Tuamotus. We're enjoying the first cool breeze through the boat we've felt in weeks. The water is clean and inviting and we're finally away from the big city again. There are 3 villages on the island and we are looking forward to going ashore to explore tomorrow.
We were warned by email from several boats ahead of us that the island is out of cigarettes. Well, as anti smoking as we are, we understand that they are marooned here on an island and the next supply ship isn't due until Sept 25th. So, we bought 5 boxes ("packs") of cigarettes. Interestingly, the cab driver in Samoa told me proudly that they will never run out of cigarettes in Samoa as Pall Mall cigarettes has a plant in Apia, Samoa. So, there are only 2 kinds of cigarettes available in Samoa;
Pall Mall regular and Pall Mall menthol. The things one learns while traveling! The only problem is that the WHOLE islands seems focused on this problem. Apparently when the last supply ship was here a month ago all of the cigarettes they delivered were smoked within a week. We're not sure if they couldn't afford to buy enough to last or if willpower wasn't very strong. Probably a little of both. As the Marcy crew does not have an unlimited budget we couldn't even supply one cancer stick for
each person on the island so we brought our small supply with the best of intentions. We were grilled by the customs/immigration/agriculture group about our cigarettes. Actually the subject came up as Peter was filling out the declaration form for customs. He looked at me and innocently asked "Do we have 4 or 5 cartons of cigarettes?" You can imagine the pitter patter of the happy hearts around the table with that kind of talk (10 packs to a carton!) I quickly corrected that it was only 5 packs
(20 cigarettes per). The group around the table asked if we smoked to which I replied no. They asked if we brought them to trade and I replied that we brought them as a gift. They said they would take 4 boxes and leave us 1 for someone else. I suggested they could split 2 boxes between the four of them and they were happy as they munched on their cookies and anticipated those smokes. We had been forwarned to have cookies and beverage available for customs agents and it's excellent advice. They
were happy to see the cookies as they came aboard.

We enjoyed our stay in Apia, and it was spectacular to see the opening ceremonies of the South Pacific Games. The city was beautifully cleaned up and EVERYTHING that could be painted was. I know, some of it is still on my pants! The fruit and veggies currently on Marcy are the best we've stocked up on in the South Pacific. The people we met in Samoa were friendly and welcoming and it was a fine stop. Apia has a nice bay for anchoring with a mud bottom and perfect holding. Unfortunately, anchoring
for free is no longer an option there right now as they have just opened a new marina and are enforcing a nightly fee whether anchored or at the dock. The harbor master in Apia is a bit of a control freak who wields his power with a heavy hand. He was constantly on the radio. This is usually a job delegated to lower employees in other ports but he seemed to enjoy the interactions with boats. He played favorites or rather, anti favorites. We heard some incredibly rude exchanges where he repeatedly
denied dock access to one boat who had gotten off on the wrong foot with him. He made promises to many boats about discounts on marina fees and charged full price to the next boat. Normally this behavior wouldn't be so obvious but most of the exchanges were carried out on channel 16, the hailing channel. Further, as yachties are a tight gossiping community a good deal had by one will be discussed by all. As the marina was opened to yachts last Saturday we were there for the move in festivities.
The Harbor Master called all yachts at 7AM on the radio and informed us that he needed our boat information and we would be moving our boats that day. We were the 3rd boat into the marina and the first (of several) to run hard aground on the way in. After several minutes in reverse Peter was able to back out of the mud and we were placed at the end of the dock. The mosquitoes were happy to have us closer to shore and the sun came out for the 2 full days we were at the dock. The temperature inside
our boat on the two hottest nights was 85F or more. It's tough to stay covered to avoid mosquitoes on those hot nights. The marina rules were extensive and are sure to be relaxed over time. There were 4-6 guards on duty. No visitors are allowed on the docks. No laundry, no washing and many rules for things they don't even have there. To leave the dock one must have the ID card which cost approx $2 US but was to be turned in before departure with no refund. The number on the card as well as
our names and the boat name had to be recorded by the guard in a book. Each time we returned to the dock our leaving entry had to be located so they could check us back in. After all of that there was usually someone a few feet down the sidewalk wanting to know where we were going in town. Like any new system the details will probably be worked out as the reality of their business becomes clear. Peter reminded me again that we are visitors and we are just passing through. We felt fortunate to
experience the excessive officialdom for only a short time and then be able leave it behind and head back out to sea.

Our time at the marina was great social time. We visited again with Cap'n Fatty and Caroline and we met several new boats that we look forward to seeing in future anchorages. We also were invited to dinner aboard Salena, homeport Vancouver BC with Carol and Michele. She is a retired Canadian Coast Guard chef and he is a cruise ship captain. They sail for 3 months and then they meet his ship and he works while she goes along for the trip. It sounds very deluxe from where I sit, they even have
a bathtub in their cabin. But, he does have to go to work so we decided it's still a good deal to be out here full time. Peter didn't think it sounded like such a great deal if he had to work and I enjoyed room service during the cruise.

We had planned to go to the internet cafe before we left Samoa but did not get there before they closed on Monday evening. If you have written to us on our crew@svmarcy.com email we apologize for not replying quickly. We'll have internet access again in Fiji.