Friday, September 2, 2011

Passage to Tonga Updatee

It's the 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. squall watch again! Tonight when I came on watch we had just been hit by a pretty big squall that had come from the north east. Corie went to bed and I dried up the cockpit. Well wouldn't you know it, but that squall stalled right in front of us and we went through it again! Too big to go around- it was about three miles deep and twelve miles across! So now it's a bit to the north east of us again and I'm just waiting to see if it's going to rev up and move over us one more time! I'm waiting before mopping up the cockpit again, to see what's going to happen. (FYI- we track the squalls on the radar. They show up in color!) There have also been a large flock of boobies following us for a couple of hours. I don't know if they think the boat is a port in the storm for them or if they just think we are kindred spirits! I could hear them squawking at each other- "crazy sailors! only boobies should be out on the water on a night like this!"...

We will arrive in Neiafu tomorrow afternoon. The snorkeling and diving are supposed to be excellent! We just received an email from a friend of ours who "free dove" to 80 feet! She is a small Japanese woman who looks like a mermaid in the water! The Humpback whales have migrated to the Vava'u islands to have their calves and the islands are also the home of giant manta rays. After being in two harbors for the past month, it will be wonderful to be anchored back in water where we can swim off of the boat!

OK- better go look for lights and squalls.

R of Rutea
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At 9/2/2011 4:12 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 17°53.57'S 173°47.92'W

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