We are off under square sail again – we had a warm, brilliant time at Palmerston with all the folks there, soaking up atoll life in the South Pacific. Thanks so much to all you Marsters and to Vina who helped at Rarotonga.
But it comes time for a ship to sail, and sail we must. Get our Picton Castle sea legs back, remember our lines, how to brace and handle sail, and steering again and sail the 620 miles due west towards the Vava’u group of islands of northern Tonga. We are headed for the port town of Neiafu, a well protected in deep anchorage and landlocked harbour. Tonga is a bastion of traditional, yet updated, Polynesian ways of life. All outsiders, like us – called pa’langis in this part of the world, who spend any time here are affected, sometime powerfully. But we are still here at Palmerston as we contemplate sailing.
Saturday 1500 – After some kaikai (that’s food or a meal), songs, a dance or two on the hatch and plenty goodbye hugs we had to go. All ashore that’s going ashore! All our guests, moms, dads, kids, young folk, clambered over the lee rail into the waiting surging boats and pulled away from the ship’s side with almost the entire island population aboard them. Once a bit of a ways off, the boats shut down their motors and sat idle, and drifted, heaving gently in the small sun dappled seas off the reef. They watched us as Picton Castle crew scrambled aloft, loosend sail, returned to deck and set all canvas. Soon all sail got sheeted home and hoisted, slowly we sailed away from Palmerston across the now placid Pacific, literally into the sunset, or towards where the sunset will be. As we made some distance from the island, from the ship’s decks we could see the island boats as they streamed back into the pass through reef into the lagoon and towards the creamy sandy coral beach as we sailed westwards. With not a few tears.
Over that Saturday night we had light winds and small seas followed by calm in the morning. In the interest of time we fired up at 0800 and steamed until the winds began to fill in from the SE about midday. Filled in strong they did so we set most sail but not the t’gallants. The ship began to bowl along. Seas began to build. By Sunday late we were seeing 15-18 foot seas and a 20 footer from time to time. On Sunday to go along with the mandated popcorn (so says Dawson) we chilled a bunch of the many Palmerston coconuts and had them cool Palmerston style. One thing they have on Palmerston is coconuts. Lots and lots of coconuts. They grow on trees there!
Monday – We are romping along much the same on another rousing South Pacific Ocean passage. Ahead is an island (Niue) and a reef we must go around. Expecting rains to start soon but also winds to diminish. We will see. Then to pick up again.
Tuesday – wind and seas picking up making 7 knots, overcast, rainy, steady.
Wednesday morning – in the early dark hours of the morning, winds began to build further, then to howl. We had been sailing well all night in sporty conditions. Soon the ship was making eight and a half knots. That’s fast for us. We fell off away from the now almost southerly winds and made over 10 knots at times, sailing northwards. Blowing hard it was. We took in t’gallants carefully. The new main t’gallant survived the clewing up, the old patched-on-patches fore t’gallant from 2009 flogged itself to bits as it was clewed up. Not surprising. But it had to come in. It too, got stowed. We will send it down after its dry in Vava’u and see if it can take another layer of patches. With a couple spares and a new one in the making this one might be done. Then upper topsails in and stowed, followed by main lower topsail and we ran with the winds until midday. The helmsmen had a workout. Now at noon setting topsails again and shaping up on westerly courses after steering north for hours. Tonga is to our west. Not desiring to sail for Samoa just now. The gang did well getting sails in and stowed in the demanding conditions. Winds and seas are settling down now here at midday. All afternoon conditions gradually got better. By mid afternoon moving along westerly under small canvas. Headed the right direction again after a 30 mile detour for the gale.
Thursday at 0400 – the 4 to 8 takes the dawn watch. Skies showing stars, winds force 5 from the south, maybe even a bit west of south. Dry again, seas 4-8 feet, much smaller than earlier. Under upper topsails makng west. Ship riding along nicely. Southerly winds can be cool in this part of the world well south of the equator. While still mostly barefoot, many crew sporting warm jackets, long pants and watch caps. Tonga is 120 miles away and bearing west southwest. We will need a windshift, or some tacking to get there under sails. Or a calm when we can motor effectively. Winds should back around to southeasterly I hope. One can always hope. In the meantime things are pretty good aboard. Nice to sea stars again in the sky. A bright waning moon dazzles the seas on the starboard quarter. A treat for the eyes and the soul. Nice to be dry again too.
In Tonga customs and bio-security will likely confiscate any fresh provisions we may have. We expect this. A bit of a shock the first time many years ago when the officers marched off leaving our moments before full veggie lockers empty. Of course this means that we will be coming in to Tonga with no fresh fruits and vegetables – this time they will be nice and empty. While very much due for a big provisioning (which we’ll do in Fiji) we still have enough food aboard yet. And plenty good shopping in Neiafu, the main town in Vava’u. We will eat. Today Donald used up the last fresh potatoes and eggplants, saving a few onions for later. There is an excellent and ample produce market in Neiafu, (full of pumpkin, cassava, taro, kumera, pineapples, potatoes, onions, bananas and we will see what else) the town we are headed to in Vava’u. AB Seaman and six-year Picton Castle crew member Vaiufia Latu will be there and ready to lend us a hand getting such like sorted. We cross the International Date Line around Tonga. This has us jump ahead a day. Diane has a birthday coming up. She might miss it!
Still Thursday AM. Dawn approaches us from astern with the faintest of a lightening of the sky near the horizon, just a little bit pink under the furthest clouds. Still plenty of stars and moon to make the whitecaps clear and the decks easily navigable until daylight comes in full. With sustained southerly winds seas have built up to 8-12 feet now. At 0730 and sun higher we have a pretty day at hand.
Thursday at midday. A lovely day. Cool in this southerly winds of Force 5, seas 6-12 feet. Sailmaking on the quarterdeck with a new jib coming together – Liam and Rachael seaming away with palm and needle at their sailmaker’s benches. Nate is making a new bow-pudding for the skiff. This is a form of a bow fender, like old time tugboats used to have. Our skiff is used as a little tugboat at times. Line is sorting out a hand-powered coffee grinder I brought from home for taking advantage of the many bags of coffee beans we seem to have aboard. Must be good coffee? New buntlines for topsails and t’gallants getting rove off and bent on. Some intro to electronic navigation in the charthouse for those keen on the subject. Almost out of Palmerston drinking coconuts. Cats are happy, running around the decks. Vava’u is 100 miles to our southwest. Trouble is that the wind is south and the seas are too big to motor into. We will get there eventually. Winds will change, they always do.
Friday – or Saturday Tonga Time after crossing the dateline. Sailed nicely all night, with the island only 50 miles away just before dawn. Pretty close. Now being Saturday and not being able to clear in we will go to anchor and get some rest. We have a lovely day at sea here though. Sailmaking going on. Diane varnishing a sailmaker bench. Nate cleaning up our two excellent emergency deck pumps. If one is good, two must be better, no? Dryng out our blown out fore t’gallant for sending down. A little knockaroost on the charthouse, Stan making rope mats. Approaching Vava’u we see whales breaching. The island rises steeply from the sea to a flat plateau covered with green. We first spied Vava’u from about 30 miles distant. Getting closer and passing around to the western fjord-like entrance to the island group, we see a labyrinth of rocky islets poking up from the water. This geography is unique in the South Pacific. No other place like it. With Alex and Liam at the wheel under the practiced eye of Tammy they steered Picton Castle to an anchorage in a cozy cove to wait out the weekend so we could clear in to Tonga on Monday. A lovely warm blue-sky day with a secluded and still place to drop the hook by days end, pretty fine.