Cruising Tonga

[waterdog]

Just got back from 2 weeks in the Vava'u group cruising on a friends' 44 foot cat.    Outstanding.  Unbelievable blue.   Amazing beaches, corals, anchorages.    Really great people.     Now Tracey wants to cross an ocean.   Might have to think about an upgrade...

Here is a little shot of Foster swimming with a month old baby humpback.

[Ted Pounds]

WOW!!!

[Les Luzar]

What a beautiful picture. That water is so clear and light blue....makes me want to set a course and go....

[Analgesic]

I wasn't sure whether to share my upcoming adventure on this site but you gave me an opening.  After a couple of years planning, I'll be joining the tall ship Picton Castle out of Nova Scotia serving as the medical officer for about 3 1/2 months starting  on Feb 1.  The first leg is currently delayed due to Sandy, supposed to start last Sunday, eventually to go to the Carribean, Panama Canal, Galopagos, Pitcairn and then French Polynesia.  I'll  join them for the second leg.   My itinerary includes  scheduled 17 island stops (with the assumption of unscheduled stops) in French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Tonga and Samoa.  She's a 3 masted Barque, 185 feet and serves as a sail training vessel with a minority professional crew and a majority of paying trainees (which includes me although my tuition gets waived for serving as medical officer).  It is traditional sailing at its finest, handmaking canvas sails, hemp lines (166 sail control lines I'm supposed to learn), celestial navigation, sail trim and anchor raising all by muscle power, daily educational opportunities in areas of traditional sailing and seamanship, and a deliberate plan to visit remote places and encounter local cultures avoiding the cruise ship destinations.  We all will do watches, 4 hours on, 8 off and in port 24 on, 48 off.  We climb the rigging (75+ feet, optional) and go out the yard arms to furl sail.  The icing on the cake is than I return home just before Memorial day in time to splash Analgesic for a Summer in New England.  I'm feeling life is pretty good right now.  The picture of the whale in Tonga just got me even more excited.   My understanding is that there are still openings for leg two if anyone is interested.  Check out the web site and follow us on the Captain's Log as the voyage progresses. 
Brian McPhillips

[Brad Young]

Great Pics,

Any chance of sailing BlackDragon to Tonga 

[waterdog]

Not so much.   Though we did see several boats much smaller in Tonga that had made the trip.  It isn't really a question of could it be done.  It is more a matter of how comfortable we would want to be.   Something ten feet longer would smooth the ride nicely.

I can't even really describe how wonderful Tonga was.   Imagine the perfect blue water with the white sandy beaches, deserted islands with all you can eat mangos hanging in the trees.  We walked by a local village school and were invited in to watch them practice singing and dancing for their year end event. The next day Foster was asked to present a lesson on Canada.  Seeing him try to explain what snow was to kids who live in a village with no electricity by showing pictures on an iPad was magical. 

I think we will be back...

[Hawk]

Steve,

We Vancouverites have been on the move it appears. I just flew back yesterday from New Zealand after crewing on Mahina Tiare from Brisbane Aus to Auckland NZ across the Tasman Sea...1500 miles in all. Good passage 20 to 30 knots up to 46 at the outset. We missed the first cyclone of the season 250 miles north of us, one boat required rescue.

Love our 34's but a Halberg Rossi 46 really eats up the bigger seas!

Obviously we were south of Tonga but stopped in at beautiful Lord Howe Island 400 miles out in the Tasman. World Heritage site and southern most coral island in the world....worth a google now and a stop later for anyone down that way.

Hawk

[waterdog]

Mahina Tiare in the Tasman Sea?   Sounds exotic.  Nobody rides on that HR for pure pleasure.   What are you training for Hawk?   Thinking of a little ocean adventure?  Fantastic!

[Hawk]

Steve,
The short answer is the co-pilot needs convincing.........you have some experience in that regard (:

Hawk