I needed to put a few more pictures of Palmerston.

William Marsters' home

The Palmerston yacht club

Someone had made the yacht club a beautiful sign, .

Bill Marsters and his Blue Footed Boobie.

Look at the size of those beams, they came from a shipwreck and that is what William Marsters built that home.

William's home, water cistern and church.

Communication center with their satellite dish and solar panels.

Volleyball game as a form of entertainment.

Big satellite dish.

NIUE TO TONGA

August 26 , 20012

We sailed out of Alofi, Niue on Saturday August 26 around 1200 hrs.  The Trade Wind was fresh out of the SE at 20 to 25 kts.  Well offshore the seas were running 10-12'.  Since they were on our port quarter, occasionally, we would surf down one.  The Valiant continues to amaze me with her seakindliness and seaworthiness.  She is a very dry boat and hardly ever ships water in the cockpit.

The distance from Niue to Neiafu, Vava'u in the Northern Tonga group is about 245 nm.  We made this passage in 22 hrs which is great time considering I was only sailing under reefed headsail.  We could have carried more canvas and made even better time but we were in no hurry to make landfall.  Also, we crossed the international date line which put us one day ahead of the States.  We made our arrival in Neiafu on Tuesday 28 August 2012.

The approach to the Vava'u group in Northern Tonga is spectacular.  The land in the North rises to 500' and is lush green.  Entering the harbor through the many islands is exciting and beautiful.  Neiafu is a small community of expats and Tongans that cater to the yachting community.  Additionally, there is a flight that comes in once a week from Nukualofa which is the capital of Tonga and located in the South on the island of Tongatapu.  The biggest tourist attraction here is  swimming with the whales.  One can take their own yachts out or use a dedicated whale diving operator.  They locate the whales and then let you swim right next to them.  Apparently, the whales don't seem to mind and no one has been killed yet.  We are enjoying our stay in Neiafu and will be here for another week or so.  We have to wait until the end of October before making the trip to New Zealand which about 1000 nm from Nukualofa, Tonga.  There will be some heavy weather sailing involved in this trip as lows and highs are continually coming from the Australian coast.

Over a month ago we had a shipment of medications sent from the States to Tonga via USPS Express mail insured.  For some reason that will always remain a mystery, it was returned from Tonga to our States-side address.  We have had it reshipped via FedEx which provides a tracking number.  Incredibly enough, the most advanced country in the world?? does not have the technology to track a package once it leaves the last US port using USPS.  At least it was returned.  These shipments of medications have been problematical with the exception of Papeete, Fr. Polynesia.

I'll update the blog as we see more of Vava'u and Neiafu.  There are wonderful fresh vegetables and fruit here in Neiafu at reasonable prices.  Fish and meat are plentiful.  The restaurants are serving up gourmet food.  Best of all the Tongan people are fascinating.    Once again we can enjoy Expresso and Cappuccino coffee; not cheap but delicious.  We are taking time to fix up all the minor problems on the boat before we make the big trip to New Zealand.  At this point in time we are looking forward to reaching New Zealand and returning to the States to visit family and friends.

The rest of the pictures of Palmerston.

Don walking down the one of the avenues in Palmerston.

That's what happens when you don't follow the  mooring rules.

Phyllis and the Marster's Matriarch.

The name of the school in Palmerston.

One of the classrooms.

Library

Sunday lunch with the the Marsters.

One of the avenues in the village

Edward and Johnnie

Johnnie Marsters posing with a beautiful flower.

Parlmerston church

Inside the church

Palmerston surrounded by coral reefs.

Beautiful sunset while in Palmerston.

Coconut tree

Johnnie Marsters

Walking back to the dinghy to be taken back to the yacht.

I have been trying to download pictures of our trip from Bora Bora to Palmerston with not much luck . Here are a few, will try again in Tonga

Palmerston

The family of Marsters that sponsored us.

Don filleting a Mahi.

Filleted

Sunrise on the way to Palmerston

Don with the gaffed Mahi Mahi

The other part of the sunrise on the way to Palmerston

PALMERSTON ATOLL TO NIUE

August 13-18, 2012

We cast off our mooring lines at 1045  hrs this morning and sailed for Niue about 400 nm distant.  The winds were out of the SE at 10 kts and the sail was pleasant for the first 8 hrs or so then the wind died so we dropped sail and lay ahull until the following morning.  This pattern repeated itself over the next few days until on the last day the wind picked up to 20-25 kts and blew like stink.  We picked up a mooring in Alofi, Niue on Saturday morning August 18th.

Geologically, Niue is an interesting place.  It is a coral outcropping on top of a sea mount surrounded by very deep water.  It rises 220 feet  out of the water and is the largest coral island in the world.  The waters are crystalline clear because there is no run off from the island.  All rain water is filtered down through the coral and exits in caves and caverns.  This produces an unbelievable coloring in the surrounding sea.  The island is dotted with caves and caverns.  It is, probably, one of the most beautiful snorkeling places in the world.  Whales are seen here and come into the mooring field.  We can hear them at night when we are below the water line in the yacht.  On several occasions we have heard them sounding just off the the yacht.

As a town, Alofi, is unremarkable.  There is nothing special to recommend it.  Supplies are limited and vegetables difficult to find.  There is fuel and water available.  We rented a motorcycle for two days and toured the island.  Phyllis will post the pictures.  There are about 1200 inhabitants living in fourteen villages scattered around the island.  We have seen no outstanding architectural buildings or homes.  Everything is pretty simple and utilitarian.  The rich and famous do not come to Niue!

The central and most important establishment for yachties is the Niue Yacht Club.  Advertised as the "The biggest little yacht club in the world", it maintains 20 moorings for visiting yachts.  These mooring are professionally maintained and very secure.  As a matter of fact, the best we have been on.  What makes this so remarkable is that there are twenty members in the yacht club and no one has a yacht or any sailing experience!!  The members enjoy hosting yachties from all over the world.  There is a nominal charge of $15 NZ per night but this hardly pays for the upkeep of these excellent moorings.  As elsewhere, the Niueans are very friendly to visitors.  The yacht club members will do everything in their power to help solve any problem.  It's a great place to visit.

Tomorrow, August 25th, we sail for Neiafu, Vava'u in the northern Tonga group.  It's about 285 nm and the wind is forcasted to be SE at 20 kts.  If this holds to be true, we can make it in three days.  We will have WiFi there.  Also, we are hoping to receive a shipment of "meds" that we had sent from the States.

BORA BORA TO PALMERSTON ATOLL IN THE COOK ISLANDS

On August 1, 2012 Wednesday

We sailed from Bora Bora this morning at 1030 hrs local.  The wind was out of the SE at 12-15 kts which allowed us to set a direct course of 262 deg to Palmerston: distance 662 nm.  It took us seven days to make Palmerston.  Our experience has been that the SE Trades are not as constant as the NE ones.  During the evening the winds can go calm or squally.  On this particular trip the "Mara'amu" (strong SE Trade Wind) piped up to 20-25 kts with 8-10' seas after a period of calms.  During these strong winds we can manage quite well with a double reefed main and small staysail.  The Valiant is an amazingly dry boat.  Rarely does a wave break over it and get us wet in the cockpit. 

We picked up a mooring in Palmerston Atoll on August 8th at 1030 hrs.  Palmerston has six mooring buoys that are maintained by the three families living there.  The history of Palmerston is unique and interesting.  It was settled by an eccentric Englishman in the early 1800's who brought with him three Polynesian wives from Penrhyn, Cook Is.  His name was William Marsters and he sired seventeen children between the three wives.  Additionally, he divided all the property evenly between the wives.  This ended up with the island of Palmerston having a middle family, eastern family and western family.  All the population are Marsters.  The Patriarch may have been an oversexed man but he wasn't stupid.  He setup very strict rules against intermarriage amongst the children.  Each male or female child had to seek a mate from other islands.  This has kept the population healthy with a diverse gene pool while still being Marsters.

Palmerston is a  remote and infrequently visited island but very much in touch with the modern world.  Prensently, there are 73 inhabitants living on the island.  There is a schoolhouse, church, internet, telephone and electrical generating plant.  The town is all dirt roads but kept very clean.  The streets are wide and lined with coconuts.  One can see the boundaries between the families by the long straight roads running in a very straight line.  The community is well organized with each person in charge of some affair.  Someone is the policeman, communications officer, pastor, etc, etc.

These Palmerstonians have been the most friendly, open, generous people we have met anywhere in our travels.  Yachts have been their main contact with the outside world and bring them cargo and mail from relatives living on other islands.  On this island one still finds that Polynesian tradition of welcoming the stranger.   There is a small inter island trading ship that calls on Palmerston  about every five months.  Supplies have to ordered a year in advance so good planning is necessary.  The main export is parrot fish.  This particular species of fish in Palmerston do not have ciguatera and are safe to eat- delicious too!!  The island is abundant with coconuts but there is no longer a market for copra because the island is so remote and off the beaten path.

Palmerston will remain remote and isolated because it doesn't have a harbor or pier where boats can find a secure and safe mooring.  The depth going into the lagoon is only 3 ft.  The outgoing flow of water can exceed 11 kts!!!  It is unprotected from the North through the South so a watchful weather eye has to be kept for any wind change brought about by some frontal system coming through.  As long as the Trade Winds are blowing from the SE to NE the moorings or anchoring are safe.

Most of the Palmerstonions are living on other islands or in New Zealand.  There they can earn money and send some back to their families who have chosen to stay on the island.  When these relatives come to visit, they have to stay for five or six months until a boat arrives to take them to Raratonga where they can get a flight back to New Zealand.  Also, the children that seek a higher education after completing the course work on the island have to go to Rarotonga or New Zealand.  There are no specific grades that students complete.  Each one works at his own pace and then takes the required inter-island exams.  The present teacher is from England and the principal is a New Zealander that married one of the Marsters and made a life on Palmerston.

The life style and general ease of living have resulted is a longevity that is remarkable.  Most of the senior population are well into their eighties and still going strong.  One of the matriarchs has given birth to fourteen children and is eighty-two.  She is bright, talkative and has a remarkable memory.  Church forms a large part of the Palmerstonions life.  On Sunday they have three services: 0600 hrs, 1000 hrs, 1600 hrs.  It is a day of rest and relaxation: no work or other activity is done.

Phyllis and I believe that we could spend a year or so in Palmerston.  There is so much that can be learned from the self sufficiency of the population as well as the fishing, snorkeling and general beauty of the other "motus" (small atolls) within the lagoon.  It harkens back to our days on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands when we had less than the Palmerstonions.

Next stop Alofi, Niue

BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA

July 21, 2012

We sailed over to Bora Bora from Raiatea.  It's only 34 miles and the winds were blowing out of the NE at 15 kts so it was a fast passage.  We left Raiatea at 0800 and took a mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht club at 1418 hrs.

I have been waiting to post my comments on Bora Bora until we had the chance to take the dinghy all the way around the island.  The wind has been fresh and gusty so this wasn't possible until today: 30 July 2012.

Upon entering the island through Teavanui Pass one is immediately aware of the beautiful mountain that graces the western side of the island:  Mount Pa'hia 2200 ft.  On the eastern side is Mount 'Ote-manu which is 2400' ft.  Both mountains are extinct volcanoes with colapsed craters in some places but beautiful peaks in others.  I think that what makes them so majestic are the wonderful violet, mauve, and purple hues that grace them throughout the day as the sunlight dances around.  The beautiful lush green that grows on the mountains are another fabulous sight to behold.  Then one has the coconut palms and white sand to set it all off.  Next is line beauty are the waters inside the lagoon.  These change color form indigo blue to aquamarine, brown, black and purple and finally white.  It just depends upon the make-up of the bottom: sand, coral, rock and seaweed.  Bora Bora is hyped as one of the most beautiful islands in the South Pacific.  Personally, I don't agree but it is awe inspiring in its colors.

The island has the best developed tourism and a very good international marketing team.  It is an ideal place for the affluent tourist or honeymoon couple since it has all the water activities, hiking, diving with manta rays, bicycling, etc, etc.  There is enough to keep one busy.  The hotel resorts are luxurious and provide everything for their clients.  The Four Seasons, Hilton, Meridian, St. Regis and a host of others have absolutely stunning Polynesian type bungalows with all the modern amenities.  On the yachting side things are a little leaner but mooring are available as well as the possibility to anchor in the lee of beautiful motus.  Transportation to restaurants can be arranged free of charge from the establishment.  One of the most famous ones is "Bloody Mary's" and has hosted many of the famous movie stars and Sen. John McCain.  Nothing too fancy but great food at reasonable prices.

Tomorrow or the next day we will set sail from here to Palmerston Atoll, Cook Isands: 662 nm.  If the weather is decent we will take a mooring there for a few days before going continuing on to Niue.