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| Good dog! Guarding the beer for the Uoleva Yacht Club cruiser’s potluck. The dogs (there were more than one) were a bit too territorial – sometimes an “unwelcoming committee.” |
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| Craig stocked his bar by bringing in his provisions from Pangai by motor boat, anchoring it, then transferring it to his kayak, and paddling it ashore. |
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| Uoleva Yacht Club, in Tonga’s Ha’apai group. Mellow spot and great gathering point. |
Reputedly dubbed “Cranky Craig,” he warmed up once the crowds came in and treated him – for better or worse – as one of our own.
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| One of the girls from Hapa Nosasa spotted this walking stick bug at the Uoleva Yacht Club potluck. |
Boat itineraries began to scatter more widely, markedly so in leaving Cook Island’s Suwarrow, the Samoas, Tonga’s Nieafu and now Uoleva. Fiji, Phillipines, Marshall Islands, Guam, Australia were among the next port of call. The biggest bulk of our South “Pacific Puddle Jump” group already left or like us, were in the process of picking their best time to hop to New Zealand before cyclone season makes much or where we’ve traveled this year untenable until May.
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| What potluck is complete without a beach bonfire? Still true on Uoleva, Tonga, Ha’apai group of islands. |
Meanwhile, we still wanted to explore at least one or two more spots in Tonga’s Ha’apai group of islands before clearing out and heading for New Zealand for cyclone season. We weren’t expecting potlucks, but more sandy beaches, excellent snorkeling and perhaps a little shelling. Most of all, we wanted to soak up a little more sunshine before heading more towards Antarctica’s cool winds, which influence New Zealand’s weather in the same way Alaska does the Pacific Northwest’s.
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| Uoleva, Tonga lived up to its reputation for great sunsets while we were there. |
Location Location
Since we left Jacksonville Florida in December, 2014 — less than a year ago — we’ve sailed over 10,000 miles!
A set of tables detailing all our stops will be added to the blog soon.
