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Laura Dawn - Pacific Log 18: On route to Tonga



And very sad to be leaving Niue...

What a unique place, the worlds highest atoll and another amazing place! Lumps of coral everywhere through the vegetation where the atoll has been literally pushed up from the sea. We have loved every minute, especially the friendliest locals and help from everybody, Keith (Niue yacht club) and his many hired hands of help worked non stop to assist and ensure we had a great time. Watching the afternoon sun go down on a terrace was magic, just time to reflect after an amazing island tour (a must on your itinerary), the spinner dolphins popping along just in time for sunset, they even surfed the bow of the dinghy one evening too. A bit of a unique dinghy docking experience as there is big tide differences and potential for big swell: you have to hoist your dinghy out of the water on the concrete dock and into the dinghy parking area.

So we are back on the road again, we departed at around 7pm this evening in the dark, no dramas these days just to hoist the main sail and head off regardless of the time or passage duration, yet often back home it would require a little more prep, but its interesting when you are on the move constantly it seems you are always in sailing mode and ready to go to sea.

We had Helen's sweet and sour pork for dinner on the go and are on a brisk motor sail at 6.5knts which should see us arrive in Tonga by Thursday AM (we do cross the date line on this passage, so this explains the missing day for anyone calculating the distance and time!(230NM))

The conditions are great currently (not something I feel we've been able to say too much recently!), flat-ish sea, 15knts of true wind from about 120 degrees gives us a true wind angle of about 150 degrees on the port side, 1 reef in the main and full genoa - and of course one engine running at 1500rpm to give us the extra rocket boost to our destination (hey... at least we can eat toast!).

ps Cave and chasm diving in Niue is a must, world class, crystal clear water and amazing sea life (and the odd coconut crab too!)

LD 29/5/17

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