Friday 20th June
Stewy is up and over at yacht services with the dinghy before they’re open – eventually it’s fixed again but it’s a temporary repair and it looks as if we’ll have to find a part somewhere. A few more errands and we’re off – Lawrence gives us a fond farewell on the VHF. It’s 9am as we slip our mooring and reluctantly leave this superb bay; Neiafu, Port of Refuge, Vava’u Islands, Kingdom of Tonga! Apparently it was off one of these islands that Mutiny on the Bounty happened in 1798. We feel we’ve barely touched the surface here – we vow to return to Vava’u! By 10am we’ve hoisted the sails, it’s light airs but from the East so we goose-wing and set a course of 260’ to our first way-point. We agree a single watch system of 3 hours on during daylight hours, 2 hours during darkness. Once that’s done, Ian is back to bed, still unwell – he was feverish last-night , shivering but boiling hot all over. Stewy and Annie stay on deck and keep a look out for the humpback whales that are supposed to be arriving here any day now. By 12.30, the wind has swung more to the SE and we set the sails for a beam reach. There’s 18-20 knots of wind and we’re going along nicely at 7-9 knots SOG. Thankfully the sun is shining…..but not for long. As the afternoon progresses a large black cloud approaches from the NE. This causes the wind to swing from the NE and we alter course to avoid the centre of the squall. We skirt along the edge of it and see Branec who pass us to port. Once the squall passes the wind sets back into the SE and remains that way until midnight, when it’s coming more from the east. Stewy and Ian goose-wing the sails, and we’re doing a steady 7-8 knots.