When you anchor for the first time near an island of the Lau group it is often necessary to do a sevusevu ceremony. Shortly after our arrival near the village of Daliconi in Malaka bay, Vanua Mbalavu a neighbour-cruiser popped over to tell us that the chief had asked all who had arrived to come to his house at 1pm.
The pass out through the reef surrounding Namena Island is without any markers which is a bit nerve wracking however we have our track to follow and we motor out smoothly enough. There are dive boats in the distance as we leave one of the best diving sites ever, so they say.
We pulled the anchor up and left at last from Vuda Point. We headed north past various rusty hulks outside Lautoka. We saw the pile of orange sugar cane chaff again which had smelled so sweet from the bus. Motoring north in idyllic conditions following Ocelots or Paddy’s tracks inside the reef.
Again a beautifull sail from Suva to Denarau out following the wide access channel through the reef surrounding Suva harbour. South through the Beqa passage avoiding the shallows at Caesar rocks. Then following the South coast outside the reef over a track donated by a generous cruiser.
The wind on passage from Port Maurelle in Tonga’s Vava’au group to Suva in Fiji is just right. 15 to 20 knots of tradewind pushes us gently downwind. Jimmy Cornell’s book World Sailing Routes advices to take a small detour further South to avoid dangerous reefs in Fiji’s Lau group.
The sail from Niuatoputapu island to Neiafu in the Vava’u group is on. But there actually is a lot more wind than predicted. In Port Maurelle a sailor said this is due a local compression zone that is often present near Tonga. Other sailors reported 60 knots of wind on their short passage from Niue to Vava’au.
A wonderfull time, nine months in French Polynesia ends. The latest weather prediction promises that the trade winds pick up and bring us to Tonga, 1280 nautical miles west, either to Niuatoputapu island or Neiafu in the Vava’u group. Time to go through the pass to the open sea before the wind starts…
A plan to sail to Tahuata for a change did not work, no favourable winds. So are still in Ua Pou at Hakahetau bay with a new plan to anchor in the port of Hakahau on the windy east side as the trade wind has dropped significantly. Hakahau has a good supermarket to stock up for the upcoming passage.
Time to explore the last -for us- unknown Marquesian island, Tahuata. The northeast wind is favourable for sailing there from Nuku Hiva. A wonderfull sail through the full moon night. We arrive near Hanamoenoa in the early morning light after the contours of Hivao Oa and Tahuata have appeared.
Stella spent a very rewarding three months at her daughters house in the UK helping out with two of her grandchildren: 5 month old Billy and one year old Connor. It was 42 hours of travelling halfway across world to get back home to the boat. But that was not as tiring as expected and that comes in handy.