Well it was really hard to leave Tonga behind. Vava’u had so much to offer and I felt immediately at home. The main village here is Neiafu and we spent half our time here in town and the other half exploring the uninhabited anchorages that are scattered all over this lush and varied island group. In Neiafu there was a strip on the waterfront where all the bars and restaurants had dinghy docks. It was small enough that I could always find a friend or two at the the yacht club or just hanging out in town so I was able to have a certain degree of independence and go out even when Brett was not in the mood. It was so much fun that the trials and tribulations of Nuitaputopu faded into the past as we were surrounded by new and old friends and lots of good will, this place exemplifies the cruising lifestyle. Our friends from Morning Star were going home for a month so they told us we were free to use their dinghy while they were away and while we were getting that worked out we were able to use Myah’s spare dinghy. Our luck had started to turn around.

We met this really nice Israeli couple who were crew on a yacht called Nause and they invited us to come out to Tapana, an anchorage where there is a tapas restaurant and a protected bay that is surrounded by lush greenery. We were to have a costume party on Nause and then go to the tapas restaurant. We were supposed to look really stupid so I ransacked my wardrobe and could come up with nothing better than a “slutty librarian” costume. Not exactly the stupidest thing I’ve ever worn but beating that is no small feat and besides, it was skimpy and thankfully cool. When in Neiafu, due to the fact that it is very religious, it is disrespectful to wear pants that do not cover your knees or shirts that do not cover your shoulders, but in the smaller anchorages that are scattered around this stunning island group there are nothing but cruisers and expats so it is okay to wear what you like: it felt so good to get the air on my skin again! We started the party on Nause and there were a ton of people there with some really funny costumes. In the restaurant we had the table lined up in one long row. I was in a group so big it was hard to remember anyone’s name but I did manage to meet some new cruisers who were from Australia and they gave us some good advice on routs to take from here, we were getting disenchanted with the idea of going to New Zealand and were looking for other options. John from Sand Dancer was a great resource and so was the the captain of Nause, Jeff. As the night wore on the owners of the restaurant played some instruments and the party was a unique island experience that was funky and fun.

The next day was perfect and clear and some of the kids on another hundred plus foot yacht, Lockiel, wanted to do some stunts with their wake board. Basically Adrian was going to jump off of the front of the yacht with the halyard in his hand and swing like tarzan over the water while holding the tow line from the dinghy as it was exhilarating with Ian driving the 40 HP dinghy and towing him along: the idea being to have one smooth movement from halyard to wake board. It was a riot! Brett video taped the escapade while I did the commentary over the VHF radio. A crowd gathered on Nause and listened in to the commentary and watch the spectacle, it took three tries and then he was off! I could not believe he made it and did not get hurt badly. It never looked like a good idea and I will admit that I was skeptical that they would succeed, but boys will be boys. After the stunts we all took their dingy out and went skurfing: this is when you tow a surf board behind a dinghy and ride it like a wake board. It is not as dangerous as it sounds. I was able to get up on the skurf board on my first try and had a great run around the anchorage. I used my experience snow boarding to stay up and it was exhilarating having the wind whip through my hair while the water sliced beneath me but once I fell there was no getting back up. I am not sure if I had beginners luck the first time I got up of if my legs were just really tired from my first ride. Bottom line: it was a great way to while away the day and my yearning for toys got stronger and stronger.

We went back to Neiafu and stocked up on fresh veggies. The market here was great, they had lettuce and arugula (I have not had arugula since I left California so this was a huge treat!) and I was in heaven. It was great to come back into town and get the boat in order, filled with fresh food and then to go out and explore some new place. We ended up at Tonga Bobs where they have a quiz night. Our friends from Lockiel had formulated the questions and if your team won you got a free case of beer. After four rounds we came in second for the second week in a row, arghhhhh! We were just a two points short of winning! But we did win some free rounds for the table and the questions were hilarious. And since quiz night was on Thursday we had to stay for the Friday race. This town is like an inescapable vortex.

I had a routine when in town, I woke in the morning and did my email and had my morning tea while I listened to the net. It was a really good net and there were always things for sale, people needing help, people asking questions. I heard our friends on Willow selling a kite board and decided that I had to have it. Brett was adamantly against any type of large water going thing that would overflow our cabins or clutter the deck. But when we played on Little Wing’s sailing dinghy I was hooked and when we went skurfing I was hooked…. I needed a toy and I needed it bad. I put a call in about the kite boarding gear as soon as the net was over and negotiated a price. It was over $3000 dollars of gear for $500 and I needed a toy, the price was right and after a deluge of badgering on my part Brett finally shut me up by buying the damn thing, yea!!! So now I had to have classes…

Kite boarding is a little more involved than I originally would have thought. You basically fly a giant kite that is about 15 feet across and is attached to you with a harness. Let me repeat: it is attached to you with a harness. So as this thing fills with air it pulls you along at incredible velocity and you strap on a board and cut through the water at up to forty miles per hour. Sounds fun, so long as you do not catch an edge on your board, get your lines tangled or loose control of the kite and get thrown thirty feet in the air. I had a lesson with an instructor here and we spent the entire day on a small “trainer kite” that was still big enough to lift me off of my feet. The trick was to learn to keep the kite above your head where the air could flow over and under the foils of the kite: it is when the kite is in front of you and the foils are full of air that you get some thrust. So I practiced swooping the kite up and down so that when I get in the water the kite maneuvering will be automatic. It was a fun day and just flying the training kite was a challenge. It is a ton of work, though. You need a person to launch the kite for you and then they get to hang out while you have all the fun. It seems like a real gear intensive sport as well and the setup of your kite is almost as important as the way you fly it. The first day was all on dry land and I never got to the second lesson since the wind did not cooperate: apparently you need next to perfect wind conditions as well as an assistant and a chase boat once you get on the water.

We also decided that it is impossible to come to Vava’u and not swim with the whales, it is their main attraction here and both Brett and I really wanted to do it. We had heard about it in Mexico and the amazing experiences that people had swimming with these giant creatures, it was too magical to pass up. We were careful to book on a day when we would be in a small group. They only let four people (and one guide) in the water at a time so we did not want to be in a large group where we would be forced to wait on the boat while other people were having all the fun. We ended up going in a group with five others and us, so with seven people total one person was always able to go on the very next jump. Brett and I were totally amped and when they told us to suit up and get on the side of the boat to jump we were there, no discussions about who would go first or second, we were getting in the water! The captain would spot the whale and then pace it to get going the same speed, then she would slow the boat down in the path of the whale. The guide would go in first and make sure the whale was there and then he would give us a signal and we would all jump into the water. I felt like a Navy Seal: geared up with my legs dangling off of a moving power boat and hanging on for dear life and then: jump! The moment we hit the water the sound of whale song reverberated through my chest and filled my ears with eerie reeking sounds. They were so big! We had a very lucky day. We saw a whale with deep blue depths beneath him and one that was in sixty feet so we could clearly see the contrast of the whale against the white sand bottom. We saw a whale breach, its giant mass lifted out of the water and coming crashing down again and again and then slapping its tail against the water. After this whale was done with its breaching we swam with it and it was amazing to be so close to something that had, just moments ago, been in the thrall of very violent thrashing in the water. It reminded you to keep your distance and show some respect to these massive beasts.

The most special part of the day was when we came upon a mother, father and calf. The captain told us that the calf was probably only four days old since it was still having a hard time diving and it tended to linger on the surface of the water. So as not to spook the mother and calf we had to swim to this family unit, almost a football field in length. but since we knew what was on the other end of the swim it was no problem. (Okay, so I was totally winded when I got there, but it was worth it) As we got closer to the whales the whale song got louder and louder until I was staring down at the giant about eighty feet below me and still barely visible due to the low visibility. I was mesmerized by the sound and simply floating there, but there was supposed to be a calf here… where was it? I looked to my side and there was the calf, just six feet away and checking me out. He bopped around in the water around us and you could see how he was a little shaky and did not exactly have his buoyancy down yet but he was very curious about all the swimmers. As I floated and stared at him his mother decided that her little one had had enough of these strange pink fish in the water with her baby and she came up and swam between me and the baby. Since I was only six feet away this put me and mom pretty close. As her body eased up below me in slow motion she seemed to not even move. She glided through the waters and I was furiously trying to back pedal to get away from that massive tail. One careless flip and I was like so much flotsam and jetsam! In the end I should not have worried, her tail never lifted towards me. But being that close to a whale that is over sixty feet long gives you an idea of how small we truly are and how I was definitely on her turf. it was by her grace alone that I was able to leave her land and go back to mine. It was an amazing and truly awe inspiring experience.

But the whale tour was not limited to swimming with whales and watching as they leapt out of the water, we also saw one of the most beautiful beaches in Vava’u and explored one of the legendary caves of the Vava’u group: Mariners Cave. The legend goes that there was a war and a maiden was to be killed but her lover whisked her away into this cave where he hid her for three days. He then spirited her off to Fiji until the hostilities ended and then she returned home and they were married, happily ever after. That is the short version, anyway. To get into the cave you have to swim down about five feet and into the cave about eight feet. It is just technical enough to free people out who do not know how to snorkel but a synch if you are a good swimmer. Once you get into the cave it is illuminated from the light from the cave opening as the cave itself is completely closed. As the sea rises and falls in the cave with the swell your ears pop as the pressure changes and a mist forms and disappears. The water was crystal clear so the light was good but imagining being stuck in here for three days did not sound pleasant. Even when you live in paradise days like this are rare.

It was getting time to move on but just as we were readying ourselves we discovered that Little Wing was on the way. The had been able to repair their mast and were now in Nuitaputopu. We wanted to leave but we also wanted to sea Craig and Kay, the last time that we saw them it was doubtful that they would be able to continue their journey so we really wanted to be there when they arrived. Our friends on Willow were also fading from the pack as they were to do a delivery on another boat and would be leaving Willow in Fiji while they sailed a catamaran to Indonesia. We will miss them. They decided to go to a remote anchorage and wait for a good window of departure there. We went along and enjoyed this calm bay with friends, we had a great snorkel where we saw some of the prettiest soft coral I have seen so far on this trip, like towers of technicolor bubblegum these plants sway in the swell, they are like trippy cactus fungi that are growing out of control and in any variety and shape that they choose. We had a farewell jam session with Willow, Bohdron and a few other yachts and then it was back to town for our own farewell preparations.

We had decided that we were going to Australia instead of New Zealand so we will be leaving most of our puddle jumper friends behind. We had a nice going away party on Fearless that went until 4AM. Of course this is when we heard Craig and Kay hailing us on the radio: in the middle of our party! We tried to get them back on the radio but they could not hear us, so we saw them the next day when I was definitely feeling a little green around the edges. They are friends with Lyn and Larry Pardee on Talisman, who are sailing celebrities, so we got to meet them and hang with them for our last day in Neiafu. I was very reluctant to go, but we had to get out of town so that we could make water and get the boat ready for the four hundred and sixty mile passage to Fiji. It was the saddest I have ever been leaving a port.

We took a few days in a remote anchorage to get the boat safety checked, do laundry and prepare meals, but we had saved the best snorkel spot in Vava’u for this last location and we had two stellar days in the water before we headed out. Late at night we were relaxing in the boat when it felt like the boat had been slapped on the side and we ran up to the cockpit to discover that it was a crazy gust of wind that had pushed us. When we looked out of the front window we had a boat that was uncomfortably close to us and we tried to hail them on the VHF but got no response. Their boat was only 35 feet away and we could not even tell if there was anyone on board. Brett had the spotlight trained on them and finally we hailed them over the PA system. It turns out that they were in the cockpit with the engine engaged to keep themselves from drifting back any further but we could not see them through the wind and the rain. We had meant to leave that day but had not left so that I could finish my laundry. I had gotten it all washed today and had left it on the lifelines to dry, now my laundry was getting soaked and I lost more than a few towels in the raging wind. We clocked wind at 45 knots.

The next day was clear so we dried everything out and decided to get out of there. The wind was supposed to be very light so we knew that we would have to motor quite a bit of the way if we wanted to make it in there by Friday, which we did or we were going to be paying a $200 overtime fee. Fearless sails great in light wind so we were able to sail most of the way for the first three days with light wind to seven knots and blowing up to fifteen but the two other boats that left with us ran out of fuel and we ended up doing a fuel transfer in the middle of the ocean. We threw a line out the back of the boat and they tied their cans to it and then we drug in the cans and filled them. Then they threw a line to us and we tied the cans, one at a time, to the line and threw them back in the water and they lifted them out. It was the closest we have ever been to another boat in the open ocean and it was a little nerve wracking, but that’s what cruisers do: we look out for each other. After the transfer the wind picked up and it was all we could do to slow down so that we did not arrive in the middle of the night. We had the wind on the nose at 25 knots and were crashing into five foot chop for the last day, it was brutal and there is nothing like putting the hook down after being caught up in that.

Since we have arrived in Fiji we have had another friend, who got their kite boarding gear at the same time that I got mine, get seriously injured trying to fly his kite. He was dragged over rocks and broke one wrist and sprained the other. They will have to go home to have surgery and their trip is essentially over for this season. Another one bites the dust. There may be some kite boarding gear for sale: cheep. I have been spending my spare time doing some sewing projects and keeping my clothes all patched up. Hand washing is tough on clothes.We have spent all of our time here in Savu Savu. It is a small town and there is a great farmers market. They have a lot of Indians here and the culture is a lot different than I would have expected, I am loving the veggie curry. We will be leaving tomorrow and exploring some of the islands in the Fiji group. It is much more technical navigation here and most of the passages have to be done during the day since there are so many coral reefs and atolls.