It has only been a couple of nice days and B is back into painting mode. Yesterday I filled the scratches on the hull, made by a mishap when leaving the customs wharf back in Opua. The boarding ladder also had got bent. Then B went around touching up with white paint. After lunch we went ashore again for another walk to the northern side of Uoleva, another no ending beach. That evening we went across to Norla for sundowners.
Today we set off for Pangai, the capital of the Ha’apai group of islands. We stopped on the way to try our luck at fishing. B thought she had a big one on her line, it was so hard to pull in…Of course 27 tonnes pulling on a line it’s not easy to wind it…eventually the hook broke on a rock! There are no fish in Tonga, not one bite, or maybe we are not good at fishing ( well, we caught a tuna the other day).
We anchored outside the Pangai Harbour and we had lunch before venturing ashore. We had to book in with the local customs officer who told us that we also have to book out with her the day we set off for Vavau. This meant sailing to the northern islands and then returning, book out and then sail past them again to go to Vavau. We eventually talked her into doing the booking out papers for Saturday so we don’t have to come back.
We walked around town and bought a few things at one of the many small grocery stores. In 1/2 hour that was all done, as this more a village than a city.
Back on Imagine we carried on with small repairs and touch up painting.
Was swimming off the blunt end one time in Vavau when the deck-boy at the sharp end hauled in a Sucker Fish that hang out with Shark’s,should have seen everyone racing for that Pilot Ladder.Smooth Sailing.