Setting Sail for Niue

Saturday, 21 August 

An early start this morning before setting sail for Niue. Sails were up and set by 6.45am. We are running with a poled out jib and we are having a wonderful sail. Cyndy made scrambled eggs for breakfast underway in 10 – 15  knots of winds from the east. We saw a Kena bird as we left Palmerston. It is silver and black and resembles a booby. Edward told us that there are red beaked tropic birds on the outer motus of Palmeston. These islands are where the residence go camping for holidays. A supply ship only comes every 5 months and this is their only transport to Rarotonga. These supply ships are very  inconsistent and visits can stretch out to 7 months. Imagine not being able to pop down to the supermarket and only having fish and rice as a consistent diet. Yachts are welcomed  enthusiastically and are their only source of red meat, fruit and vegetables, medicines, cleaning products, cordials  and items that we take for granted are delicacies to these wonderful people.

  

I have mentioned before that the highlight of our passage has been the enthusiastic hospitality we have been given since arriving in San Diego in January. Edward, Shirley and their family have invited us into their family and shared unselfishly everything that they have.

Cyndy & Stephen with Palmerston Island in the background

Sunday, 22 August and Monday, 23 August

Passage from Palmerston Island to Niue Island. We have been sailing on electric blue water for as far as the eye can see in all directions around Salacia as if we have the ocean to ourselves. The only visitors have been single Tropic birds ( white with long tails)  flying around the yacht and then moving on across the clear blue sky to who knows where. We’ve had beautiful clear days and bright moonlight nights with only the shifting and fluctuating ENE winds breaking the idyllic setting to keep us working to ensure that we are on target for Niue. Consequently we have had a combination of fast smooth sailing with a poled out headsail and times when we  needed to motor sail due to the light conditions.  Motor sailing however ensured that there was oodles of very hot water for delightful showers that were thoroughly enjoyed by all before Stephen cooked a delicious brunch. Other highlights of the passage was seeing a rainbow at night in the bright moonlight  and sharing drinks on deck while we watched the beautiful sunsets on the ocean each evening.

Niue is the largest raised coral island in the world covering 100 square miles and rising from very deep water. In 1974  Niue became self-governing in free association with New Zealand. As we neared Niue we were greeted by many flying fish and were able to get a great view of the cliffs  that are indented with numerous limestone caves that surround the island. We are now moored comfortably in Alofi Bay awaiting the  immigration and customs officers clearance tomorrow morning before visiting the island.   

Palmerston Island

Thursday 19^th 

August

We had a lovely lunch of Parrotfish beautifully cooked by Shirley. Stephen and Ross then helped the family fillet their catch of fish and then they took apart a long liners fishing buoy to make it into a light for Edward’s family  to use the bathroom at night. The island power is switched at midnight and is back on at 6.00am.

This is the original house that Edward's family lived in.

Pot of gold ????

Huge mahogony trees are the only tree on the island

Dian and Cyndy visited the school again and Dian offered her services as an ongoing mentor for children with learning difficulties. Yvonne, the head mistress was absolutely  delighted and could think of several areas where Dian’s expertise could be of great value.

Classroom in Palmerston

Dian is enjoying island life

Cyndy enjoying the island

After folding our washing we went snorkelling and it was remarkable. There were just too many fish to name and many sea cucumbers, clams with giant purple and fluorescent green mouths and colourful coral. Edward’s son  David took the fish guts and heads offshore so that sharks were not attracted to the snorkelling area. Dian and Ross had a close encounter with several black tipped sharks and when one energetically swam around  and then below Dian she decided to cease snorkelling for the day.

This is the treacherous passage that a boat needs to negotiate to enter the lagoon.

The passage through the reef is marked by old shipwreck parts

The breaking water ahead of the boat is the entrance to the passage

Beautful lagoon taken from Palmerston Island

We invited Edward’s family to “Salacia” for afternoon tea and to have a look at the yacht. There was great conversation about island life and everyone was singing along with the ipod.

Ross and Di enjoying the joke

Friday 20^th

We were woken early with a VHF radio call telling us that a westerly storm front was heading our way. We immediately went on to stand-by in case we had to go offshore until the front had passed. Ross dived on our anchor to check that it was dug in and that the mooring was still in good condition. The anchor had gone over a steep shelf so it was in an ideal position for holding the yacht in a westerly blow.

While we were waiting for the front Stephen saw a whale in the mooring buoy area. These big pods of whales stayed around the moored yachts all day. Last night at sunset it was wonderful watching them frolicking.

We have been doing chores this morning and will then go ashore to finish the light job and to buy Ross another T Shirt. Edward came out to the boat to take us in to lunch at his home. They are also hosting  Australians David and Gai off “Cumulus 1”from Southport , QLD.

We went for a walk around the village chatting to residents and fellow yachties finding lovely new houses like one that belongs to Tere, (the Customs, Quarantine, and Immigration Officer) and Yvonne (School Principal and the island Finance Officer). We checked the old graves to confirm that the female members of the “Marsters line” keep the “Marsters” name when  they marry. 

Di and I also visited the school with “Salacia” business cards for their record book of visiting yachts. The Principal also took out photo for the book.

All of the locals take part in the administration of the island. Edward is the police officer, Simon is on the Council, Tere is the Administrator on top of his other duties, Bob is a councillor.

Tere is the immigration, customs and Quantine officer

 Cyndy found a hermit crab and showed it to Grandma Marsters and she scooped it out of the shell and ate it! It look a few minutes for Cyndy to get over the shock.

Then it was back to the yacht with Edward, Shirley and John for a sunset drink and a chat. We gave them their food package which included everything from steak to fuel for his outboard. Other items were gourmet biscuits, chocolate, rice , pasta, tinned vegetables, fruit juice, clothes detergent, washing up detergent, playing cards, Salacia hats, tea bags, flour, breadmaker recipes and pre mixed (by Cyndy) bags of bread ingredients, yeast, bacon and other staples.

Saying goodbye to Edward, Shirley and John with Palmerston Is in the background

We had a pork roast for dinner before an  early night .

Saturday 21^st

An early start this morning before setting sail for Niue. Sails  up and set by 7.45am. Cyndy made scrambled eggs for breakfast underway in 10 – 15  knots.

Arrival at Palmerston Island

Sunday 15^th August

We have had a rollicking sail and have done well over 220 n miles in 24 hours.

Our watch system is 1 hour on and 3 hours off so that Dian can get the feel of being on deck at night by herself while we are passage making.

For those who are interested in safety aspects of life aboard, we have a rule that you don’t leave the cockpit without your harness while you are on deck by yourself. These harnesses have inflatable life jackets built  into them. Each crew member also wears a bag strapped to their waist with a strobe light and personal EBIRB in case they go overboard. We also have a MOM-A  (Man overboard Module) which we activate immediately if someone goes overboard. It comprises of a danbuoy (inflatable strobe light pylon) and a life ring and a drogue anchor which drops out at the back of the yacht as soon the pin is pulled.

We also have a life sling on the pushput of the boat for recovery of someone in the water.

Of course, we have a very comprehensive first aid kit which covers all medical eventualities. Stephen and I have done  specialised Marine 1^st Aid courses which included suturing and  administering medications by needles and canulas. We leant to suture using chicken filets and to give needles by practicing on oranges.

An additional and crucial safety aspect is a communication “net” which is run by fellow cruisers. When we are making an ocean passage we “log in” to this net and our progress and position is monitored and recorded twice a day.

Monday 16^th August

It continues to be a pleasant sail and winds are oscillating between  10 – 15 knots or 20 – 25 knots. Salacia is dancing along, happy to be free from anchors or moorings. Dian is enjoying the sail and we have decided to stretch our watches out to 1 ½ hours on and 4 ½ hours off.

Tuesday 17^th August

While we were discussing what to have for brunch Ross caught a 1.55 metre Mahi Mahi. It was all hands on deck while we were getting this huge fish aboard and Ross put on his safety harness so that he wasn’t pulled overboard by the thrashing fish. We enjoyed a wonderful fish and chip lunch and we had Mahi Mahi Meniere with fresh salad for dinner.

Ross in harness preparing to land Mahi Mahi

Mahi Mahi landing

1.55m Mahi Mahi

Wednesday 18^th August

We arrived at Palmerston Island at dawn this morning. We called the atoll by VHF radio and we were told that we would be met by a boat and taken to our mooring after the church service. We were met by Edward whose family will be our host family during our stay. They have invited us to lunch today after we have cleared customs, immigration and quarantines. The access to the island is very difficult so Edward is ferrying us back and forth to Salacia. There is a very shallow, narrow channel and only someone with local knowledge would be able to get a small boat safely through it.

Dawn Approach to Palmerston

Arrival Palmerston Island at Dawn

Dian enjoying the dawn on our arrival at Palmerston Island

“Sea Mist”, an Oyster 56, has been with us for most of the trip from Bora Bora. They unfortunately blew out their “mast furling” mainsail so they will have to motor to Nuie for repairs. We were in close radio contact with her during our passage and we monitored her navigation tricolor during the night. She arrived here an hour after us. If there are no facilities in Niue they will have to motor to Tonga.

Skiting to Sea Mist about the catch

We had a wonderful seafood lunch of Mahi Mahi  and Wahoo with our host family (Edward, Shirley, David and John).Then Edward showed us around the island. We took our laundry ashore and Shirley kindly washed it for us.

Our first lunch on Palmerston Island with Edward, Shirley and family

The hotplate was returned to  another family after Shirley had BBQ'ed our seafood lunch

67 people live on the island and we were intrigued by the matriarch, Tuareni. She had 14 children and talking to her about her life was fascinating. She shared her stories with us and we were entranced with her reminiscences. Despite her age she is still very involved in island life, whether it be filleting the fish, feeding the pigs or gathering the eggs laided by the free range chickens. Even the chickens are fed on coconut. The very large pigs were in cages, but the piglets were allowed to free range.

A sow with her piglets

Pigs are rainsed on the island and their diet is Coconuts and Coconut milk. I guess you don't need to marinate them!

There is a lovely school and we were introduced to the Head Mistress Yvonne and her 2 staff. 29 children of all ages attend the school. School starts at 8am and the younger children finish at 1.30pm and the older student at 2.30pm. The school  uses a Home School Program out of the US so each child and each age group can work at their own pace.

We were excited to buy T Shirts with beautiful graphics for a turtle which had been done by Yvonne’s niece.

There is a church on the island with a permanent Minister of the Cook Island Uniting Church. There are church services 3 days a week. On Wednesday and Friday  mornings at  6.30pm, and there are 3 services on Sunday at 6.30am, 10am and 2pm. After church on Sunday the islanders have to clean up an area of the island.

Music plays a major part in island life and as Edward showed us the island he had his bango and entertained us with island songs. When we joined another family for a cool drink a group of islands joined us with their guitars and the atmosphere and music was perfect.

Music is a large part of island life and soon the number of musicians had tripled

We saw William Marster's house that he built from ship wrecks and also his grave. These people are very proud of their english heritage.

William Marster's Grave

Edward and his son John showing us William Marster's house that he made from materials from ship wrecks

Export of fish is the main source of income and this supplements their government subsidy. Visiting  yachts use a barter system of anything that they can spare e.g. tools, diesel, outboard motor fuel, canned foods, cleaning materials, fresh fruit and vegetables. This is in return for a taxi service to and from your boat, meals with your host family, use of a mooring, and general hospitality.

Shells ready for export

Parrot Fish waiting to be filleted

Everything is used and recycled, even this toilet

We returned to “Salacia” for a light dinner. 

On Route to Palmerston Island

Wednesday 4th August

Sailed back to Bora Bora where we all went snorkelling again before picking up a mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht club.  

  

Anchorage north side of Tahaa. Huahini in Background.

We hired a car and circumnavigated Bora Bora and we were amazed at the number of resorts . A few of these have closed down, including Club Med.

Cherie studying the local guide

Dinner at Bloody Mary’s was an interesting experience. Patrons order their seafood from the fresh fish display as you enter the restaurant.

Hoisting the local coutesy flag

Thursday was Cherie’s last day with us before flying out of Bora Bora for Brisbane via Papeete and Auckland.

Needless to say there were a few tears from Cyndy and Cherie after we took her to the wonderful airport in our new dinghy with a 15HP outboard. It was definitely “ride em cowboys” as we were bounced 2 ft off the sides of the dinghy in windy conditions. Cherie thankfully arrived dry which is more than can be said for Stephen and Cyndy. They were thankful that they were wearing their board shorts as they left a puddle under the table as they were having a farewell drink. It was wonderful to watch the gorgeous launches ferrying the guests to the 5/6 star resorts from the airport. It has to be one of the most gorgeous settings in the world.

Cherie leaving Bora Bora Airport

We spent the next week catching up on chores on Salacia whilst meeting and socialising with the other cruisers at Bora Bora. We met lots of nice people. We visited Bloody Mary’s again with the crews from Nikita (Dave, Rae Anne, Jake and Isabel) and Liquid Courage (Don, Devin and Jen). We had a number of boats over for parties on Salacia during the week. We have met lots of nice people, including Chad and Brett off Broken Compass and Lee off Jagot. We also caught up with a number of other crews in a huge “pot luck” at the Yacht Club. My home-made bread was a great hit.

We also heard the news and gossip ......

·       57 foot Catamaran “ANA” over turned in 60 knots during a passage to Niue.

·       45 ft Catamaran “Troutbridge” dragged their anchor and ended up on the reef at Fatuava in the Tuamotus and is in Raiatea for repairs.

·       12 m Catamaran “Naomi” with a single hander aboard was 30 days overdue in a passage from the Marquises to Tuamotus but it thankfully turned up 3 days ago.

·       A yacht with a couple aboard had a medical emergency when the wife had a stroke. It was too rough to airlift her so she was left aboard until he arrived at Papeete.

·       A Panga flipped at the Lava tubes at Isabelle Island in the Galapagos with the crew of “Freedom” aboard.

When we did this trip out of Villimil we were concerned when the Panga Captain looked at the high surf breaks and decided where he was going to go through the break and “gunned” the powerful outboard motor and we surfed in on giant waves. The ride out again was even more hairy and we were literally dropped from a great height as we went across the back of the huge waves.

·       “Restless”, who helped us search from our stolen dinghy and outboard, had an attempt of theft with their own dinghy. The Skipper heard a noise on a very windy night and got up and turned on the lights. When he went out onto the deck the dinghy, which was on davits at the stern of the yacht, was partially launched. ie one side of the dinghy and outboard had been lowered into the water and the other side was yet to be launched. A sharp knife that was lashed to the wheel was on the transom of the yacht and a winch handle was missing. So it certainly shows that you can’t be too careful, and reinforced our new practice of chaining the outboard to the dinghy, and the dinghy is padlocked to the stern of “Salacia” when we leave it in the water..

Stephen found the part he was looking for!

Boa Bora with Ile Toopua in Background

Sunset at Bora Bora Yacht Club

Wednesday 11^th August

oss and Dian Jones flew into Bora Bora and joined us on Salacia after spending a few days in Papeete. We took them on a tour of the island and had a lovely lunch at Restaurant St James.

Weather was unsettled so we waited for a better outlook for further touring. Ross and Di enjoyed the snorkelling and they also they also spent an afternoon cleaning the bottom of Salacia. Anyone who has rubbed down a boat on the hard will appreciate how hard it was for them to free dive while rubbing down the underwater areas of a 53 ft yacht. They thoroughly enjoyed making acquaintance with our friends.

Ross and Dian enjoing first meal at Bora Bora

Ross and Dian giving Salacia a clean

Saturday 14^th August

We departed Bora Bora 0930 for Palmerston Island (660nm). This was not originally on our schedule but have heard so many positive comments regarding the hospitality of the locals that we decided to see for ourselves. Our plan is to visit Palmerston Island (Cook Islands) and Niue on route to Tonga.

Wind is 15-20 knots from ESE so we are looking forward to a pleasant sail. Cyndy prepared several evening meals before we left Bora Bora to keep galley time to a minimum as we reacclimatize ourselves to food preparation under way. 

Salacia should arrive Palmerston Island on Wednesday.

Leaving Bora Bora

Dian enjoying the sailing

All for now.