ABOUT: Chris & Manuela departed San Francisco, California, on April 18th on their J-40 sloop to sail to the South Pacific and points west. We think we'll be sailing 2-3 years, and then return to our normal lives. ARCHIVES:   Thursday, August 14, 2003   Upon leaving Samoa, we headed nearly due south some 190 nautical miles to a small island named Niuatoputapu (meaning “very sacred coconut” in Tongan). The passage was easy – we left Apia early one morning, and arrived in Niuatoputapu the next morning. We had read much about the pass through the reef, and approached it with apprehension. Yet, it was so well marked, and the water so clear, that navigating around the coral heads was quite straight forward. After dropping our hook, we assembled our dinghy and went to shore at the small village of Falehau. From there, our path led us over a dirt road some 2 miles to the village of Hihifo, the “administrative center” of Niuatoputapu. Finding the immigration and customs building turned into a bit of a treasure hunt. After all, who needs street names and building signs in a village of a few hundred people, where everyone knows everyone? When we finally found the customs & immigration officer, he became quite upset. We had illegally left the boat; as is customary in many countries, we were supposed to remain on our vessel until inspected and cleared by the officials. Our bible, the “World Cruising Handbook”, had been incorrect in instructing us to leave the boat to notify the officials of our arrival. We quickly returned to the boat to await the inspection. A few hours later, we noticed people waving at us on shore. The inspection team had arrived and was waiting for us to transfer them to our boat. There being 5 of them, it required two trips in the dinghy. Any remaining anger was quickly dissipated over tea, coffee, and a few cookies. The subsequent search of our boat seemed more driven by interest in what hidden puzzles this stranger from a strange land may contain than honest worries about drugs, weapons, or the like. Two hours and T$140 (US$70) later, we were cleared into Tonga. We spent the next few days hiking along the beaches, going for a swim, and all in all being rather lazy. Only a strong night blow disturbed our peace. Blowing consistently at over 30 knots, we maintained an anchor watch until 5:30 am, when we finally decided that the anchor, having held for 8 hours, wasn’t likely to give way now. Still, I must admit, that neither Manuela nor I sleep deep or well when the wind picks up, or is likely to shift. After some 10 days in Niuatoputapu, we left for the Vava’u group, one of the premier cruising destinations in the South Pacific. We had been waiting for a good weather window, but since none had materialized, we beat our way south with the wind hard on the nose. With full enjoyment I hand steered for a number of hours, since the autopilot could not keep Argonaut as close to the wind as we wanted to go. Vava’u is quite different from Niuatoputapu, much more developed, yet many more islands and secluded anchorages. Only Neiafu, the capital of 6000 people, gets crowded with plenty of boats. As we speak, some 60 boats are on anchor here, with several mega yachts. One of the greatest attractions are the humpback whales, which migrate every year from Antarctica to Tonga to spend the southern winter here. Calves are born and mates are found. And every day 3 whale-watching boats leave to watch these creatures. We went on a small boat with 8 other people, and by noon, we had sighted our first pair of young males. These guys proved to be rather inquisitive, swimming right up to the little powerboat. In went the swim-ladder, followed by the guide and 4 of us, all with masks, snorkels, and fins. Now whales are bit like ice-bergs. They look large above water, but most of their mass is hidden well below the waterline. Of course, I hadn’t quite considered this with all of its implications before jumping into the water. A jumble of awe, fear, amazement, the desire to touch, to talk to them. Forty tons of flesh were gazing at us, gracefully suspended in the water. Then they lost interest in us, and with a single flip of their powerful tails they disappeared. I wanted more. We got it. Still, I think we’ll go again. Much of our time we now spend at various anchorages, away from the noise and ‘busy-ness’ of Neiafu. We will probably spend another 3 weeks here, and then head on out. Christoph 7:47 PM