Greetings from the island of Vava u, the town of Neiafu, in Tonga. All is well. We are leaving for Fiji tomorrow morning.

These pictures are from Niue and Tonga.

This is Ben and Rebecca from Manatee. We have been
traveling with them and took a hike together on Niue.






We swam in this pool. It was clear and refreshing.



Stairway to the hidden beach where we found a
coconut and ate it.





This arch was at the end of the hike.



Very cool cave.



We had to haul the dingy up to the wharf because the
surge was too rough to leave it tied alongside.



This rainbow greeted us in Tonga.



Tonga kids with their fort behind them. Kids are the
same everywhere.










Awesome planter with a tree growing through the bed.

Our next 6 day passage (585 miles) began on July 7 from Rarotonga to the Island of Nieu. The weather and sea conditions were variable. We had no wind, gusts to 26 knots, thunder, lightening and rain, sun, and ended with two days of a lovely constant 15 knots at a 60 degree starboard tac. At night, with a sliver of a moon, the multitude of stars were dancing in the darkness.

We borrowed a sewing machine in Rarotonga and Ken repaired the mainsail (did a fine job). It should carry us to Australia where we will have it professionally repaired.

We enjoyed Nieu with lots of hiking, exploring limestone caves, and of course snorkeling. One day we swam with 3 large humpback whales. It was amazing being so close to them.

We'll post pictures when we get to Tonga.

We left Bora Bora on June 24, 2007 for a 5 day sail to the Cook Islands. It was hard to re-adjust to overnight sailing after spending so much time on anchor at all the beautiful Polynesian Islands.

The first few days, the sea was quite rough with swells up to 16 feet The wind was from all directions causing constant sail adjustments. But that was nothing compared to the storm that awaited us, probably the worst weather we have been in. The seas were even rougher with 20 foot walls of water (see pictures below) coming at us, splashing and crashing over the boat. The winds were high at 35 knots, constant. Our mainsail ripped and we had to plow through using only the reefed jib. The going was slow and added an extra night to the passage. We were fortunate to have a full moon that gave us some night vision. The Almighty Ocean was telling us that we must work to enjoy the treasures we seek…

Our gem was the Island of Rarotonga. We arrived at night on June 29, and were so happy to be on land after that crossing. The island is lush and tropical. We have been here for a week cleaning the salt off the boat, resting, hiking, and re-provisioning for our next passage which will be 600 miles to the island of Niue (another 5 day passage). We spent the 4th of July and our 24th Wedding Anniversary with some of our cruising pals…

The needle on Rarotonga. We climbed up to the base
of it and down the other side of the mountain.



View from on top











Waterfall at the bottom



Fourth of July on Rarotonga beach. We barbequed
with many dear sailing friends. It was great.
























These are pictures of Manatee, she made the crossing
with us. Do you wish you were here?