October 15-19, 2014
We made the hop over to the top of the Ha’apai western island chain and the island of Ha’afeva, but the wind was blowing hard from the south making this anchorage not too comfortable. So, after a drive by at Ha’afeva, we moved down to the nearby Matuku and had some fun with the village kids for a few days. When the wind shifted back to a more easterly direction, we moved to Ha’afeva where we visited the village, did some running, and had a couple of lazy rainy days.
Logbook – October 15, 2014 (Uonukuhihito to Matuku)
Passage Log
- 1004 Engines on
- 1007 Depart
- 1030 Engines off. Main + genoa
- Engines on
- 1307 Arrive Matuku. Engines off.
Daily Notes
- Move to Ha’aveva, but wind due S, not good for that anchorage so we went to Matuku
- Boys went ashore to play with kids on the beach, they took a soccer ball. Squeals of delight!
- The teacher, Isaac, visited Exodus
Logbook – October 16, 2014 (Matuku)
Daily Notes
- A/B/D & Camille (s/v Iguana) go to school on the island. Not really school, kids just had exams, so they are on break. More soccer.
- T/Jack – spearfish @ Teaupa. 1 tuna + 2 red snapper. Took to the village.
- 3 boys come to Exodus to play. Roughhousing on the net, singing Jingle Bells, teaching B Tongan, playing legos. Ice chest lids as floats.
Email to family and friends dated October 17, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Matuku
Day before yesterday we arrived at the island of Matuku. It wasn’t our original destination, but at the time the wind was blowing due south or even a little southwest, and the protection here was superior. As the winds continue to shift more easterly we will have to think about moving, maybe this afternoon, maybe tomorrow. There is a small village here with 14 children, and as we were approaching the island they were all on the beach to wave and greet us. The boys went ashore with a soccer ball, and you should have heard the squeals of delight as they approached the beach, it was too cute. A man from the village borrowed one of the paddle boards and came out to visit us on Exodus. It turns out he’s the teacher, and he said he had seen many yachts and he’s always wanted to come aboard one, so he hung out with us for a little while. He also invited the boys to school the next day, and we accepted, so yesterday morning we had to get up and be ready for school by 8:30 (not an easy task, especially for Brenden who likes to sleep in well past 9). When we got there it turns out they didn’t really have school since they finished exams and are having a little break. So, they just played some more soccer. I took a few small items for the school (pencils, paper, crayons), and Camille (our friend on s/v Iguana) took some lollipops, which were a huge hit. And we also gave them the soccer ball, which was accepted with applause. The kids mostly don’t speak English, so it’s even harder than when we were in Makemo, because at least we knew a few catch phrases in French, but I don’t exactly have a book called Tongan for cruisers. When I asked Alex if it was hard, his response was, “when you have a (soccer) ball, you don’t need to speak the language.” Three of the older boys (12 yrs old) come out to visit Exodus when the boys are here and not on shore. They use the lids of ice chests as kick boards to get to us. They seem to be especially fond of Brenden, which I thought was maybe because he’s exactly their size (Alex is quite a bit bigger), but Alex told me it’s because Brenden sings Jingle Bells with them. Of course! Brenden entertained them for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon, and they even taught him a little Tongan. They kept asking if are going to leave tomorrow and all of them, including Brenden, were begging us not too. I told them it all depends on the wind. Also, yesterday Tim and Jack took a Tuna (Tongan – Atu) and 2 huge Red Snapper (Tongan – Fongamea) to shore to share with the village. Apparently, it was well received. This afternoon, they are going to take Isaac, the teacher, out spear fishing. When Tim was telling him stories, he was amazed at how deep they dive, so he wants to go along with them.
It’s very windy and also gray and overcast, but there’s still always something to enjoy in Tonga.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – October 17, 2014 (Matuku to Ha’afeva)
Passage Log
- 1335 Engines on
- 1340 Depart
- 1413 Engines off. Arrive Ha’afeva
Daily Notes
- Walk to town to the store – even a Chinese store on Ha’afeva
- Game night on Exodus. Scattergories & Resistence.
Logbook – October 18, 2014 (Ha’afeva)
Daily Notes
- D/A/B – Lazy school day
- T/Jack – Spearfish 4 hrs. J – coral trout.
Logbook – October 19, 2014 (Ha’afeva)
Daily Notes
- Rainy day – no one left the boat
- Boys made cookie dough
- Family game night
Email to family and friends dated October 19, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Lazy rainy day
Not much going on here, but I thought I’d write and check in anyway. It was gray and rainy most of the day yesterday, and we didn’t even drop the dinghy or paddle boards. None of us even left the boat! After school the boys and I played games, made yogurt, and made cookie dough. Not cookies, but cookie dough with no eggs, because we only have 2 eggs left and at least a week to go until we get to Nuku’alofa. We were planning to go snorkeling on the wreck of an old Korean fishing boat, but that was overcome by events. Tim and Jack completed a couple projects and also hatched our itinerary for the next few days, so I think we’ll be moving on today. But I’m going to try to get in a quick run and a visit to the store if it’s open. We are at the island of Ha’afeva, and our first day here we walked across the island to the town and found the little store and picked up some flour, rice, etc., but Brenden is concerned about how few packs of ramen noodles we have, so I guess I’ll go see if they have that. Provisions are low, but spirits are high.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Gresham Family Exodus 