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Big Mama’s Week 1 Photo Log

October 30 – November 6, 2014

Tongatapu is the southernmost island group in Tonga, and it’s also where the capital of Nuku’alofa is located. We are anchored off of a small island called Pangaimotu about a mile’s dinghy or ferry ride from Nuku’alofa. Big Mama’s yacht club is on shore at Pangaimotu, and all the cruisers are having great fun using it as a home base.

Logbook – October 30, 2014 (Kelefesia to Pangaimotu)

Passage Log

  • 0707 Engines on
  • 0712 Depart Kelefesia
  • 0731 Engines off. Main + Genoa.
  • 0931 Main + Genoa. TWS – 15.9 kts E
  • 1006 P engine briefly on (1)
  • VHF contact with Fluenta
  • 1126 Main + Genoa. TWS – 14.4 kts E
  • 1157 Fish on & landed. 4 ft Dorado.
  • 1351 Engines on. Sails down.
  • 1458 Engines off. Arrive Pangaimotu.

Daily Notes

  • (1) Fish on and off. Tried to slow down by heading up. Too much. Overcome by weather helm w/ genoa depowered. Used port engine to avoid irons.
  • Safe arrival drinks w/ Jack on Exodus
  • Fluenta, Fluenta, Fluenta! Big mama’s for burgers, beer, internet, and friends.
Depart Kelefesia at 0712 – Arrive Pangaimotu at 1458
Iguana underway between Kelefesia and Tongatapu
Our route into Tongatapu
Anchor location off of Pangaimotu
Our approach to the anchorage
Who needs a billboard when you can just use a sunken ship
I admit it. I love burgers.

Email to family and friends dated October 30, 2014

Subject: Exodus – Fluenta, Fluenta, Fluenta!

We made excellent time to Nuku’alofa. We were having safe arrival cocktails in the cockpit by 3:30, and we were on shore getting (not as good as we thought it would be) internet and snacks by 5:00. We were so excited that after all this time, we arrived here on the same day as our friends on Fluenta, who we haven’t seen since Mexico. We have been following their adventures by email, but it was so nice to catch up in person. The boys had fun running around with Jonathon and Victoria again, well, OK, mostly Brenden, because Alex is a teenager now and teenagers are just boring. We also caught up with another boat that we hadn’t seen since Mexico called Code Blue. They are one of the few boats we spent the summer in the Sea of Cortez with last year, so that bond still remains.
We are anchored off a small island, called Pangaimotu, across the harbor from the main port of Nuku’alofa, and we are with about 20 other cruising boats. There is a bar/restaurant/yacht club here called “Big Mama’s” but today we are going to head over to the main city to explore (and do our check-in, of course). This morning I started to get serious about watching the weather for the passage to Minerva Reef, and then New Zealand, and yesterday Tim and Jack started the more important business of discussing the terms for the Exodus/Iguana Tonga to New Zealand fishing contest.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – October 31, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Daily Notes

Big Mama’s ferry departing for the mainland
Brenden and I walked around Pangaimotu
Exodus at anchor
Alex and Brenden threw together a last-minute Halloween costume for the party at Big
Mama’s (Dr. Seuss’s Thing 1 and Thing 2)
Big Mama’s is all decorated for the Halloween party
Gettin some internet before the party starts
Milling about before the big photo. Notice the folks from s/v Roundabout dressed as Team Canada
Back together with Fluenta!
Benjamin (s/v Fluenta) with Big Mama herself
Big Mama welcoming all the cruisers

Logbook – November 1, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Daily Notes

  • T – Engine inspections & steering inspections
  • D – run around Pangaimotu 5x. Ferry to town all day.
  • A/B – Play w/ Fluenta on shore after school.
  • Dinner on Fluenta. Met Phil s/v Silhouette.
The harbor at Nuku’alofu
The royal palace
The Nuku’alofa “Malacon”
The royal tombs

Logbook – November 2, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Daily Notes:

  • No school. Just Spanish. Boys play on shore.
  • T/Jack – Fix Jack’s generator.
  • Dinner on Exodus w/ Fluenta and Iguana

Logbook – November 3, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Daily Notes:

  • D – Ferry to town. Holiday so most things are closed. Luckily, bakery is open.
  • Internet @ Big Mama’s. Boys clean hull.
  • Easy dinner. Tim to Iguana to look at watermaker.

Email to family and friends dated November 3, 2014

Subject: Exodus – Prepping for Minerva/New Zealand

We are hoping to be able to leave for Minerva Reef this weekend, but of course that will depend on weather. Our visas expire on Saturday, so we will do our check-out on Thursday and then leave the first day after that the weather looks good. We are checking out Thurs rather than Friday, because we’ve learned from experience you just don’t leave these sorts of things to the last day. There could be a surprise holiday or a requirement we didn’t know about or anything that might delay us a day.
Many boats leave here with uncertainty whether they will stop in Minerva or not, because if they have a good window to keep going to New Zealand, they don’t want to miss it. Well, it’s a little different for us, and we will be stopping in Minerva regardless of what the window looks like to keep going. It is a destination for us, and we are hoping for lots of tasty fish and lobsters. We are all doing our share to get ready, who are cleaning the hull, and they don’t even get skittles this time.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

Logbook – November 4, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Passage Log

  • 1321 Engines on
  • 1338 Engines off. Re-anchor complete

Daily Notes:

  • D – Ferry to town – more shopping. reanchor. T – fix generatory.
  • Boys go to shore, don’t come home until 8:30. Movie night.

Logbook – November 5, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Daily Notes

  • Boys – Finish hull cleaning w/ help from Jonathon (Fluenta)
  • T – helps Fluenta w/ sail repair
  • T – Up the mast
  • Dinner on shore
Tim and Liz working on Fluenta’s mainsail

Logbook – November 6, 2014 (Pangaimotu)

Daily Notes

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