Leaving Patti’s and sailing upwind 15 miles and 2 islands north to Hanno Island to anchor next to John and Michele on COANDALE at Greg’s fishing resort. He showed us around where he’s been clearing the land, building sleeping and kitchen facilities, setting up water catchment, and planting a huge plentiful garden for over a year. His place is more basic and does not have the beauty and of Patti’s Bali fales as it is set up for a bunch of NZ guys to just sleep, eat, and drink when not fishing. He gave us a large stalk of bananas and generously allowed us to fill our water tanks with great tasting rain water from his full tanks.
The sailing to Vav’au and back to Hap’ai has been fabulous with easy winds and relatively smooth seas. Sailed to Vav’au one night arriving at daybreak for an easy passage through the Islands to the main city of Nieafu. We got Alica’s Visa extended and did shopping for fresh fruits and veggies, and in the evening went to a Tongan concert/dance at the Paradise Hotel with Patti, Sammy, Alicia, John, and Michele. In the morning we all then sailed to Hunga Island and stayed over night at the very protected lagoon to see and hike some other property of Patti’s. Leaving there at first light we later followed a pod of 7 Humpback Whales for an hour and crossed path’s with 7 dolphins as well seeing 5 rainbows. At sunset we anchored again just off Greg’s property at the northern most of the Hap’ai Islands, Hanno. The next morning was a 15 mile downwind sail to Pangi and the king’s coronation ceremony of feasting and Tongan dancing. He passed a few feet from from us as he walked to his Thrown on the Rugby Field. He is 60 and has decided to make Tonga a democracy in 2010. Alicia spent all afternoon watching the extraordinary variety of the dancing from each of the many different islands in the the Hap’ai until it ended at 5PM. I did not get close to or get to see much of the dancing as I was not dressed appropriately with long pants and collared shirt. We sailed back to and anchored just off Patti’s beach watching a beautiful pink sunset.

Here is a little about what I have been busy doing for the last few weeks.
You would have loved the weather for the night sail under jib, staysail, and a full mainsail up to my friend Patti’s very small beginnings of a resort in Hap’ai as it was light airs and small soft waves and lots of shimmering moon light on the water. By the next noon INTENTION was sailing west through the narrow pass downwind wing & wing with just jib & mainsail making the turn around the southern point of the island of Uoleva and anchoring in sand bottom in the protection of the reef in front of Patti’s land. Her daughters, Laura & Karen; X-husband, Roy, & new wife, Pat; and all 4 grandchildren; Alex(10), Carly(8) Cody(5), Sofia(4), are here having a good time and helping her build. After being here almost a month they return in a week. Patti’s Friend, Alicia, is making a big hit singing & playing her banjo, Sufi dancing last night,and especially her special conch blowing ceremonies which she has done with everyone at sunset. Sending love around the planet.
Things have happened fast in only 3 weeks with the help of a 6 local Tongans and friends from another boat, COANDALE, all 13 of the buildings she had prefabricated in Bali are put together like jigsaw puzzles and set in their concrete foundations. The 3 fales/sleeping places on this side of the island are quite separated and private and are being used by each of Patti’s daughter’s families, and Roy & Pat, each having one. The largest octagonal building with the adjoining small rectangular building for kitchen/food preparation in the back is the meeting/eating place. There’s a good size Tongan hut for getting a great massage. In the next few days we will assembling the parts for what will be for now her single toilet and shower until the others get added to each fale. There are 3 other larger family fales with sleeping lofts for the children on the more private western beach/lagoon. A garden will be planted to supply fresh fruit & vegies for the kitchen. Eventually the use of composing toilets and solar power will make Patti’s place ecological and power self-sufficient.
For those of you who think that cruising is just one big vacation I’ll tell you what happened Yesterday. It was a very busy day. Got up early to ready INTENTION for the trip. Dingyed into shore at 7:30 AM to get people off beach, Patti, Karen, Alex, Sophia and Sammy, Patti’s Tongan friend then to COANDALE for John & Michele. We raised anchor and with the dingy in tow began motoring north the 5 miles to the biggest city in Ha’pai, Pangi. Half way there INTENTION’s engine exhaust developed a leak but with John at the helm we just continued on past the reefs and anchored beautifully in the secure little harbor. After dingying everyone ashore we began our exploration of all of the high points of the town. After cold drinks at the Chinese store we split up into groups in search of our needed items. Then on to the fresh foods market, Hardware store, book store & many other general stores, Lunch was fishbergers or hamburgers at the only restaurant, the Mariner’s Cafe. Alicia gave out sparkly bright colored little hearts to everyone. Asking them ‘What color heart do you want?’ everywhere she went. Around 2 PM we dingyed people & many boxes of supplies including Sammy’s purchase of a young pig for a BBQ celebration of yesterday getting a toilet working. It was ‘The First Big Flush Celebration.’
After raising the anchor the exhaust completely broke. We quickly motored clear of the harbor entrance, stopped engine, rolled out jib to sail back to Patti’s. John sailed while Michele and I with exhaust cement, hose clamps, and an old large tuna can opened at both ends and split length wise to wrap around the broken exhaust pipe repaired the problem exhaust pipe. For those of you who have forgotten the definition of cruising let me remind you. “Fixing your boat in exotic places.” Sammy took the wheel for a while. It was his first time sailing and he was very excited having the opportunity steering his first sailboat. Mean while, there was much yelling and jumping up and down on the foredeck by the other crew, as they call us in Tonga, the ‘Palangis’, watching a pod of 4 or 5 Humpback Whales breaching, spouting, and jumping about a half mile ahead which was ‘ho hum’ to Sammy who sees them often. John did a great job of getting us safely anchored under sail in front of Patti’s and next to COANDALE. We off-loaded people and boxes of supplies.
Alicia was great. Volunteering to help me clean up INTENTION and after a few minutes rest break and watching the awesome pink clouds of a beginning sunset we began cleaning the wet floor mixed with carbon soot, tools, and general disarray that comes with a days sailing especial with large a number of people aboard. Will do more tomorrow as it is almost totally dark. Seeing Sammy’s fire on the each means it’s time to go ashore for a BBQ celebration dinner. The Big Flush Celebration started with Karen’s new creation, a concocted Tongan fruit Rum Escape, and watching Sammy slowly rotating the pig on a spit over the fire. Alicia did her Conch blowing ceremony. Sending her pulse of love around our beautiful blue planet, spaceship Earth. With our pork or chicken there was Karen’s Garlic bread and creamed potatoes & green beans and Pat’s cucumber salad with cookies for desert. Some retired to bed and some stayed up sitting and talking by the fire on the beach until midnight. Someone getting up occasionally to put more wood on the fire and at other times having that content feeling and just enjoying watching the fire. Then through the surf, a dingy ride back to INTENTION and some sleep.
Love, Jim

22 50 South 175 58 West !42 NM made good 120 NM to TONGA
Best days run so far today. Still very windy conditions. looking forward to landfall.
Day 10 found us 20 miles directly up wind motor sailing past the point entrance and into the bay anchoring just after dark. Dragged anchor & reanchored then caught on a coral head for the night. Untangled from the coral head in the morning and motored tothe harbor where we Mediterranean moor to the jetty.

25 08 South 176 30 West 102 NM made good 256 to Tonga
The windvane is steering fine in these 20-25 Knot winds with gusts to 30. Down to a double reefed Main and staysail. Crew, Harmony, is doing great. Holding on, wedging in, and putting up with the rocking and deep rolling of INTENTION in the gusts. The god of the winds is gifting us with a little more wind than is necessary. At this point, we take what we get and are thankful we’re making miles toward Tonga.

26 44.35 South 177 12.74 West 137 NM dist. made good. 359 NM to Tonga
Well, just as i rave about my AUTOHELM 1000 auto pilot being so great, it stops working. Now using the windvane only and changing it frequently as the wind keeps changing. I keep forgetting that cruising is ‘fixing your boat in exotic places.’ It is interesting that life keeps reminding me what have forgotten. The winds have strengthened to 30 knots so the windvane can easily steer INTENTION.

28 53.7 degs. South 178 10.15 degs. West 110 NM Dist. made good 500 NM to Nuku’alofa on Tongatapu
As the rising sun illuminated Raoul Island (29 16S 177 55W) slowly about 20 NM off INTENTION’s Starboard bow we marveled at the greenery and the steep cliffs surrounding all its visible parts. It would not be easy toland a dingy on those rocky shores. Although the chart shows a small anchorage and landing bay on the opposite side of the island we could see. It would have been interesting to have investigated and even gone ashore to explore but the steady light winds and flat seas were allowing INTENTION and us to average 5 knots toward our intended destination. In New Zealand I took the opportunity to create another way of steering INTENTION by using an AUTOHELM 1000 connected to my HYDROVANE windvane to follow a compass course. Using it lowers my electrical needs to 1.5 Amps from the over 5 Amps needed by my B&G hydraulic autopilot. So my solar panels have been able to mostly maintain a fairly good charge on my batteries. Also my B&G autopilot has not worked since leaving NZ.

S 30 13.7 Degs. South 179 37.1 Degs. West Traveled 76 NM by GPS toward Tonga 83 NM on log. much Zig-zaging in light airs We gained a day, Crossed the international dateline.
Wind were very light the first half of the day. Started engine to charge batteries and motor and when done at 1 AM the wind was strong enough using the jib, staysail, & mainsail to keep INTENTION moving at 4 to 5 knots. I felt feelings of grateful joy and happiness to be sailing again. At night the sparkling lights of phosphorescence passing by the boat in the water were like floating diamonds/jewels streaming past the sides of hull. Also behind INTENTION was a foot wide white trail of phosphorescence caused by the keel and rudder exciting the micro-organisms / plankton in the water. Today the lone bird is an albatross gliding over a pastel blue ocean as far as the eye can see. Its long wing-span allows it to effortlessly soar barely missing the tops of waves against a golden sunset. We had a sweet fresh New Zealand persimmon for a taste treat.

Position Reports are being returned to me by YoRepts unposted so I will now include it in my day’s journal report. INTENTION is 31.03 deg. South 179.15 deg East Distance made good toward Tonga is only 46 Nautical Miles in the last 24 hours Average Boat speed is only 1 to 2 Knots
The winds are so light they barely keep steerage way on INTENTION With 8 hours of complete calm during the night. At this rate it will be weeks before reaching Tonga. Since ‘Change is the one thing you can always count on’, I think and am counting that it will not stay this way the whole passage. The gods of the winds have played tricks like this on mariner’s before.

The day started with lighter winds and continued to get lighter until we were becalmed by midnight to 7AM. I lowered the sails and went below for a wonderful long nights rest / deep sleep. The wind has since picked up and INTENTION is moving smoothly and easily through the water averaging 6 knots in the direction of Tonga. The day is bright and sunny with still a little crispness in the air. Happy solar panels are putting almost 10 AMPS into the batteries. Hurray, it feels good to be moving at a good speed again. The idea is to keep the water/miles rolling by toward our destination and eventually we’ll arrive.

Hi everyone, INTENTION and crew are currently sailing to Tonga. If you would like to follow our position reports on passage and adventures, please go to our website at www.sailvalis.com/intention and click on Journal or position report.

Love to everyone, Jim and crew on Sailing Vessel INTENTION