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