Video from Swarrow

A friend of ours, Mike from s/v I.O., made this video of our time in Swarrow. Check it out!

 

http://aboardio.blogspot.com/

 

 

Zebra Sharks

We were snorkeling in Tonga near a small island and we saw zebra sharks. Zebra sharks eat shell fish and other stuff on the bottom of the ocean. They are usually not dangerous to people. They are spotted but the juveniles have stripes. The ones we saw were mostly spotted and their tails were very long.

 

Posted by Bear

 

KAVA

Among the rituals and traditions in Polynesia is the drinking of Kava.   Kava is a tea like beverage (tastes like mud) that is both part of religious and social ceremonies and an everyday relaxer.   Kava comes from a root that is usually ground and dried into a powder.    It is then mixed with water and strained through a cloth to get the big chunks out.

 

Kava is a mild narcotic and depending how potent the root or how strong it is mixed it's effect can range from  a mild numbness in your lips and mouth to making you unable to get up off the floor.   Traditionally kava has been reserved for the men who sit on a large mat on the floor with a wooden bowl of kava in the center.   They sit and solve the issues of the world while they pass around coconut shells of the brew.   The effects are definitely those of a tranquilizer, not hallucinogenic or like alcohol.   All in all, a very mellow experience!

 

Kava is a normal part of life in the South Pacific and the raw roots as well as bags of the powder are sold in the local market.   One of the fancier restaurants here in Vava'u has two nights each week where they have local musicians for evening entertainment.   The performers sit on the floor playing their stringed instruments and have a large bowl in the center.   Restaurant patrons, men and women, are welcome to come sit with them and partake of a bowl (or more).   The whole experience has a rather mystical feel as one takes their shoes off and sits cross legged on the mat.    The approved method is to chug the contents of the bowl which ellicits approval and clapping from the rest of the circle.

 

Every afternoon, in front of the police / fire station, the officers and firemen are all sitting outside around a bowl.  It's their equivalent of after work happy hour.   We had an unexpected kava experience on the island of Lupe where we attended a Sunday morning church service.    There are only 5 families on this island and the Methodist church was very small.   We arrived with some other boaters a bit early for the service and noticed the women and children milling around the church.   The 6 men of the village were sitting in a small open sided shack with the large bowl in the middle.   They were all dressed in their Sunday best and they invited us (men only) to join them.  3 of us slipped off our sandals and joined the circle.   As they passed around shells of kava one of the men quietly murmured prayers in Tongan.   When the time for church approached, all of us, including the minister, shared one last cup and headed into the church.   Definitely a religous experience ........

 

E

 

 

 

Kingdom of Tonga

18* 39.4 S  173* 59.4 W

 

 

It has been two weeks since we last updated this blog!  Here in Tonga, communications have been marginal and we have been in the more remote outer islands.  

 

We arrived in Tonga after a good 4 day passage from Suwarow.  We still have not gotten over leaving Suwarrow and often wish we had stayed there longer.    Two days after our arrival here, Tom and Paula Millar joined us for a week of exploring the outer islands.    They were our first guests to visit since our arrival in the South Pacific in mid April and we were very happy to see them!

 

Tonga is an interesting country divided up into 4 island groups.   We are in Vava'u, which is the main tourist and boating area.   Tonga is the last remaining Polynesian monarchy and has never been under foreign rule.   There is an interesting mix of cultures here with the out islanders and traditional Tongans wearing long skirts with woven mats around the waist and a large community of expats (mostly Aussies) controling most of the tourist businesses.   Over 1/2 of all Tongans live a basic subsistance life growing, gathering, or trading for their food.   Outside of the expat areas, Tonga is a very conservative religious country.   On one small island we visited, there were 35 families and 5 churches - mostly Methodist and Mormon. 

 

While cruising in the Vava'u group it is easy to forget you are in the ocean - except for the whales and and other sea life!   There are over 60 islands which are mostly high and heavily wooded.   If you ignor the fact that many of the trees are palm trees, it looks like being in British Columbia or the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior.   The bays and anchorages are very protected and provide great swimming on coral reefs as well as calm nights.   A number of the outlying islands have small villages which we have visited to meet the local folks, visit the schools, and try to appreciate "fakatonga" (the Tongan Way).    One ilsnad had only 5 families living there, yet they had a Methodist Church and a school with 5 students and the teacher.    They invited us and some other boaters to come to their Sunday church service and have lunch with them.   We arrived with 25 boaters (yachties, as they call us) and overwhelmed their hospitality.    After church - all in Tongan - they shared a feast on the beach of local dishes prepared from fish, chicken and even a whole roasted pig.   There was no cost to us for this wonderful day.   They only asked for donations toward construction of a new dock for the village.

 

In contrast to the island villages is Neiafu, the main town in the Vava'u Group.   Neiafu is the commercial, tourist, and government hub of this region, yet it remains a small town with funky souvnir shops, expat run restuarants bars and diving / whale watching services, and 3 boat charter services, including Moorings.  There are a number of small grocery stores and a traditional local market were we can get local vegetables, fruits, and traditional crafts.    During the boating season there are always at least 40 - 50 visiting cruising boats anchored off the town so the local cruiser hangouts are busy.  

 

We expect to leave the Vava'u Group this week and visit a much more remote area a bit south of here called Haapi.   We plan on heading further west to Fiji in about two weeks.

 

more to follow ..........

 

E

 

 

Goodby Suwarrow

Suwarrow atol has been one of the most beautiful and wonderful places we have visited. Today was a misty eye departure as we left not only the spectacular physical beauty of the place, but the warmth and friendship of James and Apii, the park rangers based there.

We have had 10 days of wonderful diving, snorkeling, spearfishing, and dinners on the island. The reefs and coral are the most pristine we have seen anywhere.

Today we are beginning a 700 nm passage to Tonga. We expect to arrive in about 4 days and will cross the international dateline, so we will be in Tonga on Sunday morning. Weather the last week has been unsettled across this stretch of the Pacific, but we have been watching it closely and hope for a good ride. Current forecast is for 15 kt winds and 6'-9' seas on our beam.

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Sharks, again ...

Since coming to the South Pacific we have experienced very few snorkeling or diving expeditions that haven't included sharks. We've grown accustomed to seeing them and have come to rely on their normal behavior. For the most part, they simply meander through the water and pay little attention to people. Sometimes they come in for a closer look but with any sudden movement they will dart away. They are truly more afraid of people than vice versa.

Here in Suwarrow we've added spear fishing to the adventure and shark behavior has changed. Eric has related several nail-biting stories about close encounters with various sharks. This morning, I had one of my own - although no spear fishing was involved.

Hearing there was nice coral right in the anchorage here in Suwarrow, my friend, Behan, and I went snorkeling. Just fifty yards beyond the outskirts of anchored boats, we approacned a reef. Soon we spotted a very commonly seen four foot blacktip shark which we've come to regard as puppy dogs. No problem. A little closer and a five foot whitetip shark came into focus and it was swimming rapidly toward the reef. Hmmm. That isn't so comfortable but we continued. Then out of nowhere a seven foot gray reef shark was swiftly coming straight at us! Behan and I were in arms reach of each other and we both dropped back on our butts with legs extended in the shark's direction and kicked our fins. The gray turned back, wagged its tail at us a couple times then whirled around and came at us again! We kicked harder this time and he retreated and so did we. Apparently this was HIS reef and we were NOT welcome. Not wanting to seem like a wuss, I said to Behan, "I'm uncomfortable." She immediately concurred and we agreed to swim to the closest boat and catch our breath. I gulped a mouthful of saltwater as I propelled myself with rapid speed to m/y Emily Grace where we climbed aboard and relayed our story.

On our swim back to Oso, we encountered a puppy dog blacktip who now seemed more like a pitbull. We cut the swim short….

Fish Killer

Landing in the wilderness of Suwarrow has given us the opportunity to live off the land/sea. In addition to hunting coconut crabs, Eric has learned to spearfish. Yesterday he got his first kill and now he's hooked! It's been a grand learning experience for us all.

Our friends on Mulan (who are currently in transit to Seattle) had passed on their spear gun to Oso before leaving the South Pacific. Equipped with gun, Eric joined the ranger, Apii, and our friends Jamie (s/v Totem) and Mike (s/v IO) for the hunt. Paired with Jamie, Eric's primary role became shark watcher. As soon as the first kill is made and fish blood pours into the water, the sharks instantly appear and they are ready to eat. When the hunter gets the kill, he immediately shoots to the surface, holds the fish above the water and jams back to the boat as fast as his fins will propel. There the boat tender will unload the fish from the spear. The hunting partner's job is to make sure the sharks stay safely away from the killer and his fish. Yesterday we had the kids with us and when several whitetip and blacktip sharks decided to hang out below the dinghy and wait for the kills to return, we called the kids in from the water. Niall and Bear continued to venture out with the hunters and watch the process from above. However when the sharks became too active, we pulled them out as well. It only took a half hour for three men to get eight fish for the evening's dinner. By then the sharks were near frenzy as Jamie had wounded a grouper but failed to reel it in. Score one for the sharks. It was time to go.

Being inexperienced, Eric's first several shots bounced right off the fish. But he got the hang of it and we all cheered when he came up with a nice sized grouper on his spear. Hoo-ha!

Back on shore, Apii showed us how to clean the various types of fish. There were parrot fish, grouper, bluefin travaley and another unidentified specie. For dinner, we fed three families poisson cru (raw fish in lime and coconut juice) and many types of grilled fish. It was excellent and we all felt satisfied with the adventure as well.