Velella Cruising Log

(We visited Raratonga first, but cannot open that file - more problems with our disk drive trashing files. I will send it when we arrive in Tonga.)

We and several other cruisers departed Rarotonga on the same day heading for Nuie, with a possible stop at Beveridge Reef, an enclosed shallow spot in the middle of the ocean, if the conditions were right. We had heard that several mooring buoys were open in Nuie, which offered only a roadstead anchorage with poor holding conditions, and were anxious to get a spot. We were the smallest boat in the pack and weren’t sure we’d be lucky enough to get one, but we had a 2 hour head start.

We have a gang of friends, nearly all from the Pacific Northwest and close to our age, and we maintain regular contact via SSB radio each morning. When we are on passage, we note our current positions, try to predict the weather, and commiserate with one another about the trials and tribulations of trying to cook, eat and get enough sleep while flying off steep waves. Via SSB (Single Side Band) radio, we were able to track where they were, but our inability to transit (we have an SSB receive only radio) meant we couldn’t have a conversation and no one knew exactly where we were. We listened in while everyone on the net made jokes about how fast we sail and how far ahead we probably were and that we have probably already arrived.

While we had been considering a stop at Beveridge reef, we estimated that we would arrive after nightfall and the conditions would be too rough for the reef to offer any protection. We were struggling to sail a high enough course to reach it and we figured the cloudy rainy weather wasn’t ideal for a location where snorkeling is the biggest attraction. So we decided to continue on to Nuie. On the net we heard everyone else make the same decision and learned that several boats had arrived from other locations to capture most of the remaining mooring buoys. And so, the race for a mooring buoy was on.

We were surprised as we listened to the net that we kept increasing the distance between us and the other boats and that a boat that had passed us on the 3rd day was behind us after losing time attempting to visit Beveridge Reef and determining that it wasn’t safe. We generally push our boat harder than others do. We find that with the waves as big as they are (10-12 feet), that striving for comfort can be tricky. We’ve decided that the best thing for us to do is to put up as much sail area as we can handle to outpace the waves. Otherwise we get thrown all over the place and it just takes us longer to get where we are going. Often when we listen to the net, in the same conditions everyone else has much less sail area up than we do but don’t sound any more comfortable. We managed to arrive ahead of everyone, just barely before dark on the 5th day and snag one of the last 3 mooring buoys. We were so relieved that we didn’t have to heave to overnight until dawn then anchor in deep water since we were exhausted. Our friends weren’t so lucky. One yacht has stayed in Nuie for 4 months, but most yachts stop for only a week or two, so mooring buoys do turn over.

There is an electric winch available on the wharf for removing dinghies from the water, since the surge can be harsh. The following morning, Friday, friendly customs officials met us on the dock and then drove us up the ramp to their offices to fill out several forms and point out that they had duty free liquor. We then visited the Police station to get our passports stamped. We wandered around the tiny, sprawling town for a short while and then called it an early night, since we were still exhausted from our boisterous passage.

Like the Cook Islands, Nuie is an independent nation freely associated with New Zealand. Its 2300 people have dual citizenship with New Zealand and the local currency is the New Zealand dollar. The London Missionary Society also made an impression here and the local people are religious. On Sundays, they asked us to respect the day of rest and requested that we refrain from boating, snorkeling diving or fishing. Saturdays also tend to be very quiet, with short business hours.

We heard that on Saturday morning there would be a fair at the local high school until noon. While we were walking, some locals offered us a ride in the back of their truck and joked about their high-end limousine service. We arrived at about 9am full from breakfast but discovered, after perusing the local crafts, chatting with the other cruisers and letting ourselves become fascinated by the huge captive coconut crabs all trying to get away, that by 10am the food was almost completely gone.

On our way home we were stopped and invited to pick flowers in the garden of an older lady. We marveled at the huge poinsettia tree and the graves in her garden, suddenly realizing how common they were. She told us about the island, her family history and how many local residents move to New Zealand. She asked if we had heard of the Matavai Resort where her son, Patrick, is the chef and, coincidentally, we were scheduled to go there for a dinner buffet that evening. She chatted with us for some time and made sure we walked away with flowers for our dinner tables.

The island of Nuie is an elevated coral outcropping perched on top of a seamount rising from the very deep ocean floor. As a result, the coastline is dotted with numerous limestone caves, and Nuie is known for spectacular diving because of the clarity of the water and wealth of marine life. We had heard that Humpback whales were lurking in the deep waters in the north end of the bay and have seen a few sea snakes slithering along the surface. We enjoyed snorkeling through the underwater caverns and coral formations off the boat and were impressed with the visibility.

We spent several days exploring numerous caves and chasms throughout the island, both with and without a guide. We were busy taking photographs of the most spectacular geological formations we have ever seen. On a subterranean cave tour, we had a blast, juggling flashlights and getting filthy dirty as we crawled through keyholes, up and around stalactites and stalagmites and joked about what the shapes resembled. We even got a little musical, calling ourselves “Yachtie and the Stalagpipes” as we tapped out various tonal qualities on hollow stalactites and stalagmites. On our own, we navigated over a mass of jagged coral pinnacles and down a steep ladder into a deep chasm with sheer rock walls, golden sand, coconut palms and a calm tidal pool just beyond the sea’s reach. We got a kick out of climbing around amazing rock formations into the depths of various caves and jumping over tidal pools, and were impressed by a set of gigantic arches and another chasm fed by and underground fresh water stream. We visited yet another set of caves that featured a “2nd floor loft” and large swimming hole inside the cavern. After exploring a few of the many geological wonders of Nuie, we can now understand why we might want to stay for an extended visit. Plus, the people of Nuie have been incredibly generous and welcoming. They are proud of their island and many offered to show us around. While we’d love to linger longer, if we don’t leave for Tonga soon, we won’t get to see any of it before we must head for New Zealand for the hurricane season. There is so much to see and the time goes by so fast.

We were surprised to hear of two new islands that are forming here in the South Pacific, one (on the rhumb line) between Suvarov in the Cook Islands and one northwest of Tonga. We have all become aware of erosion, but few of us realize that volcanic activity is creating new landmasses still today. This reminds us that new charts can be absolutely critical to our safe passage.

Cheers,
Wendy Hinman and Garth Wilcox
S/V Velella (Wylie 31)