ISLAND CRUISING ASSOCIATION RALLY TO THE KINGDOM OF TONGA: 2007

From NORMAN GEE, May 07

Each year the Island Cruising Association organises two sailing rallies from New Zealand. One to Tong and the other to Vanuatu. Both have proved popular and both destinations have advantages. My friend and client, Peter Jansen decided to go to Tonga this year aboard his Bavaria 39 “Kriselda” (launched in 2005) and made it a condition of the deal when buying the boat that I would join him. He called my bluff and I had to go, again.

Leaving Opua in the Bay Of Islands, New Zealand, on Saturday 5th May in glorious sunshine, moderate swell and no wind we set course for South Minerva Reef, 720 nautical miles away. We had light winds for all of Saturday night and finally got a reasonable breeze on Sunday morning. Thankfully we turned the engine off and got down to real sailing. We were now 150 nm up the rhumb line and starting to make good progress with a steady breeze, moderate swell and fine weather.



Monday the winds began to increase, so did the swell and checking the weather fax we found that the isolated low which was expected to dissipate was in fact stationery and right in our way. Sailing into this we suddenly found ourselves with blustery easterly winds and a big uncomfortable swell, also from the East and slapping us hard on the starboard beam. No longer did we have clear skies so the nightly entertainment of gazing at the stars went by the board.

For all of Tuesday and Wednesday we got hammered by high winds, often gusting up to 40+ knots, big seas and heavy rain. We had a slight break in the weather but it was only the transition from the low to a stationery occluded front! It became harder to get rest when off watch and the desire for food was severely reduced as most meals ended up on the cockpit floor or in your lap. We took several large seas over the boat and I was washed from one side of the boat to the other on a couple of occasions. Fortunately my harness saved me from the inevitable dip in the ocean and I was so wet anyway it didn’t make any difference. Visibility in the heavy rain squalls that blew through was limited and we relied more and more on the GPS chart plotter and auto pilot to give us a break from the helm.

The heavy weather had slowed us down and I was now behind my schedule by 12 hours. Thursday morning the sun came out from behind the clouds but the wind was still a blustery 25 to 35 and still from the East. The waves were now massive and it required careful handling to ease the boat over them without banging and crashing. We were only 54 nm from Minerva and still averaging 6.5 to 7.5 knots over the ground (8 to 9 through the water), with a double reef in the mainsail and only a few feet of the genoa showing.

We sighted South Minerva Reef late Thursday morning and were at anchor alongside a couple of other boats, Lizzie and Boreal, by 12.30. We set about drying our gear, having a shower and shave (five days without a shave!) and eating and drinking. Dinner on Thursday night was chicken fettuccine in Alfredo sauce which I cooked in an exhausted stupour. It went down well with the crew as did the chardonnay we had opened to celebrate getting through. We then slept for 12 hours.

Friday we relaxed, ate more, drank more and socialised with the other boats. Two more arrived on Friday and both, although bigger than “Krisleda” (Bavaria 39) and purpose built for off shore work, had found the going pretty tough.

After another good nights sleep we awoke on Saturday to find the wind had finally eased and was now blowing from the south east. At last. We left Minerva (always a wonderful place to visit) and picked up the most marvellous SE Trade wind, blowing 14 to 18 knots aft of the beam. Perfect!

Clear skies, warm tropical nights and sitting through your watch in shorts, t shirt and jacket was bliss. As was the ability to eat and drink when you felt like it and go to the head without hanging on like grim death!



Before we knew it we were approaching Tonga. We had covered 284 nm in less than 36 hours at an average speed of 7.8 knots from South Minerva. By dawn on Monday morning we were sailing up the east coast of Tonga Tapu (the main island and most southerly) with the trade winds still filling the sails, slight seas and a beautiful sunrise.

We tacked for the first time in 9 days and headed into the narrow but deep Piha Passage at the entrance to Nuku A Lofa harbour. We dropped anchor mid morning off the beach at Pangaimotu Island to find that there was only four large catamarans and a couple of Deerfoot 60’s had arrived ahead of us. We were visited by customs, MAF and immigration later in the morning. We were now on “island time” and everything moves at a slower pace, especially civil servants and bar maids!

We were ashore drinking beer in the bar of Big Mammas Yacht Club by 2.00 pm and congratulating ourselves on a fantastic trip.



I have to congratulate the owner of “Kriselda” Peter Jansen on equipping and preparing the yacht superbly. The crew were terrific, especially my great friend Janet Robinson who has amazing strength and fortitude, who when I was too tired to think was still on her feet doing the radio skeds, downloading weather faxes, cooking the food and doing her watch without complaint. She is an awesome navigator and is competent, capable and reliable. She also keeps me in line and reminds me of my responsibilities.

Peter and his wife are now cruising up to Vava U in northern Tonga and will make their way eventually to Savu Savu in Fiji. The long term plan is not yet set and Pete has a couple of options. Anyway they are having a terrific time aboard a great boat and are relishing the experience.