Maupiti to Tonga via Niue
We timed our exit through the pass at Maupiti to coincide with slack water and made the exit without any issues. Just after we cleared the last channel marker, we spotted two sperm whale flukes nearby, always an impressive sight.
For the next few days the winds were light and variable, and progress was made under sail, motor sailing and sometimes motoring.
Our intention had been to head straight to Tonga, as our broker in Auckland had mentioned the possibility of a viewing, but as we progressed, the weather worsened.
We usually run a weather update via our sat comms once a day when at sea, and it became clear that we would be faced with gnarly winds in the coming days.
Our strategy was to sail North to avoid the worst of the forecasted high winds, but in the end we had about 60 hours of sustained 30 knots and occasionally gusting towards 40 knots.
Azzy coped as always, but sleep was difficult due to the noise. When the winds finally abated, the sky turned dark grey, followed by biblical rain. As the wind was coming from behind us, we figured the rain would eventually pass, but almost as soon as it did, the wind direction swung by 180 degrees and it all came back again! It rained non-stop for over 48 hours.
It was at this point that we set a course for Niue, if for nothing else, to get some rest and much needed sleep, and to dry out. We had exhausted all our 'wet weather' clothing supply trying to keep dry for the past couple of days.
It is too deep to anchor in the harbour off Niue, so you take pot luck if a mooring buoy is available and luckily for us, one was. However, the bay was almost untenable. The swell was constant and try as we might, it was hard to rest.
We needed to clear into the country and when invited to do so, braved the concrete jetty with the rib and with the help of customs, used a crane to lift the rib out of the water and onto the jetty.
We cleared in, had a little look around the the small town and then went back to Azzy.
Sleep was almost impossible with the rolling, in fact we decided we would rather be at sea, so we cleared out the next morning and set course for Tonga. Sadly, in our sleep deprived state, we forgot to take any pictures of Niue, but we did manage to take a few at sea.
Thankfully the rest of the passage was uneventful.
For the next few days the winds were light and variable, and progress was made under sail, motor sailing and sometimes motoring.
Our intention had been to head straight to Tonga, as our broker in Auckland had mentioned the possibility of a viewing, but as we progressed, the weather worsened.
We usually run a weather update via our sat comms once a day when at sea, and it became clear that we would be faced with gnarly winds in the coming days.
Our strategy was to sail North to avoid the worst of the forecasted high winds, but in the end we had about 60 hours of sustained 30 knots and occasionally gusting towards 40 knots.
Azzy coped as always, but sleep was difficult due to the noise. When the winds finally abated, the sky turned dark grey, followed by biblical rain. As the wind was coming from behind us, we figured the rain would eventually pass, but almost as soon as it did, the wind direction swung by 180 degrees and it all came back again! It rained non-stop for over 48 hours.
It was at this point that we set a course for Niue, if for nothing else, to get some rest and much needed sleep, and to dry out. We had exhausted all our 'wet weather' clothing supply trying to keep dry for the past couple of days.
It is too deep to anchor in the harbour off Niue, so you take pot luck if a mooring buoy is available and luckily for us, one was. However, the bay was almost untenable. The swell was constant and try as we might, it was hard to rest.
We needed to clear into the country and when invited to do so, braved the concrete jetty with the rib and with the help of customs, used a crane to lift the rib out of the water and onto the jetty.
We cleared in, had a little look around the the small town and then went back to Azzy.
Sleep was almost impossible with the rolling, in fact we decided we would rather be at sea, so we cleared out the next morning and set course for Tonga. Sadly, in our sleep deprived state, we forgot to take any pictures of Niue, but we did manage to take a few at sea.
Thankfully the rest of the passage was uneventful.
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