Tall Ship Soren Larsen South Pacific Sailing adventure for all ages

Voyage Log V335 Tonga and Fiji # part 1 & 2

July 2011 - on passage from Northern Tonga towards Fiji

As I write this we are en route from Tonga to Fiji. Last evening we stopped at a reef in the middle of nowhere for a short snorkel and swim before heading off into the sunset in search of our next port of call.

Map Tonga I think the Vava'u group in northern Tonga is the crew favourite so far on our trip around the pacific this season. The people are extremely friendly and helpful and a good laugh.

I would personally like to extend a massive thanks to Greg and staff at the Tropicana Café for all the help you’ve given the ship and for putting up with all the shenanigans. P.S. You have really awesome milkshakes. Another thanks must be extended to the Aquarium Café. You are extremely welcoming to all the yachties who stop in Vava’u. The food, drinks( and ICE!!), entertainment and internet were all greatly appreciated by both the permanent crew and voyage crew incoming and outgoing. One last big thanks to all the people of Vava’u. We all really enjoyed our stay and I know some of us will be back again someday. Simply awesome.

Sailing around the islands and spotting whales in perfect weather was absolutely brilliant. One morning, before heading to explore the wonderful caves carved into the volcanic cliff faces, we stopped to watch a mother and brand new calf frolic and play less than 50m away from the ship. A day later, when 8 voyage crew went on the fantastic whale watching/swimming tour, we all got to see several whales breeching, tail slapping and fin slapping in the warm tropical sun. We also got the chance to go to the delicious Tongan Feast where food is served on pieces of banana plant and there are no utensils used except for fingers. I’ve heard a few people say how amazing the fresh picked fruit and coconut water is here and how they wish they could get that same freshness at home. Alas, unless we plan on moving to one of these amazing postcard perfect places the fruit just won’t be quite the same.

Snorkeling with whales

Right now our bosun, Peter, is sitting across from me doing some water colour painting on his off time while having a ridiculous conversation with 12 yr old James about the ‘peculiar’ taste of Japanese bubblegum. It’s interesting to have so many different age groups on board. From 12 years old to 68 years old, people from New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Belgium and some living in France (and that’s just the Voyage Crew!) they are all here to learn a bit about sailing a square rigger… and a little bit about them selves, while exploring some of the far corners of the earth. Places where it’s perfectly normal for a dozen pigs and piglets to run across the pitch during the middle of a championship rugby game and have no one even take notice. Seriously that really did happen in Neiafu.

Luckily for us we got to bring a little bit of Tonga with us. We acquired a new cook while in Neiafu… actually about a half hour before casting off our lines! Sione (pronounced See-on-eh) is a local guy from Vava’u and an awesome chef. He even used to cook for the King of Tonga! The food onboard the past few days has been amazing and it’s nice to have an islander on board who knows what to do with all the local fruit and veg. Three cheers for Breadfruit Chips!!!

Fiddler on the deckhouse roof

While in Vava’u wee also received a new 1st mate! George Leman will be will us for a while and we’re liking the idea of having a more permanent mate. George has sailed on Søren Larsen in the past (Mate for the Pacific 2008 season and Capt in Auckland corporate season) and is hasn’t taken him long to get back into the routine of things. The voyage crew all really enjoyed his explanation of sails /rigging and how sails and wind work together to move a ship. Now that we’re at sea people are starting to get into their own routines of watches and naps and pushing their comfort zones a bit further with climbing and line handling.

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V335 Vlog # Part 2 - Arrival Fiji

Bula! That’s how you greet everyone you pass here in Fiji. In return you’ll get a happy ‘Bula’ and a warm Smile.

It took us a few days to sail from Neiafu, Vava’u in the Kingdom of Tonga to our first port of call in Fiji. Along the way, as I said in an earlier blog, we stopped for a snorkel in the middle of nowhere. Just as that excursion was over we enjoyed the arrival of a new friend on board. A naughty bird that Peter named Frank. Frank had a bit of a bad wing and was in bad shape. Still, he was not afraid of us and enjoyed being in the company of crew. He stayed out of the way when lines were being hauled on and came to check out the sewing job being done on the sail being repaired on deck. He inspected lines and coils and even enjoyed a few sardines from Dave and Flick. We even made Frank part of our hourly safety rounds. Remarking on where he was and what he was doing. For a while it seemed as if Frank would recover and leave us to find his own way. Sadly Frank passed away around 3am our first night in Fiji. Bosun Peter made the sad discovery and gave Frank a proper burial at sea while giving a heartfelt rendition of Amazing Grace. You will be missed by all those on board. You were a little part of our life here on board and everyone grew to love you. RIP Frank.

The Flying Georginos On a happier note…the Fijian people are wonderfully friendly and kind. We cleared into the country in the small town of Levuka on the island of Ovulau. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t exactly what you dream about in a tropical paradise. It was cold, (relatively speaking) windy and rainy. That didn’t stop us from exploring the original capital of Fiji. What once was a very vibrant town; Levuka is now mostly boarded up with empty building and rundown store fronts. The remaining people were still very proud of where they come from and were eager to show us around. Some people took a tour of the island by vehicle. Others did a hike to a water fall. Most people took advantage of the shopping which might sound funny but the remaining shops were full of treasures. The favourite was the material. Yards and yards of fabric. Beautiful tropical designs of any colour you could think of. There were also a fair number of tailors, considering the number of people around. Geoff and I got custom tailored shirts made out of material we bought for a cool price of 18 Fijian dollars.

The Fijian Navy also came to Levuka just as we were clearing in. The islanders were really excited to see them and every school kid on the island came to see the ships. Hundreds of kids lined the dock. Looking in awe at the naval ships but also really intrigued by the Søren Larsen. We ARE pretty cool. They asked all sorts of questions and I think ended up being interested in us than the navy boats. It was fun for everyone to teach the kids about the ship and sailing on the high seas.

While in Levuka we also picked up another cook. Sione, who came with us from Tonga, is staying on much to the delight of everyone on board. Liz is moving to the deck department and an old hand is back in the galley. Lucinda has been with the ship many times over the years and she’s back to keep our tummies happy.