Anchoring far enough away to avoid encroaching into his space, put us in the sight of rocks, the sound of breaking water and the uncertain of unknown territory. We did end up having a comfortable night, catching up on much needed sleep and respite from the high winds and enormous seas.

We eventually made it to port on the Saturday afternoon and completed the formalities with the Tongan officials in a friendly and welcoming manner. Welcome to Tonga.

The harbour was full of Oysters but not their crew as they had gone to the Botanical Gardens to enjoy a traditional Tongan feast - Lu pulu,roasted suckling pig which are cooked in an underground oven (‘umu).

We had the inevitable list of jobs to be done on Amelie, however the two most important being the repair of the mainsail and the rigging would prove to be beyond Tongan help and would need to await our visit to Fiji.

The northern islands of Tonga are truly beautiful, heavily wooded, white beaches and the bluest waters. The reef protecting the lagoon from the waves produced idyllic sailing conditions. The waters were clear although the harbour was infested with “non stinging” jellyfish.

We had many fun days and evenings but one day was extremely special - Thursday. Tonga is one of the poorest nations in the world with an average income equivalent to 4,500$ per year. There is no state support for education or social benefits. Oyster had arranged for snorkeling equipment to be supplied to a project which most of us had supported.

One particular school was commended to us for their work with under privileged children - Fiji Kindy, run by a living angel, Dorothy and her dedicated team of teachers. Her mission was to send her children into higher education with not only the basic education skills but with the ability of free thinking and citizenship based on a broad Christian concept.

We spent the morning in their school, looking at their work, joining in their dancing, talking to them about our life on the sea and the pinnacle, the children singing the Lord’s Prayer to us - beautiful beyond words. We had taken a quantity of clothes, electrical goods, notebooks, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, torch and a fishing rod, which was gratefully received. We also wanted to know how we could help with any priorities that they had. The children do not have parks or proper play equipment, not all of them can swim despite their lives being heavily influenced by the ocean. Like all children they have loads of energy that sandpits can’t contain. Dorothy and her team were saving to buy a secondhand trampoline which we offered to buy and collect there and then - unfortunately it had been sold. By sheer coincidence we heard that a delivery of new trampolines were coming to the island in July, to be donated to the schools in the area. The lovely Mike from the Aquarium Cafe hopes to get one for the Fiji Kindy. We left the school with a skip in our step and laden with fruit that each child had brought in that morning plus Debbie was given two traditional tapas made from pandanus leaves, from the teachers, one of which had been handed down from mother to daughter. Debbie promised to wear them at various events with the respect that they command.

That afternoon we joined our friends from Satika and went off road safari in a kart around the island. Dogs, children, pigs, horses, cows, goats and fruit bats were part of the entertainment. Lots of waving and beaming smiles as we passed. The views were spectacular and the coastline treacherous but majestic. The afternoon sun gently dipping as we sat in the Botanical Gardens sipping a cold beer and listening to the owner explaining his lifetime dream of this “Garden of Eden”. Meanwhile his wife, Lucy, was feeding us Taro chips and homemade mango chutney which up until six months ago she made in the evenings by the light of a hurricane lamp. She was celebrating her good fortune at having electricity which we take for granted.

Later that evening we were invited to join a group of ex pats for supper at Laurie and Don’s. We talked about their lives on the island and their views of the Tongan way of life - fascinating. Tonga is the only Pacific country not to have been controlled by foreign powers  and is the last remaining Polynesian monarchy. The family is at the centre of Tongan life and everything is communal. The islands were converted to Christianity by Methodist missionaries in the 1820s who sold the idea of eternal life for everyone, whilst their old beliefs reserved this for the Royals and the nobles (5% of the population). Food became an important topic of the evening particularly what we craved and couldn’t readily obtain. HP sauce  was high on the list with Don parting with his last drop.

This was a “stand out” day and of all the places we have visited has produced the strongest desire to return in the future, to catch up with our new friends.

Tonga’s national sport is rugby and as Exeter Chief supporters and general rugby fans, we watched a senior boys’ semi-final game. Passion, discipline and a huge amount of support provided us with another lasting memory of Tonga.

Most of the OWR joined up for one last meal ashore and a few of us went to a Tongan nightclub to taste Tongan nightlife. We were old enough to be their parents and the shortest skirts and highest heels were adorning the Faka Ladies. It’s amazing that a country so deeply religious is so accepting of men wishing to dress up as women. The club closed at 1am in accordance with local law which was enforced by the local police who escorted us back to our dinghies.

Lasting, teasing memories of a quick stop in Tonga, now sailing to the Lau Islands, Fiji.

‘Alu a

Amelie