Tonga tied in Nuku'lofa

Spot the mistake

Events seem to be conspiring against us. First Dingo arilines cocked up Jackie's flight, marooning us till she (hopfully) arrives tonight, then we can sail off to the loverly Ha'apai Group (know on board as the happy islands - mostly cos we can't prounounce it).

Shaggy

Calls a Taxi

Oh no we're not, just got a weather forcast, 2 systems are going to roll over us between now and friday bringing winds from north, north east north west and west. We can't go to our ha'apai place with nor'westerlies at 30kns as were exposed on the western side of the islands. We'd be safe and sheletered in the norhtern Tongan islands, the Vava'u Group. But in a northerly that would take ages to get too, we'd have to beat, posibly into 30 knots*. Tonight is North East. North tommorow then north west then west. In short we can't make it that far up wind before the nasty stuff hits. Even if we could check out now and leave asap, which we can't. Guess were staying here till it blows over. We even thought of going back to Nuie, but Alofi is wide open to the West and Norht too, even Rarotoga's harbour is untennable in a Norhterly.

On the bright side it is cheap here, the Tourist office has a huge billboard in front of it, with a map of the island. Well I say a map of the Island, actually is a mirror image of the island, conciencioulsly labled. Don't belive me look it up on google maps. So at least the map we were using was the right way round.

Also Thursday the islands got a gig, Shaggy's comming to town. That bloke's following me arround, last time I was in Antigua, another Shaggy Gig.

* this is no fun.