Flying fish and vegetarians

Well we had light winds and smooth sailing all the way from Tonga, performed a highly successful 'Man Overbooard' manouvre (the poor Kerosene bottle thought it had seen it's last days) and stopped again for a swim in the big blue with nothing but a couple of miles of water and several thousand deadly and largely unidentified creatures below us

Now I have to be honest and I say that I had some doubts about these London boys coming on board, and being a vegetarian and a largely vegetarian boat when Chis announced that he didn't really like vegetables I wondered how we'd all get on.... However, I am pleased to tell you all that not only did I see Chris voluntarily eat a piece of cucumber the other day, he has also promised me that he will never eat in KFC again, he did suggest that he might need some help and encouragement from his friends and family but I know he is an intelligent man and after seeing what he got these Fijian guys to help him carry home from the market the other day for his dinner preparations I don't think we have anything to worry about

So anyway, we have arrived in the land of friendly faces and fake flowers and a new and very masculine journey begins....

So long Tonga

Well sadly it is time to leave this beautiful place. We've had an amazing final week here seeing a turtle so big it must have been several hundred thousand years old, a manta ray that must have been 3 metres across and we sailed around the northern tip of the Vava-u group of Islands. We spent a final day at Kenutu, our favourite anchorage out east, exploring the islands more, discovering caves and meeting moray eels (still haven't kicked that fear of animals with no legs damn it) then sailed through a narrow rough passage and into the big blue where it felt much wilder and more remote than the rest of the Islands. Not many people go this way and we found an amazing anchorage fit for even the friendliest of pirates with great snorkelling (it has been said that the topography was amazing, but I can't say that with a straight face!) clear blue water with perfect visibility at 50 feet and dramatic cliffs and caves.

But the time has come and so it's farewell aquamarine waters and deep blue lagoons....

Farewell to the huge whales and the crazy crabs....

And farewell to all the lovely people we've met, the ocean awaits us.......

Water baby

It's funny to think that not so long ago I was scared to be out of my depth in water when these days I am a rowing, snorkelling, kayaking, sailing machine (well, sort of...) The pictures below are from Mariners cave where you dive down about 1 metre, swim through the hole in the rock and come up the other side in an incredible cave. Below is me and Kieran coming through the hole, our friend said he only had time to take one photo because I came through like a rocket, kicking my legs in a blur of sheer terror and adrenalin, whereas, as you can see, Kieran is a little more casual about the whole being under water with the potential to suffocate and drown thing

It's totally totally amazing inside and I cannot explain how many of my fears I had to overcome and how long Kieran had to spend with me shivering in the water convincing me I could do it, but it was totally incredible. Inside as the water rises and falls with the swell you have a gentle mist that forms as the water compresses and condenses giving a truly magical feel to this special place.

Not the fastest but maybe the prettiest

Well it was our last Friday in Vava-u and time at last to take part in the yacht race round the harbour, we hoisted the Jolly Roger, bundled as many people on board as we could lay our hands on, explained the strict fancy dress rule and off we shot....

We had high hopes that the threat of a 52 foot, 26 ton (concrete) schooner in full sail with a cow on board would be enough to scare the opposition into submission....

...sadly the slick white speed machines had other ideas and I'm not sure the disastrous water balloons helped much with our 'scary' look, but we finished the course albeit a little bit wetter and a little bit later than most of the rest of them, aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, scurvy knaves, we'll get you next time

Oh and just in case you were wondering...

Me and Kieran are pretty happy too x

And some other stuff I thought you'd like to see

A fire on the beach for the winter solstice, and yes, that is me in a disco 80's cow outfit, obviously

Lilly on a very blustery day

Kieran trying out some alternative forms of transport

And the day I shrank, it's all about maximising space on a boat you know

Some things we've seen...

The smallest island known to man....
Coconut trees = 0
Vegetation of any kind = 0
Crabs = ten million seven hundred and sixty four

The most beautiful sand spit....

The pinkest skies....