Position: S14deg19min/W172deg32min
We departed Apia Marina at 1500 hours for the 175 nm run to Niutoputapu, often called "New Potatoes" by yachties. It's located in northern Tonga, and is a point of entry to the Kingdom of Tonga. We really enjoyed our stay in Samoa, and highly recommend the area to those of you following in our path. Unfortunately, we were unable to see a lot of the area, as well as get to the nearby island of Suvaii, as Sue came down with a stomach virus for a few days, and we figured we'd get going to Tonga instead of spending further time here. Of note, there's an FM radio station here that is other-worldly. It's FM 101.1, and plays an incredibly eclectic selection of songs from the 40's thru the 80's; just the most delightful stuff you'd ever want to hear. I call it other-worldly because I can't quite describe the music...whoever does the play list is top notch. Most all musical venues are played and although we've all listened to oldies stations in the USA, 101.1 here is nothing like that...Really good stuff, and commercial free - how do they do that? The weather window so far has been great: 10-13 knots from the E-ESE, 2-3' seas, and this evening's sail was beautiful with an accompanying full moon. While at the marina we did some boat maintenance: I went up the mast to check the rigging and got the autopilot working (rechecked all the wiring and rebuilt the solenoid. Note: for any of you that have equipment that includes a solenoid... take it apart to inspect and clean it occasionally, and carry a spare!
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