I am getting ready to go to the vegetable market when I hear someone banging on the side of the boat. It is another local guy in a little boat trying to sell me bread. As we still have half of yesterday’s loaf I decline and he then asks me if I have anything for his four year old son. I hate this but I am too soft to say no so I scour the boat looking for something small, eventually finding the balloons that Mike likes adorning our fishing hooks with. The fish don’t seem to like them much so I take some out of the packet and give them to him. Amazingly he looks pleased.
He has just driven off when Mike comes out and asks whether he has brought back the flag. Given that I didn’t see the guy yesterday, I had no idea it was the same one. Mike shouts for him to come back just as Marie comes to pick me up to go to the market. As Marie and I drive slowly (Marie is a dinghy learner driver like me) over to Ronja to pick up Vibeke, I see the guy clamber onto our boat (not quite sure why he needs to do this to hand over a flag – obviously some sort of hard sell is going to take place now) then a few minutes later I hear the ominous sound of a shell being blown. He’s obviously having a second attempt at selling the bloody thing to Mike. If Mike buys it, I’ll give him a good slap!
First of all we look at the craft market and Marie and I spot some nice woven baskets. We decide to do our fresh shopping first then come back for another look at the crafts later. The vegetable market is pitifully under stocked. We are quite late (it’s just gone 9.30 am when we arrive). We find out that due to the cyclone, the vegetables and fruits have not yet had a chance to re-establish themselves and the locals are picking things earlier and earlier, before they are really ready. I buy a breadfruit (checking exactly how to cook it with the lady), a small papaya, bananas, rocket, spinach and garlic. Oh, the joy of having fresh green stuff!
Photo: Green stuff at the market
We go to our respective boats with our fresh stuff and I am pleased to find our flag has been delivered back to us, fixed (well, white sewing on a red flag but better than nothing) and Mike hasn’t given in over the shell.
Marie comes back for me a little while later and we go back to the craft market, accompanied this time by Vibeke and Vilde. I buy a basket for Mike to put all his little bits of boat bits that he normally leaves scattered around the bar area of Jeannius and a present for Isabella.
Photos: At the craft market
We wander along the main road, stopping in shops on the way but there really isn’t much to interest us. I do drop into the internet cafe where they sell wonderful cakes and buy a couple for after lunch. I bump into Maggie sitting with her laptop – incredibly, she’s reading my blog. You have such good taste, Maggie!!
Finally, we end up at the WARC watering hole, the Aquarium Cafe, and while the others settle down, I call Mike to pick me up. I am desperate for him to have some green stuff for lunch. He is less keen, and while I have spinach fried with garlic and chorizo, he settles for a fudge brownie.
During my absence he has completely stripped down and cleaned the windlass and now has the task of putting it back together to see if it works.
Photo: My little grease monkey
Unfortunately it’s no better and the part that Mike thought was the problem (and which would have been the easiest to have made) turns out not to be. It might be the gears and that will mean spares and they aren’t available in Tonga. We will have to order them to be delivered to Fiji in time for our arrival.
We hear Brown Eyed Girl on the VHF and realise they have now arrived in Tonga. Poor Joe and Jared. Their autohelm failed on the way over from Niue and they have had to hand steer most of the way. That is absolutely exhausting. They moor up to the customs dock and as it is so late, they prepare to stay there the night instead of entering the anchorage.
Mike chats to Bill from Crazy Horse about the generator as their boat is fitted with the same one. Bill has a couple of spare relays and offers them to Mike to see if they will eliminate the problem.
Most people go into town for the Tongan feast that is on offer but Mike and I both too pissed off with the boat to venture out. Instead I cook on the boat – the meal is very tasty but the chicken is poor quality and it is tough and chewy.
Hopefully things will look up tomorrow.
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