Tuesday 1st June 2010 (presently in NUIE South Pacific)We got an email from Raratonga's newest member of the Cook Islands Tatoo Club (Fats). A short message to say that he was 85 / 90 % and well on the way to a full recovery. He was also well on the way to Vava'u to meet us on arrival. Aileen and Margaret will also be there.
07.30hrs Skipper brought John the Scot ashore as he was off Diving for the morning, skipper decided to skip the diving this time, as it took him so bleeding long to recover from his prized " Paddy " experience in Rangiroa, The Tuamotu Islands.
09.30hrs Skipper, with his golf clubs, got a lift to the Golf club a few miles down the road where he met Ian Hupa. Ian is originally from NZ, but now lives in NUIE with wife and family. As he says himself, he is a "house husband" he basically minds the kids, while the wife goes to work..and loves his golf.
The golf was exciting and came down to the wire on the last hole, we were all square as we teed off and we both had great shots, but sorry to have to report, the skipper missed a putt and Ian won the match.
13.00hrs Skipper got a lift back to the Yacht club, and had a light lunch with the crew of " Ronja ", the Norwegians.
14.30hrs We all took off again in a people carrier, Hiace, this time to do a tour of the Island, the transport was driven by Sue, wife of the Commodore of the Y.C. The interesting here is Sue's glasses, they are a sort of red color, and are specially designed for Migrene (headaches). She said since she got the glasses in NZ a few years ago, she has never had another attack. That's a new one for us!
16.00hrs We cleared Customs and paid out exit tax, in advance of our proposed departure tomorrow morning at 06.00hrs. We also bought some "Red Label" beer, at 9 euros per dozen, seemed like good value.
Skipper returned to " A Lady " and finished cleaning the cooker, the place was in an a full mess, (the oven, that is) but we must remember, it get a lot of use, and cooking things like the Boss's Belly Pork, shags up the polished sides big time. Hours later, the cooker looks much better, but the beautiful timberwork under the cooker took an awful hammering from the blinking " Mr Muscle ". It dripped down on the timber... and stained it badly. Ohhhhhhhhh my god, the poor boat ..Whaaaaaaaaa, Whaaaaaaa.. At times like this, you would begin to think "God, can I do anything properly?" Whaaaaaaaaa.Whaaaaaa.As said on previous occasions, the wear and tear on the boat is huge on this trip, well after 16287 miles, any LADY needs a make over.
Before going ashore for the prearranged Dinner, we had a little swim, among the sea snakes, yeah, sea snakes. They are about 2 feet long, colored black and white hoops, and swim / wriggle along nicely, they are very poisonous, but their mouths are so small, it is impossible for them to bite a human.
The weather had taken a turn for the worse, it started to rain, but we managed to get ashore in between the showers,
all be it with wet bottoms. We all met in the Y.C. where the lovely Suzana from rally control, took control of us all to an adjoining restaurant. We had to bring our own wine, as the place was owned, and operated by a family of MORMANS. The godfather of the family, a Mormon bishop, said a " grace before meals " well it was the longest grace we ever heard in our lives and of course it was said in the local lingo....so we did not understand a word.
BUT, But, the food was fantastic, the usual raw fish in coconut oil, stuffed rolled chicken, baked fish, soup, pasta, roast baby pig, and lots more that we cannot remember, all wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked in hot stones and charcoal. Dessert was a selection, but for the skipper, they had a steamed date pudding with hot melted toffee,,,, Ohhhh to die for... yum, yum,
The lovely Suzana got this one right, well done girl!
The grub was followed by a terrific dance by the girls, mostly the family, and every one loved it to bits. It was traditional, but with a slight twist that made it real interesting. It's like a " River Dance " version of the local stuff. Of course, the girls then took all the men and danced them to death. Then we had a young man do a fire dance, once again, he did a great job.
All in all, we had a great night, despite the occasional downpours.
A night cap on board before going to the scratchers,,zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ( no Fats, so all lower case zzzz )
That's it for now,
Stephen Hyde ( Skipper )