First close call
On passage from Raiatea French Polynesia towards Tonga.
For three and a half days the wind has been strong and the seas building.
Now they are huge and side on and we still have three days to Tonga.
I alter course toward the island of Niue where we can shelter on
the Western side. When we arrive, we are surprised because the Easterly
wind remains strong and the waves white capped all the way to the
mooring buoys in the open bay. I call radio Niue for permission to take
a buoy, clear immigration and visit the island.
We pick up the buoy ahead of a Swedish yacht ‘Anastasia’.
Customs and Immigration say we are too late to be cleared for the day
we will have remain onboard until next morning.
A French couple come from their boat to welcome us. They have been in
Niue for three days and plan to leave in the morning because there is
severe weather on the way.
It will bring Westerly winds and dangerous conditions with the land close
to us. I am not expecting this dramatic wind shift and my forecasts aren’t
showing it for the area so early the following morning I decide to call
Chris Parker, my weather routing expert to ask his opinion.
He tells me there is a huge system bringing 50 to 60 knots of wind
coming up from Vanuatu and our mooring will be totally exposed.
His advice “and I’m sorry to have to say this, is to get back into the seas
you’ve just left and get to shelter in Tonga as quickly as possible.”
I let Niue know we will not be needing Customs clearance and half an hour
after speaking with Chris we are heading back out to sea.
As we drop the mooring the couple on the Swedish yacht behind are getting
into their dinghy to go ashore. We assume they are aware of the oncoming
weather as they are friendly with the French couple who are already on land.
‘Delos’ another yacht on the moorings also leaves for Tonga shortly after us.
Ours are the only two boats to arrive there.
We worry for the others.
We learn later, ‘Anastasia’ the Swedish yacht, was lost against the cliffs of Niue.

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Second close call.
As the storm approaches our harbor in Tonga the wind is starting to
Increase. It’s night and we are three people in an inflatable dinghy.
We have travelled the 30 meters from the shore dock and are now
within arms reach of my boat when the outboard engine stops.
3 pulls to restart and we are already downwind past the next mooring.
We struggle to co-ordinate between rowers and are now past the next boat.
One person takes control of rowing, she is strong, but we are still going
backwards. There is only one boat between us now and a shore
with no landing place. We just manage to grab onto its’ mooring ball and
pull alongside the small unoccupied motorboat. We cling to the side
and start calling for help.