18:39.602 S  173:58.906 W

03/09/09

We had a fast passage and arrived on Tonga’s doorstep just before 5 AM.  We hovered for an hour or so outside Refuge Bay in calm water waiting for light  to motor the last 6 miles up the channel to Neiafu.  Port Control told us to pick up a mooring and come ashore with the paperwork as they were expecting a cargo ship which was just behind us.  The electronic chart was a bit out as it shows our track on the land in several places

I went in too early at  8:00 to find that  customs  didn’t open until  8:30 and again at 9:00 to be told to come back in  ½ an hour as the officials  were still on the cargo ship.  When I found them eventually they insisted that the  boat be brought to their dock for processing.

They were very relaxed about the paper work in the end.  Its been a sprinkley day and we have lost Wednesday completely as  instead of GMT – 11 hours it is all of a sudden GMT+ 13 hours.