Above - jigging off the jupe under the arch lights. Being six knows no greater delight.
Well, we're in Tonga now; very glad to be here, and in that initial part of our stay in a new country where I frantically try to catch up with science commitments using inconvenient internet access. So not a lot of detail here, but some images from our stop at Minerva Reef, a completely submerged atoll between New Zealand and Tonga.
We almost didn't visit because we're so shy about sailing to windward with the boys, but we heard enough glowing reports about the place just before we left New Zealand, and got a good enough forecast for fair winds onward to Vava'u, that we decided to head straight there.
We spent three days at the reef, catching up on sleep and having a look around. And what a treat - the place is surely one of the wonders of the world.
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| Not bad pics for a cloudy day. |
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| A visit to the reef at low tide to stretch our legs - what an unreal landscape. There's water continually flowing over the reef from the breakers crashing on the windward side. |
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| Sea cucumber. And boy. |
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| A very tired sailor, back on the Mothership. |
Great photos, thanks for sharing the experience. A truly beautiful place. Tried to imagine what it would be like on the reef in the middle of nowhere!
ReplyDeleteAndrea & david
I know, it is hard to picture before you go. I've heard people say that it's eery to be anchored on a reef in the middle of the open ocean like that - but we mostly found it to be very very comfortable, and comforting, after 5 days at sea!
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