Whilst preparing to leave Bora Bora, we were notified of a change to the rally itinerary. The original plan had a 690nm (4/5 days) sail to Suwarrow in the Cook Islands, a few days to explore and then 540nm (3/4 days) sail to Niue. However, due to a recent change in the immigration processes, this was no longer possible. So the fleet was going straight to Niue. Now we were preparing for a passage of about 1100nm (8/9 days) at sea!
Start day for Leg 5 was Friday 30th June. The sun shone brightly as the fleet set off. Escapade of London was looking particularly splendid with her new sails! Many thanks to our fellow participants for the excellent photos.
The passage started off well with fairly flat seas and winds of Force 4 (11 – 16 knots). The direction of the wind meant perfect conditions for a beam reach, giving us a heady boat speed of 7 to 8 knots.
As with most passages, the favourable conditions did not last long. Within a few hours, the sky had clouded over and we were getting regular squalls with their gusty winds and rain showers.
We had also changed course. The wind was now behind us and it was time for a change of sail plan. Out came the pole and we set the sails goosewing. We were a little slower in this set up, but still managed 5 to 7 knots.
Two days into passage, the wind started to die away and, by day 4, it was down to Force 2 (4 – 6 knots). It was on with the engine for a motor sail to keep the speed up.
The drop in wind coincided with a quick stop for Martin to jump in and untangle fishing line from around the keel and also a first in the fishing department – barracuda. It was a particularly vicious looking fish with sharp, pointed teeth. It certainly tasted much better than it looked.
Day 7 and the wind was back up to Force 4. This stayed with us for the rest of the journey and we had a great sail for the last 24 hours.
Finally, after 1094nm in 7.5 days, we arrived at the island of Niue.
Unlike the other places we had visited recently, Niue is not part of an island chain. This solitary island is a one of the largest raised coral atolls in the world. It has steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about 60m above sea level.
The sheer cliff faces continue under the water, making it too deep to anchor. Visiting yachts have to pick up one of the mooring buoys. When we arrived, at 8pm, we found that most of the buoys were already taken. Not having a choice to anchor or move somewhere else, we picked up a buoy that was due to be removed the next day for the supply ship to dock. After a long passage, it was definitely a case of sorting things out the next day!
After a good night’s sleep and organising moving buoys later in the day, we were ready to head ashore to check in.
When living on board, our dinghy is our car, transporting us to and from the shore. This is not always straight forward and we have had many interesting challenges with barnacle encrusted jetty walls, large surges and breaking waves. However, landing in Niue was definitely a unique experience. Due to the island’s steep cliffs, the only place to get ashore was the main wharf. Built for larger ferries and supply ships, the extremely high sides of the wharf mean that the only way to land is to use the crane to lift the dinghy out of the water. This is particularly difficult (in fact almost impossible) when there are large swells. Luckily, the weather was kind to us while we were there.
Once checked in, the next stop for us was tourist information office to find out a little more about our home for the next few days.
Niue is one of the smallest countries in the world. The island is roughy oval in shape with a diameter of 18 km (11 miles) and home to a population of approximately 2000. It has no crowds, no queues and definitely no busy roads or traffic lights. It has a sleepy relaxed feel about it, just like how life used to be.
On our travels, we have had the opportunity to visit yacht clubs of all shapes and sizes. Niue has a yacht club too, but this club has no club house and none of the local members have boats. Nevertheless, it has a massive membership, as most of the visiting yachties join. It proudly claims to be ‘the biggest little yacht club in the world’.
Since covid, the club has experienced increasing problems, but ex commodore Keith and his wife do a sterling job in maintaining a warm welcome to visitors. Not only did the club fund a superb welcome event for the rally, they were also superb tour guides. We had a great morning discovering the rugged coastline where the steep limestone cliffs make interesting shoreline features such as rocky pools, caves and chasms.
Whilst we were only in Niue for three days, we still had time to fit in a couple of dives. The visibility was amazing, at times over 30m. The diving here is caves and crevises with walls of plate coral forming home to tiny fish, nudibranch and inquisitive, but venomous sea snakes.
Our final night was another rally rendezvous. This time it was at the local resort. For the first time in a while, we had the chance to put on our glad rags and dine in style. Great food and even better company. Cheers!
Hey good to see you are alright and making good progress around the world. Just looked at Niue on the map to see where it is. I havn’t been in touch for a while but still here and looking at your posts, but I was in hospital recently for an op which I am slowly recoveing from. Will bore you about it some time. Keep making the most of evefry moment!! Dave.
My first reaction to your post is the realisation that you speak like a sailor! 🤣🤣🤣 The sailing language is now embedded in your psyche.
Shame you couldn’t go to Cook Islands. Interesting about the mooring in Niue. It’s the same in Norfolk Island. They also have a crane to lift the fishing boats out of the water and the monthly supply boat often can’t get in because it is too rough. So for Niue to have a yacht club is great!
Thank you for the compliment. Even after all of these miles I still consider myself as a new sailor!
See you soon
Hi,
Great to hear from you. Hope you are still on the mend.
Apologies for the slow response – the internet has been limited!
We have now arrived safely in Australia so connection should be better!!
Looks great 👍🤩
It was!
Very different from the other islands we have visited. xx