I’m getting ready to continue west. Towards Tonga where I’ll pick up Daniel, my youngest son. I really can’t wait to have him back onboard again. Daniel will leave Sweden and fly in an easterly direction, via Bangkok, Singapore and Fiji. And in the process he will lose ten hours (it’s still daylight saving time in Europe). All while I’ll be losing a whole day as I’m moving in the opposite direction. Tonga is located 175 degrees W, and therefore technically not past the Dateline, but I understand that at some point in time they opted to be the first, rather than the last, country to see a new day. To be in the eastern hemisphere.
Now, as I’m getting close to once again cross over to the eastern hemisphere, I’m also coming up on the half way mark. Half way around the world. On my own keel and generally by myself. In a couple of days I’ll be there and I hope to be able to celebrate this milestone at the Suwarrow atoll.
Suwarrow is a convenient stop half way to Tonga. It’s a nature reserve that belongs to the Cook Islands. Named after a Russian ship that ‘discovered’ it back in 1814. There are a couple of rangers there but otherwise the atoll is uninhabited. As I understand it, there is a married couple stationed there at present and cruisers that plan to visit the atoll have been asked to bring supplies for them as their fridge/freezer has packed it in.
The most famous Suwarrian/Suwarrowian person from Suwarrow must be Tom Neale. A Kiwi prepper/survivalist/nutter that stayed sixteen years in the atoll. Cruisers used to be asked by authorities in New Zealand to check up on him and his experiences have been documented in an autobiography called ‘An Island to Oneself’. I guess that makes my upcoming milestone look like a walk in the park.
With that, I’m going off-grid for a while. Probably closer to sixteen days than sixteen years. I will of course have my satellite phone and document my own experiences on the GPS tracker. Otherwise I hope to be in Tonga the next time you hear from me.
https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV_Saoirse_1
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Saoirse 
Härligt! Trevlig resa!
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Ha det så bra och var rädd om dig. Hör gärna av dig när du har tillfälle. Kram mamma och pappa.
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Hi Tomas, needless to say I had never heard of Suwarrow but now check out all theses islands on google maps. Great geography lesson for me!It doesn’t look like a fun place with the handful of rangers-and one that could easily disappear given all that water in the middle. Congratulations on achieving 1/2 way and wish you well for the second half. Awful wet summer in Ireland but looking forward to pontoon b next month. You don’t mention temperatures that much but I presume it is pretty hot? Regards Fergal
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Thanks. I heard that Suwarrow is beautiful and that there is a humpback whale and her calf in the lagoon now. I really hope to see that. I just started the sail there it should take a little less than five days. And then there is another six days or so to Tonga.
The temperature here is generally a little over 30 degrees C. Very comfortable. All the best. And say hello to anyone I know on the Pontoon. Tomas
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Hi, Tomas ~ I’m not sure how I missed commenting on this one — I now realize this post is the one you’d mentioned Daniel meeting up with you in Tonga (initially, I thought you were meeting in Fiji). Speaking of which, I hope you are both enjoying Tonga and all the magic it offers! You’ll be in Tonga for the Super Blue Moon — which may be tonight for you as you’re a day ahead of me — the Super Blue Moon is tomorrow, for me, on August 30th. Another astronomical feature to keep an eye on in the sky is Saturn — apparently the planet will be highly visible starting at the end of August through November. Not sure if being in the southern hemisphere changes things in that regard. It’s been a long time since I studied astronomy in college; when I did, I had the utmost pleasure of attending astronomy lab, one night, at my university’s planetarium and as I looked through a telescope, I saw the individual rings surrounding Saturn — talk about magical! Fair winds, ~ Chelle
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Hi there Chelle. I think we had our Blue Moon last night. Watched it from a neighbouring catamaran after a weird local dance show that I can only describe as some form of burlesque Tongan drag show. Not the traditional Sipo Tau (Tongan type of Haka) that we expected. Anyway, Daniel is on his way and all going well with his four flights he should be here tomorrow afternoon. All the best. Tomas
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I’ve got the Super Blue Moon, here, tonight — gorgeous! Did you get any pics of the dance? So excited for you to hang out with Daniel — can’t wait to hear about your adventures! Best to you always, ~ Chelle P.S. Sent a couple emails. Hope you rec’d them AOK.
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