MAROONED

We had planned to move off this morning , returning slowly back towards Pangai and the end of our adventure but dawn heralded a surprise with strong winds and the beginning of a rain front moving over. With these low atoll type islands the visibility of destinations on the distant horizon disappear quickly
In cloudy , showery conditions. The constant booming of the surf hitting the outer reef and an ocean of white horses confirms that we are marooned till things improve.
Our water supply is the only real concern as we are down to about 9 or 10 liters . We have a small portable desalinator unit that we can set up – requires approx 1 hour of manual labour to produce one liter of drinking water. Ever heard the old expression ” He holds the lantern while his mother cuts the wood” ? thought I might try a ” He holds the bucket of sea water and little hoses while his woman pulls the lever” Worth a go!

wet and wild so we have retreated back to the tent for reading.

Pig Friday made her visit again last night to feed on the surplus couscous and the coconuts that I break open for her. I imagine that the lifespan of a pig in Tonga , forgetting feasts , must have to do with the number of coconuts they breach. Like a car that runs out at 300,000 Kms a pig may run to 50,000 coconuts before teeth are all finished.