WR is at Niue

While on Rarotonga we hiked the cross island track. The term 'trail' would suggest there had been some grading. This was just a route through the growth, often using tree roots for hand and footholds. The high point was a pass near a volcanic needle. We could see both the N and S coasts. Susan's search for crew led to Karin, a young woman from Sweden, joining me for the passage to Niue. She is working her way from Panama to Australia on various boats. From Aust. she will fly home to attend university. Upon leaving Rarotonga at first we had light winds, thunder, lightning, and rain, but overall the sailing went well. We covered the nearly 600 miles in 5.5 days and arrived here last Wed. This island consists of coral which has been thrust up to form the island. The rock is limestone filled with the honeycomb evidence of coral. There are several caves with flowstone formations including stalactites and stalagmites. The island is about 8 by 16 miles. We are moored at Alofi in the middle of the W side, and yesterday I rented a bike and visited caves and pools at the N end of the island. There are about a dozen boats here and we are all tied to moorings since the coral bottom tends to swallow anchors. We are hunkered down as we expect winds into the 30s on Mon. If all goes according to plan we will leave here on Tues. and sail two days to Neiafu in Tonga where Susan is waiting. The time here is GMT - 11. Tonga is on the other side of the dateline, and the time there is GMT + 13. Thus, when we go there we won't have to change the clocks, but we lose a day. (GMT means Greenwich Mean Time.)
Kit (and Susan)