Land Ho!

(Note: this was posted in the wrong order! Obviously it should have been AFTER we crossed the ocean!)

On the morning of the 7th day we could smell the land. Dusky and smokey. Tongatapu is low level so it did not make itself apparent until we were only a few miles away. We were all very excited and none more than Darren as it was his birthday! Happy Birthday Leachy! There was a renewed spring in their step as we navigated the reef entrance to the harbour, laughing and talking about what we were most looking forward to when we reached the shore. Showers and a toilet that didn’t move were high on the list! We radioed ahead to Big Mama’s, dropped anchor in the calm bay off the point near a rusty bow of a shipwreck and did a quick tidy up before Customs and Immigration came aboard. 5 big burly blokes all softly spoken came aboard and sat around the table. Greetings exchanged, we filled in the forms and a few rubber stamps sealed the deal. Then the head guy asked if we had any soda or soft drink. My head started swirling thinking it was a problem bringing softdrink into the country when I realized that what they actually wanted was a drink! I had boiled the kettle for a cup of tea but what they really wanted was some of that Coca Cola stuff!