What an adventure Salt Lines has had since departing Tonga only 6 days ago! We’ve made our way to Wallis from Nuku’alufa, which was no easy task. Our 450 nautical mile run North was broad reaching the whole way, with gusts up to 38 knots, and despite how lovely that may sound, don’t be fooled! John claims it was one of the most confused sea states he’s seen in a while, which he might have been saying just to make everyone feel better about how seasick we all were. But the crew prevailed, and were all looking much slimmer by the time we rolled into Wallis.

The island of Wallis is completely surrounded by a barrier reef, with only a few narrow channels to get to the island through. We timed our entry with the morning slack tide and were relieved to find ourselves in calm waters and some sunshine. After a quick stop at customs, we found a sheltered anchorage on the leeward side of the island and set up for the evening. We hung out our wet clothes for a freshwater rinse in the rain and then got a good night’s sleep.

On Saturday morning I took some of our crew to shore to see the sights, and others off to one of the little islands by the reef for some diving. Back on the boat, John set to work with Rob and Aaron on fixing all sorts of things that had stopped working during our sail up. First up was fitting a new alternator belt, then another, as our first spare lasted all of 15 minutes before giving up the gun. We spent the day cleaning and fixing and taking breaks from the bilges to jump in the water and have a shower in the rain. Onshore, our crew was finding their way around the island, mostly by hitching a ride with the locals to see the sights. The team that went off to their little island for some snorkeling came back with tales of incredible rainbow reefs and new fish friends.

Sunday was just as busy. We started with an early trip back to the island for more snorkelling and sunbathing. After dropping off our island explorers, we took the dinghy to the outer barrier reef to look for spearfishing spots and maybe some sharks to dive with. We found both! Andy and James caught loads of fish for dinner, which they kindly shared with the crew. In the afternoon, we went to Lac Lalolalo, a freshwater lake about three miles from where we beached the dinghy. The view of the lake from the surrounding cliffs was a beautiful change from the sea views we had been seeing for the past week. It was nice to stretch our legs on land before our upcoming sail to Vanuatu.

To celebrate our weekend in Wallis, we broke out the barbecue and cooked our fresh fish, and some steaks Aaron had found onshore the day before. We all sat out on deck, enjoying the stars and the active nighttime sealife at our anchorage.

We had a very early departure from Wallis this morning to Vanuatu, as we have fairly light winds forecasted, and unfortunately, flights to catch. It has been a beautiful morning, with full sails, and even a poled out yankee! Its quiet onboard as we’ve settled into our watches, some of us resting on deck and others taking advantage of the calm seas to get sleep down below. Onward to Vanuatu!

Cheers,

Olivia

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