In 2019 my wife, Molly, and I cast off lines from our homeport in New Hampshire with the goal of cruising as far as New Zealand before turning around and heading back home. We traveled for almost two years, and during that time we savored archipelagos galore, having made stops in the eastern Caribbean, the Galapagos, Tahiti and French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands. And yet the virtually unknown Kingdom of Tonga was the most pleasant surprise.
One of the most enchanting cruising grounds in the world, it has crystal-clear waters, lush green islands, white-sand beaches, vibrant reefs and friendly English-speaking people. But those things are only part of Tonga’s charm. This chain of 171 islands, of which only 36 are inhabited, offers mile after mile of sheltered water with deep channels and snug anchorages. It’s a sailor’s paradise unlike any other in the South Pacific.
Prior to this trip, Molly and I had sailed the East Coast and Caribbean, but we had never operated in the Pacific; that is, until we, our 1991 Valiant 40. This type of cruising was all new. There were longer passages, bigger swells, vast spaces without a speck of land and virtually no harbors. Because we were raised where cozy harbors abound, we found the Pacific’s open roadsteads that postured as harbors somewhat unsettling. Sure, one could tuck inside the reef at places like Tahiti or Huahine and find a calm anchorage. But underway again, you would be back on the deep blue sea in the blink of an eye. Tonga’s protected waters and numerous harbors beat that. Think Maine, with palm trees and no fog.
