Can you imagine? I’m looking out at the horizon, the sky is black, but littered with stars ablaze. The wind is gentle and we’re literally drifting through the night air. Suddenly I think I see a fire in the distance but we are already well offshore. The fire grows until it forms a huge orange circle in the sky and slowly turns into a more familiar full moon. This was one of the most amazing natural experiences I’ve ever had. To see the full moon rise over ocean near the equator is spectacular.

Just when I was thinking it couldn’t get any better than this a pod of humpback whales appeared around us. I couldn’t see them but I could hear the water spouting from their blow holes under the moonlight. I woke Robin up to confirm I wasn’t dreaming, and thankfully they surfaced again minutes later. Special.

Bella this is for you! The extreme potential of the go pro, our best footage from Tonga. Haha. But we’re getting better and aided by a screen which has helped us avoid catching footage of sky and horizon whilst a gigantic whale cruises past out of view. xx

thecrab from Anna Cleal on Vimeo.

One our favourite anchorages in Tonga is Kenutu. This island on the more remote Eastern side of the Vavau group has an incredible isolated “edge of the world” feeling. There’s been a few spots like this around Tonga but note others with an incredible sandbank for kitesurfing a short dingy ride away. Here are some pictures taken from the top of the mast as we weaved our way through coral reefs. Oh yeah and on the outside of the reef is where I snorekelled with my first tiger shark. Thankfully it was catching some zzz’s on the sandy bottom of the lagoon. While these incredible moments are what we are loving about his trip I didn’t feel like I needed to stick around until it woke up. In fact Robin said he’d never seen me swim so fast back to the dingy. Congrats Kenutu for being our #1 spot in the Vava’u group.

Sometimes pictures speak louder than words. This was a hard place to get into. Waves were breaking on reefs dotted outside the anchorage. I was up the mast guiding dad and Robin through the maze of reefs and telling them where I could see waves breaking. The reward was this…

It’s a surreal feeling stepping onto dry land after being at sea for 11 days. In actual fact I could have kept going with the stress free, internet free, and equally shower free life, crazy as it may sound. I haven’t had very many times in my life where I have been subject to less information. By this I mean you go every day looking out at the ocean seeing nothing else. Occasionally you might see a rainbow or a really spectacular sunrise and it becomes the highlight of your day. You might catch a fish, and that becomes the highlight of your day. Or you have a really good yarn to the people you are sharing the journey with and that becomes the highlight of your day. The definition of simplicity. At times like this I want to keep going, to throw my computer off the boat, keep only tow or three favourite books, my guitar and pick up all my loved ones. Alas not everyone wants to sail the world, and for that reason alone I will always be pulled back to reality, and probably at the end of the day life in the city of Auckies, NZ. But while you’re out there, eternity is close, the sun rises and the sun falls, the birds fly and the fish jump. the wind breezes and the waves roll. The rhythm of life continues as it has for many years.