Day 160 "New Potatoes"

Niuatoputapu Island
During the night the seas built and the wind shifted by about 30º so that it was now directly from the East. This meant that our 180º heading had changed from comfortable to uncomfortable. Mark was unable to sleep in his cabin as Southern Star tends to pound into the swells when the wind is coming from forward of abeam (forward of the side of the boat) and this motion launches anyone in the forward berth.
By mid-morning, we made the decision to abandon Vava'u and head instead for Niuatoputapu which was West of us and could be reached on a more comfortable 220º heading. We informed Liahona and Panache and they also altered their course.
We were relaxing in the cockpit when suddenly Andy noticed that the line to the "meat hook" was taught. The meat hook is a 50 foot fixed line of 1000 pound test mono-filament with a 300 pound test leader attached to a red and black imitation squid with a single rusty hook. It would seem to be the most unlikely device with which to catch a fish. To lower the probability that we would bring in whatever was on the hook, Andy began to haul it in and then let it go slack so he could get some gloves. So far we had done everything wrong and we don't even know for how long we might have been towing the fish.
As he began to pull the line in hand-over-hand, we could see a yellow flash in the water. That meant either Dorado or yellow fin tuna. Mark got the gaff ready and as Andy pulled the fish alongside, we realized we had hooked the largest tuna that we had caught during the entire trip. By the time the steaks were harvested, they filled both of our largest pots.
We enjoyed a sashimi and grilled ahi lunch and marveled at the quality of the fish. The best sushi restaurant in Tokyo could not match our feast.
By late afternoon we could see the island of Tafahi which is 5 miles North of Niuatupatapu and more visible as it is a steep volcanic cone the rises abruptly 2,000 feet from the sea. This area of the Pacific is still seismically active and two years ago a cruiser reported sailing through a pumice filled sea 20 miles North of here. The sailing guide says there is an island that appears every so often after being created by an undersea volcano and then disappears as it is eroded by wave activity.
We arrived at Niuatoputapu just in time to make it through the reef pass before the sun set. The pass is well marked by numerous lighted posts but it is very narrow and the reef on either side is shallow and formidable. Had we been an hour later, we would have had to wait until dawn. There were already 10 other boats in the harbor but we were able to find a good anchorage on our second try.
We might have lost a day in the passage but it was more than made up for with our luck fishing and reaching the island before dark.