[password]Tsar12
[position]13 82.75S 171 75.94W
[weather]sky clear wind E 5-10 knots 30 degrees
[status]our last night at sea on arrival to Apia was more of the same - deep reef main only we tried to lose speed to prevent getting there before dawn however we needed to gybe out to sea for 5 nm then gybe back in to waste a bit of time so we could make the approach in light - as we go further west the sun sets later in the day then rises later - also we didn?t realise as we crossed the dateline between US Samoa and Western Samoa that not only do we get back to the same day as NZ but also lose an hour so that worked against us as well.
On making the approach to the harbour we couldn?t raise the port Authority so entered regardless and once inside we all took a drenching as a heavy rain cloud opened up and we needed to stay outside for visibility such was the strength of the downpour
.
We anchored outside the entrance to the marina where therewere also a dozen boats.
Finally port authority responded and I started ferrying 4 lots of officials back and forth between the marina and the boat at anchorage - a process that took half the day - it wasn?t helped by the fact that a Canadian boat had been searched the day before and found to have some ?personal drugs? aboard- the police arresting him , impounding his boat and searching all the other boats in the bay. Hence the process on our boat included thorough investigation of all our cooking spices etc !
Having finally cleared I went in to the marina and picked up Susanna and Gil the new crew and got them settled - there are now 5 of us aboard .
Leaving Susanna and Gill on board to settle in we took off into town to have a look - a rather uninspiring town which is why I don?t have very vivid memories of it from 2010 when I was here on Cool Change.
On getting back to the marina and talking to the marina manager I decided to shift the local craft that was in the only berth capable taking us to the next berth so we could come in from anchorage before dark.
With the cafes deck extending slightly over the water there wasn?t a lot of room to manoeuvre however it was still probably more than getting into the marina in our berth at Bayswater (home)and there were probably a few interested punters in the bars looking on - all went well and we got P?zazz hooked up to shore power for the first time since leaving Auckland on May 5 - must say it feels good to know we have unlimited power ( be good for the batteries to have 100%) and water for a few days.
There are a few jobs we will tend to before leaving which will probably be Tuesday - our next stop is Savu Savu in Fiji which we are looking forward) to.
After( fish )dinner )on board in the marina last night Graham and I decided to walk round to the bar for a night cap however we were both so tired after the last few nights at sea that finishing the jug of beer was a chore and he had to kick me a few times as I slumped in my chair !
Needless to say everyone slept v well.
This morning our Aussie friend Nick from Urchin pulled into the marina opposite so we helped him berth( he is solo) and he finished breakfast with us with was on the table - good timing Nick !
Today into the vege market and doing a few jobs- including LOTS of washing -over the next few days we will probably rent a car and do a tour of the island before leaving.

[END]