New Zealand - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 328

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Those of us who had hung back in Tonga faced a different dilemma: where to seek shelter.
Sailors in the Vava'u group had the straightforward choice between several secure anchor-
ages, including Neiafu and Tapana. Down south in Tongatapu, our options were less clear
cut. We were among a dozen boats anchored off Pangaimotu, a small island across the wide
lagoon from Nuku'alofa, Tonga's capital “city.” The holding in sand felt secure, but we
were uneasy at the prospect of the open seven-mile fetch to the west - exactly the direction
from which twelve hours of high winds were expected at the height of the storm.
The alternative was to move across the bay into the Nuku'alofa harbor, but that required an
extensive set-up of two anchors plus lines ashore rigged with rat preventers. Rats - ugh! In
the evenings preceding the storm, we all huddled at Big Mama's open-air restaurant on
Pangaimotu to weigh our options. Several crews felt harbor-shy after a recent domino-ef-
fect dragging incident back in the central Ha'apai group of Tonga. Better to stay in the open
anchorage and allow space to react, they reasoned, than be squeezed into a corner. Others
favored the harbor's superior shelter and proximity to town. Meanwhile, our children
played on the beach, blissfully unencumbered by the anxiety-producing distractions their
parents were suffering. The fact that our numbers were swelled by several boats who had
turned back from their passages did, however, reassure us that we had made the right de-
cision to stay in Tonga.
With two days remaining before the storm, we opted to move to the inner harbor, going
stern-to the breakwater with seven other yachts (and space for several more). The muddy
bottom provided excellent holding, and the breadth of the harbor allowed us to get a good
150 feet of chain out on our primary bow anchor. We also set a secondary anchor to the
west on another one hundred feet of rode. Once settling into a spider web of criss-crossing
lines (all sporting discs to discourage stowaway rats), we sat back, watched the barometer
drop, and crossed our fingers for those at sea.
It's hard to put a price on safety and comfort, but consider this: one couple who sat out the
storm in Tonga forfeited very expensive flights they had already booked from New Zeal-
and. Still, they were relieved to be safe aboard their floating home in relatively sheltered
waters. Meanwhile, many yachts who did brave the storm sustained damage and conse-
quently paid for repairs by the oh-so-obliging New Zealand yacht industry. It's a trade-off
that's difficult to quantify, but certainly bears keeping in mind.