Palmerston Atoll, Cook Islands

Locals fishing on the reef with spears

The Easterly Trade winds carried us 500 miles straight and true to Palmerston.  Upon leaving Mopelia we put up our spinnaker and there it stayed the entire trip.  We enjoyed this leg a lot until arriving in the dark early hours of the fourth day.  We hove to, wallowing waiting for sunrise.  

Palmerston Atoll has no  passable pass into the lagoon so the people their have put a few mooring balls on the outside of the atoll quite close to the reef.  We didn't want to venture too close to  the reef in the dark, also this atoll is not charted very well.  Rather safe than sorry!

At first light we approached Palmerston and were greater by a local in his dingy who guided us to one their mooring balls.
Chris and Rourke went for a dive right off T R I B E at the drop off and reported so many fish.  Large schools of enormous parrot fish among others.  

Windarra moored next to T R I B E off Palmerston Atoll

Chris and the visiting locals spot a whales just off our stern while on the mooring ball

 A mother and calf, two whimsical humpback whales were swimming around the stern of T R I B E welcoming us to the Cook Islands.

the whale and her calf swam right past our stern

 The thing about the mooring balls here is that one can only hang there in Easterly winds, that keeps your boat off the reef so one has to keep strict watch on the weather.  That afternoon we downloaded the weather grib and saw that the wind was going to be swinging West, so sadly we had to leave the next morning before going ashore to avoid any disasters.  We radio'd Edward Marsters ashore and promised to visit again on our next time round. 

this is how close one is to the reef when on the mooring ball with the wind blowing you away from the reef

 Beveridge Reef, a submerged circular reef, 300 miles to the West was our next stop. We have heard the tales of lobsters galore to be found at Beveridge! Would the weather permit us to stop there?   

Welcome Tongan readers!