By John Kinley, Apprentice April 29th, 2014 Tongans are renowned for their musical prowess and for their unmatched sense of hospitality. During the Picton Castle‘s stay in Tonga, the crew was treated to both in abundance. A fellow member of the crew, Vai Latu, is a Tongan from the very islands we were visiting, the …
By Chelsea McBroom April 27th, 2014 On my first day ashore with Picton Castle‘s port watch, I left the café, having finished my delicious fruit smoothie and walked down the street to the fresh market. This island, Vava’u, is where our shipmate Vai is from and her grandmother and aunt were selling their handmade baskets …
By Kate “Bob” Addison We sailed from Samoa to the Vava’u Group of Tonga (at the northern end of about 400 miles of islands) and, after a three day passage, we arrived on Tuesday morning. The week has just flown by. The country, one of the last absolute monarchies left in the world, is made …
