Vaega tolu

With the boat safely home it was of course time to settle back into the real World and work which left little time for taking her out.    Between the odd weekend working, looking after a home and visits to Brisbane to see Michelle and dad there were only a few weekends spare to spend time cleaning and looking at little maintenance jobs on board.

Small things at least are quick and give almost instant reward in their completion.  New vent cowls look much better than the old deteriorating ones. Replacing the hoses on the heads are certainly not the nicest of chores but it does make things work a lot easier.   New water filter on the drinking water.

The time to finish work and spend more time on board is approaching and I announced an end date to my superiors.  There is light at the end of the tunnel so more time is needed to clean out lockers and arrange the V-berth ready for my youngest son to join me on board.  Lucky there is a spare cabin – aka ‘the shed’, to move all the spares and tools into. 

The best opportunity for a weekend of sailing came with the Australia Day longweekend.  Not actually a longweekend but a sickie on the Monday and Australia Day on the Tuesday made for four days off. The plan – to head back across Hervey Bay to ‘Rooneys’ or where ever we hit the western side of Fraser Island. 

Does anything work in my favour?  Friday night I start showing spots across my chest and not feeling very well at all.  Change of plan is to go to the boat, stay on board and see how I feel the next morning. Not a lot better so we stay alongside for Saturday and relax away from work the issues of managing a property.  Feeling a little better Sunday, but not ready to head out we started a few little things on board.

One of the big things that was planned for the weekend away was a renaming ceremony adjacent to Fraser Island.  Not getting there didn’t deter us, so we went ahead alongside in the marina.  There are varied opinions on changing the name.  I know of some who’ve just gone ahead and change the name of their boat with no concerns at all.   After an in-depth search on the ever reliable and must be believed internet there seems to be so many variations on how a name changing ceremony should go.  Not wanting to tempt the Gods and with the luck I have had so far with this boat, I wrote my own little ceremony.  Acknowledgement of the indigenous owners of the area and thanking Neptune for his care (?) so far and then asking Tangoroa to look after her from now she is now called Vaega tolu.

So, on January 25 2021……….

“ I respectfully acknowledge the past, present and future traditional owners of the lands and waters we are currently moored in.”

“I call on Neptune, the Great Sea God and the Gods of all the winds and waters where this boat has come from.  I thank him for his care of this boat and all those who have travelled on your seas and crossed the Globe to be here.”

“I ask the name of this boat, ‘Papillon’ be expunged from the list of boats in your care.”  At this point I cast a piece of wood with the old name on it into the waters and erased the name from the boat’s log.

“I now call on the Great God of the Seas here and the Pacific, ‘Tangoroa’ to now take into your care this boat now named “Vaege tolu”.  I humbly ask for safe passage across your seas and promise to be respectful of all the creatures of the sea in your care.” With no kava on hand I offered a tot of rum (Kraken of course) to Tangoroa and some for the boat.  Wrote the new name in the boat’s log and then with a little champagne and a few more rums, toasted the boat.

Vaega tolu – is Samoan for Part three.  For me that’s school, work and now retirement – or should I say Sea-tirement.