Still at Tongatapu. We are hoping to head North to Vava'u tomorrow. We now have a local phone at much much better rates than the Telecom ones. It doesn't cost us anything to receive calls now and we can reply to your texts. The number is 00676 8798280. We are having a lot of trouble with getting onto our email.

I caused our delay here by the simple expedient of losing the dinghy - oh yes, the whole dinghy, motor, oars, gas can and pretty much all my self esteem. I am more chagrinned (is that a word?) than I can recall. There is, of course, a story to this sad and very costly event but, there's no way around it, I miss-tied it while on another yacht having drinks.

We were anchored opposite the lagoon entrance with a steady wind blowing directly out to sea. It was pitch black by the time we discovered the empty space where the dinghy was supposed to be. I have never before seen so empty a space. I realised then and there just how much I loved that dinghy. It was our connection to the shore, other boats and people, our method for exploring shorelines, lagoons and secret places, our vehicle for fishing and gathering supplies. Without it we were marooned.

We did scan a few metres of sea with a search light but it was rather obvious to us all that our dinghy had an unassailable head start on us of at least a couple of hours and was, in all probability, well on it's way to the Lau Group of Fiji.

The VHF station here has kindly broadcast this loss in the slim hope that it will be sighted but, apart from letting everyone in Tonga know that it was me that has done this fantastically stupid thing, we have had no good news. I spent a sleepless night berating myself - Janet is just so relieved that it was not her fault - and wondering how we were ever going to find a wee dinghy suitable for our yacht. It seemed we would have to have one flown up from NZ or Australia. But, to our amazement we've had several offers of 2nd hand inflatables and have gone with having a fibreglass one made. And more amazingly, it has taken just two days to complete.

We hope our trustly little dinghy will bob across the sea and be washed ashore into the arms a Fijian family who will love her as we have.