Photo by Pat Car

Dozens of cruising yachts are sailing in the Port of Refuge Harbour this week for Tonga's first "Annual Regatta Vava'u" that opened Thursday September 3.

The six-day festival of sailing features two race events, as well as a food and craft fair, traditional Tongan feasts, a fantastic Full Moon Party, a pub crawl, a kid's day, and other fun activities and opportunities to "wise-up on ocean ecology".

The organisers say the event will contribute to environmental education in the Pacific. Ben Newton (s/v Waking Dream), James Barbour (dinghy JamesIAm), and Baker Hardin (s/v Litenup) are hopeful that the regatta will become an annual one that will see cruisers and spectators from all parts of the world having fun in a spectacular yachting area while supporting Vava'u's local charities.

Lisa Newton said the event had been a goal for a number of years.

"We are also involved in the Vava'u Coral Reef Gardening project and it makes sense to combine the two and have an ecological focus for the Regatta and also to raise funds for coral gardening," she said.

The 50 or so islands of Vava'u are classic idyllic isles with coconut palms leaning over secluded coral sand beaches and clear blue water lagoons.

"As well as making those glossy photos a reality, the islands offer numerous sheltered anchorages and safe harbours that are linked by a network deep water channels making Vava'u the perfect sailing holiday destination and a popular stopover for boats on their way to New Zealand for the summer season," the regatta organisers stated.

Vava'u is famous as a breeding ground for the Antarctic Humpback Whales from June to November.