Sunday in Tonga is a day of rest and church, (apart from essential tourist needs), families attend the many churches and make it a family day.
I attended a service at the Baptist church above the resort just to listen to the singing, led by 2 strong male and female singers and the church choir, plenty of power harmonies and emotion. After the service the Pastor came and shook my hand and apologised for it all being in Tongan, I said "your church, your language". An interesting morning, children running in and out all the time and some of the women taking turns to prepare the feast for afterwards.
Monday was day 2 and we had drawn a good but old set in his ways skipper, we were not to touch the gear unless asked to or fighting a fish.
Peter at the back, Eric and I. Markus on the camera. I am wearing the points leaders yellow jersey, well coated in tuna blood and tomato ketchup, to be worn at all competition times, or you have to "shout" the bar for everyone.
Late morning a huge splash in the lures and a very big marlin tail walked before diving and ripping 36kg line from the reel, Erics time in the chair, with me steering the chair following the line
Eric attatched to something big!
2 hours later, a game of give and take, the top shot of 100m of nylon would be wound on the reel only to vanish again, over the next half hour Eric slowly gained line untill the deck hand could gram the trace with special gloves and pull the fish to the starboard side of the boat. The marlin had it's own ideas and drifted to the port side, the trace at one point touching the stopped propellor before coming free, of course the tag pole and gaff were ready on the other side of the boat and without direction we could not help.
I looked over the side at the fish, far longer than mine and estimated at over 300 kg, the deckhand had the trace held just above the lure, the fish rolled and the hook came out, the huge marlin swimming slowly away.
As far as game fishing goes it was a caught fish, but for the competition, no tag in the fish no points. If we had been able to get the tag pole and get the gaff to the other side it could have been different. The deck hand was on his knees crying, but we all said it was not his fault, nothing more he could have done.
That was the only excitement for that day. I was still leading on points as were our team.
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