We left Suwarrow Island and start heading to American Samoa.
The 448nm passage from the Cook Islands of Suwarrow to American Samoa was an experience we will never forget.

We had a couple days with light wind once we left Suwarrow, then we had a couple days with mix weather, light and strong winds at times thanks to the squalls and one last day of light winds and rain squalls that transitioned to a scary storm that change from a few knots of wind over the course of an hour to blowing 20 knots and kept climbing to a 40+ knots winds and lighting.

When the storm started we were 20 miles off American Samoa. We thought it would be dangerous to get in the harbor at nights, so we decided to drifted and ride the storm.
It was a really scary the storm that last all night till the morning. We were exhausted. None of us slept much.

Early in the morning the storm was getting calmer but we were still waiting to see when was the best time to start motoring into the Harbor Pago Pago before the weather gets bad again, we didn’t want to encounter a squall coming in. An hour later we decided to go for it.
After a rough 5 days passage, We made it safe to American Samoa.

The port of Pago Pago is located in the island of Tutuila the largest island in American Samoa and is one of the world’s largest natural harbors. The harbor is surrounded and sheltered by mountains Mount Alava, Mount Matafao and Rainmaker Mountain.

We arrived on a Sunday and we had to wait to check into the country the next day. Sundays in American Samoa are observed as a national day of rest and the people spend the day with theirs families.

The people of American Samoa are very proud of their strong Samoan culture and heritage where family life and Christian values form the basis of their society.

We checked out the famous Fagatogo market in town to buy some of Tongan authentic handcraft and buy some veggies and fruits.

July in American Samoa is pretty wet and windy and the anchorage at the Harbor has been challenging.

During our stay in American Samoa we visited Aunuʻu a small volcanic island off the southeastern shore of Tutuila. To get there we have to get a 15 minute boat ride from Tutuila Island. Aunu’u is a very tranquil and small island with a population of 436 persons. We hiked around the island and found a couple cool spots to hang out.

The people of American Samoa celebrate the raising of the American flag on Tutuila island with the famous Fautasi Race. Every village of the island compete racing a samoan long boat, they are around 100 feet long and can accommodate a rowing crew of 50 people. The winners of this year was Nuuuli’s with the Manulele Tausala low rider, the strength of its crew and its captain were amazing.

After a couple months we were ready to leave Pago Pago Harbor and start our voyage to the Kingdom of Tonga.