Tuvalu is not well liked by most cruisers. The restriction is that you can not stop until clearing in at Funafuti and you are not allowed to stop after clearing out. Most cruisers only see Funafuti and don't take the time to travel to the other atolls, not wishing to sail back to check out. This is a mistake. Only 4 of the 9 atolls and islands can be visited by yacht, the others having no safe anchorage, but the ones you can get into are spectacular and the people are very friendly. In a few days you will know everyone on the island, have people visiting your boat, taking part in school activities with the children, meeting the kaupule and aliki (governing council and chief). Fresh fish, banana's, casava, even a hock of pig can be expected as gifts. It's really a paradise.
Funafuti is the capital and has half of the 9600 people residing there. The lagoon is quite large but very little land mass, the islands being only a few hundred feet across in width. The Tuvalu Marine School trains the local men for crewing aboard merchant vessels and this is th eprimary income for the nation. No laundry, no lpg but diesel is available. No fresh produce as the land is made of sand but it does support coconuts, breadfruit, papaya, and a very few others.
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A`ohe `ulu e loa`a i ka pokole o ka lou.
No breadfruit can be reached when the picking stick is too short.
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