Huahine to Raiatea to Tahaa

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Exited the pass at 0800. Genoa furled out and the motor off by 1020.

Steady 5 knots. Winds N at 15 knots

Seas 1 meter. Mostly blue sky.

Another perfect sailing day across to Raiatea.

Raiatea is the administration Capitol of the Leeward Islands. It is a beautiful motu that actually shares the lagoon with Tahaa. There are nine passes into this lagoon so entry is not as tricky as some passes that we have encountered.

I was just reading the travel brochure under the heading things "Not to be Missed". Bullet Number Three: An unforgettable cruise aboard a sailboat. Guess that's us!

We were planning on stopping here for a day or too but the anchorages close too shore are all really deep. With an unreliable outboard - actually a non-functioning outboard - we really did not want to be out by the reef. It was a joint decision to continue on to Tahaa. 

So we headed down to Paipai Pass and Baie Hurepiti. Beautiful spot. 

The bay is well in from the reef and you are surrounded by lush green hills and very calm water. It is almost like being on a lake. The bay is fairly deep with the odd shallow spot. In a moment of distraction we were able to find one of those shallow spots. 6.8 feet to be exact. And our boat draws 6.8 feet. So guess what? We were aground!

After a few expletives from the Helmsman, aka Captain, aka David - we went into action. We were at a low tide and there was no hope of driving ourselves off of the shelf so we immediately put the dinghy in the water. Then David rowed out the auxiliary anchor off the port side. 

The shelf was on our starboard side. Good thing it was a relatively flat shelf with just a few small rocks but mostly mud.

Noah, a botanist from the local tour business, came out to see if we needed any assistance. We told him we were fine but he still offered to keep channel 9. Open on the VHF radio in case we needed help as the tide rose. We had a nice chat. His family owns Vanilla Tours and conducts tours via land and water around the island. He was a very nice young man, educated in France and a very good grasp of the English language. He has also spent time in New Zealand and Australia. His mother is Italian and father is French and they came to Tahaa 30 years ago. Very interesting guy to talk to.

Tide was not going to do anything for a couple of hours so I proceeded to make penne pasta with Italian sausage but not before mixing a Cuba Libra for David to help with the mood adjustment!

Took a moment to enjoy a lovely dinner and appreciate the surroundings. It really is a beautiful spot.

Shortly after six the tide started to rise and by 2100 hours we were lifted off the bottom. Noah told us that we could use one of their mooring buoys as it would be dark when we were released. So I drove the boat, in the dark, and David hung out at the bow with the flashlight. I am getting pretty good with this maneuvering to pick up a buoy. In no time we were secured in a bay that looked like a mirror. Time to just enjoy the moment!

Papeete to Moorea to Huahine

 On the 5 th of July we left Papeete for Moorea - a mere 20 mm across the channel. We anchored outside Cook's Bay by the reef.

 The water was crystal clear with the odd Ray swimming by. We went ashore and had a delightful lunch with fresh tuna and Maui Maui. This ended up being our dinner. Then I got to jump in the water and swim back out to the boat. Pretty well made for a perfect day for me!

A short squall came in during the early evening but our anchor held well in sand and the water stayed relatively calm. 

Belvanie arrived in the anchorage so we went over to say hi. I swam. David went in the dinghy. They were staying for 5 days or so. We were leaving that night for an overnight passage.

So back to the boat to make preparations. I made some salmon sandwiches along with some chicken cacciatore and ravioli.

Back in the boat to clean the water line - this is actually one of my favorite chores - I get exercise, sculling and kicking to keep myself afloat while I scrub the green growth and odd barnacles off of the boat. It takes one to two hours depending on the amount of growth. Not too bad this time as it was only an hour. David got in with me and ducked dove to clean off the knot meter - few barnacles were preventing it from working. 

A light lunch of nachos and fresh salsa - what a treat as fresh tomatoes has been a rarity in French Polynesia.

1530: Motor sailing for the beginning of our crossing and a sunset cruise. 

Course 280 True.  Speed 4.7 knots

Winds SSW at 6 knots

1700 Double reefed Main

     Genoa at 80%

Speed 4.7 knots

Winds gradually increased through the early part of the evening and we were flying at 7.8 knots.

But as the sun went down the rolling seas were causing the Genoa to dump - sail not staying full - so we decided to roll it in. This reduced our speed to 5.2 knots which is not such a bad thing when sailing at night.

The Stars were out in full force, including the occasional comet. No squalls. A couple of short rain showers. A near perfect night - just a bit rolly.

Seas finally calmed down as the sun came up. We finished the crossing in wonderful conditions as we entered Avapihi pass on Huahine.

Geography Lesson cont'd: French Polynesia is made up of 5 archipelagos. We have been to the two most eastern ones - the Marquesas and the Tuomotos. Tahiti is part of the third and largest one - the Societies. Tahiti and Moorea are part of the Windward Islands. The rest of our time will be spent in the Leeward Islands. We will not be visiting the Gambiers or the Australes. Not because we do not want to but our visa is up on the 23 rd of July.

After entering the pass by the village at Fare we back tracked to an anchorage on the SW end of the island. The channel is well marked with lots of possibilities for anchoring.

Not much sleep for either of us last night so we set the hook, had a nice brunch and then went to bed.

I thought Moorea was beautiful. This is even more so.

Huahine is a very laid back island with few resorts but none of the hustle and bustle of Papeete. It is 105 nm northwest of Tahiti. The island was formed by a volcanic eruption and is actually two islands. A bridge connects Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti. Two mountains reach their peaks at 2200ft ( Mt. Turi) and Mt. Ponies Rahi at 1515 feet.

The island, lagoon and reef are absolutely beautiful.

 The motus are planted with cantaloupes and watermelon. Cucumbers, taro, yams, bananas and other seasonal fruit are also grown here,

We spent a couple of days at this anchorage. I got caught up on with my swimming and finished cleaning the water line. 

The Mahana relais resort is boater friendly, providing us with a place to get rid of garbage, free wifi and tropical drinks.

One afternoon we went for a lovely walk along the beach and found a sacred site or Morae and a girlfriend for Paul's Tiki man.

It is quite a distance out to the reef - we got close but could not find any interesting outcropping of coral til you were actually on the reef. We did not think this was a good idea - to go any further - as our outboard was still acting up. So I jumped in the water for a full body workout back to the boat and David followed paddling the dinghy for his upper body workout! Beautiful water for swimming.

13-Jul-2016

0930 we raised the anchor and headed done to the town of Fare closer to the pass..

Several boats at anchor off the town but there was a little bit too much water for us. We really did not want to drop the hook in 75 feet of water. So we headed over closer to the reef and set the hook in 16 feet of water. I got in the water to check the anchor and we were snaked around a couple of bombies but they were not large and we were sure that we would be able to maneuver off of them when the time came.

The catamaran beside us was also hung up on bombies - coral. This was preventing the both of us from swinging properly.  The closest we came was about 50 feet from each other - made for a fitfull night as we were always getting up to see where we were. But our anchors held and in the morning we were pleasantly surprised when the anchor came up without any problem whatsoever.

We did make a dinghy trip into town to provision. I managed to buy another porea - as I had given my last two away to Susan and Heather! But on the way out to the boat the outboard stopped running again! Sol Rebel was kind enough to give us a tow back to the boat.

Tomorrow we will be off to Raiatea.

Papeete, Tahiti

Papeete, Tahiti

David spent the next five days trying to get the outboard fixed, get officially signed in, trying to get on-line and get a phone card. He was not successful on any of these. I was only able to communicate with winlink - frustrating for both of us. Was just hoping he got the message and would be at the gate on Tuesday night.

1130: I arrive in Papeete and walk through the gate and was very happy to see David on the other side of the glass. 

We spent that night in a wonderful pension - a glorious hostel (NOT) for $90 US a night. No hot water. No wifi. Breakfast included was a cold baguette and instant coffee. We passed. A lumpy bed. But it was clean.

We spent the rest of the month in Papeete, one week at the marina and the rest at anchor. On a scale of one to ten the marina was probably a 6. Showers were good. They had two washers and dryers but they were out of order. There was a laundromat within walking distance and to tell you the truth - it did not cost much more than if I would have done it myself (which would have taken a day) and they supplied the soap. Yamaha was temporarily fixed as you will find out later. Thought of buying a new one but the 5 hp only came as a 2 stroke - and these are not allowed in New Zealand. So we will have to pray that the repair works or that we can anchor close to shore, within rowing distance.

Grocery provisioning was good. Carrefour is the main grocery outlet and they are well stocked. Another amusing thing - in Victoria, except for holidays it is very difficult to find Creme Fraiche but sour cream is everywhere. Here you will not find sour cream but the Creme Fraiche is everywhere. Got to hand it to the French! There is also a wonderful market right in town at the square across from the marina. Fresh vegetables and fish can be purchased there everyday and I have found that their shelf life is actually longer than the vegetables in the grocery store.

 The market is local. The grocery store is from the US. 

So the pantry is full again. The water tanks are full - one of the nice things about being at a marina with potable water at the dock. The boat is nice and clean.

We did manage to take in some of the interesting things that Papeete has to offer. A parade to honor Bastille Day - national holiday commemorating the beginning of the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille and the unity of the French people. 

Group representing outrigger canoeists - the national sport. Eye candy for the girls!

Eye candy for the boys

An annual event is the Hieva competition - a dance, singing and musical competition. 

Participants are from all over French Polynesia. We went to the premiere performance and we were lucky to see the group that came first last year. It was unique and we were able to witness very traditional Tahitian music.

 We also rented a car with Amanda and Marc on Balvenie and drove around the island. A highlight was our picnic lunch from one of the wonderful view points.

Before leaving Papeete we headed back to the anchorage so we could top up the diesel tanks - another plus as we could actually sail up to the dock instead of hauling jerry cans.

Other sites of Papeete

05-Jul-2016 which was Dad's birthday, we left Papeete for Moorea.

 

Rangiroa in the Tuomotos cont'd

Rangiroa: in the Tuamotu Archipelago cont'd

Our final days at the anchorage in Rangiroa were a little hectic and frustrating. We were still without an outboard and also in need of a welder. Due to the conditions of the seas and our distance from shore, rowing to the beach was not a good option. 

Thanks to the generous assistance of our fellow yachties, we were finally able to get to shore.

Yacht Services was able to arrange a weld repair on our wind vane monitor. They were also kind enough to deliver it to the shop and pick it up two days later. The supply ship was in port so we were able to load up with fresh vegetables. I never thought I would be so excited about seeing red, yellow and orange peppers! And of course, cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, onions and garlic! Still no tomatoes. 

Thursday evening we were finally able to connect to winlink on the single side band radio. News from home, though some of it was expected, was heart breaking.

On June 9 th at 0248 my mother passed away in Sault Ste. Marie in the company of my sister, Debbie and Susan. I had hoped to make it home before but Mother Nature had another agenda. So even though it was somewhat expected, it was still a shock. It was the second email that threw us. My brother Paul was not in the Sault at the time because my mother had asked him to go to Sudbury to be with our cousin Terry following complications from heart surgery. Three hours before Mom passed away, Terry also took his last breath. My cousin Terry was like a brother to us. 

I found myself wanting to be at home with my family. I am going to share the ordeal of doing just that - not because I want you to feel sorry for me - but for those people thinking of doing what we are doing. Going offshore for several years means leaving family behind. There will be times when you cannot get there and you need an understanding family to appreciate that. There will be times when getting there can be expensive (though that becomes the least of your worries) and very difficult. So before you start out on your adventure you need to think about these things and prepare yourself, especially mentally, to deal with them.

Now the Internet has improved communication immensely in the last several years but it is not always accessible or available. When you are in places like French Polynesia their timeline can be very different than what we would like. They are used to long lunch hours where businesses just close their doors. They, along with the Mexicans, celebrate many religious holidays and are not open for business. You may find some of them open for a few hours on Saturday morning, but never on a Sunday. So we only have Friday to try and make arrangements to get off this motu!

Al, from Nauti Nauti, offered to bring us to town on Friday morning. We shared a ride with him to the airport as he was going in to find fuel. But we found out that there is no ticket agent at the airport. So David and I walked the rest of the way into town, only to find that there is a power outage and all businesses are closed. Nothing to be accomplished at this time so we decided to walk to the other pass and check out the rest of the atoll. The pass was stunning but a little more aggressive than the other end. If you look closely you will see a ketch on the opposite shore - obviously something went terribly wrong!

 Beautiful church. 

We headed back towards the other end of the island, got about half way there when a local resort driver picked. Then we hooked up with another couple on MaryAnn who gave us a ride back to the boat. But at least I was able to send off an email to say that I was trying to get home.

But with no Tahiti ticket office til Monday, there was nothing to do til then. It looked like David was going to attempt to sail the boat down to Tahiti on his own so I decided to make myself busy - Mom always said you have to try and keep things normal! So I made him some chicken cacciatore and Indian butter chicken. Then I packed my suitcase.

The next day we went ashore with Al and we were able to Skype with Susan and Paul - so at least I could talk to them. We were at a quaint French bistro looking out at the pass. 

But no confirmed plans. The wake was scheduled for Thursday and the funeral for Friday. I still had time.

First thing Monday morning, Al picked us up and brought us to shore. One hour later ( we could have walked faster) the taxi picked us up and drove us to Air Tahiti Nui office. He was kind enough to wait while we purchased my ticket. My flight was scheduled for 1215. But I could not get a connecting flight to Canada as this office does not process International tickets. So I left David not really knowing what to expect in Papeete. But I figured Mom was up there pulling whatever strings she could to make sure that I got home.

We landed in Papeete and I proceeded to the Tahiti Nui ticket counter only to find out that there isn't one. I would have to go downtown. The women at Hawaiin Air said that would be a problem as the office was closed! It was Saturday afternoon. Any ideas? She suggested I try booking on line. So I paid $10 for an hour of Internet and found a flight to the Sault via LA and Toronto leaving at 2345. I'm booked and only have 12 hours to wait. Got some emails off, went for a walk, had something to eat, drank some coffee and then did some retail therapy. Just following more of Mom's advice! 

I left the boat at 0800 on Monday morning and arrived  in the Sault at 0938 Wednesday to be met by Susan, Paul and a roll of paper towel! 

The following week was a whirlwind of emotion and events. Cousins came from out of town. Family, relatives and friends were together. Stories were shared. We laughed and we cried but most important, we were together. Two wonderful people have made their final journey. They will be loved forever along with their memories.

In the meantime, back in Rangiroa, David is trying to get the boat ready to single hand it the 200 nm to Papeete, Tahiti. He got the wind vane and auto pilot working so it would not be necessary to hand steer all the way. As he was putting new tell tails on the main he noticed another rip in the same place that was repaired in Puerto Vallarta. David used the sail tape to repair.

15-Jun-2016: after some difficulty, David recovered the anchor and departed for the pass.

0805: entered the pass with about an 2 knot outflow. Motors ailing at 5.5 knots in light easterlies.

1130: rounded the NW corner of Rangiroa with Marilyn 1 mile ahead. Motor is off and under full sail.

Good sailing. Close hauled all night with 2/3 of a moon until 0230. Two ships passed in the night. Sailed all day in 15 knots SSE. It changed to more easterly by morning.

1500 16-Jun-2016 Started the engine to outrun a squall. Sighted the mountains of Tahiti 50 miles away. Started to reduce sail to slow down as it did not look like he would make the pass before night fall. 

It was an uncomfortable night but finally at 0940 anchor was set. Cold and wet and ready for bed.