Author: kerri

Dear F&F,

August 27, 2009
Manihi Diving

At 2:30 p.m. it has already been a great day. Serge, Marc & Wilfred picked us up at the Manihi Pearl Beach Resorts dive boat. Wilfred is the assistant manager of the Pearl Beach Resort Hotel in Tikihau, the last Tuamotu island we may visit, before Tahiti just after Rangiroa. He is staying at the Manihi Pearl Beach for a long weekend & loves to dive. Since Marc already knows us, it made for a very congenial group of avid divers. The ride in the dive boat is a lot faster & more comfortable than our own dinghy. There was no wind so the lagoon looked glassy & we had a smooth ride.

Serge tied the boat to a mooring inside the lagoon, 5 minutes from the hotel. They call the site \”Le Cirque\” the circus. It is a cleaning station & has a consistent reputation for manta rays in the morning. The mantas glide, hover & circle as the small fish eat off little parasites, groom wounds & generally tidy up the larger animal. As advertised, we descended & immediately saw 1 manta. Three others joined shortly. He briefed us of the no touch policy & said that if we swam toward them or exhaled when they swam near us, they might be shy & swim away. We dutifully held still on the rocky bottom & enjoyed the view without interaction. Of course our hearts beat faster when one came near, with fond thoughts of San Benedicto imprinted in our memories forever. Despite the hazy water, Scott got some good photos. What a great way to start the day.

We zoomed back to the shop for our surface interval. They refilled all tanks except mine & we had a cup of tea. I am paranoid about any other compressor filling my tank with potentially less than pristine air. After one horrid dive using a tank from south Fakarava dive shop\’s that tasted like I was sucking on an exhaust hose, I really value the clean air our own dive compressor puts out. Scott risked using a Manihi shop tank since they have an electric compressor, not gas. Serge claims to change the filters regularly. I could not bring myself to risk polluting my perfect clean tank & had brought 2 of our own, so no need to take a risk.

The second dive was outside the lagoon. We tied up to a mooring on one side the pass. We dropped down 15 feet to a beautiful, crystal clear coral garden. Myriads of fish of all sizes, shapes & colors. A few moray eels. We swam against the current which I find exhausting, but I knew there had to be an end point. We dropped down the reef wall to about 100 feet and saw 2 white tip reef sharks & 1 nurse shark resting under a ledge. It was easier kicking the other direction with the current & we enjoyed the majority of our hour dive exploring all the critters of the reef. Marc, ever the divemaster, pointed out fluttery nudibranchs (tiny colorful slug-like creature), 3 varieties of lion fish, 2 different flat fish. Scott took photos of Marc & me hamming for the camera. It is so great to have this chance to dive with him again.

The wind picked up strong by the end of our dive, so the ride back to \”Beach House\” was rough even in their boat. Thank goodness we convinced them to transport us so we didn\’t have to slam into those waves in our dinghy. With the wind now pushing the sailboats somewhat toward land, we are glad of where we are anchored – a bit further away from the shore than the other 2 boats.

We left all our gear except my 2 tanks with the dive boat since we plan to go again tomorrow. We just had our wetsuits & swimsuits to rinse & hang, take showers & eat lunch. I am always glad after the fact that I\’ve cooked ahead. My pot roast over rice & some carrot sticks made a hearty lunch for 2 hungry divers. Scott gave me a preview of the manta photos. Even without being worked by his digital darkroom program, he got some good shots. We know the website is already loaded with manta shots from our 5 weeks at San Benedicto & Socorro, but you will forgive our fondness for these creatures. They will be a highlight wherever we find them. I read a bit then dozed as Scott carried on with photo processing. I came up for a cup of tea, to write you all & hope to receive emails from you when I connect to the ham radio.

Last night we enjoyed the sunset from Xavier\’s pier. Xavier, who owns this motu (islet) is a warm & wonderful guy. He lit a hurricane lamp and shared Navy stories, including a memorable dinner with Jacques Brel (A famous French Folk Singer who died from lung caner in the late 197o\’s). I enjoyed talking to Kenny from San Diego, the contractor building his house. Kenny flew to Tahiti today to visit his Tahitian wife Matania & 2 daughters. Matania works for Air Tahiti Nui & he\’s asked her to get my seat assignment for my September flight to LA. Kenny wants his girls to experience American high school, so they may live with friends in San Diego when the time comes for that. Born in the U.S. & living in Tahiti about 4 years, they are already fluent in French so should be bilingual for life.

We swapped stories with our fellow sailors, learning more about British Arthur who has been to sea for the better part of 20 years. He used to run a sailing school. Since leaving the U.K. he has lived for long stretches in France, New Zealand, the Caribbean. When I asked crew member Augustine, from the Canary islands, who did the cooking aboard he described that they all take turns in the galley. On Sunday they have a proper 4 course dinner & wear colorful shirts. How delightful! Crew member Chris from Brazil is dashing & we talked about the Galapagos, where he joined the boat. They seem to be a happy trio. Sylvan is still uncertain where to go from here for cyclone season: New Zealand, Hawaii, Kiribati. We loaned him our cruising guides & he\’s taking digital photos of charts. His good old dog Eddie (Jack Russell terrier) is sweet with people but gives a warning growl so the 2 other dogs keep their distance. The 6 month old cocker spaniel, Fletcher (named after Fletcher Christian of Mutiny on the Bounty fame), is adorable & a real snuggler. It is nice for us to have dog interaction, then return to our boat without the hassle of onboard ownership.

That\’s the update from here. We are so glad we chose to come to Manihi & that the timing to dive with Marc is working out. More bubbly stories to come!

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

August 23, 2009
Manihi – Tuamotu Atoll

We decided to head to Manihi for a few reasons. We both woke up before the 5:00 a.m. alarm so got a good jump on hoisting the anchor, which was made easy since the lift bags we put on yesterday kept the chain off the coral heads. The morning twilight gave us enough light to see the north pass exit clearly, plus we had our track marked on the chart plotter from our test run out & back the day we arrived.

The wind was 20-25 knots very close to being on the nose. The angle is too close to sail, plus we do not want to risk going too slowly & missing a daylight entry. We motored the whole way with the staysail out to give us a little boost. We took 2 hour watches. I was not perfect, but not too seasick with sturgeron & the A.W.Z. (Annoying Wrist Zapper). My 2nd off watch I slept hard & when I got up we were here – wonderful. The entry was well marked & not difficult. It did get as shallow as 11 feet, but Scott had good control of the helm on the ebb tide.

We hailed Xavier on the VHF. He runs the SailMail station here. It is a parallel, pay system similar to Winlink, but allows business. We use both systems (in fact sends all these web posts to our site via Sailmail). Scott had emailed Xavier telling him we were coming. He has arranged for us to buy diesel when the next supply ship comes. Xavier is French, a retired commanding officer for the French Navy in French Polynesia. He & wife Ann Lawrance also have a home in Tahiti. They bought their motu (little islet) here about 3 years ago & are in construction of a wonderful home. She is a maritime law attorney. They were both welcoming & delightful.

We also met cruiser Sylvan from Quebec. He used to work in the lumber business out of Costa Rica & Dana Point. He left for the cruising life 3 years ago. He had engine trouble plus a leak at his mast which resulted in a 56 day passage from Costa Rica to the Marquesas. YIKES! He looks very \”native\” with bushy hair & beard. Lucky for us, they all speak English very well. It is embarrassing that our French is so rusty. When I try to speak, Spanish comes out. Sylvan invites us all onboard for crepes. He has a sweet 15 year old Jack Russell terrier. Xavier & Ann have 2 dogs also. An American contractor from San Diego, Kenny Crocker, is living with them in their temporary dwelling overseeing the building of their main home. It will by lovely when finished. A lot of work still.

Scott took photos of Xavier with his SailMail equipment. The weather is a delightful 82 with a 13 knot breeze. We are so glad we chose to come here & not just head to Rangiroa. We will get there, but we have some time to spend here. Tomorrow I get to use the high speed internet at Xavier\’s home! He described how shockingly cheap it was to run a submerged cable from the village to his house for internet. They have solar & wind power plus a generator. Ann\’s enthusiasm for the project was contagious. There are daily flights from Papeete to Manihi so she is frequently back & forth. They have 4 grown children, 3 in Paris, one in Tahiti she intends to send back to school in Paris. They are a very warm & friendly couple.

Today is our 18th year of being in love. On this day 18 years ago we sailed to Catalina together for the first time on \”Greybeard\”, Scott\’s parent\’s boat. It seemed fitting to share our afternoon with another couple in love with each other and this island.

We will dive here for sure. We can dinghy 15 minutes to the village & see about diving with the local dive center. Ann said her kids have gone & it is very good. Marc, dive master from Fakarava, may be coming to work here. It would be fantastic if we could dive with him again.

I am glad I cooked rice & chicken with my last jar of Trader Joes mojito sauce last night. So easy to just heat dinner. There is a bakery here, so we can buy fresh baguettes, which is good since I am down to my last frozen one & not so keen to heat up the boat baking bread. I\’ll be eager to see what else they have in the store.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

August 12-17, 2009
Toau, Tuamotu Atolls

It was about a 5 hour easy motor from Fakarava to Toau. The entry into the mooring area was pretty easy. There was some current, the opening of coral not too narrow & shallowest depth seen was 25 feet. The mooring area is kind of a \”cul de sac\”. It is not a true pass entry. You cannot navigate anything besides a dinghy through to the main lagoon. The people that own this land smartly put in permanent moorings to protect the coral from anchor damage. The diving is on the outside of the atoll. The local owner of the moorings here, Gaston, directed us to a mooring. We introduced ourselves & gave him greetings from \”Lazy Bones\” our boat friend Jeff Allen was here 3 years ago.

Another boat came in just ahead of us. There are 8 boats quite close together. No going naked outside here. The captain of American sailboat \”Rominy Star\”, Paul, came over to say he knew about us from the online news report for cruisers \”Latitude 38\” (which is published in San Francisco). We have been featured in articles about careening our boat in El Salvador, Scott\’s photo from the top of our mast in marina Barra de Navidad and a few photos of me with the mantas of San Benedicto. Apparently we are semi-famous amongst the sailing/diving crowd.

We didn\’t waste any time getting back in the water. Our first dive was in the entry of the \”cul de sac\” & Scott towed the dinghy. It is hard our first time at a new site to get our bearings underwater & know if we are going the way we want. Scott kept surfacing to check our position. We saw a few moray eels, a lion fish & lots of tropical fish. No sharks. Gaston, the local guy said that after several days of a strong wind, there can be manta rays inside the lagoon. We could take the dinghy but not the big boat in to explore.

Over the next 2 days we dove further down outside the atoll. We were able to tie the dinghy to a buoy there. Very pretty coral reef & good visibility; lovely. We stayed down over an hour. It really makes all the difference in my comfort in the tropics if we spend a couple hours a day submerged at 81 degrees. We fondly refer to is as \”therapeutic hypothermia\”. The most interesting sighting of this dive site was anemones with resident clown fish. We used to have this kind of fish in our tropical tank at our Los Angeles home. It is much more fun to see them in nature.

Gaston predicted strong wind & sure enough, it began to blow Friday night and has not stopped. The prediction is for the strong S-SE winds to continue through Tuesday. As the wind blows the surface of the water along there is a sensation that we are sailing, even though sitting securely moored. Despite the low lying atoll there are not big waves so the boat just swings a bit left & right, not bouncing around much thank goodness. One charter boat left here Friday night, which did not seem like a smart idea, but they probably had to keep on a schedule to get a guest to an airport.

Valentine & Gaston have been busy getting ready for Valentine\’s sister\’s wedding next weekend on Fakarava. Apparently they already slaughtered a pig & are roasting it or letting it ferment or something; cooking it an a traditional earth oven. I\’m not sure how that is working in the rain. Paul & Erin took pictures of the bloody mess, no thanks. I can be squeamish about eating meat without seeing the butchering process.

We\’ve stayed onboard for three days in the wind. It drizzled on & off. Diving is no good in strong wind & just moving around outside is arduous when it is blowing 25-30 knots. No need to battle the breeze. Just wait for it to pass. Scott watched a tutorial DVD on video editing. There is a lot to learn. I could see the information oozing out his ears… Hopefully knowing more tools & tricks will make the editing task easier. It is very time consuming. But thankfully we have plenty of time. He just finished \”The Sharks of Fakarava\” which you will all enjoy. (See the Video Gallery)

Erin from \”Rominy Star\” came by for a short visit. She wanted to see our Manta Magic video & more underwater photos. She & Paul left Seattle 3 years ago, cruising on their 39 foot monohull. So small & cramped & she is close to 6 feet tall!

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
August 7-8, 2009

We had a fantastic week of diving with the parade of sharks in the south pass with Marc, Jill & Dan. We like them all & hope we stay in touch. Jill & Dan travel a lot, so maybe they will meet us somewhere else for diving in the future. They were so generous to us. They gave us fruit they didn\’t eat: a pineapple & some bananas anything fresh is a real treat. Some delicious snack bars: Mrs. Mays from Costco – just fruit, nuts & seeds – delicious, no added sugar. And some turkey jerky. They learned to bring a lot of extra food since the dining offered here is primarily fish & coconut. She also gave me her straw hat that I had complimented her on. And some facial sunscreen that she swears by. Real givers. Jill is tall & beautiful. She & Dan are a pleasure to behold. They ooze love & affection above & below the water. Always holding hands & exchanging tender looks. I found their happiness contagious. I kept smiling & thinking how lucky we all are. Wonderful.

The incoming tide is later every day. We had lunch at the restaurant between our 2 dives. It was barely edible, but we didn\’t starve. One offering was spam pizza & the other fish quiche. Yuck. I was consoled afterwards by coconut cookies & coffee. Later Jill brought out Trader Joes chocolate covered almonds & I gorged myself on them. What a treat, it was delightful.

The diving is so easy & the four of us basically go on our own. Marc, the dive master is busy with his other tourists. Currently there is a group of 14 French people. The French Polynesian Minister of Science & his family on holiday. Their fifth trip here. Only 6 of them are divers, but that is Marc\’s limit to supervise. He has seen our experience, so has the boat driver drop us in at the right spot & we get to do our own thing without being stuck in the big group. Terrific. Plenty of sharks, gorgeous fields of coral, every size & shape of tropical fish. Each dive is an hour or longer.

We will say our farewell to Dan & Jill tomorrow morning. They cannot dive on the day they fly. As we dinghied back to \”Beach House\” we saw another catamaran coming into the pass. It was \”Mariah\”, the owner & crew that had us onboard for dinner in the north part of this atoll. He has at least a new guest from Hawaii. They got anchored then came over in their dinghy for a friendly hello.

I cooked lamb chops, seasoned them with garlic & rosemary & some potatoes. We enjoyed a glass of red wine & watched today\’s video. Scott is making adjustments in exposure & technique, all the time getting better. His back is not perfect but improved after I worked on him yesterday & this morning. It is hard to avoid lifting but he is more aware of his body mechanics.

We learned from our agent that we are supposed to be in Papeete to renew our visas by August 14. We thought we could arrive a month later since the stamp in our passports is good through September 30. We wrote a request to delay & had the letter translated by our friend Alex (known from LA) who now lives in Papeete. We emailed it to our agent to see if he suggests any changes, then we will send it.

We enjoy the morning radio chat with David & Mary who are already in Tahiti. Jill & David have been good company since our boat friends sailed away. Once we find out the date we must report to Papeete, we will make a plan for our next several weeks. It would be easy to stay here longer, but I think we will be ready to move on pretty soon. The moon is full & I am full of gratitude.

August 8
When we saw Jill & Dan this morning, they gave us their last 2 bananas & I begged for more chocolate covered almonds, yum. What a gift to have Jill & Dan here to share this week with us! We exchanged email addresses & hope to keep in touch. They love to travel to remote places for diving, so may be ideal travel buddies. They are better sports than me. The facilities here are fairly like camping. But they like off the beaten path, funky places like this.

Scott & I had two great dives. Two people from the boat \”Mariah\” went with dive master Marc. The current was stronger which seemed to make the sharks swim more actively. The water clarity was better. Wait until you see the great video footage. We visited Marc at his bungalow late this afternoon. Scott & he swapped some photos, video footage & computer programs. He is a good guy. We settled up our bill with the owners of the operation & came to a fair price for the diving. The French Polynesian Minister of Science (Pierre) gave us his email & said to feel free to contact him when we got to Tahiti if we needed anything. Very nice. We met another French guy whose wife has a furniture business in Wallis which is an island beyond Fiji. It is fun to talk to people from all over the world.

Tomorrow morning we plan to tackle repair of our largest roller furling headsail, the gennaker. We may need it to sail to Tahiti. Our last patch held well. We are afraid the material is toast from UV damage, but we must try another patch in order to use it from here to there.

We sent our email request to delay arrival to the visa office in Tahiti. Our friend Alex in Papeete says he knows Mr. Harrison from his wife getting her visa. He offered to follow up for us Monday. This is helpful & much appreciated news because we are in limbo until we know how soon we must get to Papeete.

Scott\’s back is still delicate. Even though diving is hugely fun, it is a lot of work, schlepping the gear in & out of the dinghy, rinsing, hanging it, filling tanks, etc. Besides the sail repair & some general clean up, we could both benefit from some rest days.

A Kiwi monohull anchored in front of us this morning. We have not had a chance to say hello or hear their story. Maybe tomorrow.

Cindy & Scott