Category: 2009 Galapagos – Marquesas – Tuamotus – Tahiti and the Society Islands Voyage – Blog

Dear F&F,

Moored outside Marina Taina

We had a good day/night/half day sail to Tahiti. I had a sky full of stars with no moon on my first night shift. Then a nice 3 quarter moon to light the way for my 2nd night shift. The mountains of Tahiti are stunning & surrounded by a coral reef. To get to the anchorage area, we came inside the reef, easy entry. We radioed to Port Control for permission to enter. Then we had to radio the airport traffic control to get approval to pass very close to the runway due to the height of our mast. They gave us the ok, but a small jet seemed to begin its descent not so far above our mast.

We spoke to the marina manager, notifying her of our arrival. They did not expect us until Monday at the earliest. There is not yet a slip for us at a dock. There are many boats anchored and on moorings in the lagoon outside of the marina. It is a little tight, but we were able to get on a mooring. This island is so populated & metropolitan compared to all the little Tuamotu atolls we have been. I am ready for some civilization. We took the dinghy to meet our 2 closest neighbors. One a French guy doing work on a charter boat. He will be here one more month then plans to sail back to Europe. Our other neighbors are American, have been here 2 weeks & gave thumbs up on the grocery store & local boat workers.

We went ashore, met Constance & Florant who run the marina. We saw our future slip which should be vacated & ready for us within a week. We had lunch at a lovely bustling open air pizza place. I had a green salad with delicious dijon vinagrette, savoring every crunchy bite! We shared a four fromage (cheese) pizza that was super yum too. Then we walked to Carrefours, the closest, big store which has dry goods as well as groceries. Sort of like K-Mart & a very nice large grocery store combined. We have so much more variety here & the prices less than the other islands. Fantastic.

Todays finds:
kiwi, peaches, apples, grapes, papaya, oranges, a bag of pre-washed spinach, broccoli, green beans, walnuts, dried apricots, brown rice, oats, large assortment of French wines, Sensodyne toothpaste and Plax. I was like a kid in the candy store. Many items are imported from the US, New Zealand & Australia. Anything locally grown is indicated. I am so happy that it is close & I can go nearly every day if I wish. Slowly filling up our stores and eating more to my liking with lots of fresh produce.

At the store we bought a sim-card so we can use our cell phone for local calls. Calling to the US is crazy expensive, but we can use Skype if the internet is good enough. Scott called our agent & he is coming in the morning to deliver our mast track and get our documents so he can check us in with the gendarmerie (police). He will also give us exact instructions for checking in with immigration to renew our long stay visa.

Sleep deprivation caught up with us as we stood in the check out aisle. We had each taken 4 hour shifts for the 30 hour crossing. We were pretty exhausted by the time we pushed the cart back to the marina, loaded all into our dinghy & got it inside \”Beach House\”. But we were motivated to get WiFi working in order to do Skype, so radioed Matthew the tech guy for the WiFi. He sold us an omni-directional antenna booster which works great. He also helped Scott figure out some things on his media laptop that crashed last week. Hence, delays in postings and photos!

Everyone so far has been friendly & helpful. We are happy to be here. I think being on the mooring for a week will be a good transition from the isolated atoll life, to this big city marina.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

It was a rare excitement to have an evening out. I looked through our hanging closet to see if I could find something cute to wear, but sadly it all smelled of mildew. Plus many things no longer fit. The lack of fruits & veggies in our diet has taken its toll. We cannot get an accurate measurement on the scale when the boat is bouncing around in the wind, so I don\’t know how many pounds I\’ve gained. A tape measure would work despite the motion, but I am not ready face facts on what has happened to my waistline. When we get more variety of food in Tahiti, a chance to walk every day & hopefully swim, I intend to reclaim my lifelong slim figure. Vanity aside, I resorted to a pair of clean shorts & tank top. Mascara & a necklace gave me a somewhat dressed up feeling.

We cautiously drove the dinghy through the very shallow short distance from where we are anchored to the Tikehau Pearl Beach Hotel. The resort is built in Polynesian style with thatched roofs, open air lobby, bar & restaurant. All the rooms are bungalows over the water. We enjoyed sipping a Mai Tai with Wilfred as we watched the sunset. He gave us a tour of a standard bungalow & the hotel\’s best suite. They were simple yet elegant. It was all I could do to control myself from crawling into the gleaming porcelain bathtub! \”Beach House\” is nice�for a boat. I have always been and probably always will be, a great lover of nice hotel rooms. And these were very nice. For $600-1000 per night they should be! Despite the economic downturn & \”off season\” Wilfred said the hotel is 75% full. Most of the clients are American or European honeymooners. Many stay just 3 nights as part of a French Polynesian multi-island tour. But he said they also have repeat customers (actors, politicians, other famous or very private people) who hide out here for 2 weeks or longer. There is a beautiful pink sand beach. The feeling as you step onto the property is relaxed & indulged. Wonderful!

After our tour, we had a glass of wine in the bar area & eventually eased our way into dinner. Wilfred would not hear of me wanting to share something with Scott. In fact, he insisted we each order a starter as well as a main course. I spotted the warm chocolate cake with ice cream & would have been content to start & finish with that alone. Wilfred ordered the froi gras for starter then the duck. Scott had the chicken satay & beef tenderloin. I mopped up the remains of Scott\’s satay sauce with my roll. My starter was tuna tartare followed by a vegetable plate. It was a small mound of mashed sweet potato plus a medley of green beans, onion & other chopped veggies. We were more than full by the time the molten cakes arrived – one for each of us. The taste was heavenly decadence. It was an incredibly generous gesture for Wilfred to treat us, which we did not expect. We giggled that the staff must think we are real V.I.P.s for the manager to spend so much time with us.

Wilfred encouraged me to review the \”spa menu\”. Since we have a 24 hour stint of travel ahead of us, it seems somewhat a waste to indulge in these luxuries at this time. It was 9:45 pm when we returned to \”Beach House\”. The dinghy hit bottom briefly in the dark. The wind was not as strong as last night & we had told Wilfred to sign us up for the morning dive, but when we awoke & saw the wind kicked up again, we decided to pass.

Weather permitting, we will bid farewell to this final Tuamotu atoll & make our way to Tahiti early tomorrow. The first of the Society Islands. We are glad we had this extra month in the Tuamotus but are now ready for a stint of dock life. We have a chance to see humpback whale mamas & babies in Tahiti & Moorea. We also have a few friends who live there that we look forward to seeing.

The procedure for renewing our visa is not entirely clear so we decided it is best not to wait until the last minute to check in with Immigration. We also have quite a bit of research & ordering to do before my trip to CA.

I will surely weep with joy when I see rows of vegetables & fruit for the first time since Costa Rica. I am down to my last apple and a few carrots. May you all eat your veggies with gusto & be glad you don\’t live on an atoll. Nice places to visit, but it\’s been a long stretch since decent shopping. Mary of sailboat \”Giselle\” wrote me that the cheese aisle was longer than her boat! Yippee!!!

My next report will likely be from Tahiti.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

September 6, 2009
Passage to Tikehau

We were up at 5:00 a.m. & heading out the Rangiroa pass by 6:30 a.m. The wind was steady 15-18 knots all night & we were both done with sitting in the wind. We knew the direction to Tikehau would keep the wind & swell at our back, so we decided to go for it. The current was going out so there were steep choppy waves, some standing at 5 – 6 feet just outside the pass. We know the boat can take the up & down jarring motion, but we don\’t love it. I pretty much hold my breath, partly cover my eyes, but pray. Knowing my able Captain will guide us safely through the rough patch of water. He did & it was all smooth sailing from there. We gibed a couple of times. It was a very comfortable ride, even though the swell was 5-6 feet. We just surfed down the waves, no problem. Downwind is definitely the preferred direction.

The pass entrance here at Tikehau is on the leeward side of the island, but there is still a lot of wind & chop inside the lagoon. Sort of like entering San Francisco Bay, but warm. There were red & green navigational buoys to guide us toward the village & on to the Tikehau Pearl Bay Hotel, where Wilfred is the Assistant General Manager. This is the last of the Tuamotu atolls we will visit. This is number 6 for us of the 78 islands spread over 1000 miles.

We received an email this morning that Wilfred was looking forward to our arrival. When we got in range, he answered our VHF radio call. It is so exciting to have someone to meet when we arrive at a new place. He stood out on the pier of one of the bungalows built on stilts over the water. Dressed in white shirt & pants, welcoming us to \”his island\” with a big wave. He directed us to the best place to anchor & we got secure. There are 2 other sailboats here, but we are well spread out. One of them looks rather locked up & unattended. Wilfred has invited us to join him at the hotel for dinner. What a fun treat! We will shower & spiff up a bit.

We will probably stay here only a couple of days. Our life will change once we dock at Marina Taina in Tahiti. In some ways our \”vacation\” will be over with much work to do. My heart is already in California. As we get closer to Papeete, I feel a few steps closer to seeing my loved ones.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

September 4, 2009
Rangiroa

We are so affected by the weather. We are just waiting for this to subside so we can move on. The prediction is for the wind to be less by Sunday morning but the seas may stay lumpy. We anticipate an 8 hour run to Tikehau. We had a lull just before lunch to zoom into the dive center with the dinghy & retrieve our gear since we are not going to dive in these crappy conditions, even though they are taking other tourists out. The dive masters admit the visibility & sea state are not good. Scott fortunately is a safety freak. I may be tempted to go despite the 6 foot pounding waves above our heads (outside the pass) just to get away from the incessant rocking of the boat & flapping wind noises. But after having a marginal experience Thurs a.m. Scott was done diving here. We paid our bill for the 3 dives we did. $70 each dive for each of us, that includes a $10 discount for using our own gear. Everything is so expensive here.

I finished the book \”The Invisible Wall\” & began reading another book. This one loaned me by friend Lori \”Bookseller of Kabul\”. I\’m sure not that uplifting, but I like reading about how different people live even if it is somewhat distressing. It helps me feel more grateful for what I have. I am very glad I can read without feeling seasick in these conditions.

Scott just got an email from Skye that his cousin Steve died at age 57, heart problem. They were not particularly close, but family nonetheless. He was a son of Suzanne\’s brother. On a happier note, this weekend is Aunt Barbara\’s granddaughter Lisa\’s wedding. Skye will fly up with Barbara to attend the redwood grove ceremony, followed by reception at cousin Janice\’s house. Aunt Barbara is twice a great-Grandma & very much enjoying her expanded family.

It will be fun to see Wilfred in Tikehau, assistant manager of the Pearl Beach Hotel there. We met him when we went diving with Marc in Manihi.

Each passing day brings us closer to Tahiti which means closer to me flying to California. I am soooo ready for some off boat time. It has been too long.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

September 2, 2009
Rangiroa, Tuamotu Atolls

The wind was less strong overnight and John & the other 6 boats in the anchorage secure, so we felt comfortable to go diving with Six Passengers Dive Center. A freckled red-haired Frenchman, Fred, was our dive master with just one other gal along. We dove outside the atoll on the reef. We saw 1 manta ray very deep & far from us, but quite a few grey sharks & a nice school of barracuda. We wonder why barracuda have a reputation as being nasty since we\’ve only seen them swimming calmly. They shine silvery with dark grey stripes & beautiful to behold. The shallower part of the reef was not that fun. There was a lot of surge causing us to fly back & forth. Difficult conditions for Scott to film in because that kind of motion is not interesting to watch. There were plenty of fish, but the coral looked a bit weather beaten & the water was murky due to the recent rain & strong winds stirring things up.

We were eager to do the pass dive on the incoming tide so went again with the group at 3:00 pm. The call was for 2:15 pm so we were suited up, sweating in the sun. Waiting, waiting. We saw 2 of the company\’s boats go out but they didn\’t come to pick us up despite our waving to them. We hailed them on the radio & they said, \”Yes we are coming\”. We jumped in the water off the back of our boat to cool off a bit. Sinbad, a Polynesian, was our dive master this time, with a nice couple from Rome. He is Italian, she is from Toronto. The owner of the company also dove with us, taking video footage of us divers & the wildlife. The high point of this 2nd dive was DOLPHINS! A mother & young one zooming very near us. Always a joy to see dolphins & we have not had many close encounters underwater. We saw some grey reef sharks too and the schooling barracuda again. Other than that the dive was unremarkable. Visibility not great, not much coral. Just drifted in above sandy rocky bottom without much to see. You just never know what you\’re going to see.

Between dives John, who Scott helped yesterday, came by to thank us profusely. He said he had a knowledgeable guy with him from the time he left Los Angeles until 3 weeks ago. John is a New Zealander who lived a lot in Australia, and has a non-sailing lady friend there who he is trying to work his way back to. We gave him our email & also instructions on how to re-hoist his genoa. Poor guy is truly clueless. We hope he makes it safely the 800 miles from here to Rarotonga, where he knows people & plans to keep the boat for the cyclone season.

Scott had casually checked in to the Ham radio Pacific Seafarer\’s Net & became an active relay person. We are positioned such that many boaters hear Scott but not the Net Controller. He is madly writing people\’s info then reporting it. Latitude, longitude, destination, speed, direction, weather, any questions, any contacts, etc. I know it is fun for him, although he looks a bit harried as this responsibility was unexpected. I just refilled his wine glass so he should be fine. My Hero, once again taking up the baton for the good of the sailors of the world!

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

September 1, 2009
The B.F.H and Sailboat in Drag – Rangiroa

We knew something was coming. Weather Guru from New Zealand, Bob McDavitt had been telling us about the \”BFH\”, Big Fat High (pressure system) to the south of us. This thing stretches from New Zealand to French Polynesia. That is big and fat. It\’s accelerating the trade winds on its north side. Strong winds & squalls are predicted for September 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th . Right on cue at 4:00 a.m. the rain began. The wind built steadily and by 5:30 a.m. we went out on deck to see how all the boats were faring in the 25-30 knots. A monohull that had been anchored safely ahead of us, was clearly dragging and now perilously close to our port side. We started our engines to maneuver out of harm\’s way.

The solo gentleman looked small & helpless as his boat bobbed stern to the wind and waves, exactly opposite of all the boats that are securely anchored. Scott tried waving the radio microphone to get him to communicate his problem, but despite the fact that the man was clutching a handheld radio, all he returns is a \”deer in the head lights\” gaze. His genoa (forward sail) had partly unfurled. Sail & line viciously flapping in the wind added to the chaos. Scott figures he\’s French and can\’t speak English. The man is frozen, taking no action.

Scott instructed me to use our engines to keep \”Beach House\” out of danger then jumped in our dinghy to go take control of the frozen man and his boat. Due to the strong winds & their direction, the swell inside the lagoon was as if we were out in the open sea. A small splinter of islet in front of us is barely keeping the anchorage from looking like \”Victory at Sea\”.

As Scott unclips the dinghy davit lines, a huge swell rises then drops him in the dinghy, pulling the line out of its rope clutch. I secure it on a cleat. Note to selves: This must be rethreaded through the clutch before we can raise the dinghy back up. We waste no time, and re-secure this line properly between assisting our clueless neighbor. A figure eight knot in the end of our davit line will prevent this problem in the future.

Scott clips our dinghy to his boat & climbs aboard. The man says he is an Aussie from San Pedro, near Los Angeles, single handing and doesn\’t have a lot of experience! How he made it this far is a shock. He had tried to maneuver with his engine, but got his anchor line fouled on the propeller. He has no idea how to get out of the fix he\’s in. Embarrassed, but grateful, he follows Scott\’s directions. Getting the head sail down is the first order of business. Scott cuts the tangled genoa sheet to not be killed by its flailing about. He asked the man to lower the halyard to bring the sail down. He does not know where the halyard is! Scott switched positions with him, getting him to haul down the sail as Scott found & released the correct halyard. Having done that, they stuff the sail down the forward hatch.

Scott next realizes he must dive on the man\’s anchor to clear the line from the propeller so the boat can be moved away from us and re-anchored. We had planned to go diving for fun this morning, but with this situation & the weather, that is obviously off. We notify the dive center of the predicament and they offer their assistance in the form of any necessary scuba gear. Scott feels for now, he can manage alone.

We tie our dinghy to the side of \”Beach House\” to keep her painter line safely away from our big boat engines. Scott quickly dons scuba gear, swims over to the monohull and takes a look. Sure enough, 6 wraps of his anchor line are on the propeller. Scott instructs the man to prepare a second anchor line that he can shackle to his chain. He tried to go OVER the bow pulpit with it. Scott stopped him and got him to put it through the bow roller. If he lead the line incorrectly, it would have bent the pulpit and/or cut the new anchor line. They take up the slack and Scott asks him to release the original rode. He cannot, as the bitter end is knotted up against the deck. He must cut it free.

Scott goes below to unwrap the prop and finds that it is dangerous with the boat pitching 3-4 feet up and down over his head. Not willing to be injured to save him 40 feet of anchor line, he cuts it with his dive knife. Now he has a functioning engine and his boat swings bow to the seas and we are getting somewhere. Scott reattached the pieces of cut anchor line to double him up as the back up shackle was too large to go through the chain. It had to be put OVER the chain in between links. This back up shackle was only 3 mm thick and Scott worried it would break off. He wanted the line doubled up in case the shackle let go.

Out of nowhere, a Polynesian gentleman has appeared to help out. This guy speaks no English. It turns out he was a good Samaritan dropped off by a friend from the beach in a dinghy. He gets one big \”atta boy\” from us.

John, (the owner – boat name still unknown as it\’s not painted on the stern), wants to just tighten up his gear and stay put. Scott cannot approve. \”If the wind shifts direction you\’ll be right on my bow. If you don\’t move, I must move my boat right now\”. John is convinced to pick up a mooring that is a safe distance from any other boat. These are described in the guide books as fine for cruisers to use, and at least two other boats here are on these moorings. Although we generally prefer our own anchoring equipment, if we know the moorings are good, we too have used them in other places in the past.

The electric motor of his anchor windlass burned out two days ago. He and our Polynesian friend spend an hour trying to get the anchor up by hand. The wind has backed off to 5 knots now. Scott bobs in the water above the anchor. The knock-off Bruce style anchor is hanging on to a piece of coral. If that lets go, his boat will crash on the reef. Scott is getting fatigued & cold. He sees the lift bags he\’d put in place on our own anchor nearby below & uses them to float up John\’s 30 kg (66 lb.) anchor.

As the boat begins to drift free of the bottom Scott hollers for them to start motoring away from us. The wind and seas are building again. I know we will not be able to rest until this sailboat is secured to the mooring and definitely away from \”Beach House\”.

Scott takes a fresh tank & I drive him in our dinghy to the mooring. There is no painter to it. Scott asks John to toss him the cut piece of anchor line, to make a bridle out of it that he can slip when he\’s ready to leave. Scott snorkels down 4 meters (15 feet) to get it attached.

It is blowing 30 knots again and our Polynesian Friend at the helm has no idea how to drive a monohull sailboat. Scott is almost run over 4 times trying to get the bridle line to John. I am in our dinghy staying out of the way, but in constant visual of Scott. John\’s boat hook, inadequately short to begin with, bends & is useless. Just as Scott is becoming exhausted and exasperated, the other Polynesian hero comes out in his aluminum dinghy, and assists in securing the bridle to John\’s boat.
I bring Scott back to the \”House\” and revive him with hot coffee and a hot shower. This adventure took 3 1/2 hours, most of which he spent in the water.

It is still blowing 20-30 knots but we can breathe easier knowing John is safely on the mooring and away from everyone else. We feel pity for the poor guy, but also some anger that his lack of knowledge and skill put not only himself but us in jeopardy. He\’s in his mid 60\’s and we have no idea what he\’s doing out here with his stated level of \”non\” experience, especially by himself. He told us he\’s going to go to Rarotonga next to get hauled out for repair work. \”You mean Raiatea?\”, as we\’ve never heard of a haul out in Rarotonga. \”No\” he says, Rarotonga\”. It\’s a mystery�

The wind and swell give the feeling that we are out to sea, but it is comfortable enough. We are safely anchored with 40 meters (150 feet) of 3/8\” (10mm) high test chain with our 30 kg (66 lb) Rocna anchor. Snug as bugs in a rug! The dive boats went out despite the inclement weather. We will see how things go tomorrow and proceed accordingly. It was not the pleasure dive that Scott had imagined he would make today. But a self-preserving act that also saved our fellow sailor. If we had just sat and watched, that boat\’s anchor line would have been eventually and he would have been instantly on the reef. He could not have started his engine and would have either washed up on the reef directly in front of the Kia Ora Village Hotel and possibly hit us in the process. No thank you.

Another neighbor sailboat, Adrian on \”Mandala\” (from New Zealand), called Scott on the radio after the ordeal, giving him congratulations for (literally) jumping in to save the day. I know what I don\’t know, which in regards to boating is a lot. But one thing I do know for sure is that I have the best and bravest Captain, ever inspiring me to be a more competent mate. Another day in the life of team \”Beach House\”.

Cheers from Rangiroa,
Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

August 31, 2009
Passage to Rangiroa

We were patient & maneuvered a lot to get the chain off the coral when departing Manihi, but thankfully Scott did not have to dive on the anchor. We invited the Xavier the SailMail operator, for lunch, but he had just eaten his breakfast at 10:00 a.m. & declined. I am sure many of the boaters that visit here invite him onboard, so seeing a boat is nothing special. We hope to see him & wife Ann Laurence in Tahiti.

The exit from the lagoon out the pass was pretty easy. We followed our track from when we came in a week ago. We had been outside the reef with the dive boat 3 days in a row so knew the landmarks. We passed by the atoll called Ahe, making sure we skirted it during daylight which we did. From 2:00-5:00 p.m. the sailing conditions were ideal. It was one of the most comfortable sails we could remember since we don\’t know when. I made dinner while it was still light so I could do the dishes & put everything away. Scott took the first watch, but I only lay down for about an hour to stretch, didn\’t really nap. During my 6:00-10:00 p.m. watch the wind picked up strong and the sea got lumpier on the beam (sideways). I was very glad I\’d put a scopalamine patch on in the morning. When Scott relieved me at 10:00 p.m. we reefed the mainsail smaller to slow down since we wanted a daylight arrival to enter the pass. I had a pretty good sleep from 10:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.. When I came up for the 2:00-6:00 a.m. shift, there was intermittent rain & various wind strengths & directions. At one point we were just bobbing around so I motored for about 45 minutes. Then I could sail again. It was overcast & cloudy but light enough to see Rangiroa at 6:00 a.m. when Scott got up. We were just 3 miles from the pass, so I stayed up to roll away the mainsail & help him navigate the pass. It is a nerve-wracking pass due to the large standing waves, but did a great job. The tide was coming out of the lagoon, pretty strong current against us. Fortunately we have powerful engines that can overcome the force of the water, but our speed drops down with the same or more RPMs. The place where boats anchor is not far from the pass & there are 1 or 2 villages here. There are 6 other boats, one we think we met in Fakarava before. All spread out so no crowded feeling.

Once we got the anchor down, I napped for an hour, then made us breakfast & we both lay down again. I finished the book I have not been enjoying (the negative guy who paddled his canoe around many of the Pacific Islands). This squally weather is predicted to last severa days. We\’ve seen dive boats zooming by, so we know they will go pretty much no matter what the weather. We get wet anyway, so it doesn\’t really matter for diving. But for grocery shopping or taking a walk on shore it is better to wait until we have a good break from the rain. So a relaxed day of recovery for us.

Cindy & Scott