Moo-oh-ray-ah

After two weeks in Tahiti our "schedule", which is only regulated by our 90 day visas, was telling us we needed to move on. We slipped our mooring at the Tahiti Yacht Club and sailed a quick nineteen mile passage to Cooks Bay in Moorea. After navigating the reef we found ourselves anchored in another lush Polynesian valley. After resurrecting my bike with a new chain (mine had died of neglect on the passage from Ecuador) we went ashore and were delighted at the minimal traffic and flat roads. We took a sunset ride through the main village of PaoPao and wound up at a small pavilion where tourists were enjoying music, fresh island fruit, juices and desserts. We joined in and ate some of the most succulent pineapple before we went home where I seared up some Thon Rouge (Red Tuna) that had been caught that very morning. Ah life here is good. After a day or two inside the bay we moved to the outside of the island and anchored just inside the reef. This place was ideal anchoring and beautiful. Ten feet of crystal clear water and snorkeling right off the boat. It literally looked like we were all anchored in a huge swimming pool. Daily we would swim among the boats and spot everything from Tahitian Stingrays to flounders trying to blend into the sand. After a few days in this anchorage we decided to move yet again to other side of the reef. This time our motivation was wireless internet. A good signal is hard to find and we had heard this was a good one.

Something that is worth mentioning is the new navigational hazards that we are dealing with. Reefs are everywhere and baring icebergs can be the scariest thing to navigate through. One example is the night we decided to take the dinghy ashore and get some pizza. We set out around 6pm which was just after dark. It took us about thirty minutes of crunching on the coral with still no path in that we decided we were better off eating at home that night. That is a small scale example, but on a large scale the same goes for Scholarship. We do not move the boat at night and even in the daylight with well marked channels I climb aloft while Mark steers to double check that we are on the right track. Mark always says "you can't get in trouble if you go slow" so that is what we do. It's worth the effort though as the area around the reefs is actually quite scenic. The changes in the water color look like a work of art.

Oponohu Bay afforded us a whole new opportunity for exploring ashore. One morning I took off for a long walk with our friends on Chica Bonita up to the Belvedere (the highest point on the island) and along the way we found a fruit farm and enjoyed the most amazing sorbet and ice cream. Chunky Monkey had nothing on the banana ice cream I had that morning. Not to mention chunky coconut, passion fruit, soursop, pineapple, gardenia and vanilla which was picked off the vine right next door. Yes we had them all. The next day we took our respective dingys a few mile up the coast and found ourselves a lovely lunch spot at a resort right on the water. That afternoon our friends from Chica Bonita moved on to Huahine and we awaited the arrival of our long lost friends on Creola. We hadn't seen Bill and Linda since Panama (about 5 months or so) so it was treat to meet up with them again. We went biking one day and all giggled as we got soaking wet and muddy in the tropical downpour. We also biked back to the fruit farm so our friends could sample the ice cream too. The day before Creola met some guests of the nearby Sheraton who invited us to come visit their over water bungalow. The couple, who were from Atlanta were very fun and it was a lovely room. Almost as good as living on a boat!!

Last but not least in my island narrative was remodeling the forward cabin. When we were in the Marquesses I decided it was time for a new look in our forward guest cabin. After many hours of tearing out 30 year old wallpaper, scrapping off the goo and then sanding we have a whole new look. I choose the fabric for the sheets. Mark is usually adverse to a lot of color everywhere but told me to choose something bright. Well pink and orange it is, and I deemed it the new Tahitian Suite. Kinda makes you want to come visit huh?

After a fantastic visit, it was time to move on to our next destination. We have a bit of a schedule this time as my Mom and her friend Sharon are flying in from Wisconsin next week. After an overnight 90 mile passage we arrived safely in Huahine (Who-A-Hine). Here we will hang out and get ready for our guests.
Hope you are all having a wonderful summer. Keep in touch and remember if you leave a comment and you want a response make sure we have your email.
xo L & M