Mora Bora Bora

After our guests departed, we had to start thinking about doing the unthinkable. Leaving! It constantly amazes me that we have been out here sailing and exploring for almost two years. French Polynesia was always so far in the future and now it is time to say goodbye. During our last week in Bora Bora we took time to have a jam session with friends, spend the last of our francs at the supermarche (you can never have enough french fromage on hand) and visit the stingrays whilst they were being fed. This is a phenomena that takes place a few times a days and is not to be missed. The tour boats take snorkelers and fish bits out to a certain part of the lagoon once a day. The stingrays (there can be up to 100) are used to being fed and so they congregate in this spot waiting. They are the most amazing creatures and gentle but not shy about looking for the food they know is coming. I spent 30 minutes or so petting these guys and being a little bit freaked out as they grazed my ankles looking for goodies. The guides literally were crawling with rays. At one point a guide had one on his back and one in the front. They feel like velvet except for their sandpapery tails. This was a highlight for me. The ocean never ceases to blow me away. On the 21st of August (after waiting for wind which never came) we set off for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. I think it's time to get out the atlas. A bientot for now!!

Visitors in the Society Islands

After departing Moorea we did a short over-nighter to the island of Huahine. Huahine is a large but not overly populated island west of Tahiti. We met up with friends and spent a week in a calm anchorage waiting for the winds to die down a bit before we headed across to Raiatea. As I said in my last blog we were on our way to meet my Mom and her friend who were flying in all the way from Wisconsin just to see us. Oh and I have a suspicion they wanted to see French Polynesia too.
We arrived on a Monday and got settled on a mooring at the Apooiti Marina. We rode our bikes in to town and past the airport which was surprisingly close to Scholarship. What we really got excited about was the airport had a dinghy dock. When was the last time you went to the airport on a boat? After buying more french cheese and fresh red tuna for dinner we set out in the dinghy to pick up our guests. After a some tearful hellos we escorted our guests to the dingy and took them home via a little canal that went close to the marina. My Mom and Sharon were exhausted from traveling but managed to stay up late anyway to enjoy our welcome dinner. The next day we set off for a little more shopping and sightseeing in the town of Utoroa before we got back on board and cast off our mooring. That afternoon we set sail for the small island of Tahaa just a few miles to the north. On the way to Haamene Bay we stopped and did a bit of snorkeling off the reef before we tucked Scholarship in for the night. That night, on the recommendation of a friend we giggled and smiled and had the most sumptuous French meal at the Tahaa Maitai. The best one I have had in months? Years? After creme brulee and the girls kissing the cook we were back home and off to dreamland. The next day we finished our circumnavigation of Tahaa and anchored on the southwest side poised to pull anchor the next morning and set sail for Bora Bora. The girls were as excited as we were to reach this dream destination. After a few hours motor sail we reached the entrance to the lagoon and the allure of the dramatic mountain and lush greenery captivated us at once. We passed the little village of Vaitape and anchored in front of the famed Bloody Mary's. Mark jumped in the dingy at once to ensure reservations at this party spot and in a few hours we were inside with our feet in the sand looking for celebrities. This night was another fantastic meal, new t-shirts and lots of people watching ( no celebrities but plenty of honeymooners). The girls were moving out the next day. Sad for me but happy for them as they were checking into their first Polynesian over-water bungalow. They had endured the bunk beds and pump toilets with a brave face but I knew they were ready. Located on it's own motu, their room was fabulous. Complete with a huge patio and even a glass panel in the floor for fish watching at night. What a treat it was. I took a 45 minute shower and we had all the ice we could dream of. Funny what luxuries for me have become. After one more excellent dinner (are you sensing a pattern here) my Mom and Sharon we already on their way. It sounds quick I know. It was, but I was so grateful to have them here for five days, even if I wished for more. So thank you both for coming and for all the stuff you hauled thousands of miles and for all those yummy dinners. The pictures will speak for themselves. Lots of happy faces!

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

Tahiti

Tahiti, that storied island of the South Pacific. It's history is full of whaling ships and explorers. Men who were seduced by her exotic beauty, compelled to "jump ship", to linger, to stay at all costs. Nothing has changed except ..... our french visas are up in a few weeks and how can you jump your own ship?
From Rangiroa, we dragged our sorry food poisoned asses for an overnight sail into the Tahiti Yacht Club and decided that if you had to be sick then it wasn't a bad place to recover. We were right. One of the largest most comprehensive grocery stores I have ever seen was across the street. I'm not talking upscale, I'm talking French upscale. There wasn't time in the world to try all the different pate's, cheeses, and mouthwatering delicacies prepared and waiting. This on top of fresh breads and reasonably priced Bordeaux was all an elaborate joke to us as we could hardly eat a thing. Well that changed soon enough and we were off and running in no time.
One weekend we rented a car to see the island with a couple from another boat. We circumnavigated the island because thats what we do. On the way we saw museums and botanical gardens, we ate lunch over looking the water inside the reef and watched as the outriggers plied the lagoon. When we got thirsty we bought a bottle of wine and kept exploring. The next day we explored the deep canyons of Tahiti. We drove across rivers and had a delicious picnic overlooking the pounding surf. With our friends one can't just look at the surf, so the next day we tied three surfboards to the roof and did it all again.
If that wasn't enough we managed to have parties nearly every night. When the native were throwing a big bash near the Yacht Club and the pounding drums, singing and dancing threatened to go on into the night we decided to join them. What a night we had with all the beautiful women and massive men dressed to the nines in their boisterous and vibrant colors. Of course always wearing flowers in their hair. We danced all of us and ate and drank and never once felt like we weren't welcome.
We did the usual tourist things especially as it was the time of year for all the Bastille Day festivities. There were outrigger races in the main harbor of Papeete where a hundred boats with teams of six would stab their way upwind in a mad dash. There was a dance extravaganza in a makeshift stadium set up downtown. Some cruisers went twice. The dancers were made up of different teams from all over the South Pacific. Every night there was a new show.
The Yacht Club proved to be a tranquil sanctuary after our hectic loud days in the city looking for parts, propane or dealing with paperwork. Liz even had her first crack at a washing machine in a very long time. We hadn't seen a laundry since the Galapagos. In Tahiti we were able to get our boat repairs done as well as set up the sewing machine and fix not only our sails but those of four other boats. Not bad work if you can get it. The cash took some of the bite out of the Polynesian prices and gained us the appreciation of our fellow sailors. Mark

Rangiroa, Tuamotos

Over 500 miles away from the Marquisses lies the coral atolls of the Tuamotos. The Tuamotos are a group of over 40 islands nicknamed the "danger islands" because of all the coral fringes and expediante currents going in and out. We decided to visit Rangiroa which is the largest of the atolls in the Tuamotos and the second largest atoll in the world. Entrance is necessary at slack tide so luckily we timed our entrance well and except for the fact that we had a current against us that slowed us down to 0.9 knots at one point we made it in safely and dropped the hook in the clear water. So far the nicest water we have seen anywhere. Tired from a 4.5 day passage we were too excited to sleep so we dropped the dinghy and immediatley headed for land. The island is mostly made up of two small villages that are 6 miles apart. The island is miles long and most is uninhabited. Atolls are not actual islands but groups of mini islands called motus that join together and form a lagoon inside. Most of these atolls only have a few passes where the tides go in and out thus making the tides really fast and it can be dangerous for small vessels ie sailboats to enter and exit. But as I said we made it in. On the shore there is one main road, about seven magasins (small stores) and numerous hotels and pensions. As I said this is the largest island in the Tuamotos and a mecca for divers. One of the most popular dives is a 90 foot drift dive through the pass that allows diver to drift at about 5 knots past huge schools of sharks, barracudas and rays. Since I have trouble getting down that deep because of equalizing we stuck to more shallow dives and we snorked almost everyday. A place in the lagoon they call the Aquairum was always loaded with fish who were waiting to be fed. The locals have spoiled them by feeding them baguettes and fish heads when they bring out the glass bottom boats. This has made them aggressive and one even tried to bite a mole of Mark's back hoping it was a morsel of food. Every dive or snorel was amazing. I felt like an explorer ,as every time we jumped in the water I discovered something I had never seen before. And sharks, yes there were still plenty around even if you did not dive deep. They were always curious and some local said they were shy. I still kept my distance or just kept still and let them pass on by. The wierdest thing we saw were the Remoras, or sucker fish who attach to sharks and other fish with their huge sucker mouths. I have heard stories of these fish attaching to divers and I had more than one instance where I had a remora come really close as if he wanted to stake a claim on my white belly. We ended up spending two weeks in Rangiroa, celebrated my birthday and had a really great time. We departed Rangiroa on June 25th. Next.......on to Tahiti.

Nuku Hiva, Marquisses

Our fourth and final island in the Marquisses was Nuku Hiva. Baie de Taiohae, our first stop was a very large bay on the southern part of the island. The largest village on the island, we felt like it was a metropolis. Three whole restaurants, two groceries stores and even wireless internet (not a great deal at over $5 dollars an hour and slow, but still). Saturdays there was an early market, we are talking over and packing it all up by 6am. Fresh veggies and this is where are bread habit really got out of control. Criossants and pan au chocolat, not to mention creamy French butter. Atkins it's not around here.
After we escaped the bounds of retail and bread we shuffled east five miles to what is known as Daniel's Bay. A dramatic anchorage, we were surrounded by high cliffs and lush vegetation all around. We hiked to what was said to be one of the highest waterfalls in the world but on the way it was amazing to see all that was growing. Bananas, papayas, breadfruit,pamplemousse, limes, mangos and even pomegrantes were all around. Sounds like paradise? Well it pretty much is. We traded some German wine that we had been avoiding in our wine cellar for years for heaps of bananas, pamplemouse and limes we are still enjoying at least three weeks later.
After a stop back at Taiohae Bay for some provisioning we set off for the north end of Nuku Hiva. What we thought would be an easy four hour day sail turned into an all day event with squirrely winds , rough seas and squalls all day long. This made it all the better when we arrived in the flat calm Anaho Bay. One of the prettiest spots we had seen (and this is getting hard to distinguish) we set off the next day with Irie and Guava Jelly to hike over to the next bay which was known for the best restaurant in Nuku Hiva. After a glorious hike we feasted on fresh fish and goat curry before hiking back in the rain. It was welcome believe me as it is hot here in pardise. Luckily I had my backpack and walking stick so I could knock the mangos out of the trees on the way home. I have never been a big mango fan but I am learning because well, here they literally grow on trees. Next......the Tuamotos.

Ua Pou

After leaving Fatu Hiva we headed to Tahuata, a small island to the north. This anchorage was our first taste of a small uninhabited Polynesian anchorage. Despite my healthy fear of sharks, (in the Marquisses they are known to be large and numurous), Mark and I paddled in our kayaks over to the next cove and had our first snorkel (besides cleaning the botton of Scholarship). There was very clear water and some of the best marine life we saw in the Marquisses. This was a short stop and after a beach birthday party for our friend Pokey we set out for the island of Ua Pou. Prounounced Wha-Pooh this was where we checked into the country. The customs boat had visited in Fatu Hiva but we still had to check in with the Genderme and pay a $1300 refundable bond that would allow me to stay in the country for three months. This is customary for Americans and lots of other nationalities but because of Mark's newly aquired Irish citizenship he was exempt. The check in process was uneventful. This is always a blessing and we were off to find baguettes and Hinano beer. We stayed in Ua Pou for a few days and enjoyed the benefits of the small cruise ship, the Aranui III. Because of the" cruisers" ( a very different breed than us) there was special crafts, food and dancing set up to give them a taste of Polynesian culture. Another fun thing was checking out the Aranui itself. We simply walked on and showed ourselves around. No one took any notice and it would be pretty amazing to anyone living in the US post 911. In San Diego the cruise ships are off limits all together. You cannot get to close to them in a dingy let alone show yourself around. The harbor at Ua Pou was stunning with huge volcanic spires.