Saturday, September 06, 2008
Aitutski
Well we feel as though we have had a week of turbulence where nothing is as it should be.
We had a fairly good crossing, slowing down the last night so we would arrive at Aitutaki after dawn as we had expected. Anne and Harvey weathered their first offshore passage well with Harvey gamely helping Ken do his watch in between nauseous attacks. As Harvey says you always feel better after throwing up.
Our adventures started in the morning as we tried to find the pass into the harbour. We had been warned it was difficult and shallow but as our chart plotter and charts had been so accurate in French Polynesia we thought it would not be too much of a challenge---wrong!!!
As we were trying to make out where the pass was from inaccurate information on all of our charts and an inaccurate GPS position from Charlie’s Charts—our only cruising guide at this stage we heard a clunk as our keel hit a coral head!!!! Yeeks!! Luckily Ken was at the wheel not me and he was able to take us off with minimal damage. We were then told by a boat who had been talking to earlier tell us that the pass is off in the charts by a quarter of a mile—I wish he had thought to tell us before this.
We did make it in OK and Ken dove under the boat and found there was a small chunk of fiberglass out of the keel which he did not think would present any issues and we would deal with it in NZ.
The next issue was the starboard engine which was not starting well so Ken and Harvey replaced the starter. It has also stopped producing power but luckily our game little generator which we had bought in the Galapagos is still working.
The weather as had been predicted became very windy and rainy and although we are happy not to be at sea it is not quite the Pacific paradise we had expected.
On Sunday we went to the local church service—the singing at these Polynesian churches is renowned and it was lovely. The singing was archipelago with wonderful harmony echoing throughout the church. The women who are very large wear wonderful flowered hats and colourful dresses.
After the service we were invited to share the lovely spread of food they had put on. They explained that they each bought a plate which all of the visitors were invited to partake. It was a huge amount of food and as we ate they sat in the double layer of picnic chairs (double obviously to take the weight of these large people). After we finished they then quickly demolished the huge amount of food left. They are very lovely and generous people who are happy with little. Most seem to have family members in NZ and do get to go there each year.
Anne and Harvey treated us to a lovely dinner at the fancy resort for dinner that night. We had a table overlooking the bay and coconut palms which always look idyllic even if the weather is not as sunny as we had hoped.
The next day we set out to rent bicycles for Anne and Harvey only to find there is only one left to rent anywhere on the island at the moment. They rented a motor scooter which as we struggled on our bikes into the wind seemed to be the best solution anyway. We did go to the other side of the island which obviously would be lovely in better weather. The houses are surrounded by flowers and although they do not appear as affluent as in French Polynesia they do not appear poor.
The next morning upon opening up the floorboards to stock up on milk I found it flooded with sea water—obviously the small piece of keel which had been lost on the reef was deeper than we had thought!!!! Ken and Harvey then proceeded to mix the underwater epoxy which we have on board and Ken dove under and pushed it in. After pumping the water out it appears to have held.
Harvey also helped Ken replace the alternator which appears to have fixed the power generating issue with the engine and we seem to have most things functioning again----we had luckily paid attention to Jack who told us to bring as much of a spare boat as we could carry and afford but are rapidly running out of spares.
We did try to dingy out to a small motu (island) near the reef but it was very windy and we felt-- too dangerous to continue so we biked (and motor scootered) along the shore and had a nice time beachcombing for shells.
The island is typical in the fact that many things are sold out until the supply boat gets here—we have had this happen every island we have been to since Panama—they do not have enough money to carry stock so always run out. This island has even run out of fuel—Anne and Harvey had to return the motor scooter on fumes and could not have it an extra day as there is no fuel. Everything here comes from New Zealand via Rarotonga and only once a month. As the weather has been bad the expected supply boat has not arrived—maybe next week? Luckily we did get fuel for the dingy in Rarotonga and have enough diesel from Tahiti. We will have to economize with the dingy if we hope to get to Beveridge Reef on our way to Nuie. The winds are too high to go there now but if they die down we still hope to go there. It is a small atoll where no one lives and the only boats visiting there are cruisers. It is apparently amazing to snorkel and dive in so we will if the conditions are right.
Most evenings have been filled by playing Mexican train (a cruisers version of dominos which we introduced to Anne and Harvey who have become addicted). There seems to be a difference of opinion as to when we should halt the game each evening---it can go on for hours and the timing seems to depend as to who is winning at the time—perhaps a previously agreed upon time would be a good idea.
On Anne and Harvey’s last night we went to a Polynesian buffet and dance show. The vast array of food was good and the dancing featured more wriggling butts. One of the shows featured dancing with fire sticks which was great with the drumming which we have come to expect in the South Pacific—we are not sure of the origin of the fire sticks but on a beach here it certainly fits. They ended with the invitation to the tourists to join in and “strut their stuff” which of course Ken and Harvey both got up and did their best.
We had visited a clam research station—they are trying to restock the clams in the lagoon faster than the locals can eat them and Harvey and Ken went out with them to check the reserve where they are growing them. They got to snorkel—it is still too windy to take the dingy out and the currents are strong with the sea which pounds over the reef rushing to get out the pass.
Anne and Harvey fly out to Rarotonga for a couple of days before heading back to NZ. We hope they get some calm weather there as other than one quick swim they have not been able to make much use of the snorkel gear we set up for them. We have had fun with them and do appreciate that Harvey spent the required hours daily in the engine room. Ken has learned a lot from him and hopefully it will help him fix whatever breaks down next. They left us with huge amounts of chocolate—Anne had taken my request for some to heart and I have enough for a year!!!
We look forward to seeing them again in NZ and perhaps can share some more sailing with them there.
Don and Marcie will come back on Monday and we will head off as soon as we get a weather window towards Nuie and Beveridge Reef.
This may or may not come with pics--the computer is VERY SLOW!!!!!
We had a fairly good crossing, slowing down the last night so we would arrive at Aitutaki after dawn as we had expected. Anne and Harvey weathered their first offshore passage well with Harvey gamely helping Ken do his watch in between nauseous attacks. As Harvey says you always feel better after throwing up.
Our adventures started in the morning as we tried to find the pass into the harbour. We had been warned it was difficult and shallow but as our chart plotter and charts had been so accurate in French Polynesia we thought it would not be too much of a challenge---wrong!!!
As we were trying to make out where the pass was from inaccurate information on all of our charts and an inaccurate GPS position from Charlie’s Charts—our only cruising guide at this stage we heard a clunk as our keel hit a coral head!!!! Yeeks!! Luckily Ken was at the wheel not me and he was able to take us off with minimal damage. We were then told by a boat who had been talking to earlier tell us that the pass is off in the charts by a quarter of a mile—I wish he had thought to tell us before this.
We did make it in OK and Ken dove under the boat and found there was a small chunk of fiberglass out of the keel which he did not think would present any issues and we would deal with it in NZ.
The next issue was the starboard engine which was not starting well so Ken and Harvey replaced the starter. It has also stopped producing power but luckily our game little generator which we had bought in the Galapagos is still working.
The weather as had been predicted became very windy and rainy and although we are happy not to be at sea it is not quite the Pacific paradise we had expected.
On Sunday we went to the local church service—the singing at these Polynesian churches is renowned and it was lovely. The singing was archipelago with wonderful harmony echoing throughout the church. The women who are very large wear wonderful flowered hats and colourful dresses.
After the service we were invited to share the lovely spread of food they had put on. They explained that they each bought a plate which all of the visitors were invited to partake. It was a huge amount of food and as we ate they sat in the double layer of picnic chairs (double obviously to take the weight of these large people). After we finished they then quickly demolished the huge amount of food left. They are very lovely and generous people who are happy with little. Most seem to have family members in NZ and do get to go there each year.
Anne and Harvey treated us to a lovely dinner at the fancy resort for dinner that night. We had a table overlooking the bay and coconut palms which always look idyllic even if the weather is not as sunny as we had hoped.
The next day we set out to rent bicycles for Anne and Harvey only to find there is only one left to rent anywhere on the island at the moment. They rented a motor scooter which as we struggled on our bikes into the wind seemed to be the best solution anyway. We did go to the other side of the island which obviously would be lovely in better weather. The houses are surrounded by flowers and although they do not appear as affluent as in French Polynesia they do not appear poor.
The next morning upon opening up the floorboards to stock up on milk I found it flooded with sea water—obviously the small piece of keel which had been lost on the reef was deeper than we had thought!!!! Ken and Harvey then proceeded to mix the underwater epoxy which we have on board and Ken dove under and pushed it in. After pumping the water out it appears to have held.
Harvey also helped Ken replace the alternator which appears to have fixed the power generating issue with the engine and we seem to have most things functioning again----we had luckily paid attention to Jack who told us to bring as much of a spare boat as we could carry and afford but are rapidly running out of spares.
We did try to dingy out to a small motu (island) near the reef but it was very windy and we felt-- too dangerous to continue so we biked (and motor scootered) along the shore and had a nice time beachcombing for shells.
The island is typical in the fact that many things are sold out until the supply boat gets here—we have had this happen every island we have been to since Panama—they do not have enough money to carry stock so always run out. This island has even run out of fuel—Anne and Harvey had to return the motor scooter on fumes and could not have it an extra day as there is no fuel. Everything here comes from New Zealand via Rarotonga and only once a month. As the weather has been bad the expected supply boat has not arrived—maybe next week? Luckily we did get fuel for the dingy in Rarotonga and have enough diesel from Tahiti. We will have to economize with the dingy if we hope to get to Beveridge Reef on our way to Nuie. The winds are too high to go there now but if they die down we still hope to go there. It is a small atoll where no one lives and the only boats visiting there are cruisers. It is apparently amazing to snorkel and dive in so we will if the conditions are right.
Most evenings have been filled by playing Mexican train (a cruisers version of dominos which we introduced to Anne and Harvey who have become addicted). There seems to be a difference of opinion as to when we should halt the game each evening---it can go on for hours and the timing seems to depend as to who is winning at the time—perhaps a previously agreed upon time would be a good idea.
On Anne and Harvey’s last night we went to a Polynesian buffet and dance show. The vast array of food was good and the dancing featured more wriggling butts. One of the shows featured dancing with fire sticks which was great with the drumming which we have come to expect in the South Pacific—we are not sure of the origin of the fire sticks but on a beach here it certainly fits. They ended with the invitation to the tourists to join in and “strut their stuff” which of course Ken and Harvey both got up and did their best.
We had visited a clam research station—they are trying to restock the clams in the lagoon faster than the locals can eat them and Harvey and Ken went out with them to check the reserve where they are growing them. They got to snorkel—it is still too windy to take the dingy out and the currents are strong with the sea which pounds over the reef rushing to get out the pass.
Anne and Harvey fly out to Rarotonga for a couple of days before heading back to NZ. We hope they get some calm weather there as other than one quick swim they have not been able to make much use of the snorkel gear we set up for them. We have had fun with them and do appreciate that Harvey spent the required hours daily in the engine room. Ken has learned a lot from him and hopefully it will help him fix whatever breaks down next. They left us with huge amounts of chocolate—Anne had taken my request for some to heart and I have enough for a year!!!
We look forward to seeing them again in NZ and perhaps can share some more sailing with them there.
Don and Marcie will come back on Monday and we will head off as soon as we get a weather window towards Nuie and Beveridge Reef.
This may or may not come with pics--the computer is VERY SLOW!!!!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Rarotonga
We are still in Rarotonga and have been joined by Anne and Harvey. They arrived in the middle of the night—the flights here seem to be of the lowest priority and arrive at the oddest times-- it was a challenge getting Anne and Harvey off the dock and onto the boat in the dingy with the rocky rolly seas we have been having. Highest priority of course was not to loose the booze and chocolate they had bought us.
We woke them up in the morning and we went to the market. The fruit and vegs are lovely and fresh and crisp—definitely this island produces more than French Polynesia did. We also sampled the huge $4 ice creams and are also enjoying the fish and chips and milkshakes—hmm food fixation again!! Oh I did not mention the Devonshire teas with scones and cream which were also a must have.
The anchorage is interesting with sailboats coming and going, all of them requiring help to bring in their ropes attached to their sterns. Ken has become quite the expert at going in the dingy and bringing them to shore. Getting on and off our boat is always a challenge too with many ropes tying the big boat to be negotiated under and over as you pull yourself to the dock in the dingy. We have managed to get everything on the boat without losing anything but we do not always look elegant as we maneuver ourselves to and from the dingy to the dock. It continues to be very rolly but we are becoming experts.
Harvey was a diesel mechanic in his past life so we have given him various challenges in our engine room which so far he has successfully helped Ken with—always an advantage in ensuring your guests have some hidden talents!!
We did take a bus tour around the island and did spend one day hiking over the island. This is more of a challenge than it should be as they do not mark the trail at all so we clambered over roots and trees in the mud before we made it to the other side.
Unfortunately the weather has been showery so we have not been swimming or spending time at the beach. The locals assure us they need the rain but we would have preferred they waited a week.
Provisioning here is easy so we have restocked up and will head to Aitutaki tonight. It should be a two night passage and we are hoping to get in before a major weather system moves in. It arrives on Saturday and hopefully we will be in the lagoon in Aitutaki which we have been told is a Pacific paradise. Anne and Harvey will fly out of there in 10days to go back to NZ. We are enjoying having them on board.
Marcie and Don are going to rejoin us in Aitutaki and will go as far as Tonga with us.
We woke them up in the morning and we went to the market. The fruit and vegs are lovely and fresh and crisp—definitely this island produces more than French Polynesia did. We also sampled the huge $4 ice creams and are also enjoying the fish and chips and milkshakes—hmm food fixation again!! Oh I did not mention the Devonshire teas with scones and cream which were also a must have.
The anchorage is interesting with sailboats coming and going, all of them requiring help to bring in their ropes attached to their sterns. Ken has become quite the expert at going in the dingy and bringing them to shore. Getting on and off our boat is always a challenge too with many ropes tying the big boat to be negotiated under and over as you pull yourself to the dock in the dingy. We have managed to get everything on the boat without losing anything but we do not always look elegant as we maneuver ourselves to and from the dingy to the dock. It continues to be very rolly but we are becoming experts.
Harvey was a diesel mechanic in his past life so we have given him various challenges in our engine room which so far he has successfully helped Ken with—always an advantage in ensuring your guests have some hidden talents!!
We did take a bus tour around the island and did spend one day hiking over the island. This is more of a challenge than it should be as they do not mark the trail at all so we clambered over roots and trees in the mud before we made it to the other side.
Unfortunately the weather has been showery so we have not been swimming or spending time at the beach. The locals assure us they need the rain but we would have preferred they waited a week.
Provisioning here is easy so we have restocked up and will head to Aitutaki tonight. It should be a two night passage and we are hoping to get in before a major weather system moves in. It arrives on Saturday and hopefully we will be in the lagoon in Aitutaki which we have been told is a Pacific paradise. Anne and Harvey will fly out of there in 10days to go back to NZ. We are enjoying having them on board.
Marcie and Don are going to rejoin us in Aitutaki and will go as far as Tonga with us.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bora Bora to Rarotonga
We left Bora Bora to cross the 550 miles to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands after having explored the other side of this beautiful island with the boat. We spent our last night on a sandy anchorage between the motus and edge of the reef and the mountains—the colour of the sea is spectacular and the photos do not do it justice.
Our first day we had a great wind and we traveled 150 miles but the next few days it calmed and we were forced to take one extra night on the passage so we would not arrive at the harbour in the dark so will enter at dawn of our 5th day.
It was fun having Marcie and Don on the passage and the afternoon scrabble/cards/domino games became competitive. Ken and Don also were competitive in their fishing endeavors. Ken hooked a skipjack tuna and as he was reeling it in Don hooked his brother—we will never know though as Don’s got off before we ever saw it. When we were having sashimi for our lunch they both simultaneously hooked a dorado (mah mahi) each. We had to call a moratorium on the fishing for the rest of the trip as sahimi, fish and chips, ceviche and blackened mahi mahi over the next two days were enough. We froze the rest and hope that our next guests Anne and Harvey from NZ who will meet us in Rarotonga like fish!!!!
Our crossing was pleasant as the winds were light, the seas calm and the moon is full so the nights are magical.
Don and Marcie will get off in Rarotonga and decide what their future plans will be—they may join us again later and do another leg but they have not decided yet. We have enjoyed having them and the night watches now are 3 hours each are easy.
Anne, my old friend—not saying how old except we were neighbors and school friends since we were about 5 years old—and her husband Harvey will join us next weekend. We will see Rarotonga with them and sail north to another island Atutaki which apparently is lovely where they will fly out from 2 weeks later.
We are looking forward to having the NZ influence (not to mention the NZ$ which is a lot more favorable than the Euro tied Polynesian French Franc for us) and look forward to fish and chips (not the mahi mahi on the boat kind!!!) maybe meat pies and perhaps hokey pokey ice cream—why is food such an ongoing obsession??? Anne and Harvey have been instructed to bring chocolate!!! Diana brought cheese. Ken bough back M&Ms and oreos --- we need to get a new obsession or need to make sure we climb some mountains soon to work it all off!!!
Well we are now in Rarotonga with our back end tied to the wall alongside 12 other cruisers. It is a very social way of being moored and is the first time since Mexico we have been alongside at all. The locals seem to make it their daily destination to see which other boats arrive and where they come from. They are all very friendly and between the locals and other cruisers there is always someone stopping for a chat.
The island is lovely but a little cooler than French Polynesia—we are further south, the days are still warm enough to wear strappy sundresses but you do need something on your shoulders in the evening. I am not sure how cool it will be in the water.
Our check in was easy and we have applied for Ken to have an extension on his visa to stay there for 6 months. Everyone here is very easygoing and many girls are barefoot at work—even one of them in the NZ embassy. There has been less intermarrying here than in French Polynesia and there are a lot of very heavy Polynesians here.
We went ashore the first morning and had a HUGE breakfast—any ideas of losing weight here have gone. Marcie had an omelet which must have had a half a pound of cheese in it and Don had an equivalent amount of bacon. Ken and I had two huge sausages with our eggs and we each had four full slices of toast with it.
We went out to an Indian restaurant also with a group of cruisers and it is lovely to be able to eat out and feel as though you can afford it.
Anne and Harvey arrive tomorrow and we are looking forward to sharing a small slice of our life with them
We hope you are all enjoying your summer and do keep in touch as we love to hear from you.
Our first day we had a great wind and we traveled 150 miles but the next few days it calmed and we were forced to take one extra night on the passage so we would not arrive at the harbour in the dark so will enter at dawn of our 5th day.
It was fun having Marcie and Don on the passage and the afternoon scrabble/cards/domino games became competitive. Ken and Don also were competitive in their fishing endeavors. Ken hooked a skipjack tuna and as he was reeling it in Don hooked his brother—we will never know though as Don’s got off before we ever saw it. When we were having sashimi for our lunch they both simultaneously hooked a dorado (mah mahi) each. We had to call a moratorium on the fishing for the rest of the trip as sahimi, fish and chips, ceviche and blackened mahi mahi over the next two days were enough. We froze the rest and hope that our next guests Anne and Harvey from NZ who will meet us in Rarotonga like fish!!!!
Our crossing was pleasant as the winds were light, the seas calm and the moon is full so the nights are magical.
Don and Marcie will get off in Rarotonga and decide what their future plans will be—they may join us again later and do another leg but they have not decided yet. We have enjoyed having them and the night watches now are 3 hours each are easy.
Anne, my old friend—not saying how old except we were neighbors and school friends since we were about 5 years old—and her husband Harvey will join us next weekend. We will see Rarotonga with them and sail north to another island Atutaki which apparently is lovely where they will fly out from 2 weeks later.
We are looking forward to having the NZ influence (not to mention the NZ$ which is a lot more favorable than the Euro tied Polynesian French Franc for us) and look forward to fish and chips (not the mahi mahi on the boat kind!!!) maybe meat pies and perhaps hokey pokey ice cream—why is food such an ongoing obsession??? Anne and Harvey have been instructed to bring chocolate!!! Diana brought cheese. Ken bough back M&Ms and oreos --- we need to get a new obsession or need to make sure we climb some mountains soon to work it all off!!!
Well we are now in Rarotonga with our back end tied to the wall alongside 12 other cruisers. It is a very social way of being moored and is the first time since Mexico we have been alongside at all. The locals seem to make it their daily destination to see which other boats arrive and where they come from. They are all very friendly and between the locals and other cruisers there is always someone stopping for a chat.
The island is lovely but a little cooler than French Polynesia—we are further south, the days are still warm enough to wear strappy sundresses but you do need something on your shoulders in the evening. I am not sure how cool it will be in the water.
Our check in was easy and we have applied for Ken to have an extension on his visa to stay there for 6 months. Everyone here is very easygoing and many girls are barefoot at work—even one of them in the NZ embassy. There has been less intermarrying here than in French Polynesia and there are a lot of very heavy Polynesians here.
We went ashore the first morning and had a HUGE breakfast—any ideas of losing weight here have gone. Marcie had an omelet which must have had a half a pound of cheese in it and Don had an equivalent amount of bacon. Ken and I had two huge sausages with our eggs and we each had four full slices of toast with it.
We went out to an Indian restaurant also with a group of cruisers and it is lovely to be able to eat out and feel as though you can afford it.
Anne and Harvey arrive tomorrow and we are looking forward to sharing a small slice of our life with them
We hope you are all enjoying your summer and do keep in touch as we love to hear from you.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Bora Bora
Ken arrived back from the wedding and despite the flights from hell had had a wonderful time. He got to see Amy, Rob and the kids and Kristen, Kyle and their kids and Mike which he enjoyed. He was able to participate in Aaron and Ashley’s wedding which was very special for him. They had a lovely wedding and we are happy for them that they found each other and I am sure have a wonderful life ahead of them I was sad to miss it but was thankful that we had enjoyed their company for so long in French Polynesia.
It was with a little sadness that we dropped Diana off at the ferry for her trip back. We had had a wonderful time together and she and I had managed to bike or kayak almost every day. The wind had been stronger than we had anticipated so we did not leave the anchorage but we were very busy exploring everything that it did not matter.
We now have Don and Marcie on board and we checked out today and will head for Raratonga tomorrow. It is 500 miles and so should take us between 4 to 7 days. Conditions look fine and with the extra crew it will be nice to be able to split the watches and get enough sleep on the passage.
Next time I update this we will be in the Cook Islands and although we have loved French Polynesia we look forward to our next stop which by all accounts is wonderful
It was with a little sadness that we dropped Diana off at the ferry for her trip back. We had had a wonderful time together and she and I had managed to bike or kayak almost every day. The wind had been stronger than we had anticipated so we did not leave the anchorage but we were very busy exploring everything that it did not matter.
We now have Don and Marcie on board and we checked out today and will head for Raratonga tomorrow. It is 500 miles and so should take us between 4 to 7 days. Conditions look fine and with the extra crew it will be nice to be able to split the watches and get enough sleep on the passage.
Next time I update this we will be in the Cook Islands and although we have loved French Polynesia we look forward to our next stop which by all accounts is wonderful
Saturday, August 02, 2008
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