Nov 2-Nov 9, 2014, Musket Cove, Fiji Week 4
We have been in Fiji 4 weeks. It is time to get out of the marina and see some of the islands before the hurricanes start. The weather has been nasty the last several days but on Sunday it settles down. Monday morning we are off and clear the channel smoothly even though it is almost low tide. We have never found a good cruising guide to Fiji and Alan is worried about reef and atolls so we decide that for this first venture we will go to Muscat Cove. It is only 10 miles away and everyone has been telling us about how wonderful it is. Although the weather predicted 15-20 knot winds and moderate to rough seas, it is flat calm and we motor all the way.. I am guessing this is what it is like in the Caribbean, islands and reefs everywhere, just a short sail from each other.
The dress code in Fiji calls for skirts over the knee and covered shoulders for women. Apparently long pants don’t qualify It must be a skirt. Men wear a wrap skirt with a short sleeved dress shirt. This mostly applies to the outer islands but even in the main cities you seldom see the older women in pants and sleeveless tops. So in anticipation of getting to the outer islands, I have reconfigured my closet with matching t-shirts and skirts and bought a skirt for Alan. We have also laid in a supply of Kava roots. The villages own not only the land but also the water around the island. Whenever you anchor you are expected to dress properly, dingy ashore and present the chief with a bundle of kava and then attend the kava drinking ceremony. Then you are free to swim, sail and explore in their waters, not before.
Having said that, Musket Cove is a resort and so the rules don’t apply. I put on a bikini and grab a sarong and I am good to go. This turns out to be my week in Paradise. The end of the season regatta was a few weeks ago and the resort is quiet. There are a dozen boats in the bay, including old friends heading for New Zealand. The weather is lovely. Alan joins the yacht club for $15 for a lifetime membership. The only requirement is that you must have sailed here from a foreign country. The yacht club consists of an office on the wharf and a bure bar on a little island just off the beach. Along with a well stocked bar, it has coin operated barbecues. Buy your meat from the little store on the beach and drop a coin in the slot. the staff provides utensils and even does the clean up. Eat at one of their tables and then curl upon the beach front couches and watch the sunset. Like I said, paradise.
I go for 3 snorkel trips while Alan lazes around the boat and does odd jobs. The dive boat takes us out to a reef and we all jump in and drift for an hour until we get to the boat and climb back in. The snorkeling is wonderful. Finally i get to see brightly colored living coral. Up to now it has almost all been while, grey or brown. Here it is vivid fuchsia, blue, red, green in all kinds of fabulous shapes. The fish are equally colorful.. I am by myself and can just drift quietly along. The fish come right up to see who/what I am. There is one kind that has black and while tails in a v shape that are particularly persistent. I finally realize that my flippers are colored the same way as their tails. They must think i am a big fish.
One afternoon I join a trip to the village where most of the resort workers live. It is obviously set up for the gueats from the 2 resorts on the siland but it is a very sad experience. We are treated to a kava ceremony and then an extended request to donate money to the poor villagers. Our guide points out one traditional building that has stood for 20 years through numerous storms and then points to the sorry modern buildings and tells us that seven of them were lost in storms just last year. When asked why they don't go back to the old way of building he replies that it is too much trouble and that most of the big trees they need for posts have been cut down. The rest of the visit is an opportunity to but cheap trinkets from the village women. About 20 tables have been set up along the beach but none of the items for sale are made here. They are bought on the mainland and brought over to sell..Poor quality and poor design.
We decide to join in the hotel feast night. Alan is always up for a lavish spread and we certainly got onu moneys worth on this one.; pig roasted on a spit with a lavish spread of local foods. There are several salads, including ne of ferns with coconut and lime dressing, roasted eggplant, taro, rice, etc for sides and fresh fruit and several coconut deserts. After dinner we are treated to a dance presentation. Once again it is similar to but different from anything else that we have seen . It is mostly the men doing the dancing this time. When the women join in they are much more restrained. I have heard that the Hawaiian hula was originally a men's dance and I can see evidence of it here. The men used much more hip movement than I have seen before but not the knee shaking that was so common in the societies. I would love to see a comparison of the dances from each island. It would be fascinating to see the evolution as populations spread throughout the Pacific and then were impacted and suppressed by the missionaries. Fiji is one of the oldest cultures and Hawaii is the newest.
Saturday the weather changed and the rain came pouring down all night long. Alan got up 3 times to bail out the dingy so that it would not sink while I slept like a log. I find the sound of rain on the roof very soothing. The rain finally let up the next afternoon but then the wind kicked in and blew for another 24 hours. So we had two lazy days on board. Since we were safely anchored and not trying to sail through it we could just read or sew or work on odd jobs. I have a lovely piece of jeweled fabric that I have had for years that I have decided to make into an elegant outfit for New Years Eve. Now I just have to find somewhere to wear it.
With the storm blown out, we treat ourselves to a final barbecue on the beach before we head back to Vuda Marina. Most of the cruisers are gone or on the way out and we are now meeting the people who stay here year round. The only immigration requirements are that you leave every four months. Not hard to do since flights from here to other island countries are just a few hundred dollars. They are planning a Thanksgiving potluck with at least three turkeys already ordered and we are encouraged to come. Unless we get a better offer in our marina or the weather is nasty, I expect we will be there.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Fiji Week 3
Oct 26-Nov 1, 2014 Vuda Point, Week 3
The laundry is finally all done and everything sorted and stowed again. Cupboards have been cleaned out and repacked and we are settling into living a lazy life here. We hope to get out to the islands during the next several weeks while the weather is still good We have been studying charts and asking other cruisers for waypoints.
Alan has been working on various odd jobs, most importantly the sink. The drain pipe rusted through allowing the dishwater to pour onto the floor. A long day of walking from store to store in Lautoka finally produced the perfect replacement and one day later we were back in business.
We rented a car one day to explore Nadi, the next bigger town and Port Denaru. It was fun go go exploring but in the end we decided that we have no real need to go back there. There were more stores but they stocked just the same things that I can get in Lautoka. Denarau is interesting. We thought it would have lots of marine supply stores and places to get work done cheaply. Instead it turned out to be mostly tour boats, tourist shops, restaurants and hotels. All of the marine shops there also have representatives in our marina. This will make life much easier, since we won’t have to rent a car or take a 2 hour bus ride to arrange for work to be done.
My big event of the week was gardening. There are 2 nursery areas here, one behind the kitchen and one right by our slip. The marina offers fresh fruit in return for help gardening so I decided to take them up on it. I traced down the gardener to see what needed to be done since I did not want to just start pulling weeks or planting vegetables on my own. He was amazed and delighted with my offer and suggested I take over the kitchen garden. Someone had laid it out, covered it with shade cloth and built a number of raised beds and then given up. At this point it consists of about 50 pepper plants, all infested with white fly, and nothing else. My first day was spent weeding and spraying with soapy water to knock down the whiteflies. Next I tracked down the marina manager to make sure I had his approval before going further. He not only approved but took me shopping to buy herbs; pots and pots of basil, thyme, oregano, dill, chives, rosemary, parsley. I am in heaven. The rest of the week has been spent planting, repotting, and spraying the whiteflies. I am keeping one plant of each herd in the nursery by the boat where I can get to them quickly. I have already been able to run out and get fresh oregano for spagetti sauce and chives for scrambled eggs. I found tomato and eggplant plants in the market so they have been added. The marina workers have become used to seeing me puttering around the garden and they area quite intrigued by what I am doing. I think i have things under control so that they will be OK while we go sailing next week.
The marina put on a halloween party and it was amazing to see what people came up with on short notice from their very limited boat stores. The day after, 2 of the cruisers hosted a pig roast potluck. the pig was buried in the village up the road at about 3 am and by mid afternoon when it was brought back it was wonderfully tender and delicious. We invited the whole star and polished off the entire pig. Just as we all started eating the skye opened and we got our first real downpour of the season, good for my garden.
Now just to get everything packed away again so we can go sailing.
The laundry is finally all done and everything sorted and stowed again. Cupboards have been cleaned out and repacked and we are settling into living a lazy life here. We hope to get out to the islands during the next several weeks while the weather is still good We have been studying charts and asking other cruisers for waypoints.
Alan has been working on various odd jobs, most importantly the sink. The drain pipe rusted through allowing the dishwater to pour onto the floor. A long day of walking from store to store in Lautoka finally produced the perfect replacement and one day later we were back in business.
We rented a car one day to explore Nadi, the next bigger town and Port Denaru. It was fun go go exploring but in the end we decided that we have no real need to go back there. There were more stores but they stocked just the same things that I can get in Lautoka. Denarau is interesting. We thought it would have lots of marine supply stores and places to get work done cheaply. Instead it turned out to be mostly tour boats, tourist shops, restaurants and hotels. All of the marine shops there also have representatives in our marina. This will make life much easier, since we won’t have to rent a car or take a 2 hour bus ride to arrange for work to be done.
My big event of the week was gardening. There are 2 nursery areas here, one behind the kitchen and one right by our slip. The marina offers fresh fruit in return for help gardening so I decided to take them up on it. I traced down the gardener to see what needed to be done since I did not want to just start pulling weeks or planting vegetables on my own. He was amazed and delighted with my offer and suggested I take over the kitchen garden. Someone had laid it out, covered it with shade cloth and built a number of raised beds and then given up. At this point it consists of about 50 pepper plants, all infested with white fly, and nothing else. My first day was spent weeding and spraying with soapy water to knock down the whiteflies. Next I tracked down the marina manager to make sure I had his approval before going further. He not only approved but took me shopping to buy herbs; pots and pots of basil, thyme, oregano, dill, chives, rosemary, parsley. I am in heaven. The rest of the week has been spent planting, repotting, and spraying the whiteflies. I am keeping one plant of each herd in the nursery by the boat where I can get to them quickly. I have already been able to run out and get fresh oregano for spagetti sauce and chives for scrambled eggs. I found tomato and eggplant plants in the market so they have been added. The marina workers have become used to seeing me puttering around the garden and they area quite intrigued by what I am doing. I think i have things under control so that they will be OK while we go sailing next week.
The marina put on a halloween party and it was amazing to see what people came up with on short notice from their very limited boat stores. The day after, 2 of the cruisers hosted a pig roast potluck. the pig was buried in the village up the road at about 3 am and by mid afternoon when it was brought back it was wonderfully tender and delicious. We invited the whole star and polished off the entire pig. Just as we all started eating the skye opened and we got our first real downpour of the season, good for my garden.
Now just to get everything packed away again so we can go sailing.
Fiji week 2
Oct 20-26, 2014, Vuda Point, Fiji, Week 2
The big boat project tis week is the electrical system. We have had trouble with the batteries not holding a charge ever since Mexico. Almost everything electrical has shorted out or stopped working because of exposure to water. You would think things for boats would be really waterproof and immune to salt water corrosion, but NO. All of the solar stopped working due to messed up wiring. There is a tangle of wiring inside the food cupboard (which leaks) and several of the wires don't go any place but Alan does not want to just take them out until he figures where everything is supposed to go. And on our last day out we fried the charging system.
Once we got a electrician in to look at things we made an interesting discovery. The new batteries which we bought in Tahiti were supposed to be sealed batteries, which means that you don’t need to be sure they have water in them to work. When he looked at them he realized that they were actually lead acid and completely dry. It is amazing that they worked at all, and good that we do not rely on all of those fancy electronic systems that most newer boats have. The batteries were removed and taken off to be tested, with not much hope of success. Sure enough they were dead. Several days later the proper new batteries were delivered and installed and we also got a step down inverter so that we can plug into shore power any place in the world. (one more thing to store)
This is Diwali week so I decided to treat myself to a day on the town while Alan messed with batteries. On the bus all of the school kids were dressed to the max in their Diwali clothes, sparkling and bejeweled, beautiful saris for the little girls and lovely embroidered shirts for the boys. I was sorry I had not brought my camera. Downtown the stores are full of fireworks, lights and wonderful clothes, everything on sale. First order of business is a spa treatment, manicure, pedicure, facial, etc. After so long on the boat my body needs to be pampered. It was lovely. 2.5 hours of self indulgent bliss. Feeling refreshed and ready, i headed for the shops to find myself a sari. I an not willing to pay $200-$300 but hopefully I can find one on sale. It is silly since I will probably not wear it much and have nowhere to put it on the boat but they are so lovely I just can’t resist. After several delightful hours of wandering from shop to shop I finally spot the perfect one on a sale table, black with red and gold trim. Perfect and only $50 Fijian that is $30US. The sales girl showed me how to wrap it and as soon as i got home I stitched the pleats in place and add a button to hold it. No wardrobe malfunction for me. Another store provided bargain jewelry and stick on sparkly tattoos. and then on more outfit also on sale. This one a tunic and pants. Feeling great, I actually managed to find the right bus back to the Marina. The bus station is a chaotic mess with dozens of busses coming and going, engines running, horns honking and people shouting. Everyone I asked gave me different information but eventually I found the right bus.
Back at the Marina, boats are coming and going. Little by little those that are heading for New Zealand for the summer are taking off and those that are going to stay are settling in. We are saying good bye to lots of old friends. The marina and the hotel next door put on a wonderful fireworks show for Diwali and the restaurant prepared a special menu. A few more odd jobs are getting done on the boat. Mostly we are just relaxing. This is the first time since we left home that we have not had deadlines and projects.
The big boat project tis week is the electrical system. We have had trouble with the batteries not holding a charge ever since Mexico. Almost everything electrical has shorted out or stopped working because of exposure to water. You would think things for boats would be really waterproof and immune to salt water corrosion, but NO. All of the solar stopped working due to messed up wiring. There is a tangle of wiring inside the food cupboard (which leaks) and several of the wires don't go any place but Alan does not want to just take them out until he figures where everything is supposed to go. And on our last day out we fried the charging system.
Once we got a electrician in to look at things we made an interesting discovery. The new batteries which we bought in Tahiti were supposed to be sealed batteries, which means that you don’t need to be sure they have water in them to work. When he looked at them he realized that they were actually lead acid and completely dry. It is amazing that they worked at all, and good that we do not rely on all of those fancy electronic systems that most newer boats have. The batteries were removed and taken off to be tested, with not much hope of success. Sure enough they were dead. Several days later the proper new batteries were delivered and installed and we also got a step down inverter so that we can plug into shore power any place in the world. (one more thing to store)
This is Diwali week so I decided to treat myself to a day on the town while Alan messed with batteries. On the bus all of the school kids were dressed to the max in their Diwali clothes, sparkling and bejeweled, beautiful saris for the little girls and lovely embroidered shirts for the boys. I was sorry I had not brought my camera. Downtown the stores are full of fireworks, lights and wonderful clothes, everything on sale. First order of business is a spa treatment, manicure, pedicure, facial, etc. After so long on the boat my body needs to be pampered. It was lovely. 2.5 hours of self indulgent bliss. Feeling refreshed and ready, i headed for the shops to find myself a sari. I an not willing to pay $200-$300 but hopefully I can find one on sale. It is silly since I will probably not wear it much and have nowhere to put it on the boat but they are so lovely I just can’t resist. After several delightful hours of wandering from shop to shop I finally spot the perfect one on a sale table, black with red and gold trim. Perfect and only $50 Fijian that is $30US. The sales girl showed me how to wrap it and as soon as i got home I stitched the pleats in place and add a button to hold it. No wardrobe malfunction for me. Another store provided bargain jewelry and stick on sparkly tattoos. and then on more outfit also on sale. This one a tunic and pants. Feeling great, I actually managed to find the right bus back to the Marina. The bus station is a chaotic mess with dozens of busses coming and going, engines running, horns honking and people shouting. Everyone I asked gave me different information but eventually I found the right bus.
Back at the Marina, boats are coming and going. Little by little those that are heading for New Zealand for the summer are taking off and those that are going to stay are settling in. We are saying good bye to lots of old friends. The marina and the hotel next door put on a wonderful fireworks show for Diwali and the restaurant prepared a special menu. A few more odd jobs are getting done on the boat. Mostly we are just relaxing. This is the first time since we left home that we have not had deadlines and projects.
Tonga again
Sept 4-Oct 4, 2014 Tonga
Lovely, lazy, laid back Tonga. We intended to stay for a week and have been here a month without doing much of anything. Tonga is hundreds of small islands with about 70 anchorages to try. Gone are the spectacular peaks of the Marquesas and the Societies and the flat coral atolls of the Tuamotos. Tonga is low, flat hills that go straight down into the ocean floor Anchoring is done very close to shore or not at all. Luckily most of the best spots have mooring balls. One of the tour complains has produced a map with all the anchorages numbered. so now everyone refers to them by the numbers rather than the names. This is actually a good thing for cruisers once you get your hands on a map because the names are very difficult to pronounce or remember. One of the nicest is hosted by a former cruising couple who have build themselves a house boat/art gallery and shop and host potlucks on the beach every Saturday night.
We got the outboard and generator fixed. The problem was old gas which had varnished the spark plugs. We had had that gas since Mexico, almost 6 mos ago. Time to toss it out and buy new.
Decided not to bother to get the main sail patched here. We will wait until Fiji where we may have a new one made, since this one is 30 years old and keeps tearing. We almost never use the main sail any more anyway. We mostly use jib and mizzen and if the wind is right the mizzen staysail. We have double reefed it so we can use it if we need to.
A man came by in a rowboat selling bread. After an exchange of pleasantries and numerous queries as to what else he could provide he asked if we would like to go to church on Sunday. He emphasized that it was the Wesleyan Church which is the Kings church. Since Tonga is known for the wonderful acapella singing in the churches we accepted eagerly. This offer was augmented by an invitation to lunch (for a small fee) and a promise of real Tongan beer. He claimed that all of the local beer was actually made in New Zealand. Bright and early Sunday morning we were collected from the dock and walked through the town and up the hill to his house Where Alan was dressed in the traditional tepee and ta’ovaala. Since I had worn a long skirt I was deemed OK. Once dressed, we were taken to the church and escorted into a large meeting hall where about a dozen men were seated on mats in a circle. Room was made for us and we were introduced. Among the men were the village chief, the preacher and a high school math teacher. There was long, quiet discussion among the men and eventually kava was passed around. As far as I could tell, this was a weekly meeting of the elders to discuss village matters. Most of the men pulled out pouches and rolled cigarettes. Everything was done very quietly and deliberately. After another round of kava the bell rang for church and the meeting broke up. (The real Tongan beer that we had been promised was the kava)
It was women’s day in church and women ran the whole service, including the sermon. Several of the speakers were in tears. Obviously we did not understand a word but when I asked afterward why they were crying I was told that it was because they were so moved. I was captivated by the variety of kaikai and ta’ovala. the younger girls all had kaikai that matched their dresses. Even the little boys wore Ta’ovala Lunch back at the house was interesting. The family was very poor. There was no furniture but there were several pieces of electronic equipment, speakers, tape decks, amplifiers, even a TV. I am sure none of them worked. There were piles of trash around and a pig wandering the yard. Several cats wandered in and out trying to snatch food off the plates. Ou host and his wife sat on mats on the floor with us and we were served by his daughter who ate in the kitchen with her husband and children. The stove was a wood fire. Despite all, the food was very good, fried fish, taro, pork, stewed spinach, papaya in coconut milk for dessert.
I went to the Catholic church the next week where it turned out to be confirmation Sunday. The church was packed and and people were sitting all around outside. There must have been 200 young people confirmed. Religion is very important to the Tongans. It is illegal to do any work on Sunday. The day is spent going to church or eating with friends. Most of the time in Tonga we were moored right in front of the Catholic church. The sound of Tonga will always be the ringing of the church bells. The sound of French Polynesia is roosters.
Lovely, lazy, laid back Tonga. We intended to stay for a week and have been here a month without doing much of anything. Tonga is hundreds of small islands with about 70 anchorages to try. Gone are the spectacular peaks of the Marquesas and the Societies and the flat coral atolls of the Tuamotos. Tonga is low, flat hills that go straight down into the ocean floor Anchoring is done very close to shore or not at all. Luckily most of the best spots have mooring balls. One of the tour complains has produced a map with all the anchorages numbered. so now everyone refers to them by the numbers rather than the names. This is actually a good thing for cruisers once you get your hands on a map because the names are very difficult to pronounce or remember. One of the nicest is hosted by a former cruising couple who have build themselves a house boat/art gallery and shop and host potlucks on the beach every Saturday night.
We got the outboard and generator fixed. The problem was old gas which had varnished the spark plugs. We had had that gas since Mexico, almost 6 mos ago. Time to toss it out and buy new.
Decided not to bother to get the main sail patched here. We will wait until Fiji where we may have a new one made, since this one is 30 years old and keeps tearing. We almost never use the main sail any more anyway. We mostly use jib and mizzen and if the wind is right the mizzen staysail. We have double reefed it so we can use it if we need to.
A man came by in a rowboat selling bread. After an exchange of pleasantries and numerous queries as to what else he could provide he asked if we would like to go to church on Sunday. He emphasized that it was the Wesleyan Church which is the Kings church. Since Tonga is known for the wonderful acapella singing in the churches we accepted eagerly. This offer was augmented by an invitation to lunch (for a small fee) and a promise of real Tongan beer. He claimed that all of the local beer was actually made in New Zealand. Bright and early Sunday morning we were collected from the dock and walked through the town and up the hill to his house Where Alan was dressed in the traditional tepee and ta’ovaala. Since I had worn a long skirt I was deemed OK. Once dressed, we were taken to the church and escorted into a large meeting hall where about a dozen men were seated on mats in a circle. Room was made for us and we were introduced. Among the men were the village chief, the preacher and a high school math teacher. There was long, quiet discussion among the men and eventually kava was passed around. As far as I could tell, this was a weekly meeting of the elders to discuss village matters. Most of the men pulled out pouches and rolled cigarettes. Everything was done very quietly and deliberately. After another round of kava the bell rang for church and the meeting broke up. (The real Tongan beer that we had been promised was the kava)
It was women’s day in church and women ran the whole service, including the sermon. Several of the speakers were in tears. Obviously we did not understand a word but when I asked afterward why they were crying I was told that it was because they were so moved. I was captivated by the variety of kaikai and ta’ovala. the younger girls all had kaikai that matched their dresses. Even the little boys wore Ta’ovala Lunch back at the house was interesting. The family was very poor. There was no furniture but there were several pieces of electronic equipment, speakers, tape decks, amplifiers, even a TV. I am sure none of them worked. There were piles of trash around and a pig wandering the yard. Several cats wandered in and out trying to snatch food off the plates. Ou host and his wife sat on mats on the floor with us and we were served by his daughter who ate in the kitchen with her husband and children. The stove was a wood fire. Despite all, the food was very good, fried fish, taro, pork, stewed spinach, papaya in coconut milk for dessert.
I went to the Catholic church the next week where it turned out to be confirmation Sunday. The church was packed and and people were sitting all around outside. There must have been 200 young people confirmed. Religion is very important to the Tongans. It is illegal to do any work on Sunday. The day is spent going to church or eating with friends. Most of the time in Tonga we were moored right in front of the Catholic church. The sound of Tonga will always be the ringing of the church bells. The sound of French Polynesia is roosters.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Vuda Point, Fiji. Week 1
Oct 13-19, 2014 Vuda Point, Fiji
End of our first week in Fiji. I love this country, even though the marina is not quite as pictured. Their brochure and website talk about a hotel with swimming pool, apartments for rent, extensive landscaping with fruit trees, supermarket, laundry, extensive repair facilities a large, hurricane safe marina…. All is technically true, but more as a work in progress than a reality. the supermarket is a small store. Half of the marina is a mud flat although the completed half is fine. The laundry is one machine that never seems to get my clothes clean. But still, the people are wonderful. The restaurant is very good, as is the breakfast cafe. Wifi is impossible, slow and hard to connect on the boat. We get 1 hour per day free and so far have not even been about to use that.
Now that we are tied into our space, we need to deal with getting on and off Rhapsody. It is not a problem at mean tide but high and low tides are very difficult. Rhapsody has a low freeboard but a high clipper bow. This means that at high tide the bow is about 4 feet above the dock. To get on and off we have to go onto the bow pulpit, climb over the railing and step onto the small platform. This is done while pulling on the dock line to get close enough to reach it with one foot. Eventually we found a board which could be lashed across the bow to give us a bit of a toe hole on the outside of the railing. So first climb over the rail and balance on a 1’6” bit of wood. Then pull not the line to move the boat in. Then quickly step onto the platform. The minute you let go of the line the boat starts to move away again. I finally found a big plastic bucker that I could use as a step stoop. Getting back on is the reverse and low tide is a whole other problem (Pictures will be on Facebook soon). Of course this is even worse when you are carrying laundry, groceries, trash, computers or anything else.
Many of the boats here seem to be empty. This is known to be a safe hurricane harbor so lots of people leave their boats here and fly home All around the marina are boats which have been pulled out of the water and embedded into pits in the ground for hurricane safety. We have opted to keep Rhapsody in the water and stay aboard. If there is actually a hurricane, called cyclone here, we will go next door to the hotel for the duration.
Yes there is a nice hotel next door. There used to be a connecting gate but something happened and now the gate is locked, so cruisers need to walk down the road about half a mile or climb around the rocks to get around the fence. Other than the marina and the hotel, there is nothing here. We are way out in the country. A bus come by every few hours and goes into the next big town, Lautoka. It is also possible to get to Nadi and Denerau by changing busses on the main highway. Definitely a slow pace of life here. The first trip to town was a delight. The bus stopped at every driveway, even if they were only a hundred meters apart, to pick up school kids. It wandered up and down the back roads, picking up and dropping off for almost an hour before we got to town, 7 miles away.
The town of Lautoka is small, packed with small stores mostly run by Indians. This is Diwali season and there are sales everywhere; saris and jeweled skirts and wonderful fabrics and jewelry and fireworks and lights. Prices are good, especially compared to Tahiti but the selection in the grocery stores is limited. Once again it is hard to find ground coffee or old fashioned oatmeal or granola. There is a huge vegetable market and a good meat market, but since we have no refrigeration it is hard to really take advantage of it.
Mostly this week has been lazy. We spent several days just reading and evenings in the bar. Fiji has several brands of local beer for $3-$4. Tuesday night is half price pizza night. Wednesday and Saturday are movie nights. Thursday is happy hour. Friday and Sunday feature live music, quite good actually. Interestingly enough, there is a different crowd in the bar and restaurant every night, not just cruisers. Even though it seems like we are miles from anywhere, we must be close enough to town for the locals to come for dinner and to watch the gorgeous sunsets.
End of our first week in Fiji. I love this country, even though the marina is not quite as pictured. Their brochure and website talk about a hotel with swimming pool, apartments for rent, extensive landscaping with fruit trees, supermarket, laundry, extensive repair facilities a large, hurricane safe marina…. All is technically true, but more as a work in progress than a reality. the supermarket is a small store. Half of the marina is a mud flat although the completed half is fine. The laundry is one machine that never seems to get my clothes clean. But still, the people are wonderful. The restaurant is very good, as is the breakfast cafe. Wifi is impossible, slow and hard to connect on the boat. We get 1 hour per day free and so far have not even been about to use that.
Now that we are tied into our space, we need to deal with getting on and off Rhapsody. It is not a problem at mean tide but high and low tides are very difficult. Rhapsody has a low freeboard but a high clipper bow. This means that at high tide the bow is about 4 feet above the dock. To get on and off we have to go onto the bow pulpit, climb over the railing and step onto the small platform. This is done while pulling on the dock line to get close enough to reach it with one foot. Eventually we found a board which could be lashed across the bow to give us a bit of a toe hole on the outside of the railing. So first climb over the rail and balance on a 1’6” bit of wood. Then pull not the line to move the boat in. Then quickly step onto the platform. The minute you let go of the line the boat starts to move away again. I finally found a big plastic bucker that I could use as a step stoop. Getting back on is the reverse and low tide is a whole other problem (Pictures will be on Facebook soon). Of course this is even worse when you are carrying laundry, groceries, trash, computers or anything else.
Many of the boats here seem to be empty. This is known to be a safe hurricane harbor so lots of people leave their boats here and fly home All around the marina are boats which have been pulled out of the water and embedded into pits in the ground for hurricane safety. We have opted to keep Rhapsody in the water and stay aboard. If there is actually a hurricane, called cyclone here, we will go next door to the hotel for the duration.
Yes there is a nice hotel next door. There used to be a connecting gate but something happened and now the gate is locked, so cruisers need to walk down the road about half a mile or climb around the rocks to get around the fence. Other than the marina and the hotel, there is nothing here. We are way out in the country. A bus come by every few hours and goes into the next big town, Lautoka. It is also possible to get to Nadi and Denerau by changing busses on the main highway. Definitely a slow pace of life here. The first trip to town was a delight. The bus stopped at every driveway, even if they were only a hundred meters apart, to pick up school kids. It wandered up and down the back roads, picking up and dropping off for almost an hour before we got to town, 7 miles away.
The town of Lautoka is small, packed with small stores mostly run by Indians. This is Diwali season and there are sales everywhere; saris and jeweled skirts and wonderful fabrics and jewelry and fireworks and lights. Prices are good, especially compared to Tahiti but the selection in the grocery stores is limited. Once again it is hard to find ground coffee or old fashioned oatmeal or granola. There is a huge vegetable market and a good meat market, but since we have no refrigeration it is hard to really take advantage of it.
Mostly this week has been lazy. We spent several days just reading and evenings in the bar. Fiji has several brands of local beer for $3-$4. Tuesday night is half price pizza night. Wednesday and Saturday are movie nights. Thursday is happy hour. Friday and Sunday feature live music, quite good actually. Interestingly enough, there is a different crowd in the bar and restaurant every night, not just cruisers. Even though it seems like we are miles from anywhere, we must be close enough to town for the locals to come for dinner and to watch the gorgeous sunsets.
Tonga to Fiji
Oct 4, 2014
Tonga to Fiji
This was the best passage of the trip and the one that comes closest to the promised trade wind sailing. There was rain the night before and cloudy in the morning but it was not raining. The weather forecast seems OK, as far as we can tell. We are a few days from the full moon. There is a prediction of 20-25 knot winds for a few hours on Wed. morning but we should be OK. It is Monday morning and we are planning on 7 days to go 700+ miles and probably an extra 1/2 day to get through the reef and up to the marina. We have almost never done more than 100 miles per day, usually less.
Once away from the islands of Tonga the weather cleared. We hoisted jib and mizzen. The main sail is double reefed because of the rip but we probably won’t actually use it. We seem to do just fine with jib and mizzen. The wind picked up to about 15 knots. Seas were relatively smooth . We were on a reach and just flying along at 6.5+ knots. Perfect. And it kept up like that all day, all night and most of the next day. Darn, this has thrown our schedule completely off. We have just done 2 days passage in one day. If we keep up this pace we will get there on Friday, which we just found out is a holiday. There is no chance we can make it by Thursday morning, even at this speed.
Suddenly on the weather reports we started hearing about 3-4 meter swells for the next week days in the Kandavu pass, just where we had planned to go. Since Fiji is covered with small atolls, reefs and islands, Alan had decided we would play it safe and sail the southern route and then turn north to Vuda Point when we had cleared most of the hazards. Now it looks like that was not such a good idea. In fact, when we checked in with Gulf Harbor Radio weather they said, “If you are not too far away, you should turn back and wait a week”. Would have been nice if they had said that several days ago. We are not going back but we can change our course. We have plenty of time. If we get in among the islands they should smooth out the swells. So we turn right and head due north for about 24 hours. Still beautiful sailing weather, despite what the weather reports are saying. Easy swells, perfect wind, good speed and the auto pilot is working! This is how it should be. We officially crossed the 180 degree line so our position is now east not west longitude. The date line actually takes a jog around Tonga so we had already adjusted the calendar.
Once we turned west again we were quickly in among islands. Now we really need to keep a close watch. The charts on the iPad are good but not infallible They show patches of shallow water and barely covered reefs everywhere. The weather holds good. Some clouds but not enough to cover the moon. 10-15 knot wind We weave our way through lovely islands with small villages. I wish we could stop but the immigration rules in Fiji are very strict. No stopping until you have officially checked in so we just keep on trekking
Of course it does not last. On Saturday the wind drops altogether. We decided to take advantage of the lack of wind to heave to and drop the jib to stitch up another tear. This time we caught it while it was still just a few inches long. Out comes the needle and thread and leather palm. I am getting disgustingly good an mending patched sails. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the fishing line was out and while we were stopped it wrapped itself around the prop. So Alan went overboard with mask and snorkel and got it untangled, although we lost another lure. While we were at it, we decided to run the water maker. Suddenly there was the smell of something electrical burning. The engine is not on so it is not that. It seems to be coming from the electrical panel. No fire but somehow we have managed to fry the electrical system. Luckily the engine battery was not affected so the engine still starts. But for some odd reason the stove won’t light without power so dinner is cooked on sterno. It actually works pretty well, although it takes longer to get hot.
We are almost to the waypoint where we will turn to head through the reef and up the coast to Vuda Point. Now for the waiting game. It looks to be about 20 miles to the marina once we are inside the reef. Customs only works from 10-12 so the plan is to heave to just outside and head in at dawn. The question is, how close should we get before we heave to. If we stand well off we will have to get started again in the dark. If we get too close we run the risk of drifting onto a reef in the night. Eventually we pick a spot and heave to. Alan goes straight to sleep. I am up every hour all night checking our position. Finally I decide that it is dawn and time for Alan to get up. I manage to make coffee and oatmeal on the sterno and we set off into the dawn.
About 9:30 we make radio contact with the marina and are told to tie up to the orange bout and wait for the medical officer to come on board. Two hours later we are still sitting there and getting nervous because custom is supposed to close at noon. Finally he shows up, gives up a guck once over, fills out some paperwork and asks for money. Now this is a problem because since we haven’t been ashore yet we have no Fiji money just our reserve US dollars and he does not know the exchange rate. Eventually we settle on an amount and we are cleared to enter. Once inside the marina, we directed to a dock where 2 smiling young men are waiting to grab lines and tie us up. As soon as we are secure our dock hands pick up guitars and serenade us with a welcome to Fiji song. We are here!
Next aboard is the biosecurity inspector. Again a lot of paperwork is filled out. We don’t have any fresh fruit of vegetables left so only our honey is confiscated. Again the problem of payment. Again the official seems at a loss to know what to do about the fact that we have no Fijian money. Finally Alan is directed to an ATM ashore. Payment is made, papers are stamped and that is done. Two down, two to go. Customs and immigration are in an air conditioned office just off the dock. Two very bored young women. More documents inspected and papers stamped. Now we find out that our exit papers from Tonga were never properly stamped (remember all that confusion with the gas truck?) Eventually they decide that it must be OK and we are officially stamped into the country.
It is well after noon by this time. We are hot, tired and hungry and most of the marina staff is at lunch and right next to the dock is a lovely restaurant with cold beer and smiling staff. After lunch we take a walk around the marina to check it out and pick our spot. The marina is a round basin and the boats are tied in bow first just about a foot apart. There are no separating docks, just a small utility platform sticking our from the cement wall to step onto. We pick a spot reasonably closet to the bathrooms and let the office know we are ready. We put out every fender we have. One young man joins us onboard and another guides us from a skiff. When we get to the right spot there is a crowd of people waiting to pull lines. Two lines are tied from the stern to a mooring ball and another two are tied to iron rings set into the concrete wall Lines are adjusted back and forth until the tension is right and here we are. There is a small boat with 2 young frenchmen on board on one side and a large boat which has just been bought by a young Chinese couple on the other side. All around are friends we have met over the past two years sailing. Some people will be staying here with us. Some leave their boats in the pits and fly home. Most will be here for a week or so and then head to Australia or New Zealand for the season.
It is a lovely place with very friendly people. I am really glad we will be staying here for the next 6 months.
Tonga to Fiji
This was the best passage of the trip and the one that comes closest to the promised trade wind sailing. There was rain the night before and cloudy in the morning but it was not raining. The weather forecast seems OK, as far as we can tell. We are a few days from the full moon. There is a prediction of 20-25 knot winds for a few hours on Wed. morning but we should be OK. It is Monday morning and we are planning on 7 days to go 700+ miles and probably an extra 1/2 day to get through the reef and up to the marina. We have almost never done more than 100 miles per day, usually less.
Once away from the islands of Tonga the weather cleared. We hoisted jib and mizzen. The main sail is double reefed because of the rip but we probably won’t actually use it. We seem to do just fine with jib and mizzen. The wind picked up to about 15 knots. Seas were relatively smooth . We were on a reach and just flying along at 6.5+ knots. Perfect. And it kept up like that all day, all night and most of the next day. Darn, this has thrown our schedule completely off. We have just done 2 days passage in one day. If we keep up this pace we will get there on Friday, which we just found out is a holiday. There is no chance we can make it by Thursday morning, even at this speed.
Suddenly on the weather reports we started hearing about 3-4 meter swells for the next week days in the Kandavu pass, just where we had planned to go. Since Fiji is covered with small atolls, reefs and islands, Alan had decided we would play it safe and sail the southern route and then turn north to Vuda Point when we had cleared most of the hazards. Now it looks like that was not such a good idea. In fact, when we checked in with Gulf Harbor Radio weather they said, “If you are not too far away, you should turn back and wait a week”. Would have been nice if they had said that several days ago. We are not going back but we can change our course. We have plenty of time. If we get in among the islands they should smooth out the swells. So we turn right and head due north for about 24 hours. Still beautiful sailing weather, despite what the weather reports are saying. Easy swells, perfect wind, good speed and the auto pilot is working! This is how it should be. We officially crossed the 180 degree line so our position is now east not west longitude. The date line actually takes a jog around Tonga so we had already adjusted the calendar.
Once we turned west again we were quickly in among islands. Now we really need to keep a close watch. The charts on the iPad are good but not infallible They show patches of shallow water and barely covered reefs everywhere. The weather holds good. Some clouds but not enough to cover the moon. 10-15 knot wind We weave our way through lovely islands with small villages. I wish we could stop but the immigration rules in Fiji are very strict. No stopping until you have officially checked in so we just keep on trekking
Of course it does not last. On Saturday the wind drops altogether. We decided to take advantage of the lack of wind to heave to and drop the jib to stitch up another tear. This time we caught it while it was still just a few inches long. Out comes the needle and thread and leather palm. I am getting disgustingly good an mending patched sails. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the fishing line was out and while we were stopped it wrapped itself around the prop. So Alan went overboard with mask and snorkel and got it untangled, although we lost another lure. While we were at it, we decided to run the water maker. Suddenly there was the smell of something electrical burning. The engine is not on so it is not that. It seems to be coming from the electrical panel. No fire but somehow we have managed to fry the electrical system. Luckily the engine battery was not affected so the engine still starts. But for some odd reason the stove won’t light without power so dinner is cooked on sterno. It actually works pretty well, although it takes longer to get hot.
We are almost to the waypoint where we will turn to head through the reef and up the coast to Vuda Point. Now for the waiting game. It looks to be about 20 miles to the marina once we are inside the reef. Customs only works from 10-12 so the plan is to heave to just outside and head in at dawn. The question is, how close should we get before we heave to. If we stand well off we will have to get started again in the dark. If we get too close we run the risk of drifting onto a reef in the night. Eventually we pick a spot and heave to. Alan goes straight to sleep. I am up every hour all night checking our position. Finally I decide that it is dawn and time for Alan to get up. I manage to make coffee and oatmeal on the sterno and we set off into the dawn.
About 9:30 we make radio contact with the marina and are told to tie up to the orange bout and wait for the medical officer to come on board. Two hours later we are still sitting there and getting nervous because custom is supposed to close at noon. Finally he shows up, gives up a guck once over, fills out some paperwork and asks for money. Now this is a problem because since we haven’t been ashore yet we have no Fiji money just our reserve US dollars and he does not know the exchange rate. Eventually we settle on an amount and we are cleared to enter. Once inside the marina, we directed to a dock where 2 smiling young men are waiting to grab lines and tie us up. As soon as we are secure our dock hands pick up guitars and serenade us with a welcome to Fiji song. We are here!
Next aboard is the biosecurity inspector. Again a lot of paperwork is filled out. We don’t have any fresh fruit of vegetables left so only our honey is confiscated. Again the problem of payment. Again the official seems at a loss to know what to do about the fact that we have no Fijian money. Finally Alan is directed to an ATM ashore. Payment is made, papers are stamped and that is done. Two down, two to go. Customs and immigration are in an air conditioned office just off the dock. Two very bored young women. More documents inspected and papers stamped. Now we find out that our exit papers from Tonga were never properly stamped (remember all that confusion with the gas truck?) Eventually they decide that it must be OK and we are officially stamped into the country.
It is well after noon by this time. We are hot, tired and hungry and most of the marina staff is at lunch and right next to the dock is a lovely restaurant with cold beer and smiling staff. After lunch we take a walk around the marina to check it out and pick our spot. The marina is a round basin and the boats are tied in bow first just about a foot apart. There are no separating docks, just a small utility platform sticking our from the cement wall to step onto. We pick a spot reasonably closet to the bathrooms and let the office know we are ready. We put out every fender we have. One young man joins us onboard and another guides us from a skiff. When we get to the right spot there is a crowd of people waiting to pull lines. Two lines are tied from the stern to a mooring ball and another two are tied to iron rings set into the concrete wall Lines are adjusted back and forth until the tension is right and here we are. There is a small boat with 2 young frenchmen on board on one side and a large boat which has just been bought by a young Chinese couple on the other side. All around are friends we have met over the past two years sailing. Some people will be staying here with us. Some leave their boats in the pits and fly home. Most will be here for a week or so and then head to Australia or New Zealand for the season.
It is a lovely place with very friendly people. I am really glad we will be staying here for the next 6 months.
Tonga, foodie heaven
Tonga, foodie heaven
The entire waterfront in Ni’afu is lined with restaurants and as we discovered, they are very good. Our first meal was Alan’s birthday dinner of lobster at the Beach House. Tucked under the main hotel, it has it’s own dingy dock. Alan did not even have to put on shoes to go to dinner! Happy hour, a different special every day, Lobster for $30, free wifi.
The Bounty Bar is mostly a bar with dangerously delicious rum punch and the coldest beer in the South Pacific. Food service is erratic here. Sometimes there is food and sometimes not, depending on the owner’s mood. But when there is food it is delicious. We had New Orleans Po’Boy sandwiches, rosy beef and jerk pork. And this is the only place in town that has crusty bread. He had to teach the baker how to make it. If you are quick and lucky, the bakery sometimes has extra loves in the morning.
We almost missed the Bella Vista because they charge for wifi but they announced a lobster ravioli special on our last day and we could not resist. Fabulous! Turns out the owner is from Italy. I never found out how he ended upon Tonga but the entire menu is delicious. Besides the ravoil we had seafood pasta and toccata
Another surprise was the Basque Tapas Bar. Who would expect a tapas bar in Tongs. Nothing over 10 pa’anga ($5) wonderful fried potatoes with aioli, stuffed mussels, etc. and free wifi
Aquarium is the cruisers hang out. It has a dingy dock and is the close to the mooring. And it has a place to dump trash, sadly missing in most of Tonga.Free wifi, live music and speakers several times a month. The pizza was so good we never got around to trying anything else
The last place we tried was a new Fijian restaurant tucked in behind the customs docks; curries, fish and chips, sweet and sour fish and more at rock bottom prices.
We ate out more in Tonga than we did anyplace else but we are online boat. As hurricane season draws closer the cruisers leave. The tourists come for the whale swims but that season has also drawn to a close. Soon the down will be empty until next season. It is still a puzzle how they all stay in business But I am very glad that they do.
The entire waterfront in Ni’afu is lined with restaurants and as we discovered, they are very good. Our first meal was Alan’s birthday dinner of lobster at the Beach House. Tucked under the main hotel, it has it’s own dingy dock. Alan did not even have to put on shoes to go to dinner! Happy hour, a different special every day, Lobster for $30, free wifi.
The Bounty Bar is mostly a bar with dangerously delicious rum punch and the coldest beer in the South Pacific. Food service is erratic here. Sometimes there is food and sometimes not, depending on the owner’s mood. But when there is food it is delicious. We had New Orleans Po’Boy sandwiches, rosy beef and jerk pork. And this is the only place in town that has crusty bread. He had to teach the baker how to make it. If you are quick and lucky, the bakery sometimes has extra loves in the morning.
We almost missed the Bella Vista because they charge for wifi but they announced a lobster ravioli special on our last day and we could not resist. Fabulous! Turns out the owner is from Italy. I never found out how he ended upon Tonga but the entire menu is delicious. Besides the ravoil we had seafood pasta and toccata
Another surprise was the Basque Tapas Bar. Who would expect a tapas bar in Tongs. Nothing over 10 pa’anga ($5) wonderful fried potatoes with aioli, stuffed mussels, etc. and free wifi
Aquarium is the cruisers hang out. It has a dingy dock and is the close to the mooring. And it has a place to dump trash, sadly missing in most of Tonga.Free wifi, live music and speakers several times a month. The pizza was so good we never got around to trying anything else
The last place we tried was a new Fijian restaurant tucked in behind the customs docks; curries, fish and chips, sweet and sour fish and more at rock bottom prices.
We ate out more in Tonga than we did anyplace else but we are online boat. As hurricane season draws closer the cruisers leave. The tourists come for the whale swims but that season has also drawn to a close. Soon the down will be empty until next season. It is still a puzzle how they all stay in business But I am very glad that they do.
Checking out of Tonga
Oct 1, 2014 Tonga
Time to check out of Tonga and head for Fiji. Our month is up and while it would be easy to get an extension on our visas, we are ready to go. The checking out process is a little complicated.
1. Call the fuel truck 24 hours in advance and arrange for delivery of duty free fuel
2. Sail over and tie up to the customs wharf, a solid and very rough cement structure with the landing area about 6 feet above the deck at low tide. We have to use the rat lines to get on and off
3. Walk up to the immigration office on the third floor in town and check out with them
4. Walk back to the harbor master yard and check out with them and get your duty free fuel certificate
5. Walk to the customs office and check out with them
6. Fill up with fuel and give the driver the duty free certificate
7. Report back to customs with an updated crew list to finally be checked out.
Besides watching the weather and the date our visa was going to expire, we need to plan our arrival time in Fiji. We get a 6 month visa there and want to be sure that it covers the end of hurricane season in March. Also, Fiji customs do not work on the weekends. If you accidentally show up on a weekend or a holiday there is an extra $600 charge. And besides all that we want a full moon because of all the small islands and atolls in Fijian waters.
We finally settled on Thurs, Oct 2 as our check out date. Now to arrange for the fuel truck. Since we can only hold about 150 liters as measured by the not terribly accurate “stick in the tank” method we need to find some one to share with. Luckily another boat was also getting ready to leave and just needed to fill up 5 jerry cans. Should come out perfect. Now to get ahold of Pacific Fuels. Repeated calls on the radio failed to get an answer. Someone said that while they have a radio, they really do not know how to use it and most of the time it does not get turned on. After a couple of days of calling with no response. one of the locals took pity on us and called them on the phone. Delivery was arranged fro Thurs after lunch, about 2:00. The other boat dropped off the jerry cans and also the money to pay for it. Cash only of course. We are trying to spend all of our Tonga cash without having to get more before we leave.
Wednesday night we went out for a last dinner at one of Ne’afu’s wonderful restaurants, Bella Vista, this time for lobster ravioli. Thursday morning we cast off and headed for custom dock at 7am. Alan wanted to be sure to get a spot, since sometimes boats are stacked 3 or 4 deep waiting to clear in or out. About 9:00 he set out for immigration and customs with all of our paperwork. I stayed on the boat to adjust the dock lines and fenders as the tide came in. He was back in about an hour with everything done, so I took off for a final shopping with the last of the cash. Just as we were finishing lunch the radio crackled and Pacific Fuels called, not to tell us they were on the way but to tell us that the truck had broken down and they did not know when it would be fixed, maybe by 4. Not looking good. Of course the truck was not fixed by 4, so we untied and headed back to get a mooring. Now we need to pay for at least one more night. Tomorrow is Friday and if the truck is not fixed by then it will probably be Monday before we can get fuel. We considered giving up on the duty free and just getting fuel from the fishing boat dock, except they were out too. In fact the whole town was out of gas.
What the heck, back to the ATM and then out for pizza and beer. Friday morning just a definite maybe and a promise to call by 2:00. One of the interesting things about using VHF radio for communicating is that everyone knows your business, much like the old party line telephone. By afternoon the truck still was not fixed so we were pretty sure it would be some time next week before we got our fuel. After dinner on board we headed out for the open mike night at the Bounty Bar where we were treated to a song written in our honor called “Tonga Time” and featuring several verses about the difficulties of getting fuel and checking out of Tonga. And there we learned that several people had seen the fuel truck pass about 4:00 so it must be fixed. Still, almost no one works on the weekend in Tonga so chances were that it would still be Monday when our turn came.
Saturday morning we were lounging around having a lazy morning when the radio came to life and Pacific Fuel said that the truck was fixed and we should be at the customs dock at 10: 00. Hoist and fold the dingy and tie it down, drop the mooring line and off we go again. Tied up at the wharf and waiting. Finally someone showed up. Not the fuel truck but a messenger to tell us that the fuel truck would be coming. About noon the fuel truck finally arrived and we finally started pumping gas. Luckily that we still had the jerry cans because by filling everything to the brim we managed 202 liters.
Now we have one last complication. We are supposed to turn in the crew list to immigration after we get the fuel. Alan tried to give it to them earlier and they would not take it and of course they are closed on Saturday. We finally decided to leave it with one of the locals to turn in for us on Monday so that we can get going. Since it is now well past noon, we will spend one more night on the mooring and take off early tomorrow, finally
The paperwork was turned in for us on Monday but there was one final piece of paper that we should have had stamped at that time. When we got to Fiji the customs officers were sort of confused as to why we did not have it. Luckily they stamped us into Fiji anyway.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
vanilla
Sept 20, 2014 Vanilla plantation-Tonga
One of the things that we never got around to doing in French Polynesia was to visit a vanilla plantation so when I met a man in a bar who invited me to help him pollinate his vanilla plants, i leapt at the chance. I know, it sounds like quite a pick up line but it was actually legit. 8:00 Sunday morning Ian showed up in his truck and we headed out of town, down dusty, bumpy, twisty roads through the jungle. It all looked alike to me and I have no idea how he could tell one piece of jungle from the other but eventually he pulled over and announced that we were there. Once out of the truck, he picked up a fallen palm branch and using a wicked looking knife carved a tiny stick, a little bigger than a toothpick which he handed to me. This was to be my pollinating tool. So equipped, we headed off to find the blossoms.
This was not neat tidy rows of vines growing on wooden trellises. This is overgrown jungle. Apparently much of Tonga was planted with vanilla and then abandoned and the jungle has taken over. Little by little Ian is clearing away the extra growth, leaving the vanilla vines and their supporting ficus trees. The plants twine around the trees and the trees provide just the right amount of shade. In order to force the plants to bloom, the tops of the trees are cut off allowing more sun to get in. This way the growers can control which part of their farm is producing and move from section to section in a steady rotation rather than having all the plants get ripe at once. The occasional palm tree provides coconuts for mulch and a hedge of pineapple plants is just getting started which will help keep out the wandering pigs.
Meanwhile we stomped through the jungle looking for blossoms. There are a pale yellow green, almost the same color as the leaves and not easy to spot. They can be above your head or almost on the ground or anywhere in-between. Aha! first blossom spotted. Now to learn how to pollinate the flower. Hold the stem carefully in one hand while bending the petals gently back to expose the throat. Then with the toothpick in the other hand, bend the lip down to expose the tiny pollen bud. Very carefully slide and roll the stick from the pistil onto the stamen, or possibly the other way around, and give it a little squeeze Gently remove the stick and let go of the flower, leaving it looking a little bedraggled. After a few tries I was judged competent to do it on my own. I am not so sure that I actually successfully moved the pollen from pistle to stamina every time but at least some of them worked. Each flower is ready to pollinate one day so you either get it or you don’t. Apparently if every blossom produced a seed pod the plant would die of stress so it did not really matter if i missed some or did not really get it pollinated right. In a truly natural setting there is a little bee that does the job of pollinating but vanilla is native to Mexico and when they brought it to Tonga they forgot to bring the bee along.
And so, for the next 2 hours we moved through the undergrowth looking for blossoms. Ian would point out a couple of large trees as markers and we would work our way along until we met up again and then he would lay out a new section. Little by little the blossoms became easier to spot and the pollinating went quicker. Birds sang and there were butterflies everywhere. I ducked under vines and climbed over them and went around big clumps of them. Sometimes there would be a single blossom and sometimes a whole cluster and then nothing for a long stretch. It was possible to sort of see the old layout of the rows and to imagine what it will look like in a few ears as the weeds are pulled out and the big trees removed. Finally ian declared we were don. We had done over 250 blossoms between the two of us. Wish I could be here to see the results but we will be leaving Tonga in a week or so.
So you see, sometimes it’s OK to trust a guy you meet in a bar on a tropical island, even if he has an outrageous pick up line
One of the things that we never got around to doing in French Polynesia was to visit a vanilla plantation so when I met a man in a bar who invited me to help him pollinate his vanilla plants, i leapt at the chance. I know, it sounds like quite a pick up line but it was actually legit. 8:00 Sunday morning Ian showed up in his truck and we headed out of town, down dusty, bumpy, twisty roads through the jungle. It all looked alike to me and I have no idea how he could tell one piece of jungle from the other but eventually he pulled over and announced that we were there. Once out of the truck, he picked up a fallen palm branch and using a wicked looking knife carved a tiny stick, a little bigger than a toothpick which he handed to me. This was to be my pollinating tool. So equipped, we headed off to find the blossoms.
This was not neat tidy rows of vines growing on wooden trellises. This is overgrown jungle. Apparently much of Tonga was planted with vanilla and then abandoned and the jungle has taken over. Little by little Ian is clearing away the extra growth, leaving the vanilla vines and their supporting ficus trees. The plants twine around the trees and the trees provide just the right amount of shade. In order to force the plants to bloom, the tops of the trees are cut off allowing more sun to get in. This way the growers can control which part of their farm is producing and move from section to section in a steady rotation rather than having all the plants get ripe at once. The occasional palm tree provides coconuts for mulch and a hedge of pineapple plants is just getting started which will help keep out the wandering pigs.
Meanwhile we stomped through the jungle looking for blossoms. There are a pale yellow green, almost the same color as the leaves and not easy to spot. They can be above your head or almost on the ground or anywhere in-between. Aha! first blossom spotted. Now to learn how to pollinate the flower. Hold the stem carefully in one hand while bending the petals gently back to expose the throat. Then with the toothpick in the other hand, bend the lip down to expose the tiny pollen bud. Very carefully slide and roll the stick from the pistil onto the stamen, or possibly the other way around, and give it a little squeeze Gently remove the stick and let go of the flower, leaving it looking a little bedraggled. After a few tries I was judged competent to do it on my own. I am not so sure that I actually successfully moved the pollen from pistle to stamina every time but at least some of them worked. Each flower is ready to pollinate one day so you either get it or you don’t. Apparently if every blossom produced a seed pod the plant would die of stress so it did not really matter if i missed some or did not really get it pollinated right. In a truly natural setting there is a little bee that does the job of pollinating but vanilla is native to Mexico and when they brought it to Tonga they forgot to bring the bee along.
And so, for the next 2 hours we moved through the undergrowth looking for blossoms. Ian would point out a couple of large trees as markers and we would work our way along until we met up again and then he would lay out a new section. Little by little the blossoms became easier to spot and the pollinating went quicker. Birds sang and there were butterflies everywhere. I ducked under vines and climbed over them and went around big clumps of them. Sometimes there would be a single blossom and sometimes a whole cluster and then nothing for a long stretch. It was possible to sort of see the old layout of the rows and to imagine what it will look like in a few ears as the weeds are pulled out and the big trees removed. Finally ian declared we were don. We had done over 250 blossoms between the two of us. Wish I could be here to see the results but we will be leaving Tonga in a week or so.
So you see, sometimes it’s OK to trust a guy you meet in a bar on a tropical island, even if he has an outrageous pick up line
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Tonga School Visit
Sept 14, 16, 2014 Matamoto, Tonga
We spent 2 lovely days in this quiet anchorage just off the village. Alan read completely through 3 mysteries while I visited the school. 20 kids, one teacher/principal. My task the first day was to talk to the older kids while the younger ones finished their exams. The second day the entire student body was waiting for me after lunch. We told stories, read books, sang songs and talked about their life, with numerous stops for translation and explanation. They have a small library full of books which have been withdrawn from New American libraries. Sadly, most of the stories depict a culture and lifestyle that is so foreign to them as to be meaningless. The teacher says that while they learn to speak and read English they often have no ides what the words really mean. There is an opportunity here for someone who can capture their stories and legends and everyday life and put them into picture books with lovely illustrations.
The drought is a huge problem here. The entire village depends on rainwater for drinking and cooking. There is a well but we were told that the water is not very good, “tastes like ocean water”. The tank at the school is almost dry. If it runs out they will have to close the school. The principal is hoping that they get enough rain to last through the exams, which are not until the end of November. The school has one of the few flush toilets in town but it has been put off limits to save water. The kids need to run home if they need to go. I suspect that lots of them just use the bushes. The problem is apparently the same throughout the islands. It seems a shame that with all the ocean water around, someone has not come up with small desalination plants that could be installed. Almost all of the cursing boats have water makers. It cannot be that hard to come up with a similar system for the schools.
After school we went for a walk around the village. There are 500 people living here, all related of course and 5 churches. Religion is very important to the Tongans. No one is allowed to work on Sunday. Even the restaurants putting on Tongan feasts for the tourists cannot have dancing on Sunday. The day is devoted to church services, 6 am, 10:00 and 4pm with a family meal in between.
Part of our tour took us along the beach. Noticing numerous clam shells, I asked if people here eat clams since I never see them in the market or on the menus. She said that the reason I don’t see them is that the people collect them and eat them themselves, usually raw. When I asked how to find them, she immediately offered to meet us at low tide to show us. Just about sundown we reassembled on the beach, joined by several of the kids from the school. I think they were somewhat bemused that we actually wanted to do this but they joined in with great enthusiasm. This is the technique; Walk along in ankle deep water, shuffling your feet in the sand and searching with your toes. When you think you feel a good one, reach down and dig around see if it is really a shellfish or just a rock. Mostly mine were just rocks but I did find about a dozen. The kids were really good at it and we ended up with a large bucket full of various kinds of shellfish just as it got too dark to see. Back at the boat, we scrubbed them and dumped them into a pot of boiling water while the pasta and garlic bread cooked. I pulled out our last bottle of two buck chuck and about 15 minutes later we had a feast. Yum!
We spent 2 lovely days in this quiet anchorage just off the village. Alan read completely through 3 mysteries while I visited the school. 20 kids, one teacher/principal. My task the first day was to talk to the older kids while the younger ones finished their exams. The second day the entire student body was waiting for me after lunch. We told stories, read books, sang songs and talked about their life, with numerous stops for translation and explanation. They have a small library full of books which have been withdrawn from New American libraries. Sadly, most of the stories depict a culture and lifestyle that is so foreign to them as to be meaningless. The teacher says that while they learn to speak and read English they often have no ides what the words really mean. There is an opportunity here for someone who can capture their stories and legends and everyday life and put them into picture books with lovely illustrations.
The drought is a huge problem here. The entire village depends on rainwater for drinking and cooking. There is a well but we were told that the water is not very good, “tastes like ocean water”. The tank at the school is almost dry. If it runs out they will have to close the school. The principal is hoping that they get enough rain to last through the exams, which are not until the end of November. The school has one of the few flush toilets in town but it has been put off limits to save water. The kids need to run home if they need to go. I suspect that lots of them just use the bushes. The problem is apparently the same throughout the islands. It seems a shame that with all the ocean water around, someone has not come up with small desalination plants that could be installed. Almost all of the cursing boats have water makers. It cannot be that hard to come up with a similar system for the schools.
After school we went for a walk around the village. There are 500 people living here, all related of course and 5 churches. Religion is very important to the Tongans. No one is allowed to work on Sunday. Even the restaurants putting on Tongan feasts for the tourists cannot have dancing on Sunday. The day is devoted to church services, 6 am, 10:00 and 4pm with a family meal in between.
Part of our tour took us along the beach. Noticing numerous clam shells, I asked if people here eat clams since I never see them in the market or on the menus. She said that the reason I don’t see them is that the people collect them and eat them themselves, usually raw. When I asked how to find them, she immediately offered to meet us at low tide to show us. Just about sundown we reassembled on the beach, joined by several of the kids from the school. I think they were somewhat bemused that we actually wanted to do this but they joined in with great enthusiasm. This is the technique; Walk along in ankle deep water, shuffling your feet in the sand and searching with your toes. When you think you feel a good one, reach down and dig around see if it is really a shellfish or just a rock. Mostly mine were just rocks but I did find about a dozen. The kids were really good at it and we ended up with a large bucket full of various kinds of shellfish just as it got too dark to see. Back at the boat, we scrubbed them and dumped them into a pot of boiling water while the pasta and garlic bread cooked. I pulled out our last bottle of two buck chuck and about 15 minutes later we had a feast. Yum!
Tonga whale swim
9/9/2012, Vava’u Tonga, Whale swim
Alan’s 71st birthday. It does not seem fair to wake him up at 6:00 but they are coming to pick us up at 7 to go swimming with whales. Right on time the boat shows up and off we go. After days of lovely calm weather, today is windy and cloudy, much like our dive trip on Rangiroa. We head out of the harbor and for 2 hours we circle the ocean looking for whales. One is spotted , blowing and leaping. just behind the boat we turn and race over to the spot only to have it disappear. We circle and wait. They can stay under water as long as 30 minutes. Eventually we give up and move on, only to have him leap into the air as soon as we have moved away, great twisting leaps with his body completely out of the water. I am actually glad that we were not right there when he did that. We turn and head back to where he was last seen and drop a microphone overboard. We can hear faint singing but it seems there is only one and he is moving on. Apparently the leaping is a sign that they are getting ready to move.
Back to cruising around, constant radio chatter with the other whale watch boats. We are looking for a family group that is “settled”. There is a strictly enforced system of dives. If one boat finds a good group of whales the other boats can sign up to be next but only one at a time. Each boat must wait until the previous one is finished and moves on. We would like to find our own whales. We leave the outside of the islands and move inside, still looking. Eventually, more than 2 hours after we set out, we spot what looks like a good group of whales. We are told to gear up and be ready to go in. Our dive guide goes over check it out. At the high sign in we go.
The water is very cloudy because of all the wind but the guide is pointing down and finally I spot it. The white outline of giant flippers right below us, moving slowly back and forth. Little by little my eyes get used to the water and suddenly I realize that the baby is coming up right beside us. We have been warned not to try to follow the baby, just to stay still. We gather together as much as possible given the rough water and the 20’ baby rises up for a breath of air and a good look at us. Wow! there are no words. Just amazing to be in the water with something that big and gentle. Mama is down below and daddy is not far away, keeping a close watch. Our group of 8 is divided into 2 dive groups and eventually our time is up and we climb back into the boat while the other group has their turn. On our second dive the male stands upright for ages just looking at us as the baby comes up. Then the male comes up to breathe. He is huge and right next to us and we can see two pilot fish on his belly. It looks like he is going to oft me right out of the water on his back but I guess he has a better sense of space than I do because of course he does not actually come that close, Alan says he was at least 8 feet away. The most spectacular moment of the day is when the three of them swim off together, so slow and graceful, so magnificent, mama on one side, daddy on the other and baby safely in the middle. It is hard to imagine ever hunting such magnificent creatures. It seem such a gift of generosity that they allow us to share the water with them.
This water is much colder than back in French Polynesia. With the cold wind that is blowing and the cloudy sky Alan and I are both shivering by the time we break for lunch. Our little boat leaves the whales behind and anchors off a beautiful deserted beach of white sand. Lunch is served up, including a birthday cake for Alan, and we all eat and relax and get warm. As usual, people are amazed that we are 71 years old After lunch we set off again to look for more whales. This time we are unsuccessful so instead we go cave diving. To get into the first cave, it is necessary to dive down about 3 feet and swim underwater for another 10 feet before coming up in the cave. Swimming underwater is not a problem for me but diving down is. I float. I have always had a problem getting down and it is even worse with a wetsuit on. I try 3 or 4 times but it is obvious that is am just going to bounce up and scrape along the roof of the tunnel. Eventually I give it up and head back to the boat to see if he has any weights. Of course he does not, so I just wait until everyone else is finished. The second cave we visit is above water so it is not a problem. The walls of light tan stone rise above up 50 feet or so to a hole where we can see trees and blue sky. The rocks are all eroded into wonderful shapes like pillars in a cathedral. i can almost hear organ music playing. Our third cave is also above water but it has a secondary cave inside that is just barely below the water. This one I can do. Again it is beautiful inside with the light coming down through a home in the roof and bouncing off the bottom. There ae fish everywhere and even a sea snake.
It is finally time to head back, a perfect birthday! We had invited on of the other swimmers back to see the boat. She had mentioned that her uncle used to sail and she wanted to learn how so we though a tour of Rhapsody would be fun. When she and Alan got to talking it turned out that her uncle who sailed was actually the owner of Stormvogel, a very famous and very beautiful 72 foot ketch. Of course Alan knew more about it than she did so now she is doubly inspired and is going to contact her uncle to see if he wants to go sailing again.
The day ended with a wonderful lobster dinner at the Beach House Restaurant watching the sunset. While we were waiting for our meal we surfed the net for pictures and articles about Stormvogel. Turns out she is still racing and winning so it looks like Mari may get to actually sail on her. Back at the boat, we ended the day with expresso and brownies. A perfect, perfect birthday.
Alan’s 71st birthday. It does not seem fair to wake him up at 6:00 but they are coming to pick us up at 7 to go swimming with whales. Right on time the boat shows up and off we go. After days of lovely calm weather, today is windy and cloudy, much like our dive trip on Rangiroa. We head out of the harbor and for 2 hours we circle the ocean looking for whales. One is spotted , blowing and leaping. just behind the boat we turn and race over to the spot only to have it disappear. We circle and wait. They can stay under water as long as 30 minutes. Eventually we give up and move on, only to have him leap into the air as soon as we have moved away, great twisting leaps with his body completely out of the water. I am actually glad that we were not right there when he did that. We turn and head back to where he was last seen and drop a microphone overboard. We can hear faint singing but it seems there is only one and he is moving on. Apparently the leaping is a sign that they are getting ready to move.
Back to cruising around, constant radio chatter with the other whale watch boats. We are looking for a family group that is “settled”. There is a strictly enforced system of dives. If one boat finds a good group of whales the other boats can sign up to be next but only one at a time. Each boat must wait until the previous one is finished and moves on. We would like to find our own whales. We leave the outside of the islands and move inside, still looking. Eventually, more than 2 hours after we set out, we spot what looks like a good group of whales. We are told to gear up and be ready to go in. Our dive guide goes over check it out. At the high sign in we go.
The water is very cloudy because of all the wind but the guide is pointing down and finally I spot it. The white outline of giant flippers right below us, moving slowly back and forth. Little by little my eyes get used to the water and suddenly I realize that the baby is coming up right beside us. We have been warned not to try to follow the baby, just to stay still. We gather together as much as possible given the rough water and the 20’ baby rises up for a breath of air and a good look at us. Wow! there are no words. Just amazing to be in the water with something that big and gentle. Mama is down below and daddy is not far away, keeping a close watch. Our group of 8 is divided into 2 dive groups and eventually our time is up and we climb back into the boat while the other group has their turn. On our second dive the male stands upright for ages just looking at us as the baby comes up. Then the male comes up to breathe. He is huge and right next to us and we can see two pilot fish on his belly. It looks like he is going to oft me right out of the water on his back but I guess he has a better sense of space than I do because of course he does not actually come that close, Alan says he was at least 8 feet away. The most spectacular moment of the day is when the three of them swim off together, so slow and graceful, so magnificent, mama on one side, daddy on the other and baby safely in the middle. It is hard to imagine ever hunting such magnificent creatures. It seem such a gift of generosity that they allow us to share the water with them.
This water is much colder than back in French Polynesia. With the cold wind that is blowing and the cloudy sky Alan and I are both shivering by the time we break for lunch. Our little boat leaves the whales behind and anchors off a beautiful deserted beach of white sand. Lunch is served up, including a birthday cake for Alan, and we all eat and relax and get warm. As usual, people are amazed that we are 71 years old After lunch we set off again to look for more whales. This time we are unsuccessful so instead we go cave diving. To get into the first cave, it is necessary to dive down about 3 feet and swim underwater for another 10 feet before coming up in the cave. Swimming underwater is not a problem for me but diving down is. I float. I have always had a problem getting down and it is even worse with a wetsuit on. I try 3 or 4 times but it is obvious that is am just going to bounce up and scrape along the roof of the tunnel. Eventually I give it up and head back to the boat to see if he has any weights. Of course he does not, so I just wait until everyone else is finished. The second cave we visit is above water so it is not a problem. The walls of light tan stone rise above up 50 feet or so to a hole where we can see trees and blue sky. The rocks are all eroded into wonderful shapes like pillars in a cathedral. i can almost hear organ music playing. Our third cave is also above water but it has a secondary cave inside that is just barely below the water. This one I can do. Again it is beautiful inside with the light coming down through a home in the roof and bouncing off the bottom. There ae fish everywhere and even a sea snake.
It is finally time to head back, a perfect birthday! We had invited on of the other swimmers back to see the boat. She had mentioned that her uncle used to sail and she wanted to learn how so we though a tour of Rhapsody would be fun. When she and Alan got to talking it turned out that her uncle who sailed was actually the owner of Stormvogel, a very famous and very beautiful 72 foot ketch. Of course Alan knew more about it than she did so now she is doubly inspired and is going to contact her uncle to see if he wants to go sailing again.
The day ended with a wonderful lobster dinner at the Beach House Restaurant watching the sunset. While we were waiting for our meal we surfed the net for pictures and articles about Stormvogel. Turns out she is still racing and winning so it looks like Mari may get to actually sail on her. Back at the boat, we ended the day with expresso and brownies. A perfect, perfect birthday.
Tonga
Sept 10, 2014 Tonga
Vava’u reminds me a lot of La Cruz. A bay full of boats at anchor with cruisers coming and going all the time. A morning net to exchange goods and services and ask for help. There is a small community of ex pats, that cater to cruisers mostly Kiwis not Americans, with bars, restaurants, laundry service, wifi, music, dive trips and repair services. The village itself is small and laid back. People are friendly. and mostly speak English often with a New Zealand accent. Unlike La Cruz, buildings are ramshackle. There are a number of burnt out shells of buildings and there is a lot of trash and graffiti. there are numerous dogs, a few cats and lots of pigs in the streets. There are not many flowers, at least not this time of year. This should be the start of the rainy season but the rains are late and sparse and everything is very dry. The bay is almost landlocked making for a very quiet anchorage. There are dozens of small islands just a few miles apart, most of them deserted although a few have a house or two or a small village. No big hotels or luxury resorts. The land laws specify that only Tongans can own land. Apparently they have tried a couple of times to bring in developers but it has not worked out. Meanwhile, the government seems to be the main employer. This is a very conservative and subdued country. Although we see western jeans, tennis shoes and t shirts, most of the men wear wrap skirts, often wearing the traditional mat over it. Women often replace the large mat with a fringed belt. The legend is that these mats were originally the sails from the boats that brought them here. Somehow it evolved into a mark of respect. Everyone wears one to church on Sunday and all government employees including teachers and preachers are required to wear them. If someone in the family has died, everyone wears black with a special mat for at least a week, longer depending on the closeness of the relationship. Since the families are all interrelated it seems that most people end up wearing black most of the time. Reminds me of Victorian England.
Shopping is a production. There is a small farmers market with vegetables and handicrafts, occasional eggs and fish. The vegetables are only so so, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and lots of taro. However the woven baskets, placemats and floor mats are superb. There are several small grocery stores, each one carrying different items. We end up going to every one to get what we want. Only one has decent bread and that is only because one of the restaurants taught them how to make it for po’boy sandwiches. WE need to get there early in the morning to get any. Ground coffee is extremely hard to come by. We finally found a few bags at the last store on the way out of town for $15/bag. Eggs are also hard to find even though there are lots of chickens around. There are freezers with New Zealand cheese, butter and meats at very high prices. Everything is in very limited variety and quantity. There is one local beer and it is reasonably priced so Alan is happy. Since there are a number of restaurants with reasonably priced menus, happy hours and free wifi, we end up eating out more than we have any place else.
Our visa is good for 30 days but we only expect to stay for 2 weeks. We will spend a couple of days here and then explore some of the other islands and come back here to check out.
Vava’u reminds me a lot of La Cruz. A bay full of boats at anchor with cruisers coming and going all the time. A morning net to exchange goods and services and ask for help. There is a small community of ex pats, that cater to cruisers mostly Kiwis not Americans, with bars, restaurants, laundry service, wifi, music, dive trips and repair services. The village itself is small and laid back. People are friendly. and mostly speak English often with a New Zealand accent. Unlike La Cruz, buildings are ramshackle. There are a number of burnt out shells of buildings and there is a lot of trash and graffiti. there are numerous dogs, a few cats and lots of pigs in the streets. There are not many flowers, at least not this time of year. This should be the start of the rainy season but the rains are late and sparse and everything is very dry. The bay is almost landlocked making for a very quiet anchorage. There are dozens of small islands just a few miles apart, most of them deserted although a few have a house or two or a small village. No big hotels or luxury resorts. The land laws specify that only Tongans can own land. Apparently they have tried a couple of times to bring in developers but it has not worked out. Meanwhile, the government seems to be the main employer. This is a very conservative and subdued country. Although we see western jeans, tennis shoes and t shirts, most of the men wear wrap skirts, often wearing the traditional mat over it. Women often replace the large mat with a fringed belt. The legend is that these mats were originally the sails from the boats that brought them here. Somehow it evolved into a mark of respect. Everyone wears one to church on Sunday and all government employees including teachers and preachers are required to wear them. If someone in the family has died, everyone wears black with a special mat for at least a week, longer depending on the closeness of the relationship. Since the families are all interrelated it seems that most people end up wearing black most of the time. Reminds me of Victorian England.
Shopping is a production. There is a small farmers market with vegetables and handicrafts, occasional eggs and fish. The vegetables are only so so, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and lots of taro. However the woven baskets, placemats and floor mats are superb. There are several small grocery stores, each one carrying different items. We end up going to every one to get what we want. Only one has decent bread and that is only because one of the restaurants taught them how to make it for po’boy sandwiches. WE need to get there early in the morning to get any. Ground coffee is extremely hard to come by. We finally found a few bags at the last store on the way out of town for $15/bag. Eggs are also hard to find even though there are lots of chickens around. There are freezers with New Zealand cheese, butter and meats at very high prices. Everything is in very limited variety and quantity. There is one local beer and it is reasonably priced so Alan is happy. Since there are a number of restaurants with reasonably priced menus, happy hours and free wifi, we end up eating out more than we have any place else.
Our visa is good for 30 days but we only expect to stay for 2 weeks. We will spend a couple of days here and then explore some of the other islands and come back here to check out.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Bora Bora to Tonga
August 17, 2014
Bora Bora to Tonga
A trip of 1300 miles. If we go 100 miles a day it will take us just 2 weeks. But of course we will not go 100 miles a day so I am expecting a trip of 3 weeks which will put us there just in time to celebrate Alan’s 71st birthday. Our first 24 hours could not have been better; blue sky, cool breeze, a few puffy clouds. We cruised along at 5+ knots. The wind died the first evening as we were trying to get past Maupiti so we put the engine for an hour. Other than that we sailed. The night was clear and starry with a half moon that came up just after midnight. In the morning we hear other boats on the net complaining about too much wind and rain and cold, or no wind at all. Our second day continues as perfect as the first and the third day is just as lovely. Maybe this will finally be the wonderful trade wind sailing that Alan has been talking about all of these years.
With the wind dropping a little, we took down the main jib to hoist the yellow genoa and discovered several new tears, so I spent a couple of hours with sail tape and needle and thread trying to patch it up. I have been saying that we need to get a new jib. I just hope it lasts till we get to Fiji where we will have time to have a new one made. Like everything else on Rhapsody, it is unique, old school and custom made.
On day 4 our luck changed. The rough weather that we have been hearing about on the radio has reached us, or we have reached it. The wind is stronger and the seas are getting bigger with waves seeming to come from all directions. No more long lazy swells. This is whitecaps and spray and bouncing and rolling. The waves are like a schoolyard of children, running in all directions, meeting friends, stopping to talk and then rushing off in another direction, plaung hide and weak and keep away with the boat, tossing it from side to side. Two waves meet and leap into the air. They grab hands and belly slide across the deck, first one way and then the other before they run out through the scuppers. There is no rain but we are still soaked through from the waves washing over the cockpit and the cabin is draped with drying clothes. Suddenly meals are a lot more difficult to cook.
Time to get the sails reefed down. And once again, just as we are trying to get the main sail down there is a loud rip and it has torn again. Now there is a scramble to get it tied down tightly so that with wind will not catch it and tear it even further. About midnight Alan decides that the wind is just too strong, it is too difficult to hold the tiller, even with so little sail. Time to heave to for the rest of the night We have been under way 4 days and are pretty tired so this is a chance to get a good nights sleep. We are becoming great fans of heaving to. We both sleep until almost 10am.
Next morning the wind is still howling and Alan decides we should just sit tight and wait it out. It can’t last forever and we are not really in a hurry. All of the bread has gotten moldy and had to be thrown out (Unlike the Mexicans, the French apparently do not put enough preservatives in their bread.) so we will have soup for lunch the rest of the way instead of sandwiches. We are also very low on coffee, other than instant. Other than that, we are fine. After lunch Alan decides that this is the perfect time to practice with the paravane. This is a small parachute which is dropped over the side of a boat while it is hove to in rough seas to steady the boat and calm the waves. He bought it at a boat show a year before we left home but we have never gotten around to trying it out. I am not sure that a day of howling wind and crashing waves is the best time to “test” it but he wants to try. First we fish it out from where it is stored. Then we find the instructional CD that came with it. The CD turns out to be mostly a marketing tool and not very helpful about how to actually use it. We can’t find any other manual so he decides to go ahead and see what happens. Bottom line, it does not work. We are doing something wrong. Now we can’t get it back on board. We finally decide to start the engine and drive up onto it, me at the helm and Alan up on the bow pulling the line. Eventually we get it aboard and packed away again. Since the engine is going, we decide to motor for a while, at least we will cover a few miles today and this is a chance to charge the batteries. Eventually we heave to again for a second night. Our daily average is dropping rapidly.
Next day the wind is still blowing just as strong and the seas are still big and wild and coming from all directions, sweeping over the cockpit. The sky is a soft, puffy gray, looking like that stuff that they pump into your attic for insulation It is cold. I am wearing two pair of pj bottoms under my deep sea overalls and two t-shirts and a fleece under my frog jacket. I even get out ugg boots and furry gloves. On the morning net we hear everyone else going through the same wild weather. There is very much a grin and bear it attitude amongst the cruisers. Always the question “Is all well on board?” and the answer “All is well” Apparently this weather will continue for several more days, not getting any worse, before it calms down. And so it goes. We make very good time when we are sailing and we are going mostly in the right direction. We heave to again one more night and eventually the wind drops and the seas begin to settle and the clouds clear. It is lovely with the stars shinning on the water and just a sliver of moon. The occasional wave still that washes over, fills the cockpit and drains out.
Now that we have a calm day we need to run the water maker. Maybe I will take a shower and wash out a few clothes. We are supposed to run the water maker every 3-4 days to keep the filters clean. Running it involves stringing several hoses, taking up the floor boards to get at the tanks and starting our small Honda generator that is stored on deck. We get every thing set, start the generator. It runs happily for about 15 minutes and then just quits. It has gas. Alan cannot find anything obviously wrong with it but it will not start again. It was knocked over onto it’s side during the tossing and thrashing of the past few day and we speculate that something got knocked loose or dirt got into the fuel line. Anyway, no water making for the rest of the trip, no showers and no laundry. We hold 150 gallons of water so it should not be a problem but we are not sure how much we have used already. Suddenly we have to be careful not to waste water.
Next day the wind is stronger again and we are once more rolling around and getting drenched by waves. At least the water is warm and we are making good time. With just the jib and a reefed mizzen up we go flying along at over 6 knots. It is really amazing to realize that these tiny bits of sailcloth are able to drive this heavy boat through the water. The wind gradually builds up again until we estimate that it is at least 35 knots. Alan thinks he has figured out how to read the wind gage. It throws up a random series of numbers but at some point it also puts up the right one. So you just watch for something reasonable and that is the wind speed. We know it is not 0.2 or 3.5 and we are also pretty sure it is not 49. We heave to one more night and hold onto each other and the sides of the bunk as we rock and roll. When the waves hit the boat there is a huge slapping sound and at one point we hear a wave wash completely over the top of the cabin but Rhapsody does just fine and we are never in any real danger. Actually, other than being so tired, I think Alan is loving it.
After a couple of relatively calm days, it is time to run the engine to charge the batteries, and incidentally get back onto course.
Suddenly the engine starts to make a horrible noise. Sounds like something grinding in the engine or transmission. Quickly he kills it. Now what? I take over the helm again and he checks around in the engine room to see if he can figure out what is going on. Everything seems OK. We wait for a while and then try again. Once again it starts right up and runs OK for about 15 minutes and then the awful noise starts again. Engine off, back into the engine room. He finally decides it might be the muffler rubbing on the drive shaft. We will just sail for a while without the engine. Suddenly the engine starts, all by itself. I finally manage to kill it before it starts the horrible noise again. This is actually the clue that Alan needs to figure out the problem. There must be a short in the new starter switch that he installed in Tahiti and the noise is the sound of the engine trying to start when it is already going. It is mounted in the cockpit and has been soaked every time a wave washes aboard. we get our plastic and duct tape and make a temporary cover for it. For the next day or so, the engine starts itself at random intervals. Eventually it stops doing it. (When we get to Tonga we discover that the wires have completely corroded and fallen off.) No more running the engine and we will need to be very careful with battery power. Luckily we are only a few days out and there is a good wind.
Only one more bit of drama before we reach Tonga. We have a power generator that is a propeller on a rope that is towed behind the boat. As the boat moves the propeller spins and generates a trickle of power, not a whole lot but enough to drive the auto pilot. Since the weather has settled down I decide to throw the fishing line over. It catches on the generator line and within a minute has wrapped itself completely around it, from top to bottom. I grab a knife and cut the fishing line where it is attached to the boat. Now we need to stop the boat to bull the generator prop in so I can untangle it. An hour later it is done. I decide that I really did not want any fish anyway.
We have alerted the other boats in Tonga that we may be coming in without a engine and they are standing by in case we need a tow but Alan manages to hot wire the switch and we arrive under our own power after a passage of 17 days (plus one more for crossing the date line)
Bora Bora to Tonga
A trip of 1300 miles. If we go 100 miles a day it will take us just 2 weeks. But of course we will not go 100 miles a day so I am expecting a trip of 3 weeks which will put us there just in time to celebrate Alan’s 71st birthday. Our first 24 hours could not have been better; blue sky, cool breeze, a few puffy clouds. We cruised along at 5+ knots. The wind died the first evening as we were trying to get past Maupiti so we put the engine for an hour. Other than that we sailed. The night was clear and starry with a half moon that came up just after midnight. In the morning we hear other boats on the net complaining about too much wind and rain and cold, or no wind at all. Our second day continues as perfect as the first and the third day is just as lovely. Maybe this will finally be the wonderful trade wind sailing that Alan has been talking about all of these years.
With the wind dropping a little, we took down the main jib to hoist the yellow genoa and discovered several new tears, so I spent a couple of hours with sail tape and needle and thread trying to patch it up. I have been saying that we need to get a new jib. I just hope it lasts till we get to Fiji where we will have time to have a new one made. Like everything else on Rhapsody, it is unique, old school and custom made.
On day 4 our luck changed. The rough weather that we have been hearing about on the radio has reached us, or we have reached it. The wind is stronger and the seas are getting bigger with waves seeming to come from all directions. No more long lazy swells. This is whitecaps and spray and bouncing and rolling. The waves are like a schoolyard of children, running in all directions, meeting friends, stopping to talk and then rushing off in another direction, plaung hide and weak and keep away with the boat, tossing it from side to side. Two waves meet and leap into the air. They grab hands and belly slide across the deck, first one way and then the other before they run out through the scuppers. There is no rain but we are still soaked through from the waves washing over the cockpit and the cabin is draped with drying clothes. Suddenly meals are a lot more difficult to cook.
Time to get the sails reefed down. And once again, just as we are trying to get the main sail down there is a loud rip and it has torn again. Now there is a scramble to get it tied down tightly so that with wind will not catch it and tear it even further. About midnight Alan decides that the wind is just too strong, it is too difficult to hold the tiller, even with so little sail. Time to heave to for the rest of the night We have been under way 4 days and are pretty tired so this is a chance to get a good nights sleep. We are becoming great fans of heaving to. We both sleep until almost 10am.
Next morning the wind is still howling and Alan decides we should just sit tight and wait it out. It can’t last forever and we are not really in a hurry. All of the bread has gotten moldy and had to be thrown out (Unlike the Mexicans, the French apparently do not put enough preservatives in their bread.) so we will have soup for lunch the rest of the way instead of sandwiches. We are also very low on coffee, other than instant. Other than that, we are fine. After lunch Alan decides that this is the perfect time to practice with the paravane. This is a small parachute which is dropped over the side of a boat while it is hove to in rough seas to steady the boat and calm the waves. He bought it at a boat show a year before we left home but we have never gotten around to trying it out. I am not sure that a day of howling wind and crashing waves is the best time to “test” it but he wants to try. First we fish it out from where it is stored. Then we find the instructional CD that came with it. The CD turns out to be mostly a marketing tool and not very helpful about how to actually use it. We can’t find any other manual so he decides to go ahead and see what happens. Bottom line, it does not work. We are doing something wrong. Now we can’t get it back on board. We finally decide to start the engine and drive up onto it, me at the helm and Alan up on the bow pulling the line. Eventually we get it aboard and packed away again. Since the engine is going, we decide to motor for a while, at least we will cover a few miles today and this is a chance to charge the batteries. Eventually we heave to again for a second night. Our daily average is dropping rapidly.
Next day the wind is still blowing just as strong and the seas are still big and wild and coming from all directions, sweeping over the cockpit. The sky is a soft, puffy gray, looking like that stuff that they pump into your attic for insulation It is cold. I am wearing two pair of pj bottoms under my deep sea overalls and two t-shirts and a fleece under my frog jacket. I even get out ugg boots and furry gloves. On the morning net we hear everyone else going through the same wild weather. There is very much a grin and bear it attitude amongst the cruisers. Always the question “Is all well on board?” and the answer “All is well” Apparently this weather will continue for several more days, not getting any worse, before it calms down. And so it goes. We make very good time when we are sailing and we are going mostly in the right direction. We heave to again one more night and eventually the wind drops and the seas begin to settle and the clouds clear. It is lovely with the stars shinning on the water and just a sliver of moon. The occasional wave still that washes over, fills the cockpit and drains out.
Now that we have a calm day we need to run the water maker. Maybe I will take a shower and wash out a few clothes. We are supposed to run the water maker every 3-4 days to keep the filters clean. Running it involves stringing several hoses, taking up the floor boards to get at the tanks and starting our small Honda generator that is stored on deck. We get every thing set, start the generator. It runs happily for about 15 minutes and then just quits. It has gas. Alan cannot find anything obviously wrong with it but it will not start again. It was knocked over onto it’s side during the tossing and thrashing of the past few day and we speculate that something got knocked loose or dirt got into the fuel line. Anyway, no water making for the rest of the trip, no showers and no laundry. We hold 150 gallons of water so it should not be a problem but we are not sure how much we have used already. Suddenly we have to be careful not to waste water.
Next day the wind is stronger again and we are once more rolling around and getting drenched by waves. At least the water is warm and we are making good time. With just the jib and a reefed mizzen up we go flying along at over 6 knots. It is really amazing to realize that these tiny bits of sailcloth are able to drive this heavy boat through the water. The wind gradually builds up again until we estimate that it is at least 35 knots. Alan thinks he has figured out how to read the wind gage. It throws up a random series of numbers but at some point it also puts up the right one. So you just watch for something reasonable and that is the wind speed. We know it is not 0.2 or 3.5 and we are also pretty sure it is not 49. We heave to one more night and hold onto each other and the sides of the bunk as we rock and roll. When the waves hit the boat there is a huge slapping sound and at one point we hear a wave wash completely over the top of the cabin but Rhapsody does just fine and we are never in any real danger. Actually, other than being so tired, I think Alan is loving it.
After a couple of relatively calm days, it is time to run the engine to charge the batteries, and incidentally get back onto course.
Suddenly the engine starts to make a horrible noise. Sounds like something grinding in the engine or transmission. Quickly he kills it. Now what? I take over the helm again and he checks around in the engine room to see if he can figure out what is going on. Everything seems OK. We wait for a while and then try again. Once again it starts right up and runs OK for about 15 minutes and then the awful noise starts again. Engine off, back into the engine room. He finally decides it might be the muffler rubbing on the drive shaft. We will just sail for a while without the engine. Suddenly the engine starts, all by itself. I finally manage to kill it before it starts the horrible noise again. This is actually the clue that Alan needs to figure out the problem. There must be a short in the new starter switch that he installed in Tahiti and the noise is the sound of the engine trying to start when it is already going. It is mounted in the cockpit and has been soaked every time a wave washes aboard. we get our plastic and duct tape and make a temporary cover for it. For the next day or so, the engine starts itself at random intervals. Eventually it stops doing it. (When we get to Tonga we discover that the wires have completely corroded and fallen off.) No more running the engine and we will need to be very careful with battery power. Luckily we are only a few days out and there is a good wind.
Only one more bit of drama before we reach Tonga. We have a power generator that is a propeller on a rope that is towed behind the boat. As the boat moves the propeller spins and generates a trickle of power, not a whole lot but enough to drive the auto pilot. Since the weather has settled down I decide to throw the fishing line over. It catches on the generator line and within a minute has wrapped itself completely around it, from top to bottom. I grab a knife and cut the fishing line where it is attached to the boat. Now we need to stop the boat to bull the generator prop in so I can untangle it. An hour later it is done. I decide that I really did not want any fish anyway.
We have alerted the other boats in Tonga that we may be coming in without a engine and they are standing by in case we need a tow but Alan manages to hot wire the switch and we arrive under our own power after a passage of 17 days (plus one more for crossing the date line)
Sunday, August 17, 2014
a musical interlude
A musical interlude.
When Alan was 12 he was taken to see the stage play of South Pacific and that was the start of the dream that finds us here today.
words from the songs made a huge impact. they have stayed with him his whole life
“you got to have a dream if you don't have a dream how you gonna have a dream come true?”
Once you have found her never let her go
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Now that the dream has come true it seems appropriate to listen to the music. And so we sit on the deck with a glass of wine as the sky turns lovely colors and then dark and the stars come out listening to the music and smiling and crying and being amazed that we are here. at our age, still healthy, still in love
From South Pacific we move onto Edith Piaf and a dinner of cassoulet and baguette and then finish with Cleo Lane singing songs from Shakespeare
When Alan was 12 he was taken to see the stage play of South Pacific and that was the start of the dream that finds us here today.
words from the songs made a huge impact. they have stayed with him his whole life
“you got to have a dream if you don't have a dream how you gonna have a dream come true?”
Once you have found her never let her go
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Now that the dream has come true it seems appropriate to listen to the music. And so we sit on the deck with a glass of wine as the sky turns lovely colors and then dark and the stars come out listening to the music and smiling and crying and being amazed that we are here. at our age, still healthy, still in love
From South Pacific we move onto Edith Piaf and a dinner of cassoulet and baguette and then finish with Cleo Lane singing songs from Shakespeare
Bora Bora
Aug 9, 2014, Tahaa to Bora Bora
It is so still the next morning that Alan decides to go up the mast after breakfast. There are several things that need to be taken care of up there that he has been putting off until we were in a calm spot or at a dock so this is the chance. When he comes down an hour later we set off once again the rest of the way around Taha’a and out of the pass to Bora Bora. The last stop and supposedly the most beautiful island in the Pacific. Spray is flying and breakers crash against the reef as we exit but once outside the wind drops. Another motor sail, luckily it is not far.
There is only one pass into Bora Bora and it is on the west side. As we skirt the bottom of the island we see huge waves breaking ahead of us, apparently out in the middle of the ocean where it should be several hundred feet deep. I think it is clouds or boats or something. Alan is convinced that it is surf and steers a wide course. Eventually we get close enough to see that he is right. The reef here is almost 2 miles from the island and it is scary to see such huge waves out here. A lighthouse at the corner of the reef seems to stand in the middle of the ocean. We sail along the reef with it’s huge crashing waves and eventually enter a wide pass into a smooth lagoon and pick up a mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht Club.
This is the end of the dream, something Alan has been looking forward to for years. It is lovely. We greet other boats and get the lay of the land. The Bora Bora Yacht Club is not so much a yacht club as a very upscale restaurant but there is free fast wifi and, best of all, free hot showers. We have not had showers since we left Mexico and for the next several days I take at least one and sometimes two a day, just for the joy of it. In the evening we sit on the deck of the club with a glass of wine and watch the beautiful sunsets. After dark we watch the fish in the glow of the underwater lights. We walk up the road tot he grocery store and buy baguettes and cheese..
After several days we move to a mooring off of Bloody Mary’s and treat ourselves to a magnificent dinner. The mooring there is unfortunately windy and their wifi is not working so then next morning we move back up to the yacht club mooring and several days later it is time to leave.
There is no time to really finish this. We are leaving for Tonga
It is so still the next morning that Alan decides to go up the mast after breakfast. There are several things that need to be taken care of up there that he has been putting off until we were in a calm spot or at a dock so this is the chance. When he comes down an hour later we set off once again the rest of the way around Taha’a and out of the pass to Bora Bora. The last stop and supposedly the most beautiful island in the Pacific. Spray is flying and breakers crash against the reef as we exit but once outside the wind drops. Another motor sail, luckily it is not far.
There is only one pass into Bora Bora and it is on the west side. As we skirt the bottom of the island we see huge waves breaking ahead of us, apparently out in the middle of the ocean where it should be several hundred feet deep. I think it is clouds or boats or something. Alan is convinced that it is surf and steers a wide course. Eventually we get close enough to see that he is right. The reef here is almost 2 miles from the island and it is scary to see such huge waves out here. A lighthouse at the corner of the reef seems to stand in the middle of the ocean. We sail along the reef with it’s huge crashing waves and eventually enter a wide pass into a smooth lagoon and pick up a mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht Club.
This is the end of the dream, something Alan has been looking forward to for years. It is lovely. We greet other boats and get the lay of the land. The Bora Bora Yacht Club is not so much a yacht club as a very upscale restaurant but there is free fast wifi and, best of all, free hot showers. We have not had showers since we left Mexico and for the next several days I take at least one and sometimes two a day, just for the joy of it. In the evening we sit on the deck of the club with a glass of wine and watch the beautiful sunsets. After dark we watch the fish in the glow of the underwater lights. We walk up the road tot he grocery store and buy baguettes and cheese..
After several days we move to a mooring off of Bloody Mary’s and treat ourselves to a magnificent dinner. The mooring there is unfortunately windy and their wifi is not working so then next morning we move back up to the yacht club mooring and several days later it is time to leave.
There is no time to really finish this. We are leaving for Tonga
Tahaa
Aug 7, 2014 Raiatea to Tahaa
The reef here encompasses both the island of Raiatea and that of Tahaa It is possible to sail completely around both islands if you are really careful, watch the markers carefully and keep a close eye on the Navionics charts. I must say, these charts have been wonderful, worth every enny and all the trouble to download them. They are right on. We can zoom in or zoom out to see detail or an overview. they figure your course and tell you when you will get there based on current speed. Of course they cannot figure in the wind direction and tell you when to tack. The captain needs to do something. Although I expect that they will do that soon on boats with all the latest gizmos.
We motor between the two islands and find an anchorage acres from the “coral gardens” on Tahaa. Everyone on the net has been talking about the fabulous drift dives here. Walk to the other side of the pass, put on snorlke and mask, no need for flippers and just drive along back to where you left the dingy. It is another day os wind and scattered clouds when we get there so the dive is not as spectacular as it could have been but still lovely. Fish of all colors and shapes swim right around us as we drift along, completely unafraid of people. Unfortunately much of the coral is grey and lifeless, covered with dust.
After our five we weigh anchor and move on around to another deep bay on the other side of Tahaa. Again we are the only boat here. It is completely quiet and absolutely calm overnight.
The reef here encompasses both the island of Raiatea and that of Tahaa It is possible to sail completely around both islands if you are really careful, watch the markers carefully and keep a close eye on the Navionics charts. I must say, these charts have been wonderful, worth every enny and all the trouble to download them. They are right on. We can zoom in or zoom out to see detail or an overview. they figure your course and tell you when you will get there based on current speed. Of course they cannot figure in the wind direction and tell you when to tack. The captain needs to do something. Although I expect that they will do that soon on boats with all the latest gizmos.
We motor between the two islands and find an anchorage acres from the “coral gardens” on Tahaa. Everyone on the net has been talking about the fabulous drift dives here. Walk to the other side of the pass, put on snorlke and mask, no need for flippers and just drive along back to where you left the dingy. It is another day os wind and scattered clouds when we get there so the dive is not as spectacular as it could have been but still lovely. Fish of all colors and shapes swim right around us as we drift along, completely unafraid of people. Unfortunately much of the coral is grey and lifeless, covered with dust.
After our five we weigh anchor and move on around to another deep bay on the other side of Tahaa. Again we are the only boat here. It is completely quiet and absolutely calm overnight.
Raiatea
Aug 4, Raiatea, town dock
Ir is a cloudy, windy, rainy day when we leave our lovely anchorage and move to Utoroa it is only few miles inside the reef so we don;t bother with sails. We are looking for the anchorage when we spot the masts of lots of boats apparently tied up in a marina. It is the town dock that we have been hearing about on the net. Luckily we had gotten out the fenders and mooring lines. There is a concrete wharf with a couple of piers running out to create a partially enclosed harbor. Unfortunately the really protected part is reserved for the local tour/dive boats. The dock is lined with sailboats but there is one space left if we can just get into it with this wind blowing. Cruisers come out to grab lines, Alan back and forths as if he is parallel parking and eventually we are securely tied. The wind is blowing hard and pushing us against the dock and we get out every single fender we have. We had purchased 4 square, inflatable fenders and never used them. Now they come out of their stowage spots, one by one. They are wonderful. Blow up with just a few breaths, strong, straps on all 4 corners to tie on. eventually we have 8 fenders between us and the dock. Over the next 4 days wind gusts hit 30 knots. We are not going anywhere. What a difference to just step off the boat onto a dock, without having to get out the dingy. It is interesting to contrast Rhapsody with her low freeboard to other boats. We can just step on and off easily. Others have to clamber over railings and canvas and up and down slippery steps.
Other boats are dealing with mechanical problems. People’s visas are all running out and they need to go to the gendarme to get an extension which requires several hours and lots of paperwork. One boat has signed out and back in again 3 times because of mechanical and weather problems. We spend several days here with wind and rain. We spend the time exploring the town, using the wifi, shopping and visiting other boats. This is the second biggest town in the islands and it is just one street about 10 blocks long and 4 marinas and an airport.
Eventually the wind drops a little and the boat behind us takes off. This allows us to back up and get a better angle to leave. our first try at leaving is unsuccessful. The wind just pushes us back into the dock. Eventually we round up friends and put them each on a rope. A rope is run from the stern to a forward cleat on short and the other lines are cast off as Alan puts it in reverse. The nose swings out as those ashore pull on the stern line and finally we have a good enough angle to go. He puts otto forward and guns the motor. Those ashore drop the lines and we are off.
Ir is a cloudy, windy, rainy day when we leave our lovely anchorage and move to Utoroa it is only few miles inside the reef so we don;t bother with sails. We are looking for the anchorage when we spot the masts of lots of boats apparently tied up in a marina. It is the town dock that we have been hearing about on the net. Luckily we had gotten out the fenders and mooring lines. There is a concrete wharf with a couple of piers running out to create a partially enclosed harbor. Unfortunately the really protected part is reserved for the local tour/dive boats. The dock is lined with sailboats but there is one space left if we can just get into it with this wind blowing. Cruisers come out to grab lines, Alan back and forths as if he is parallel parking and eventually we are securely tied. The wind is blowing hard and pushing us against the dock and we get out every single fender we have. We had purchased 4 square, inflatable fenders and never used them. Now they come out of their stowage spots, one by one. They are wonderful. Blow up with just a few breaths, strong, straps on all 4 corners to tie on. eventually we have 8 fenders between us and the dock. Over the next 4 days wind gusts hit 30 knots. We are not going anywhere. What a difference to just step off the boat onto a dock, without having to get out the dingy. It is interesting to contrast Rhapsody with her low freeboard to other boats. We can just step on and off easily. Others have to clamber over railings and canvas and up and down slippery steps.
Other boats are dealing with mechanical problems. People’s visas are all running out and they need to go to the gendarme to get an extension which requires several hours and lots of paperwork. One boat has signed out and back in again 3 times because of mechanical and weather problems. We spend several days here with wind and rain. We spend the time exploring the town, using the wifi, shopping and visiting other boats. This is the second biggest town in the islands and it is just one street about 10 blocks long and 4 marinas and an airport.
Eventually the wind drops a little and the boat behind us takes off. This allows us to back up and get a better angle to leave. our first try at leaving is unsuccessful. The wind just pushes us back into the dock. Eventually we round up friends and put them each on a rope. A rope is run from the stern to a forward cleat on short and the other lines are cast off as Alan puts it in reverse. The nose swings out as those ashore pull on the stern line and finally we have a good enough angle to go. He puts otto forward and guns the motor. Those ashore drop the lines and we are off.
Huanine to Raiatea
Aug 3, 2012 Huahini to Raitaea
It is a lovely day with a light wind when we take off from Huanine, headed for Raiatea just 20 miles away. Raiatea is the spiritual center of Polynesia and the site of the most important marae or religious sites. All other temples throughout Polynesia, including Hawaii, look to Raiatea as the center and all of them incorporate a stone from here in their construction. The main maera is at the southern end of the island so we are headed there to anchor first. Tomorrow we will move on up to the main town. Our anticipated day sail turns to to be a motor cruise. There is almost no wind and the sky is clear and sunny. For the first time in a long time it is actually hot. A few hours later we are entering the pass through the coral reef on Raiatea headed up into a deep bay to anchor and straight into a mass of grey cloud As we follow the buoys up into the bay the cliffs close in around us. It is cool and misty, not quite rain but almost. We head deeper up not the bay until we are surrounded by steep green cliffs wreathed in cloud and drop anchor in 50 feet of clear water. It is so quiet here. There are only a few houses along the shore, a couple of other boats anchored nearby. Quite a change from yesterday.
There is a river at the head of the bay which heads deep into the jungle. Since we still have a few hours of daylight left we decide to launch the dingy go exploring. This is still another world. Dense growth along the river banks allow brief glimpses of cultivated fields beyond. We thread carefully around shallows and tree limbs for almost an hour before turning back. Brilliant tropical flowers grow wild here. I gather armfuls to take back to the boat.
The next day we et out to visit the marae. I have missed visiting the ruins on all of the islands and I am determined to visit this one. As far as we can tell for looking at our various maps and charts and guide books, it is several miles further down towards the end of the island. We need to go out of this bay and across two other small bays to get there. It will be a long, cold, wet dingy ride since the weather is still gloomy but we decide not to go to all the trouble of raising the anchor and moving the boat.
Eventually we arrive at what we think must be the right place. There is a cement wharf, several palm huts and a large arena. a handful of people are gathered under a tent having lunch and kids play in the water. It is rainy and feels cool but it is never actually cold here and kids will always play in the water given the change no matter the weather. We tie the dingy to a tree and wander ashore. We are in a large park with short grass and wonderful large trees. Signs identify the trees and explain religious and spiritual meaning. The marae itself are large stone platforms with large standing stones along the back. Originally there were palm buildings but they havens since fallen apart. At the center of the largest platform is a pile of stones that seems to be an alter. It is covered with gifts, necklaces, flowers, pots, wood carvings, etc. Obviously the old religion has not entirely disappeared. In fact the site is still used for important ceremonies. It is lovely here, calm, peaceful. There are sudden rain showers followed by clearing and rainbows. Finally we head back to the dingy and another long wet ride back. Back aboard, we hang our wet clothes and get into soft pjs and brew up some hot buttered rum.
Next day we move out, headed up island to the main town.
It is a lovely day with a light wind when we take off from Huanine, headed for Raiatea just 20 miles away. Raiatea is the spiritual center of Polynesia and the site of the most important marae or religious sites. All other temples throughout Polynesia, including Hawaii, look to Raiatea as the center and all of them incorporate a stone from here in their construction. The main maera is at the southern end of the island so we are headed there to anchor first. Tomorrow we will move on up to the main town. Our anticipated day sail turns to to be a motor cruise. There is almost no wind and the sky is clear and sunny. For the first time in a long time it is actually hot. A few hours later we are entering the pass through the coral reef on Raiatea headed up into a deep bay to anchor and straight into a mass of grey cloud As we follow the buoys up into the bay the cliffs close in around us. It is cool and misty, not quite rain but almost. We head deeper up not the bay until we are surrounded by steep green cliffs wreathed in cloud and drop anchor in 50 feet of clear water. It is so quiet here. There are only a few houses along the shore, a couple of other boats anchored nearby. Quite a change from yesterday.
There is a river at the head of the bay which heads deep into the jungle. Since we still have a few hours of daylight left we decide to launch the dingy go exploring. This is still another world. Dense growth along the river banks allow brief glimpses of cultivated fields beyond. We thread carefully around shallows and tree limbs for almost an hour before turning back. Brilliant tropical flowers grow wild here. I gather armfuls to take back to the boat.
The next day we et out to visit the marae. I have missed visiting the ruins on all of the islands and I am determined to visit this one. As far as we can tell for looking at our various maps and charts and guide books, it is several miles further down towards the end of the island. We need to go out of this bay and across two other small bays to get there. It will be a long, cold, wet dingy ride since the weather is still gloomy but we decide not to go to all the trouble of raising the anchor and moving the boat.
Eventually we arrive at what we think must be the right place. There is a cement wharf, several palm huts and a large arena. a handful of people are gathered under a tent having lunch and kids play in the water. It is rainy and feels cool but it is never actually cold here and kids will always play in the water given the change no matter the weather. We tie the dingy to a tree and wander ashore. We are in a large park with short grass and wonderful large trees. Signs identify the trees and explain religious and spiritual meaning. The marae itself are large stone platforms with large standing stones along the back. Originally there were palm buildings but they havens since fallen apart. At the center of the largest platform is a pile of stones that seems to be an alter. It is covered with gifts, necklaces, flowers, pots, wood carvings, etc. Obviously the old religion has not entirely disappeared. In fact the site is still used for important ceremonies. It is lovely here, calm, peaceful. There are sudden rain showers followed by clearing and rainbows. Finally we head back to the dingy and another long wet ride back. Back aboard, we hang our wet clothes and get into soft pjs and brew up some hot buttered rum.
Next day we move out, headed up island to the main town.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Moorea to Huanine
July 30, 2014, Moorea to Huahine
We have checked the weather reports repeatedly. The storm that everyone was waiting for seems to have passed to the south. There are still strong winds but they should die down today. Huahine is about 100 miles away which means an overnight sail. If we leave around noon we should arrive the next morning, hopefully not too early. The day looks beautiful. There are light winds and scattered clouds. We head carefully out of the pass and discover that we are in for a rocky ride. There are huge swells and not much wind. After about an hour the wind picks up. We put the main sail up but take it down before very long as the wind keeps building. By late afternoon Alan decides that we should reef the mizzen too. This is always a challenge. The boom is guide a bit longer than the boat which means that we cannot reach the first reef point. to tie it down. So we decide to double reef. Even this takes some doing. I get the sail down and the forward reef point tied but I cannot get the back one. I get the sail all bundled up but the wind rips it out of my hands before I can get it tied. Eventually I take over steering and Alan gets it tied down. It is not pretty but it should hold and it is certainly easier to steer now.
The seas are still huge and coming crossways which makes the boat really rocky and very hard to steer. Every once in a while a wave will come from a different direction and crash right into the cockpit. We had started out in shorts and t shirts since it was such a nice day but I finally pull out our foul weather gear again. At least it is not raining this time but we still have all the portholes and hatches closed to keep out the spray.
Alan has decided that he will pull an all-nighter and steer the whole way, which is a good thing since I am seasick, I stagger through the boat to the head where I find a patch and stick it behind my ear. After about 20 minutes I feel it kick in. I now have a very dry mouth with a funny taste in it but at least the nausea fades. Unfortunately, I am also very sleepy. I manage to get some dinner together for Alan and rouse myself about once an hour to make sure he is OK. Other than that, I sleep. Finally about midnight, I feel well enough to take over for a couple of hours so that he can get some sleep. By morning the waves have died down quite a bit. We make landfall about 10am and enter into a lovely calm anchorage with about 10 other boats.
Once we have anchored, I realize that I can take off the patch. Turns out they are designed to last for 3 days and it takes that long for the effects to wear off. I am just really sleepy and lethargic and still have this weird taste in my mouth. This is the first time I have used one of the patches when we were not on a long passage and I did not realize how much it affected me.
Huahine turns out to be our favorite place so far. It is hard to say why, There is just a very relaxed, friendly feeling here. It feels like “real Polynesia”. There are the same lovely green hills and dramatic rock formations that we have seen on other islands, maybe not as drop dead gorgeous as Moorea but still beautiful. There is a charming village here that looks like something out of the old west. A wharf with kids diving off of it into incredibly clear water. There is the best supermarket we have seen so far, with better prices than Tahiti. A little restaurant right on the waterfront calls itself Huahine Yacht Club and has cheap beer, a happy hour, very good food and live music. The clientele consists of a handful of cruisers and lots of locals. Just a little way along the road is a lovely hotel with charming bungalows set among lush gardens. The lobby is absolutely stunning with high vaulted wood ceiling and an elegant display of local artifacts. We take the dingy for a tour around the bay and a couple of kids in outriggers decide to surf our wake. We have great fun steering in circles for them. Darn, Darn, Darn, I want to stay here for a week or two. I want to visit the ruins and see the other anchorages, but we have no time. Our visa is running out and we still need to get to Raiatea and Bora Bora.
We have checked the weather reports repeatedly. The storm that everyone was waiting for seems to have passed to the south. There are still strong winds but they should die down today. Huahine is about 100 miles away which means an overnight sail. If we leave around noon we should arrive the next morning, hopefully not too early. The day looks beautiful. There are light winds and scattered clouds. We head carefully out of the pass and discover that we are in for a rocky ride. There are huge swells and not much wind. After about an hour the wind picks up. We put the main sail up but take it down before very long as the wind keeps building. By late afternoon Alan decides that we should reef the mizzen too. This is always a challenge. The boom is guide a bit longer than the boat which means that we cannot reach the first reef point. to tie it down. So we decide to double reef. Even this takes some doing. I get the sail down and the forward reef point tied but I cannot get the back one. I get the sail all bundled up but the wind rips it out of my hands before I can get it tied. Eventually I take over steering and Alan gets it tied down. It is not pretty but it should hold and it is certainly easier to steer now.
The seas are still huge and coming crossways which makes the boat really rocky and very hard to steer. Every once in a while a wave will come from a different direction and crash right into the cockpit. We had started out in shorts and t shirts since it was such a nice day but I finally pull out our foul weather gear again. At least it is not raining this time but we still have all the portholes and hatches closed to keep out the spray.
Alan has decided that he will pull an all-nighter and steer the whole way, which is a good thing since I am seasick, I stagger through the boat to the head where I find a patch and stick it behind my ear. After about 20 minutes I feel it kick in. I now have a very dry mouth with a funny taste in it but at least the nausea fades. Unfortunately, I am also very sleepy. I manage to get some dinner together for Alan and rouse myself about once an hour to make sure he is OK. Other than that, I sleep. Finally about midnight, I feel well enough to take over for a couple of hours so that he can get some sleep. By morning the waves have died down quite a bit. We make landfall about 10am and enter into a lovely calm anchorage with about 10 other boats.
Once we have anchored, I realize that I can take off the patch. Turns out they are designed to last for 3 days and it takes that long for the effects to wear off. I am just really sleepy and lethargic and still have this weird taste in my mouth. This is the first time I have used one of the patches when we were not on a long passage and I did not realize how much it affected me.
Huahine turns out to be our favorite place so far. It is hard to say why, There is just a very relaxed, friendly feeling here. It feels like “real Polynesia”. There are the same lovely green hills and dramatic rock formations that we have seen on other islands, maybe not as drop dead gorgeous as Moorea but still beautiful. There is a charming village here that looks like something out of the old west. A wharf with kids diving off of it into incredibly clear water. There is the best supermarket we have seen so far, with better prices than Tahiti. A little restaurant right on the waterfront calls itself Huahine Yacht Club and has cheap beer, a happy hour, very good food and live music. The clientele consists of a handful of cruisers and lots of locals. Just a little way along the road is a lovely hotel with charming bungalows set among lush gardens. The lobby is absolutely stunning with high vaulted wood ceiling and an elegant display of local artifacts. We take the dingy for a tour around the bay and a couple of kids in outriggers decide to surf our wake. We have great fun steering in circles for them. Darn, Darn, Darn, I want to stay here for a week or two. I want to visit the ruins and see the other anchorages, but we have no time. Our visa is running out and we still need to get to Raiatea and Bora Bora.
Moorea agan
July 29, 2014, Moorea again
Moorea is just beautiful. Steep cliffs. The rock formations remind me of the southwest, although they are covered in green and wreathed with clouds. We pass Cook’s bay this time and head for Opunahu Bay, the next one over. We have heard that it is even more beautiful. It is lovely but since the anchorage is just at the outside corner it is not nearly so spectacular. We run the dingy ashore and walk up the road to the Hilton where we sit on their deck, check our email and enjoy their happy hour. Sometimes we like to pretend that we are still on the 5 star convention circuit.
Once again, there is a road encircling the island with a few houses and the occasional store and lots of churches. There are churches everywhere on these islands. I have heard there is beautiful singing but except for once in Rangiroa, we have not managed to get to a service. Just not A;an’s cup of tea, maybe in Tonga. We have been told there is a botanic garden up the hill that is worth visiting. It is indeed “up the hill”. A cement road heads straight up the side of the mountain, no switchbacks here. I have no idea how they get are to climb this steep grades. 15 minutes later, puffing and panting, with hearts racing, we arrive at a small fruit stand that is just about to close for the day. The specialties are smoothies made from fresh fruit. Alan asks for pineapple juice and the just plop a whole pineapple into the juicer. The jams are lovely, made from all the local fruits. I end up buying carambole and tiare. The tiare is the national flower, sort of a cross between a gardenia and a plumeira and the jam smells and tastes wonderful, like a mouth full of fresh flowers. i cannot wait to have it on waffles There is a basket of fruit on the counter to explain to the tourists what is what and since they are closing they give us the entire basketfull, 2 bags of fruit.
Next day we head to see the sting rays. This is one of the “things to do” here. Everyone is talking about walking with the stingrays and petting the sting rays. We have the coordinates. We know roughly where they are but we are not sure how to get there. It is on the other side of the by and up into the reefs. Several boats have anchored over there but a look at the charts shows too much shallow water for us. These islands are interesting. inside the reefs the water goes from 100 feet to just a few feet in a matter of minutes. There are no gently sloping beaches here, just deep lagoons or coral reefs. We head out in the dingy looking for a channel. The water changes door dramatically as it changes depth, from wine dark sea to shimmering aqua to a dark brown where the reefs come to the surface. We can see the reefs but we are not high enough to see far enough ahead to pick out a channel. Alan finally decides that we need to go close to shore. There are motor boats tied up in front of houses along the shore and he reasons that there must be a channel there that they use to get in and out. WRONG I an sure that there is a channel but we never find it. The water gets shallower and shallower and eventually it is too shallow for the motor. And so, I just out and walk along in the water pulling the boat with Alan sitting in the stern. Eventually we come to deep water. I flop back aboard and we head carefully over to where we can see tour boats gathered.
Oh wow! Rays all around us. Must be at least a meter from wing tip to wing tip. All over the place. And black tipped reef sharks! What an experience. I decide not to get out and walk among them but a lot of other people are. They are so tame. I expect the locals feed them here so that they have a reliable tourist attraction but it is still wonderful. On the way back we realize that there are tall posits planted in the bay to mark the channel. The tour boats go racing back and forth, we go a little slower, keeping out of their way and watching out for reefs.
It is 100 miles to the next island, Huahini, so we take off in the late morning for an overnight sail.
Moorea is just beautiful. Steep cliffs. The rock formations remind me of the southwest, although they are covered in green and wreathed with clouds. We pass Cook’s bay this time and head for Opunahu Bay, the next one over. We have heard that it is even more beautiful. It is lovely but since the anchorage is just at the outside corner it is not nearly so spectacular. We run the dingy ashore and walk up the road to the Hilton where we sit on their deck, check our email and enjoy their happy hour. Sometimes we like to pretend that we are still on the 5 star convention circuit.
Once again, there is a road encircling the island with a few houses and the occasional store and lots of churches. There are churches everywhere on these islands. I have heard there is beautiful singing but except for once in Rangiroa, we have not managed to get to a service. Just not A;an’s cup of tea, maybe in Tonga. We have been told there is a botanic garden up the hill that is worth visiting. It is indeed “up the hill”. A cement road heads straight up the side of the mountain, no switchbacks here. I have no idea how they get are to climb this steep grades. 15 minutes later, puffing and panting, with hearts racing, we arrive at a small fruit stand that is just about to close for the day. The specialties are smoothies made from fresh fruit. Alan asks for pineapple juice and the just plop a whole pineapple into the juicer. The jams are lovely, made from all the local fruits. I end up buying carambole and tiare. The tiare is the national flower, sort of a cross between a gardenia and a plumeira and the jam smells and tastes wonderful, like a mouth full of fresh flowers. i cannot wait to have it on waffles There is a basket of fruit on the counter to explain to the tourists what is what and since they are closing they give us the entire basketfull, 2 bags of fruit.
Next day we head to see the sting rays. This is one of the “things to do” here. Everyone is talking about walking with the stingrays and petting the sting rays. We have the coordinates. We know roughly where they are but we are not sure how to get there. It is on the other side of the by and up into the reefs. Several boats have anchored over there but a look at the charts shows too much shallow water for us. These islands are interesting. inside the reefs the water goes from 100 feet to just a few feet in a matter of minutes. There are no gently sloping beaches here, just deep lagoons or coral reefs. We head out in the dingy looking for a channel. The water changes door dramatically as it changes depth, from wine dark sea to shimmering aqua to a dark brown where the reefs come to the surface. We can see the reefs but we are not high enough to see far enough ahead to pick out a channel. Alan finally decides that we need to go close to shore. There are motor boats tied up in front of houses along the shore and he reasons that there must be a channel there that they use to get in and out. WRONG I an sure that there is a channel but we never find it. The water gets shallower and shallower and eventually it is too shallow for the motor. And so, I just out and walk along in the water pulling the boat with Alan sitting in the stern. Eventually we come to deep water. I flop back aboard and we head carefully over to where we can see tour boats gathered.
Oh wow! Rays all around us. Must be at least a meter from wing tip to wing tip. All over the place. And black tipped reef sharks! What an experience. I decide not to get out and walk among them but a lot of other people are. They are so tame. I expect the locals feed them here so that they have a reliable tourist attraction but it is still wonderful. On the way back we realize that there are tall posits planted in the bay to mark the channel. The tour boats go racing back and forth, we go a little slower, keeping out of their way and watching out for reefs.
It is 100 miles to the next island, Huahini, so we take off in the late morning for an overnight sail.
Overheated engine
July 28, 2014 leaving Tahiti
Finally, finally we are heading back to Moorea. Most of the projects are done, especially anything involving purchasing parts or downloading computer files. It is a bright day with a brisk breeze. Anchor up, we head out of the mooring field and down the channel to the airport. One of the projects that did not get done is fixing the vhf radio in the cockpit so I am down below calling the port captain for clearance. There is a funny smell, like rubber burning. When the captain says stand by, I tell Alan about the smell and open the door to the engine room. Smoke comes pouring out. Alan looks at the temperature gage at the same moments and sees that the engine is way overheated. Quickly he kills the engine and I call the port captain to tell him that we have a problem and we will not be passing the airport right now. When I ask about the possibility of a tow back to the anchorage he says that it will be $800US per hour. Thanks says I. Let me get back to you about that. We are in a busy and fairly narrow channel, just at the end of the airport runway and surrounded by reefs. Meanwhile Alan has run forward and raised the jib sail to give us some way of controlling the boat. I raise the mizzen and somehow we manage to maneuver into a small bay to the side of the channel and drop anchor.
Time to figure out what happened and assess the damage. Alan quickly realizes what happened. The engine is cooled by saltwater and there is a valve that must be open when the engine is running to let the water in. (It needs to be closed when we are at anchor to keep the water out.) It was very stiff and he had only gotten it halfway open so there was not enough water to keep the engine cool. He checked everything that he can think of and as far as he can tell there is no serious damage. We obviously need to wait until it cools before we can start it up again and make sure it is running OK. We will spend the night here and try again in the morning. So here we sit. Lunch, a drink, a nap. We had not noticed or cared in all the excitement that there were a number of mooring balls around us. As the day went on, fairly large commercial boats came and tied onto their moorings. Some of them swung fairly close to us but we decided that we would be OK for the night.
Next morning, Alan does another engine check and then starts it up. It is noisy but everything seems to be OK. We hoist the anchor and I call the port captain again. Instead of the usual clearance we are told to stand by for 2 planes which means going around in a circle, avoiding the reefs until the all clear comes. We are watching the gages like a hawk and I have the engine room door open so that I can see immediately if there is more smoke. Eventually we are given the all clear and we head past the runway and wind among the reefs towards the main harbor. Just as we reach the other end of the runway and just as I am about to call for clearance again a small plane takes off just over our heads. The port captain gives us clearance and we finally clear the runway, exit the harbor and are on our way to Moorea again
Finally, finally we are heading back to Moorea. Most of the projects are done, especially anything involving purchasing parts or downloading computer files. It is a bright day with a brisk breeze. Anchor up, we head out of the mooring field and down the channel to the airport. One of the projects that did not get done is fixing the vhf radio in the cockpit so I am down below calling the port captain for clearance. There is a funny smell, like rubber burning. When the captain says stand by, I tell Alan about the smell and open the door to the engine room. Smoke comes pouring out. Alan looks at the temperature gage at the same moments and sees that the engine is way overheated. Quickly he kills the engine and I call the port captain to tell him that we have a problem and we will not be passing the airport right now. When I ask about the possibility of a tow back to the anchorage he says that it will be $800US per hour. Thanks says I. Let me get back to you about that. We are in a busy and fairly narrow channel, just at the end of the airport runway and surrounded by reefs. Meanwhile Alan has run forward and raised the jib sail to give us some way of controlling the boat. I raise the mizzen and somehow we manage to maneuver into a small bay to the side of the channel and drop anchor.
Time to figure out what happened and assess the damage. Alan quickly realizes what happened. The engine is cooled by saltwater and there is a valve that must be open when the engine is running to let the water in. (It needs to be closed when we are at anchor to keep the water out.) It was very stiff and he had only gotten it halfway open so there was not enough water to keep the engine cool. He checked everything that he can think of and as far as he can tell there is no serious damage. We obviously need to wait until it cools before we can start it up again and make sure it is running OK. We will spend the night here and try again in the morning. So here we sit. Lunch, a drink, a nap. We had not noticed or cared in all the excitement that there were a number of mooring balls around us. As the day went on, fairly large commercial boats came and tied onto their moorings. Some of them swung fairly close to us but we decided that we would be OK for the night.
Next morning, Alan does another engine check and then starts it up. It is noisy but everything seems to be OK. We hoist the anchor and I call the port captain again. Instead of the usual clearance we are told to stand by for 2 planes which means going around in a circle, avoiding the reefs until the all clear comes. We are watching the gages like a hawk and I have the engine room door open so that I can see immediately if there is more smoke. Eventually we are given the all clear and we head past the runway and wind among the reefs towards the main harbor. Just as we reach the other end of the runway and just as I am about to call for clearance again a small plane takes off just over our heads. The port captain gives us clearance and we finally clear the runway, exit the harbor and are on our way to Moorea again
Tahiti Sport Day
July 27, 2014 Sports day
(See photos on Facebook )
Part of the heiva was a sports day, a whole day of traditional games. As we drove up to the venue The MC gave a cry and javelins started to fly. At first I though the goal was to see who could throw farthest, but this was a more difficult challenge. A coconut is mounted on a long pole, maybe 100 feet up and the idea is to hit it. The person with the most javelins actually stuck into the cocoanut wins. Javelins fly. Men laugh and cheer. Every half hour or so a halt is called so that javelins can be collected for the next round. The first coconut is louvered and taken away to be scored, more points for hitting close to the middle, no points if your javelin falls out while being counted. A new coconut is raised and it begins again. Each man looks to have 10-20 javelins apiece and the compete in teams, all dressed alike in colorful pareos. This went on all afternoon with spectators coming and going. Towards the end to the day there was also a junior event.
Meanwhile, in another part of the field the coconut husking race was underway. This was very different from the one we participated in on Moorea. Teams of 4 women face a pile of what looks like 50 coconuts. At the sound of the bell, one woman swings an axe splitting the coconut neatly in two, usually with one stroke. The second woman grabs the halves and tosses then to the other two who are seated. The take a metal tool and pop the meat out of the shell and throw it into a pile. First team to finish wins. Cocoanuts come thick and fast. I swear someone is going to lose a finger, or foot the way the axe is flashing. It takes about 15 minutes for them to finish the pile and all 3 teams finish within a few minutes of each other.
Next event is rock lifting. One by one, people, men and women, come forward to hoist a massive stone to their shoulder. Women and younger people have a slightly lighter stone, only 50 kilos, rather than the 70k the bigger men are lifting. One positions ones feet, grips the stone with both arms around the middle and heaves in one movement. Up, to the chest and then the shoulder and let go with one hand while balancing it there. Then drop it. The lift is timed from the moment of first heave to the moment the are is raised away from the stone.
We are also treated to more dancing, crafts booths and food stalls. We munch on cocoanut and baguettes stuffed with barbecue and french fries. All in all a delightful day.
(See photos on Facebook )
Part of the heiva was a sports day, a whole day of traditional games. As we drove up to the venue The MC gave a cry and javelins started to fly. At first I though the goal was to see who could throw farthest, but this was a more difficult challenge. A coconut is mounted on a long pole, maybe 100 feet up and the idea is to hit it. The person with the most javelins actually stuck into the cocoanut wins. Javelins fly. Men laugh and cheer. Every half hour or so a halt is called so that javelins can be collected for the next round. The first coconut is louvered and taken away to be scored, more points for hitting close to the middle, no points if your javelin falls out while being counted. A new coconut is raised and it begins again. Each man looks to have 10-20 javelins apiece and the compete in teams, all dressed alike in colorful pareos. This went on all afternoon with spectators coming and going. Towards the end to the day there was also a junior event.
Meanwhile, in another part of the field the coconut husking race was underway. This was very different from the one we participated in on Moorea. Teams of 4 women face a pile of what looks like 50 coconuts. At the sound of the bell, one woman swings an axe splitting the coconut neatly in two, usually with one stroke. The second woman grabs the halves and tosses then to the other two who are seated. The take a metal tool and pop the meat out of the shell and throw it into a pile. First team to finish wins. Cocoanuts come thick and fast. I swear someone is going to lose a finger, or foot the way the axe is flashing. It takes about 15 minutes for them to finish the pile and all 3 teams finish within a few minutes of each other.
Next event is rock lifting. One by one, people, men and women, come forward to hoist a massive stone to their shoulder. Women and younger people have a slightly lighter stone, only 50 kilos, rather than the 70k the bigger men are lifting. One positions ones feet, grips the stone with both arms around the middle and heaves in one movement. Up, to the chest and then the shoulder and let go with one hand while balancing it there. Then drop it. The lift is timed from the moment of first heave to the moment the are is raised away from the stone.
We are also treated to more dancing, crafts booths and food stalls. We munch on cocoanut and baguettes stuffed with barbecue and french fries. All in all a delightful day.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Tahiti again
July 7, 2014
We had not expected to come back to Papeete after the festivities on Moorea but we have been offered a deal on batteries too good to refuse, 6 almost new batteries for $100 total. Usually they are several hundred dollars each. Alan has been worried about the batteries for some time. They just won’t hold a charge so we constantly need to run the engine or the generator to charge them. The solar panels which are supposed to keep them topped up stopped working in Mexico. All in all, we are having a hard time with power. Luckily we don’t use much but we need to be able to charge the computers to run the navigation programs. And it turns out that the stove also will not light with out power. And of course it is nice to have light.
So we are back and of course all does not go smoothly. While he is working on that, I go exploring downtown. Clothes are expensive and I really do not have room for any more but it is fun to look. Fabric shops are always a delight. There are pearl shops everywhere. Black pearl are one of the major industries in French Polynesia. You can buy single pearls on as necklace or earrings for around $50. More elaborate jewelry creations run into the hundreds of dollars. Street vendor sell mother of pearl jewelry and you can even buy loose pearls and make your own. Every woman that I see is wearing at least one pearl. I wander and browse and eventually spend a delightful hour choosing one pearl to wear as a necklace. Lovely as the others are, It seems silly to have hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry on the boat.
Besides the batteries there are other projects to work on. The mizzen boom has started to split, due to too much banging and is held together with clamps at the moment. If you don’t duck low enough you are in danger of getting a gash in your scalp and in fact Alan has taken several hits. Eventually we will need to replace the boom but after extensive consultation, the inter rum solution is buy a new set of clamps with rounded corners and shorter shafts. We also need to replace the main sheet. Once he finds the correct rope it needs to be spliced on. Things that seem like they should take a few hours always take several days. He finds a good deal on a gas outboard motor for the dingy which will make our life much simpler. Unfortunately it does not fit right. When he tried to take it back the next day, after using it once, he is told that it is “used” and he will only get half of his money back. There is also no alternative engine. Eventually we figure out how to make it fir using a piece of wood that clamps between the motor and the dingy. Again, an easy project takes days.
I spend my time provisioning, cleaning out the cupboards and checking to see which supplies are low. We still have plenty of rice and oatmeal left from my vacuum seal project before we left home but everything else needs to be restocked. I also tackle several sewing projects. My little sewing machine is refusing to work. It needs a new bobbin case. After spending a whole day chasing around downtown looking for the part, I resign myself to hand sewing.
And so, what with one thing and another, it is the end of July before we leave Tahiti again. Instead of having a week to explore each of the other islands, we will only have a few days on each one. Not right. Not how this trip were supposed to go.
We had not expected to come back to Papeete after the festivities on Moorea but we have been offered a deal on batteries too good to refuse, 6 almost new batteries for $100 total. Usually they are several hundred dollars each. Alan has been worried about the batteries for some time. They just won’t hold a charge so we constantly need to run the engine or the generator to charge them. The solar panels which are supposed to keep them topped up stopped working in Mexico. All in all, we are having a hard time with power. Luckily we don’t use much but we need to be able to charge the computers to run the navigation programs. And it turns out that the stove also will not light with out power. And of course it is nice to have light.
So we are back and of course all does not go smoothly. While he is working on that, I go exploring downtown. Clothes are expensive and I really do not have room for any more but it is fun to look. Fabric shops are always a delight. There are pearl shops everywhere. Black pearl are one of the major industries in French Polynesia. You can buy single pearls on as necklace or earrings for around $50. More elaborate jewelry creations run into the hundreds of dollars. Street vendor sell mother of pearl jewelry and you can even buy loose pearls and make your own. Every woman that I see is wearing at least one pearl. I wander and browse and eventually spend a delightful hour choosing one pearl to wear as a necklace. Lovely as the others are, It seems silly to have hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry on the boat.
Besides the batteries there are other projects to work on. The mizzen boom has started to split, due to too much banging and is held together with clamps at the moment. If you don’t duck low enough you are in danger of getting a gash in your scalp and in fact Alan has taken several hits. Eventually we will need to replace the boom but after extensive consultation, the inter rum solution is buy a new set of clamps with rounded corners and shorter shafts. We also need to replace the main sheet. Once he finds the correct rope it needs to be spliced on. Things that seem like they should take a few hours always take several days. He finds a good deal on a gas outboard motor for the dingy which will make our life much simpler. Unfortunately it does not fit right. When he tried to take it back the next day, after using it once, he is told that it is “used” and he will only get half of his money back. There is also no alternative engine. Eventually we figure out how to make it fir using a piece of wood that clamps between the motor and the dingy. Again, an easy project takes days.
I spend my time provisioning, cleaning out the cupboards and checking to see which supplies are low. We still have plenty of rice and oatmeal left from my vacuum seal project before we left home but everything else needs to be restocked. I also tackle several sewing projects. My little sewing machine is refusing to work. It needs a new bobbin case. After spending a whole day chasing around downtown looking for the part, I resign myself to hand sewing.
And so, what with one thing and another, it is the end of July before we leave Tahiti again. Instead of having a week to explore each of the other islands, we will only have a few days on each one. Not right. Not how this trip were supposed to go.
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