Landfall Bora Bora

So we were sailing nearby, and decided we had to stop at Skull Island, I mean Bora Bora.

Bora Bora is the archetypal pacific island with a central volcanic peak, fringing reef, and an enormous lagoon with water in a myriad shades of blue and green.  So here we are.

We had a nice 20 hour sail in very light winds to get here; and from here we will take off into the big blue again for our next big jump of over 1000 miles.  Still working out the itinerary there.

Here are some pictures!

Approaching Bora Bora after a shower.

A wonderful anchorage on the previous island.

The kids after swimming, and before bed.

Laundry at Bora Bora... a beautiful place.

Sunset last night.

Life in Polynesia is not complete without a constant stream of paddlers in outrigger canoes.

I haven't seen the Green Flash for many many years, but last night we had a lovely treat.  And to make it even better I was able to photograph the flash.  Carrie and Griffyn were in deck watching too, and were duly impressed.  Anyway... enjoy. Note - the flash was really green, and appears so at full resolution, but when I compressed the photo for posting it lost some color saturation - sorry Paul ;-)

So we really like Bora Bora.  It's pretty commercialized compared to many places, but is so beautiful, and on such a modest scale, that the pluses far outweigh the negatives.  We will be here a few more days before we strike out towards the Kingdom of Tonga.

Carrie is going to add another entry soon !

Letters from Tamsyn - Posted from Huahine Island

Here are a couple more of Tamsyn's letters - both which were written on September 6th.

To Grandma Lin,

I'm at sea. Your stepson is napping. My mom is giving Griffyn his reading lesson. He does not like it very much. And I'm writing to you. Mom and dad's anniversary is in two days! We will get to an island in the morning. Good bye.

Tamsyn

Hey Kel,

How are things at home? Sissy's up on deck half way. So is Griffy. Dad's a nappin'. I'm a writing. We're at sea. Your sisters anniversary is in two days! Happy birthday!

Ciao for now.

Tamsyn

Dad's note: The anniversary was great! Were doing very well. Getting some work and school done. Haircuts all around; Carrie did me, I did Carrie, Carrie did Griffyn, and Tamsyn got a trim. Fixed a low voltage wiring problem on the bathroom light. It ws only getting 10V, so I ran new (read un-corroded) wire. Now works great. Probably be here a few more days. more settled weather coming.

OTC

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Letters from Tamsyn

These letter were written while we were provisioning in Tahiti.

Dear Gabriel,

How are things at home? I am in Tahiti, an island. It is a bit like La Paz, but not like home. Do you know what makes Tahiti different from home? I have time to tel you one thing. Most of the boys, also men, have no shirts on! That also means Griffyn and my dad. Griffyn says I miss you both! Say hi to your mom from mine. Write son!

Tamsyn

Dear Aunt Wendy,

I am in Tahiti. It is noisy, very noisy. It is the third largest city I have ever seen! It has concrete roads and it is very dusty. It is a little like La Paz but is not like home. There is a coral reef around the whole island. We saw angel Fish! I learned that when sunlight hits water it looks shallow and when it is in the shade it looks deeper. I love the food!

Tamsyn

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At anchor on the west side of Huahine Island

So we made a 24 hour + passage between Tahiti and Huahine, about 100 miles westward. The winds were light, and we timed our passage just right so that we showed up 4 miles off the island at sunrise. The place were we re anchored is in an inlet south of Passe de Farerea, between a motu (palm covered island built of reef remains) and the island itself. We anchored in 40 feet of water, and all around us are coral heads and fabulous blue waters of all shades imaginable.

Our only complaint is there is more current than we would like, making diving from the boat hard for the kids. We are going to dive off the dinghy later today and explore. Today is our tenth wedding anniversary. Ta da! French toast for breakfast today, and fresh pineapple for snack. Not bad for the middle of "nowhere".

Tamsyn has some letters she has written over the past weeks that we have been lax in posting. so we'll post those soon. Thanks for all that have written and said hi, or commented. We miss you you all, and hope you are all well.

Owen

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Life in a tropical anchorage

Hi,

So we are still in Tahiti, and all is well.  We've been provisioning like crazy - scary cause the cost of things here, and soon will water up and get fuel.  We are going to leave Tahiti the beginning of next week - if the weather cooperates.

Last weekend we had a big storm here, with sustained winds over 30 knots and big swells that made life in the anchorage very interesting.  Lots of boats dragged their anchors - not us thank god - but even if we didn't move plenty of boats did, and some came real close to us.  Some boats tried to mate, and some were damaged.  Many structures and resorts on shore were extensively damaged - but the big swells were good news for the surfing competition on the south side of the island.

Internet is still unreliable - welcome to the rest of the world I guess.  Last time I was abroad for a long time there was no such animal as the world wide web, so I guess I can't complain.

News from home is mostly passed down like wispy rumors.  Even the BBC is hard to get in, and as I don't speak French - the local radio does us no good.

I've got a couple pictures.

This is the view from our boat.  The island is Moorea, across the reef and about 15 miles away.

Tamsyn and Emma from S/V Gruffalo playing on Madrona yesterday. 

Our favorite beach in Anaho Bay on Nuku Hiva.

When it rained in Anaho Bay - a dry cliff face suddenly sports a roaring 600 foot high waterfall.

That's all the pics for now.  Like I mentioned - the camera is less than reliable at the moment.  So there is a high-pressure system building to our west, and we hope to be sailing west by Monday at the latest.  We will probably make one or two stops in the Society Islands, then maybe one stop in the Cook Islands - probably Palmerston Island, then on to Tonga.  Tonga is largely unspoiled, and has lots of places to explore and be in.  We'd rather be there than the commercialized Society Islands.

The other cruisers here are a great bunch, but the daily happy-hour thing is not our thing at all, and as much as we like some of the other families, we are looking forward to seeing new things and playing on the beaches again.

I'm going to add some additional insulation to the refrigerator tomorrow, and Carrie is sewing our new rain catcher tomorrow.  Friday I pick-up our last propane bottle ($35.00 for 17kg!), and I hope to get some teak lumber at the lumberyard to ultimately make some larger lips on our forward hatch.

So all is well.  Anxious to get moving, but still crossing our T's and dotting our I's.

Owen

Tahiti

We are in Tahiti - and it is very beautiful.

We got in a few days ago, but as usual, it has taken a while to get internet.  We had a great passage from Nuku Hiva, excepting the fact that the wind totally disappeared the last couple of days.  It was so still day we arrived, that we motored the last 15 miles.

We are at anchor near, but not in, the capitol city.  Threading our way through the reef strewn channel to our anchorage was fun, as it happened late in the day.  We are still taking in Tahiti - but at first impression, it is nothing like where we have been, and more like Seattle, or at least Vashon :-)

Lots of other boats here - many of which we know.  And for the first time - our "To Do" list is not arm length long.  We're going to reprovision, I'll work on contracts, and we'll figure out where we want to go from here.

We will try and post some pictures soon.  Our good camera is on the fritz, and so not always working.  We may buy a cheap digital camera to help out on that front.  The kids are well.  School is getting more vigorous and regular.

Tamyn's No-no bites are fading finally.  Many of you have wondered why one can't swim when having open No-no bites.  Apparently it is very easy to get Staph infections from open bites if one swims in these warm waters.

It is good to hear from all of you that have written notes and comments.  They mean a lot to us.  More soon.  Our internet time is almost out.

Owen, Carrie, Tamsyn & Griffyn

Running Southwest under rainy skies

So... we made it through the Tuamotus just fine, and now we are running towards Tahiti with thunderstorms all around us, and biggish seas - which is making for a rocky ride. Only 122 miles to the island, but we want to arrive there in the morning - so we are in no huge hurry to put on more speed, which would then cause us to arrive outside the reef at night.

Next we have to sort out just how exactly we will "pull off" a Mediterranean style mooring with our Double-ender boat?

S 16 07.510
W 147 48.205

Owen

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