Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Tahaa, Bora Bora

AUGUST 6 - 10, 2014

PAPEETE, TAHITI

It is so quiet on the boat. Theo and I are alone with Isabel. We are tired, but need to clean up and do laundry. We are grateful to be in Marina Taina because there are washers and a dryer here. We gathered all of our sheets, blankets, etc… that needed to be washed and hauled them to the machines. We remembered to bring coins, but we both forgot to bring detergent. Luckily, someone had left some white powder which resembled detergent in the room, so we used that. We had lunch at the Pink Coconut while we waited to put our stuff in the dryer. When we went back to the laundry room, we realized that the dryer had a broken door. We hauled the wet clothes and stuff back to Et Voila’ to hang dry on the lifelines. When we did this we realized that the white powder we had found left white splotches on everything… Oh well, at least they smelled clean!

Next was the marine supply store downtown. Theo needed to buy some items to make repairs and I was on the hunt for a fishing net (which is remarkably difficult to find here) and rust dissolver. I found the rust dissolver right away and was ecstatic… I couldn’t wait to try it out on my knives! The only fishing net I found was big enough to scoop up a fish my size or larger. I asked the gentleman that worked there if he had anything else, and he showed me a long pole with a large hook on the end and a wooden club. If I was alone here I would not be catching and killing fish, even if I have the intention of eating them. I cannot kill anything. Anyway, no fishing net.

Check out this net and lure!

This is how the locals do it

The local fisherman brought in their catch to be weighed

Next were the wind generators. Theo has two that he wants to have installed. We have solar panels on the boat, but it is not enough. No sun, no charged batteries. No batteries, no refrigerator, etc. We can charge the batteries with the generator but it is noisy and we try to avoid it. Theo had called a company to install them last week, explaining that we were sailing out of Tahiti on the 11th. They came out to measure… this was LAST WEEK. Theo has been trying to call and get them to start the work.  The guy finally calls back and says he would like to return now to measure AGAIN. Why? We don’t know. He comes back and measures AGAIN and tells us he can do the work tomorrow and that it will take three days. Theo explained AGAIN that we were leaving Tahiti in two days and could he please complete the work in that time frame. He said it was not possible. No wind generators until New Zealand… it would have been nice.

We had received a phone call earlier in the day from Jacques. He is Charlie’s best friend and he will be sailing with us towards Bora Bora. Jacques was in Tahiti already with his wife, Kathrin, and wanted to know if we would like to join them for dinner. We said yes, so they picked us up at the marina and we drove downtown. Every night starting at 6 o’clock there are food trucks by the main port. They serve almost every type of food here and it is delicious! We feel we would have missed out if we did not experience it. There are lots of families with children running about and there is usually live music. We saw Chinese food, pizza, kabobs, seafood, fondue and fresh crepes. Theo even found kangaroo on the menu. He ate it… of course. After dinner we went for a stroll. It was an enjoyable, relaxing evening and we were very happy to spend it getting to know Jacques and Kathrin.

The next day we continued to clean up. I was anxious and a bit edgy.  I felt a pull telling me that I should be home with my family and friends. We have been in Papeete longer than expected and I am sure once we begin sailing again my mood will improve. I am doing my best. Theo was on the computer most of the day trying to store our photos from the trip… all of our photographs are on his computer and an external backup drive. I could feel he was a bit stressed out, so I just left him to do his work. I was doing the dishes when he looked at me and said “I just lost all the pictures. They are gone.” Okay, I had a meltdown and it was not pretty. I was so upset and frustrated. All of our photographs!! It took a while for me to calm down and, meanwhile, Theo was trying desperately to figure out what had happened. Thank goodness he was eventually able to get them back up. I know he will never tell me any bad news again unless he is absolutely certain that it is true! Poor guy…

It is Sunday and Charlie, Jacques and Safar are on board. We met Charlie three years ago at the Long Beach boat show. We purchased our boat from him and remained friends. He has graciously included Theo on sailing trips and racing events in the past. His most memorable trip was to the Bahamas on a Lagoon 400. They flew there to sail a client’s boat to Florida and had a great experience.  Theo has learned a lot from sailing with Charlie. Now he is here with his two friends to sail with us to Bora Bora. Charlie and Jacques are originally from France and Safar is from Syria. We have an international group! We will go to the grocery store to provision the boat for our trip, return to the food trucks for dinner and then pull our anchor up tomorrow morning. It is our last night in Tahiti. Theo and I are ready.

The food truck scene in Papeete...Safar, me, Theo, Jacques, Kathrin and Charlie

AUGUST 11, 2014

MOOREA

We are sailing to Moorea first and will spend one night.  We anchored and went to snorkel with the rays and sharks. I love watching people go in for the first time… so entertaining! Charlie was so excited about the sharks and Safar (who cannot swim) got in as well. I love that we were able to return to the stingrays one last time. Theo kept saying “I will miss these guys!” He knew how to recognize them and understood their individual personalities.

Afterward, Theo and I went back to the boat to rest while the three boys went to shore to run some errands. When they returned, they had fresh tuna to make sashimi. Apparently Jacques is very good at preparing fish, so he went at it while I chopped and sliced whatever he needed to go with it. Charlie began making cocktails with rum and juice (Safar nicknamed him “Sir-Mix-A lot”) and then the Bob Marley tunes came on. It was fun and in the end we had Sashimi, Poisson Cru, Carpaccio and wine. I was so full and happy… delicious meal. I thought we were done…  Charlie started heating up some leftover pasta from the night before and opened a bottle of something very strong called Arak (It is similar to the Greek Ouzo). Okay, so we ate and drank that too. I thought we were done…  Jacques went to the refrigerator and brought out some French cheese with baguette. Of course, we had to have a special red wine that complimented the cheese, so we ate and drank that too. I thought we were done… Theo started cleaning and slicing fresh pineapple for dessert. I could not eat one more bite. I was done… Fini! Lunch is not a game for the French. It is taken very seriously… more seriously than even the Italians if that is possible. It is an experience to be cherished and never rushed… I love it, but unfortunately, my stomach does not.

Jacques preparing our Tuna "appetizer"

"Sir-Mix-A lot"

Safar is ready to enjoy

AUGUST 12 – 14, 2014

 HUAHINE

We anchored in Avea Bay in Huahine. It is peaceful. There is not a lot of tourism because it is difficult to get here. The islands between Moorea and Bora Bora are not as well known, but they are lovely.  The water is gorgeous and we enjoyed swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and using the Polynesian Canoe. This is a nice place to rest before sailing on and we are all very appreciative to be here. Each one of us has experienced serious accidents, health issues, and lost friends too soon, so when one of us says “Life is short”, we all dwell on that for a bit and understand that we must enjoy every minute of every day. We are genuinely happy to be where we are, and you will not hear anyone in this group dwell on the past or complain about anything.  We are where we want to be. I love it.

Jacques and Charlie were very happy to spend time together

 

Jacques trying out the Polynesian Canoe

I really enjoyed swimming in Huahine

Our anchorage

Et Voila' by night

A sunset kayak with Isabel

Good Night

AUGUST  14 – 16, 2014

TAHAA

We entered Tahaa through the Toahotu Pass and were welcomed by beautiful weather and small islets. We anchored and went snorkeling immediately. Once we arrived close to one of the motus, we received hard stares from the people on it. I went to talk to them and they told me we had to pay to step foot on their private island. We just wanted to swim… so that is what we did… Oh brother! No warm and fuzzy feelings so far. Now the boys are dreaming about buying a private island and opening a bar with fish tacos on the menu, good music and friendly service. People around here would certainly pay for that! I hope they really do it…

The beautiful but unwelcoming islet

After snorkeling, we moved to Haamene Bay. This is a very deep Bay and we motored two miles before we anchored. It is very beautiful and picturesque here. From our boat we see two very small motus in the center of the bay and children playing basketball on shore. There is only one other sailboat here with a couple and their toddler. Charlie and Theo went to check out the situation on shore. There was no restaurant and one market. The woman at the market told them that if we wanted fresh baguettes in the morning, we would have to wake up at 6 o’clock a.m. because all bread is gone by 7 o’clock. We did wake up on time and it was raining. Charlie, Theo and I put on our rain jackets and went. Fresh hot baguettes with jam for breakfast! It was great.

Haamene Bay anchorage

Shopping in the rain for fresh baquettes

We left Haamene Bay and motored to a beautiful little motu. The only thing you will find here is a resort called Vahine Island. You MUST visit this place… do what you have to do. Start playing the lottery, arrange for someone to watch your children, sell something,   whatever… just get here! It is a 23 acre private island with gorgeous landscaping, coconut groves and a white sand beach.  There are six bungalows nestled on the island and three overwater bungalows on the lagoon.  It is breathtaking and very special. Unfortunately, we had not informed ourselves well about this place. Apparently they only have one table in the restaurant that is available for cruisers and it was already booked. The rest of the tables are for hotel guests only. The reason is food supply. So, we could not stay for lunch, but the staff who worked there were very welcoming. We were able to enjoy the island and have appetizers and drinks. We were all very happy. Even Isabel had the best day of her life there. She swam with the fish by the dock for hours! This is paradise… If you come here by boat, call the hotel by VHF channel 16 and reserve THE table! Do not miss this.

Do what you have to do...spend some time here

The three overwater bungalows

The "Boys"

Theo babysitting Isabel

Isabel's best day ever

We reluctantly left Vahine Island and motored to Islet TauTau. I am not sure what happened, but we were towing our dinghy behind Et Voila and it came loose and drifted away… twice!! Theo had tied a knot that he was certain would not slip, but it did. He will be teased about this for a very long time (not by me). The boys enjoy giving each other a hard time. Safar is always picked on because he doesn’t swim and insists that there are big waves at night while we are sleeping. He also brought a pair of red sandals that bleed red whenever they get wet… which is most of the time. His feet are always red and he has to keep the sandals in a bucket outside! He has a great sense of humor about it. We dropped anchor and made pasta for dinner. Charlie loves pasta! When I woke up the next morning it was raining, so I quickly put on my bathing suit and sat in the rain with Isabel in my lap. It felt amazing. I love the rain and of course there is always a beautiful rainbow once it stops. Sailing on to Bora Bora.

Our dinghy floating away

AUGUST 16 - 28, 2014

BORA BORA

The sail to Bora Bora was calm and uneventful. We fished on the way and lost another lure… we are frustrated that we are not catching anything. Theo is remaking the lures using steel lines to make them stronger. Anyway, we experienced only one squall and the sail took 4 hours. Not bad. Just before we arrived, we decided to make smoothies to use up our pineapples. I made them tasty and healthy, but when I served them to the boys, “Sir-Mix-A lot” quickly added rum and they drank them down… Oh well, I tried.

I am very excited to see Bora. I have always imagined it to be a magical island. It has been called one of the most beautiful islands in the world. I am so excited…I hope I haven’t built a picture in my imagination that is too unrealistic. Once we arrived, we moored outside the Bora Bora Yacht Club. It was raining again, so we put on our rain jackets and went to have dinner. I don’t really understand why it is called a yacht club... it is really a hotel. We were seated inside because of the continuing rain. The boys have been giving Theo a hard time about our fish getting away. He is so frustrated! Anyway, as we were talking about this, a young Aussie from the next table came over and said that he had overheard our conversation. He had just caught a big Mahi Mahi earlier in the day and did not have a freezer… would we like some? Absolutely! When we went back to the boat later that evening, he came over with the more than half of the fish. Isabel got so excited she fell into the water. We were appreciative and asked him if he needed anything from us. All he wanted were some limes… so we gave him limes. We sat on the stern to cut the fish into fillets and freeze it for tomorrow. It was very fresh and we were grateful.

Approaching the Bora Bora Yacht Club

Just another day at the office

Yes!!!!

The Mahi given to us by the young Aussie

Fillet of Mahi by night

We woke up, had coffee and motored to Matira Beach where the snorkeling is supposed to be amazing. There were Bommies everywhere and by past experience we have learned not to trust the charts, so it was nerve-racking. Theo eventually asked Charlie and Jacques to go ahead in the dinghy and check the depth for him and Safar and I were on the bow watching. It was so stressful. You can be in 100 feet of water and in a few seconds be in 15 feet of water.  I realized at a certain point that I was holding my breath! We hear stories about boats hitting reefs all the time and until sailing in French Polynesia, I could not imagine that ever happening to us… now I can. It can happen to anyone. We eventually made it through and anchored. What a huge relief.

Theo and Isabel looking for Bommies

Charlie and Jacques checking the depth of the water

Uncle Safar

We took the dinghy to a place called the coral gardens. The snorkeling is truly remarkable here and we enjoyed ourselves. If you are in Bora, you must do this. It is located behind the Sofitel Hotel. Speaking of hotels, all of the large chains are here. There is the Sofitel, St. Regis, Meridian, Four Seasons, Hilton, etc… The older hotels, like the Hotel Bora Bora, which was at one time the most beautiful hotel on the island, has been closed for four years now. I can’t help but wonder how building all of these large hotels with their many (and I mean MANY) overwater bungalows has affected the coral here. As we snorkeled the coral gardens I saw people stepping and walking on the coral and a local dive boat even dropped anchor on it. This made me sad. I am beginning to realize that the image I had of Bora is probably what it was like many, many years ago. Now it is overrun by tourism, cruise ships, jet skis and boat tours led by men in brightly colored thongs. I realize how spoiled Theo and I have become by the raw beauty and the genuine kindness and simplicity of the people in the Marquesas and Tuamotu. It took us a while to get used to it there, and now we will have to get used to being back to a more modern, money driven society. I am not complaining… I am just telling it how I see it.

Yellow thong man

Green thong man feeding an eel

Do you see the octopus?

Spotted Eagle Ray

The Coral Gardens

After snorkeling, we returned to Et Voila' and grilled the Mahi Mahi the nice young Aussie had given to us. It was the best I have ever tasted… really! Charlie had brought a special bottle of wine with him that he wanted to open in Bora Bora. A few years ago he lost a very dear friend of his and wanted to toast to his memory and drop the empty bottle in the water. The last trip his friend took before he passed away was to Bora, so this island has a special meaning for Charlie. The two friends were supposed to sail to the Marquesas together, but fate did not let that happen. Life is short… enjoy every moment.  It was a very special afternoon.

Charlie's special wine bottle

Our new lazy bag

After naps the boys began installing the new sail bag that Bruno had made for us (remember that Theo and I had ripped the original one in the Marquesas). This one has been made to last and we are very happy with it. It is even a beautiful copper color which I like a lot… thank you Bruno! Afterward we went to a restaurant that was located on the water and close to our anchorage called Matira Beach. We sat at a beautiful table outside and the food was amazing. When we first arrived, we were admiring some hand crafted ukuleles that were on display. Charlie decided he wanted to purchase one as a souvenir of the trip.  While we were all trying to decide which one he should choose, a man came up to us and began playing one… beautifully! He was the artist who had carved them and he was having dinner with his wife at the restaurant. He serenaded us for a while and then introduced himself as Varii. He is originally from Ua Pou in the Marquesas (our favorite island there). When he saw Theo’s Marquesan tattoo, he became very emotional and embraced him in a long hug… brothers. Varii is also a tattooist and really wanted to do some work on Safar! He introduced his wife, Celina, and announced that we must drink together. There was a round of cognacs for all ( I did not indulge), which eventually turned into many more rounds of cognacs (5 maybe?). Varii continued to sing and play the ukulele and Celina danced. Eventually some drums and various other instruments appeared, and more crafts were purchased from Varii’s collection. At one point, Varii was embracing Safar affectionately and even gave him his hat to take home as a memory.  It was a fun time, but Theo and I were tired and the boys showed no sign of slowing down. We left them on the beach with the restaurant gang and a strong flashlight. They were going to shine the light on our boat when they were ready to be picked up by Theo… I went off to bed.

Matira Beach Dinner

Varii and his ukulele

Varii and Celina singing and playing as Jacques looks on

Charlie chimes in

Marquesan tattoo brothers

The Matira Beach Restaurant " gang"... a fun night

In the morning, I was very surprised to see Safar and Charlie awake (and without tattoos). The restaurant was going to open up especially for them at 7 o’clock to make them espresso.  Jacque was unable to attend because he wanted to stay in bed… no kidding!! Theo and I enjoy the coffee we have on the boat, so we stayed behind as well.  What a wild night… fun, fun, fun!

We motored to the Vaitape Wharf which is a landing place for shuttle boats to and from the airport. The boys are flying out of Bora in the late afternoon, so it was time for souvenir shopping and lunch out before they took the shuttle to the airport motu… yes, the airport here is built on its own motu… we all loved that.  We watched as they left. It was great time and we have special memories of our voyage together… It was a pleasure.

Some of the boats that we have known since Hiva Oa in the Marquesas are here. It is fun to see people in various places along the way. Cruising is like spending the day at Disneyland and running into your friends in different lines throughout the day. Since we installed our SSB radio, we can listen and check in on the Isabella Net which helps to keep us informed on locations of other boats and weather conditions as sailors are underway. Every morning at 8 o’clock, boats check in to the net and give their coordinates. This is a huge thing for safety. The net knows where you are and where you are headed. I am so relieved we took the time to install the radio in Tahiti.

We were going to be leaving town soon to explore the southern part of Bora, so I decided to find a hairdresser to fix my hair. I had attempted to cut it myself the week prior and it wasn’t pretty. I trimmed my bangs and the top of my head, but didn’t cut the side or back. Whenever I took my sunglasses off or if the wind blew a certain way, I looked like Bozo the clown (the younger generation will have to google Bozo). As I walked through town I found a small salon with just two chairs and a woman named Pascal who was more than happy to cut my hair. She gave me a wash, had me put on a plastic robe and sit. As she was inspecting the hair situation, she kept looking at me and shaking her head. She pointed at me and said “You do this?” She began cutting and I began perspiring. In the beginning she was blotting my face and neck with a towel, but the longer I kept the plastic robe on, the more I was sweating profusely. Pascal finally closed the door and blasted the air conditioning for me. Now the wind can blow as much as it wants and my hair will not budge!

My Polynesian hair dresser Pascal

We motored south and anchored in front of the St. Regis. We have heard there are Manta Rays in the pass here and we are excited to swim with them again. We have not seen them since Hiva Oa. We looked for them four times on different days and at different times, but no luck. We have seen many spotted eagle rays, stingrays and even an octopus, but no mantas. The water in Bora in unbeatable. It is clear with many shades, like the color of mouthwash, and perfect for swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, whatever… it was so nice to be here. We were having lunch and suddenly Theo asked “Where are the fishing poles?” Our hearts sank. They must have been stolen while we were sleeping the night before. We know we should never have left them out in the first place, but we have always felt so safe since the Marquesas and Tuamotu. Nobody would steal there and we slept every night with our boat door open. Not anymore. We are so upset because the reels and poles were a gift from my father. We know we cannot buy a new pole and reel in Bora, so our fishing days are over.  Theo got on the internet to research for theft in Bora and found out that a considerable number of dinghies have been stolen from the back of cruising boats. This is disheartening. Now we have a lock on our dinghy as well… we are not in the Marquesas anymore.

We motored further south towards the coral gardens and anchored in a lagoon nearby. There is a shallow shelf of water with a deeper drop off and Theo managed to anchor so that our stern was right at the shelf. It was perfect, except for our loud neighbors. There was another catamaran near us and four of the people on board had jumped in the water with glasses in their hands. It seemed they had been indulging for a while and had become very, very loud (it was 10 o’clock in the morning). Oh well, at least Theo and I would be there if they needed rescuing later on. Seriously though, cruising and alcohol do not go together… You are surrounded by water after all! When Theo and I were in Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas we saw a sad accident. We were sitting at a café by the dinghy dock and a boat came in at full speed yelling and signaling for help. We ran over and there was a young man that appeared to be having a seizure and had a large, bleeding wound on his back. I thought it was a shark bite. People managed to get him off the boat and onto the concrete. It took the ambulance a very long time to respond. It actually sped right by with sirens and everything. Five minutes later it came back… not good. Anyway, the story turned out to be that this young man was on his boat with his girlfriend. They had been drinking (the accident occurred around 10 in the morning) and he managed to fall and hit his back on the swim ladder and then pass out in the water. The family in the boat next to them managed to resuscitate him and bring him to shore for help.  Scary… we don’t know how he ended up. I like to think that he is okay and grateful to be alive.

We motored back north to stay in town for a few days.  We went to the grocery store to buy some supplies, but not much there. We bought two rolls of paper towels, coffee, water and a carton of eggs. We will be moving on soon.

LESSONS:

- Do not wear red shoes in the rain, on a boat or anywhere else that there is water.

-Plastic makes me sweat.

-Once you reach the Society Islands, lock up anything of value.

-A big, strong flashlight is very useful.

-Tie a double knot when towing your dinghy behind the boat.

-Take the time to call and make a reservation.

QUOTES:

“You will find it necessary to let things go simply for the reason that they are heavy.” –C. Joybell

“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months overanalyzing a situation, trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened… or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move on.”-Tupac

“The past is a trail you leave behind, much like the wake of a speed boat. That is, it is a vanishing trail temporarily showing you where you were. The wake of a boat doesn’t affect its course – obviously it can’t, since it only appears BEHIND the boat. So consider this image when you exclaim that your past is the reason you aren’t moving forward.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

CHEERS!! FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL GROUP!!

Sah’a – Syria

Sante’ – French

Yer Nat – Bretany, France

Salute – Italy

Ya’su – Greece

Maa nu’ia – Tahitian

Mokai - Marquesan