bora bora ~ beauty & a thief!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Jenny

August 18 – 22, 2013

more gorgeous water of SE Bora Bora

Before settling down for the night, Flour Girl gave us a call on the VHF to warn us that their solar powered mooring lights had been stolen off their stanchions while we’d all been snorkeling. We were shocked that anyone could have done that in broad daylight with lots of other boats in the anchorage. Therefore, we made sure to bring everything inside for the night. We piled all of our fishing rods, a surfboard, all of our shoes, and snorkel gear inside the salon, and then went to bed. It was a full moon in a crowded anchorage, so we were sure no one would try anything. Regardless, we were playing it safe.

The following morning, I did something that I’ve done every morning since we started cruising. I walk out into the cockpit with my cup of coffee, and have a look around at the scenery. Not only do I look at the scenery, but I also check to see if our small 5 hp dinghy engine is still on the bracket. The lock that we had for it became corroded, and we never got around to replacing it. Every morning for over a year, I’ve looked to see if the engine is still there. On this particular morning, I glanced and couldn’t see the engine. There were clothes and swimsuits hanging on the lifeline near it, so I made an extra effort to peek around the items on the line. The dinghy engine was not there. I went inside and asked Wil if he’d brought the engine inside along with everything else from the night before. His answer was no. My fears were confirmed. Our dinghy engine had been stolen!

Our hearts sunk and the anger set in. Someone had stepped foot onto our boat (footprints were there to prove it!), and they had stolen from us. We looked around at our surroundings and realized that the engine could be anywhere from the main island of Bora Bora to any of the surrounding motus. There was no way we could track down the engine. We were also checked out of the country, so reporting it to the gendarmerie didn’t seem like a good idea. Wil desperately wanted to set a trap for the next night. He wanted to leave our dinghy in the water with a couple of our good fishing rods in it. Then, he wanted to hide in the bottom of the dinghy and wait with a baseball bat. Just like what seems to be common in theft victims, a variety of emotions soared through us. We wanted to leave Bora Bora only to never return.

Piti Uu Uta anchorage in SE Bora Bora looking back towards Tahaa & Raiatea

Thank goodness for good friends. David (s/v Sueño) didn’t give us time to mourn our loss or to feel victimized. He told us that he was there to give us a kick in the butt, and made us focus on the fun we could still have. While we just wanted to leave the southeast end of Bora Bora, he convinced us to follow through with our plans to snorkel the coral gardens, and then we could return to the Mai Kai Marina area. So, we did just that.

getting ready to snorkel at the coral gardens

We’re not sure how the coral gardens near Piti Uu Uta got its name. The fish were more amazing than the coral itself. We think that this snorkel spot should have been referred to as an aquarium. Hundreds of small reef fish were everywhere. The numbers of sergeant majors reminded of us Thunderball Cave in the Bahamas. We remembered how we’d been swarmed by these fish when we fed them bread. Therefore, as a test, we dove to the bottom for a handful of sand. We would barely reach the surface when these fish started darting after the falling sand from our hands. It was obvious that these fish were also used to being fed by tourists. It was still fun to tease the fish though!

Once we’d had our fill of playing with the fish, we hauled up anchor and returned to the Mai Kai Marina area for our final provisions and preparations for departure from Bora Bora. As beautiful as Bora Bora is, and as much fun as we’d had, we were ready to escape from the soreness we were experiencing. Our next trip would need to start in the wee hours of the morning for a day sail to Maupiti.

outrigger canoers like to draft behind boats

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bora bora ~ no eggs, wildlife & a toe

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Jenny

August 15 – 18, 2013

Our final days in French Polynesia had arrived. It was time to clear out, and time to say good-bye to friends we wouldn’t see for awhile. While still anchored near Mai Kai Marina, we spent time getting last minute provisions from town, and we finalized our clearance out of the country at the gendarmerie.

Business at the gendarmerie was easy, but buying eggs was not. There was an egg shortage on the island, and all known sources were completely sold out. Even the locals were desperate for eggs. Every day, we’d check the main egg sources, but there was not an egg to be found. I couldn’t help but wonder about all of the vacationers at the resorts. Surely, they were eating hefty breakfasts with plenty of eggs available. Again, we were getting to see life from the local standpoint. Eventually, we got wind of an egg delivery that would happen at one of the groceries. Wil made sure to be there, and we were thrilled to finally have the eggs that we needed for our family.

Even though we had cleared out, we also needed to wait for ideal wind conditions to achieve our next leg. While we waited, we decided it would be fun to explore the east side of Bora Bora for a few days. We had heard about a manta ray cleaning station and some gorgeous coral gardens that were a recommended must see.

Along with s/v Sueño and s/v Flour Girl, our first stop was near the St. Regis and Four Seasons resorts on the northeast side of Bora Bora. We anchored near Motu Tofari, and the following morning, Justine and I took the dinghy over to snorkel at the infamous manta ray cleaning station. Each morning, manta rays glide into this “cleaning station” where lots of small fish descend on them for the cleaning. These little fish swim all over the manta rays’ bodies, eating away any “dirt” they can find, including inside the mantas’ giant mouths. Such an amazing system in nature, and it completely reminded me of the whale wash in the movie, “Shark Tale”!

manta ray gliding through it's cleaning station

a big, wide open mouth for collecting food

While observing one huge manta ray gliding back and forth through the cleaning station, I began to notice that it seemed to stay below Justine. Due to our past experiences with sharks, and now with this manta ray, I was beginning to think it had something to do with her highly contrasting rash guard. The top is white, but the sleeves are brown with blue flowers. The rest of our group mostly wears black or dark blues. Every where Justine swam, the manta ray seemed to follow.

manta ray approaching Justine

My theory about her rash guard may have been proven again when Justine had lingered behind with some of the Sueño group. She eventually felt like it was time to return to the dinghy, and began to head for the coral path that led to where all the dinghies were anchored. She turned around for a last glance of the manta ray. The large ray was coming in her direction again, so she waited for its last pass. Once the manta ray began to swim back towards the larger group of people, she again turned toward the coral path. The second she turned around, there was about a 1.5-meter black tipped reef shark 4 to 5 meters away, and it seemed to be swimming towards her. Before her brain completely registered the fact that she was looking at a shark in such close proximity, the animal quickly turned and darted down the coral path. Once she recovered from her surprise sighting, she decided that it wouldn’t be wise to follow the shark down the path due to the fact that she might corner it. Therefore, she returned to the remaining Sueño group to watch the manta ray for a little longer. When Justine finally returned to the dinghy, she asked if I’d seen a shark pass by. I was surprised by her question and quickly learned about her close encounter.

colorful neon fish

Now, “why?” might you ask, did only Justine and I go on such an awesome snorkel without Wil and Colin? The reason for their absence was a bit unfortunate.

The previous afternoon, Colin had been playing on Sueño. I was snorkeling around the boats when I saw Nathalie & Colin sitting on the bow of Sueño. I decided to swim over to say hello. As I neared the boat, they both casually waved and then informed me that Colin had injured his toe. From my position in the water, I could see Colin’s pinky toe sticking out almost 90 degrees from the rest of his toes. Yikes! Colin and the other kids had been jumping and doing flips on Sueño’s trampoline. As Colin had been in motion for a complete flip, his toe got stuck in the trampoline netting, bringing him to a full halt, and yanking his toe out of whack.

We quickly returned Colin to our boat for a more thorough inspection of the toe. We couldn’t tell if it was broken, but it was definitely out of place. After numbing the toe with ice, I pinned Colin down and held the foot while Wil did his best to reposition the toe. We couldn’t get the toe back to straight, but we managed some improvement. After a few tries, it was decided that we couldn’t make Colin suffer anymore. By taping the toe to the neighboring toe, as well as wrapping it in line with the rest of the knuckles across the foot, we hoped for more improvement over time. Colin was a great sport through it all, and I was amazed at how he held back the tears.

After our snorkel with the manta rays, we hauled up the anchors, and proceeded to the southeast corner of Bora Bora in search of the coral gardens. The further south we went, the more amazingly gorgeous the water became. We made the afternoon one of touring and snorkeling. First, we picked our way across some 2 meter depths, and dropped anchor on the southern side of Taurere. Flour Girl had to anchor on the opposite side in deeper water, and then they dinghied over to join us.

approaching the SE Bora Bora anchorage

Wil getting even with Jenny for posting crazy photos

Max (s/v Sueño) kept our injured Colin company while the rest of us went for a snorkel on the nearby reef. We were actually in search of sharks, but only one shy black tipped reef shark made a very brief appearance.

We did, however, come across a very large and territorial moray eel. Justine was swimming past some coral when I suddenly saw her frantically swimming backwards. As she had unknowingly approached this moray eel’s hole, it had darted out towards her. Once we were all alerted to the fact that there was a moray eel, we observed it from a safer distance. Then, I noticed that as we swam back and forth in front of the eel, it followed us with its head. Even when we moved on to the next clump of coral, it slyly slithered to another hole closer to us. At this point we realized, that we’d definitely better get away from this aggressive moray.

On our return to the dinghy, Justine and I came across a spotted eagle ray. We could literally hear the crunching sound as it dug in the sand for mullusks to eat. It wasn’t long before it noticed our presence and quickly darted away.

After our snorkel, we ate lunch before hauling the anchor to rejoin a more protected Flour Girl for the night. The next morning, we were in for a big surprise!

To be continued . . .

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bora bora ~ mountain climbing

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Jenny

August 13 – 14, 2013

The Maramu winds finally relented, and we were able to come out from behind Toopua. We ventured around the corner to the main island, and anchored near Mai Kai Marina for easy access to internet and grocery shopping.

For 7000 CFP (~$70 USD) for the week, moorings are available directly in front of Mai Kai Marina. We were planning to pick up a mooring, so we could have free wifi, access to their swimming pool, and nightly happy hours. However, there were no moorings available when we got there, so we found a “shallow” spot to anchor just north of the marina in 25 meters (82 feet) of water. Since we knew several other boats on the Mai Kai moorings, we ended up being “guests” at the marina, and we were still able to enjoy the amenities.

When anchored at such depths, and with all of our chain out, we have found that we actually hold quite well in strong winds. With about a 2.5 to 1 scope out, the boat is never able to pull the chain taut, and we think it’s due to all the weight of our 200-foot 1/2-inch chain. We just have to keep our fingers crossed that the electric windlass keeps working!

Mount Pahia, standing at 661 meters (2169 feet), is the most famous mountain on Bora Bora. The roundtrip 6-km (3.7-mi) trail from Vaitape to the peak of Mount Pahia is known to be a tough and strenuous hike, but the views from the top are well worth the effort. When we heard that it was possible to get to the top of Bora Bora, we knew that this was a hike we had to take. However, we had not done enough research ahead of time, and all we knew was that we were going on roughly a 2-hour hike with ropes available for assistance in climbing the rocks. How hard could it be? Boy, were we in for a surprise!

At 9:30 a.m., and along with s/v Flour Girl, we began our excursion at the Mai Kai Marina. We walked the 1.3 kilometers into Vaitape where we found the road that leads to the base of the trail. We were pumped and ready to climb, but it wasn’t too long before the trail became quite steep. We’d only just begun, and we were already huffing and puffing. Then, we arrived to the first round of ropes. They weren’t so tough. You just grab onto the rope for support while you find your footing as you go up the rocks. Where ropes weren’t available, you could use tree roots to pull yourself up. Through all of this, it was hard to notice that we were hiking within a beautiful forest of ferns.

going up the first set of ropes

early on the trail & excited about climbing

taking a breather on the mountainside

 

 

 

Two hours came and went, we were nowhere near the top, and some of us were starting to fall apart. Hunger pains were taking over, our thirst couldn’t be quenched, and blistered feet were unbearable. We had wanted to save our sandwiches for a lunch with a view, but there was still a long way to go. We didn’t pack enough water for such a strenuous hike, so we needed to ration our water. Justine’s shoes were having technical difficulties, and she had acquired 6 broken blisters, some the size of silver dollars. For her, every step was pain, but she had determination. Justine was going to make it to the top. I was secretly hoping she would decide not to go, and I would accompany her back to the bottom. No such luck!

The trail continued on, getting steeper and steeper. It led us around the edge of the mountain with nothing but tall grass to hold onto. If we let go or took a misstep, we would fall hundreds of feet downwards. We made sure the kids understood just how careful they needed to be. We moved slowly and with great caution. We had heard that hikers had died on this mountain, and now we understood. So why were we doing this?

As we neared the top, the last of the trail went almost straight up. The foot path was well-worn and eroded, loose dirt, and if you didn’t brace your feet against the grassy sides, you’d slide backwards. It was near this point that we came face-to-face with Gavin (Pacific Flyer) and Paul (Monkey Fist) who were coming down from the top. They told us that there was chocolate and cold beer at the top. I almost believed them. Anything was possible on Bora Bora!

The last of climbing rope was the most difficult. There were two lines leading us up and over about 20 feet of rock face. I was nervous enough for everyone, but Wil was great at talking us through the climb.

nothing but a thin, fraying strap to help us up in some areas

As I reached the top of the rock face, I crawled my way to a spot to sit down. The space at the top was practically enclosed by bushes, and there was barely enough room for all 7 of us. I sat long enough to catch my breath and then stood for the view. Absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous!

facing Vaitoto Point on the northeastern side of Bora Bora

 

our anchorage, Toopua, & the pass beyond

beautiful Polynesian hibiscus

Mount Otemanu standing at 727 meters high

It was already well into the afternoon, and we still needed to descend the mountain. After re-wrapping Justine’s feet with the remaining bandages in my first aid kit, one by one, we got into position for our first rappel down the rock face.

I knew I would be slow, so I let everyone else go first. However, I didn’t realize that I would be molded to the side of the mountain in complete fear. I’m not afraid of heights, but I am afraid of falling. What if my hand or foot slips? What if the rope breaks? For me, going down was a lot harder than going up. Rappelling down rock faces was an entirely new experience, and this wasn’t easy for me. I was in tears and didn’t want to move.

Wil was incredibly patient with me. He carefully positioned himself where he could reach my feet, and then he guided each foot to a secure crevice in the rock. My heart was racing, and I had to focus on slowing my breathing. Slowly, step by step, I was finally able to descend the rock wall.

When I was almost to the bottom of the rock face, we suddenly had a bit of much needed comedy. Wil’s backpack, which had been sitting on the ground just fine by itself, began tumbling down the narrow path. It cart wheeled around the corner and out of sight. We couldn’t see it, but we could hear it still thud-thumping its way down the mountain. We were hoping his camera was ok, but we couldn’t help but laugh. At least, he wouldn’t have to carry it for awhile!

Once we were off the top-most rock face, one would think we were home free at that point. However, with the steepness of the trail (think of the backpack!), we spent much of the time on our bottoms. If we weren’t sliding down loose dirt or leaves, then we were accidentally ending up on our butts when our feet slipped out from under us. At one point, I hung onto a large branch from a fern tree to support myself as I climbed down a tricky section. Right when I needed it most, the branch detached itself from the tree, and left me sliding down the trail. Just in the knick of time, I managed to grab another branch, stopping myself right at the edge of another further drop down. (Almost sounds like an action movie, right?) The others were more graceful than me, but we all ended up with dirty bottom sides.

The forest was growing darker as we neared the bottom of the trail. Fortunately, we managed to reach the road before the sun actually set. We joked that someone would be sending a search party for us. Our first steps onto the paved road were awkward. After so many hours of walking on such a steep slant, our extremely fatigued legs wouldn’t cooperate. We were wobbly and unsure of our steps. It took several minutes to come even close to walking normally again. [Wil says that this description doesn’t even come close to describing how our legs and feet felt!]

I do have to say that Colin and Zack (s/v Flour Girl) were two exceptions within the group. They were abundantly and endlessly full of energy. For most of the hike, the boys stayed ahead, only slowing to wait for an adult. They’d climb up and down the ropes numerous times just for fun. Multiple times I saw Colin hanging upside down from a tree. Oh, how we wished we had their levels of energy!

we noticed the sign AFTER we did the climb!

After a quick stop in the grocery store for bottled water (consumed before exiting the store), steak, and potatoes, we finally arrived back to Mai Kai Marina about 6:30 p.m. It had been 9 hours since we began our hike! We were exhausted, sore, and filthy dirty, and we’d just walked in on happy hour at the marina. Many people were dressed up, and I couldn’t help but notice the aroma of cleanliness. I’m sure we must have smelled awful to everyone around us. We spotted Pete and Rae (s/v Saliander), and we learned from them that they had been worried about our lengthy hike on the mountain. They were about to send out a search party if we hadn’t returned. While we had joked about having a search party, it was a comfort to know that if something had happened, someone was watching out for us.

We returned to the boat, and while we were starved, we could barely stay awake long enough to eat. That night, sleep came easily to all of us. Days later our aching bodies were still recovering from such an intense hike, but it was absolutely worth it.

looking up at Mount Pahia

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bora bora ~ wind & more wind

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Jenny

August 11 – 13, 2013

The wind howled and the wind howled. The Maramu winds seemed like they would never ease. While these strong southeast winds prevailed, we stayed tucked behind the northwestern tip of Toopua located to the western side of Bora Bora.

Every time we’d make attempts for some snorkeling or a shore activity, it was either too windy or too cold. We’d try to dinghy to a known snorkel spot, but the wind and the wave fetch were so great that we’d have to turn back. We’d go ashore, hoping for some beach play, but it was too windy and too cold. When Justine and I did manage to find a snorkel spot nearby, the water was too cold, and we quickly returned to the boat. Anytime we heard about another boat moving to a new anchorage, there were issues due to the wind. Pacific Flyer left our anchorage to go have lunch with a Kiwi and Aussie group of boats at Bloody Mary’s. As they rounded the corner, a 40+ knot gust of wind almost blew their dinghy over, and they had to stop to secure it.

Regardless of the wind, we were in good company with good friends. We spent some time catching up with Yindee Plus. We had not seen them since the day their anchor was mangled that nasty day in Kauehi. The kids were all very happy to see each other again.

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bora bora ~ jam to the music

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Jenny

August 10, 2013

s/v Flour Girl sailing out Passe Paipai

 

From Passe Paipai to Passe Teavanui, there are about 20 miles between Tahaa and Bora Bora, and with a bit of wind, sailing between the two islands is an easy afternoon hop. Since it was still the season for Maramu winds, there was no shortage of wind, and in fact, we were a bit on the cool side.

 

 

 

 

doing his usual acrobatics

cooler air towards Bora Bora

 

 

As we rounded the southwestern tip of Bora Bora’s barrier reef, we began to get the 20-30 knots of southeast wind more on the beam, and we needed to reduce sail. Then, we received a VHF call from Gavin (s/v Pacific Flyer) warning us to be careful when making the turn into the pass. The strong winds, combined with the funneling affect of the island’s mountains, had caused a monohull to be knocked sideways on a gust of wind when trying to approach Bora Bora. Therefore, it was best to take down all sails and motor in through the pass. Gavin also suggested anchoring to the northwest side of Toopua where it was shallow and well protected from the wind, and of course, where we would find Pacific Flyer.

By the time we were situated at anchor, and by the end of the day, we were with several boats we knew . . . Flour Girl, Yindee Plus, MacPelican, Pacific Flyer, Monkey Fist, and State of Mind. We knew there were a lot of musicians in the mix, so we invited the entire lot of them over to Full Monty for a jam session. Instruments included four guitars, a ukulele, a harmonica, and a chilly bin. It was great fun!

As the last couple was leaving (no names mentioned), the evening ended with a bit of comedy. I was standing on the transom saying good night to them when the guy missed the dinghy and suddenly stepped right into the water. His wife, who was already in the dinghy, didn’t seem phased at the sight of her husband scrambling to get out of the water. (Later we learned that this was not an uncommon occurrence for them) Colin had heard the splash and came running. When he saw the guy in the water, he started calling, “Man overboard! Man overboard!” Of course, this was a moment when the guy didn’t want any attention drawn to him! The guy quickly got into the dinghy and waved good bye like nothing had happened. We couldn’t stop laughing.

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tahaa ~ vanilla & black pearls

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Jenny

August 7 – 10, 2013

We began our playtime in the Raiatea and Tahaa areas by sailing around to the northwest side of Tahaa (also known as the Vanilla Island) in search of some coral gardens. We never found the gardens, but we found some of the most gorgeous water we’d ever seen.

so flexible!

a beautiful church at the water's edge in Tahaa

luxury resorts on the water

Bora Bora from our Tahaa anchorage

swinging on the genaker halyard

By the time we dropped the hook near what we thought were the coral gardens, the wind had kicked up, and we needed to find a more sheltered anchorage. However, since the genaker halyard was free for a few days, we found some time for a quick round of fun first.

so graceful

a sudden stop on the forestay . . . that one left a bruise!

seeing if he can still swing over

and he still has it!

up and over

and he cleared the side!

going, going, going . . .

and she cleared the side!

amazingly clear water!

a beautiful smile with Bora Bora in the background

As the afternoon drew to a close, and the wind picked up, we hoisted the anchor and moved over to Baie de Tapuamu to be protected by the hills of Tahaa. Little did we know! Apparently, Tahaa has a reputation for wind tunneling between the mountain peaks, as well as extremely deep anchorages. First, it was difficult to find a spot due to the water depth and coral heads. However, we were able to pull up to a 3 meter patch, drop the anchor, and drop back to float in about a 20 meters of water. Even though we were in the lee of the shore, the wind howled down upon us in the tiny anchorage. Regardless of the wind, fun was still to be had. We were in good company with s/v Pacific Flyer and s/v Monkey Fist. We enjoyed sundowners aboard s/v Monkey Fist as we watched vacationing bareboat charter people struggle with the unfamiliar wind conditions.

The next day, while we waited for s/v Flour Girl to join us, we went ashore for a little exploring. We tied the dinghy up near Village Tapuamu, and before beginning our walk, we asked a local water taxi driver what he says when he greets someone. “La ora na” was his proud response.

Throughout the rest of French Polynesia, French is a widely used and accepted language. However, in the area of the Society Islands, historically, the Polynesians were more rebellious towards the European French, and therefore the Polynesians have hung onto their traditional Tahitian language. We had been told it was more repectful to use Tahitian when speaking to Polynesians in the Society Island area. With the new words on our tongues, we continued with our walk, speaking the proper greeting to anyone we passed along the way.

As we walked along the village’s main street, a little, old woman invited us into her shop to see her handcrafted jewelry. There were beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and hair pins made of Mother of Pearl, shells, beans, and seeds. With gifts in mind, we made a small purchase, and then resumed our walk.

vanilla is a species of orchid

We found a dirt road that went up the hill toward a vanilla bean farm. We’d been told that vanilla bean farmers tended to guard their crops with weapons, but as long as we stayed on the road we’d be fine.

From past experiences in French Polynesia, we’d learned that if you stop and talk to locals, and ask questions about life in their country, they are very eager to share with you. Therefore, we were hoping to find some fruit farms, and by talking to people we might be able to acquire some fruit, either for trade or as a gift. Sure enough, we were in luck!

We’d asked someone where we could find bananas, and we were directed up the hill. By the time we had hiked only halfway up the hill, we were huffing and puffing, and wondering where we were going to find bananas. We, and especially the kids, were getting tired and hungry. Just when we were about to turn around, we came across two guys by the side of the trail. These vanilla farm workers were just starting their lunch break, and without hesitation, they offered a couple of oranges for the kids. We gladly accepted, and Wil began asking questions about the vanilla plants.

Vanilla is a species of orchid, and every vanilla flower is hand-pollinated with care to ensure the production of a vanilla bean. Farming vanilla beans is labor-intensive, therefore, the price of vanilla beans are at a premium. We were quite excited when the farmers gave use two vanilla beans to take home with us. The fresh vanilla beans smelled so very good!

vanilla farm on Tahaa

vanilla beans from a Tahaa vanilla farm

After talking with the guys for awhile, we asked them where we could find bananas. They told us to continue our walk to the top of the hill. They would have a stalk of bananas waiting for us on our way back down. When we returned, and to our surprise, in addition to a stalk of bananas, there was also a soursop and two papayas. I offered what little bit of money I had in my pocket for the fruit, but the farmers declined. We thanked them over and over for their generosity, and then bid them farewell.
[Note: For those of you on boats with electric macerators on your toilets, DO NOT swallow soursop seeds (or any seeds, for that matter). Thank goodness we were warned before any seeds were swallowed. They are extremely hard, will get stuck, and you will have to dismantle your macerator to remove them.]

excited about the soursop, bananas, vanilla beans, and papaya we received

Shortly after our return to our boat, s/v Flour Girl arrived, and once they were settled in the anchorage, we joined them for our usual sundowners. Flour Girl had gone from Port Phaeton to Moorea to Huahini, so we had not seen them since Port Phaeton.

The following day, along with Flour Girl, we moved to Baie Apu on the southwestern side of Tahaa. The Champon Pearl Farm offers free instructive tours by appointment, as well as free moorings to their customers, so it sounded like a win-win situation to us. Once we found the pearl farm, we discovered that the next available appointment would be first thing in the morning.

In the meantime, since we suddenly had an afternoon available, we left Colin to play with Zack on Flour Girl, and we did a quick sail back to Raiatea to pick up our repaired genaker. (We are still amazed at the cost and efficiency of the repair!) Once we had our sail in hand, we returned to Baie Apu and picked up the free mooring for the night.

Early the next morning, we went ashore for our pearl farm tour. A woman gave us a brief demonstration in the oyster shed on how to seed an oyster in order to make a pearl. Then, she returned us to the jewelry room where she showed us the different qualilties of black pearls. It was at this point we realized we were slightly obligated to buy something. The pearls were absolutely beautiful, but way out of our budget. However, I did manage to find a special treat for myself. My wrist now wears a very simple, but elegant bracelet containing a string of natural and unseeded black pearls.

admiring the black pearls

example of good quality black pearls

polished oyster shells and pearl bracelets

After we made our purchases, and were getting ready to leave, the woman asked when we would be leaving the moorings. She said they needed the moorings for other boats. We suddenly felt very put off. We’d just spent over $20,000 CFP (~$200 USD), and I know Flour Girl spent more than that. Now, we were being asked to leave their mooring which was available for their customers. We had just proven ourselves to be customers, but we now realized that our purchases were very minor compared to their normal transactions. C’est la vie!

a small boutique on Tahaa

intricate weaving of a Polynesia roof

We departed the pearl farm and quickly returned to our boats. Since we now needed to find a new anchorage, we decided to drop the moorings and make the short hop straight to Bora Bora. We had our repaired genaker, some fresh fruit and vanilla beans, and some black pearls. We were free to move on and see what else we could find.

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raiatea ~ sail repair

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Jenny

August 6, 2013

sunrise as we approached Raiatea

After a brief overnight sail from Moorea, it was early morning as we neared the the Teavapiti Pass at Raiatea. We were still about 2 miles offshore when Wil decided to check if we had an internet signal. I don’t know what possessed him to do that, but low and behold he found a signal! The lucky person to receive a Skype call that day was his mom. At the time of his call, she happened to be going through the McDonald’s drive-thru, and he asked her to order a Big Mac with French fries for him. Hmmmm! After so many months away from fast food, the idea of a juicy burger had our mouths watering!

Entering the Teavapiti Pass was simple and straight forward. Once on the inside, we motor sailed around to the northwest side of Raiatea. We needed to anchor as closely to the Apooiti Bay Marina as possible, as this was where we needed to drop off our genaker for repair.

Apooiti Bay Marina is home to the Moorings and Sunsail Charter Base. There are also a number of other yacht services in the bay, including the Voilerie Sellerie Aveia where a French woman, Regine, would repair our sail. She had a wonderful reputation for doing quality work both quickly and inexpensively, and we were excited about this prospect.

Close to the marina, there were only moorings available in 25+ meters of water, so anchoring right next to the marina wasn’t an option. Instead, we chose to anchor out near the barrier reef and dinghy across to the marina. Once we located the sail maker, and made sure she was available to do the work, we returned to the boat to remove the sail. We had arranged to bring the sail to the loft right after lunch, so after a quick lunch we returned to the Voilerie with the genaker. As per her reputation, she amazed us with her quote. The day was a Tuesday. The sail would be ready for pick-up on Friday, and the estimated repair price for 7-tear was 25,500 CFP (~$255 USD). We couldn’t believe our ears!

Excited with the goods news, we returned to the boat and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over Bora Bora. While we waited for the sail to be repaired, we would have a few days of playtime coming our way.

sunset over Bora Bora viewed from Raiatea

Air Tahiti flying overhead

Air Tahiti landing in Raiatea near our anchorage

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Categories: boat improvement & maintenance, travel | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

video ~ sting rays & sharks

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Jenny

August 4, 2013

When we heard about the possibility of swimming with sting rays and sharks in Moorea, we had no idea what we were in for. After a 3-mile dinghy ride to a locally known spot, we fed sting rays as black tipped reef sharks circled us.

Check out the video we took of this incredible experience!

Sting Rays & Sharks ~ Moorea, French Polynesia 2013

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moorea ~ sharks & sting rays

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Jenny

August 3 – 5, 2013

Sailing from Tahiti to Opunohu Bay on the north side of Moorea was only a day’s sail. We had a nice wind, and only had to motor once we were in the lee of the island. Our plan was to stay for one night, and then take off for Raiatea . However, there was lack of wind, so we stayed an extra day enjoying the company of s/v Sueño and s/y Duende, as well as a few sting rays and sharks.

Baie D'Opunohu, Moorea

sailing school boats beached in Moorea

dinghy full ready to swim with sting rays & sharks

It was about a 3-mile dinghy ride to the location where the sting rays and sharks hang out. We’d learned that local tour boats bring their guests to swim with and feed the sting rays, and that black tip reef sharks end up being an addition to the party. As we made the long dinghy trek to our destination, we were nervous and excited. Would we be brave enough to get in the water with lots of sharks swimming around?

When we arrived, there were a couple tour boats, as well as another couple of other dinghies. We dropped our dinghy anchors and prepared to enter the water. As we donned our swim gear, we observed the other tourists feeding the sting rays, and we could see an occasional black tip reef shark swimming at the periphery of the group.

Upon sliding out of the dinghies, we quickly learned to watch where we landed. While the water was barely a meter and a half deep, and we could stand in chest high water, the sting rays were every where. As I began to slide from the dinghy, I suddenly noticed a sting ray appear from under the dinghy and directly beneath me. Therefore, in order to make sure we didn’t land on any sting rays, we had to ease ourselves slowly into the water.

sting ray loving old shrimp

In a matter of seconds, we were swarmed with about a half dozen sting rays begging for food. The person who held the bag of old shrimp was the most popular!

pushy for food

almost pushing Colin over

a gentle touch

smile!

a sting ray smile

ready for a big smooch!

As the feeding of the sting rays progressed, the presence of black tip reef sharks grew stronger. At first, it was pretty cool to see these fairly non-aggressive sharks swimming circles around the tourist group. However, as some people began feeding the sharks (something that was against the rules and just not a wise move!) the sharks started moving in a more aggressive manner.

Justine forever loves sharks

black tip reef shark near Moorea

a shark going after food

black tip reef shark with people

black tip reef shark

sting ray and shark

sharks circling the area

shark with people

eating a morsel

black tip reef sharks circling

our group of kids watching sharks from the safety of the dinghy

number of sharks increasing

sharks passing through the tourists

 

sharks quickly swim away from sting rays

this shark was a little too friendly

Visiting with these sharks and sting rays was a lot of fun, and the experience made its way to the top of our most exciting. However, these are wild animals, and wild animals are unpredictable. Wild animals also should not be trained to know they can be fed by humans, as they become dependent on humans for food. However, there are many of these types of tours all over the world, and people continue to feed the animals for an up-close-and-personal experience with these incredible creatures. We love our up-close-and-personal experiences with nature and wild life, but we must respect that we are in their environment and anything can happen. While we didn’t like the idea of being among a huge group of tourists, at the same time, we were probably safer in numbers. If we’d gone on our own, there’s no telling what the sharks would have done if we’d not had enough food for them!

After our memorable time in Moorea, we bid this most gorgeous island farewell, and we began our brief overnight passage to Raiatea. Our time in French Polynesia was drawing to a close, and we still had lots to see.

rainbow over Moorea as we bid the gorgeous island farewell

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punaauia & papeete ~ re-provisioning boat & soul

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Jenny

July 27 – August 3, 2013

Tahitian sunset overlooking Moorea

overlooking Moorea, Tahiti's sister island

The rest of our time in Tahiti was a time for re-provisioning the boat, as well as our souls. For so many months we’d been living in pure, rugged and remote wildernesses where provisions were slim to none. While we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the wild, now it was time to restock the boat, and treat our bodies to everything we craved.

One of the first things we purchased were ready-made burger patties, hamburger buns, cheese, and a mega bag of frozen French fries. Cheeseburges and French fries never tasted so yummy!

Tahitian beer & New Zealand burgers

We were only going to spend a few days in the area of Marina Taina and Papeete, but re-provisioning and finding boat parts took a little extra time. We were also waiting on a package from Wil’s mom. For three days in a row, Wil took a bus into Papeete to track down replacement or spare parts. The kids and I had no desire to go into the busy city, so while Wil ran errands, we spent the week finishing up our school year. Completing school was a huge load off all of our shoulders!

Wil was exhausted by three days of travel into the bustling city of Papeete, but he saw a lot of interesting sights that made it worth it.

toilet seats with style in Ace Hardware, Papeete

check out superyacht Arctic P.

m/y Arctic is one of the private luxury yachts docked in Papeete

check out superyacht A.

m/y A ~ a unique German design at dock in Papeete

check out the storage garage & the crew cleaning the sides!

superyacht A

at our anchorage locals training for outrigger canoe races

Wil couldn’t pass up the opportunity to find some good surf. Passe de Taapuna is a popular surf break. It has a similar style reef break to Teahupoo, so many surfers train here before they move up to the big stuff. Wil, Gavin (s/v Pacific Flyer), and Paul (s/v MacPelican) would dinghy out to the pass together and enjoy the waves. It was good to see Wil get his surf fix.

the north side of Passe de Taapuna ~ a common sight in this part of Tahiti

floating bars anchored over the sandbar

not anyone we know, but fun to watch

cruisers anchor their dinghies near this break for a chance at some waves

Passe de Taapuna ~ a smaller, but similar wave to Teahupoo

While still in Tahiti, we had a good look at our torn genaker. The tear was much more than I could manage on my own, so were in need of a sail repair shop. After much research and talking to a lot of people, we learned about a sailmaker in Raiatea who did good quality work for a really great price. Tahiti was not the place to have a sail repaired due to high cost, poor quality, and the complication of sail transport. Therfore, we made plans to get to Raiatea as soon as possible.

As much as we wanted to see Tahiti’s sister island, Moorea, time was running short, and we had to get to Raiatea for the sail repair. The moment we made plans to sail straight to Raiatea, we got word from s/v Sueño. They had gone to Moorea to meet up with visiting family, and their sail drive needed oil. We used oil delivery as the perfect excuse to make a one or two day stop to see Moorea and catch up with our good buddies. We’d also heard it was possible to swim with sharks and sting rays!

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