Papillon in the Pacific

  La Orana! Well it’s been quite a fortnight since I last updated the blog.   Duncan arrived for his “holiday of a lifetime” 2 weeks ago.   His mule bags were unpacked with much delight and the following day we set off in high spirits and gentle breezes for Bora Bora.   Our progress under sail was slow but it did give us the chance to try out our newly fashioned tuna line off the back of the boat (thankyou Maintenance Rob!).   No joy this time I’m afraid but it certainly looked the part.    Boys reunited   Testing out the tuna line Bora Bora was busier than before - full of “party” boats and much revelry but we moved onto quieter anchorages and had a great time showing Duncan around.   The high spot was probably a walk/scramble up Mata Pupu.   This is the furthest you are allowed to climb up Otemanu (the highest peak on the island)   and has spectacular views over the East and West of Bora Bora.   The r...

La Orana!  This will be a quick update this week as Duncan "the mule" arrived this morning!! The little plane to Raiatea touched down at 9.25am – the last of 4 flights after an epic 34h journey. We were outside on the tarmac as the plane drew up so it was pretty special watching him appear down those steps looking, I have to say, A LOT fresher than we did 12 weeks ago!    Duncan off the plane!   Water Taxis at the airport A quick taxi ride back to the marina and by 10am we were showing him around Papillon. We had decided the pickup would be easier from the marina so had come back in for a couple of nights yesterday. His two huge bags of luggage, which mostly contained boat gear for us, were more easily transported into Papillon from a dock than a moving dinghy! Tomorrow we will be on our way though. The shopping is done, the clothes are washed, water tanks filled and the decks scrubbed. We are ready for the off. All our efforts the las...

Our trip to Bora Bora was amazing last week but sailing there and back raised a number of issues that we have to attend to before going out again. It wasn’t exactly surprising - it’s what a shake down sail is all about after all but the timing is tricky with Duncan arriving on April 12 th for his “holiday of a lifetime” (no pressure!).   Leaving Bora Bora   Too early for fishing   Out of the lagoon   Almost back With the clock ticking a trip into the boatyard was arranged for Wednesday to see a rigger.   We needed their opinion on the Goose Neck which is the joint between the boom and the mast.   Ours has too much play in it which is definitely not good.   It seemed like our only option but we weren’t overly optimistic that it could be fixed in time so it was concerning.   On hearing our woes Paul and Flore invited us onto their boat for tea and solace.   Not wanting to waste the opportunity of ...