Familiar waters

La Orana! 

We finally left Bora Bora on Friday morning. The wind had been strong for 3 days but seemed to have eased slightly, blowing roughly a Force 4 when we got up. It remained from the east so little chance of sailing, but we decided to take our chance on it. The new dinghy was hoisted onto the davits and the old one tied securely at the stern to the starboard hull. It was going to be a bumpy ride. We had great sailing down the west side of the island but once we had rounded the lighthouse at the southwest tip the wind  was heading us as expected, and it was motor sailing all the way back. 

Bora Bora

Walking ashore

Dinghy watch was an unnerving responsibility. Duncan’s well tied bowline was certainly put to the test as the little boat jigged and bounced over the waves or slapped down on top of them creating spray that splashed right into the cockpit. At least with a rigid hull it was less likely to flip over than a purely inflatable one, but I still spent most of the trip expecting it to break free at any moment and make a bid for freedom out into the Pacific! It was slow going but at least we were first in a whole line of boats making the crossing and as none of them seemed to be gaining ground on us Skipper was pleased! 

We got back to Passe Paipai west of Tahaa 5h later and it was a huge relief to enter the calmer waters of the lagoon. I had just decided to take advantage of the relative peace to make a spot of lunch when Skipper had our first whale sighting. I apologise, the video is hopeless but for us folks on the spot I hope you can believe that it was super exciting! June to November is the best time to see whales in French Polynesia so hopefully it will be the first of many. My whale identification skills are as poor as my photography but since it was on its own, largely black backed with a fin tail and extremely big I have decided that the most likely suspect is a humpback. 

Passe Paipai

Returning to Raiatea has been lovely. We are currently sitting on a mooring out in the lagoon enjoying calm weather, gentle breezes and beautiful sunsets. The new dinghy plus outboard is a complete joy. It planes through the water at such high speeds that we are finally feeling like all the other cool cruisers! Returning to the boat at dusk last night watching the sky turn from orange to crimson in a matter of minutes had to be one of the high spots of the week. What used to be a 20min ride into town is now less than 10 so it’s no longer a chore to “pop” ashore for messages, walks, and to visit friends - what a difference that has made! To top it all off Paul and Florie wanted the old dinghy so with money in our pockets from that sale the new one seems like a complete bargain. All in all, it feels like “dinghy chapter” is finally over which given where we were a couple of weeks ago is quite an achievement! 

Bartering for tuna at the quay in Uturoa

More beautiful sunsets

We came back to Raiatea primarily to get the boat hauled out at the boatyard for antifouling and a few other jobs.   Currently we don’t know exactly when that will be as the yard are having issues with one of the cranes, but time here is always a bit of a moveable feast, so we are learning to be patient. It’s fun to be back. I was greeted like an old friend when I returned to Champion for the daily baguette– I even got a Polynesian fist pump from my favourite till assistant which is high praise indeed! It’s also been lovely catching up with Paul and Florie again before their departure back to Belgium for the summer. In their absence I have been entrusted with the coveted laundry key which is probably the best present anyone could give me!! I will guard it with my life. We are not planning to come into the actual marina but since we are sitting on one of their moorings (for the princely sum of less than £10 per week) Monsieur Le Capitaine has reenabled our key card so we can access drinking water, toilets, showers and rubbish facilities which certainly makes it a very convenient place to sit out a few days. He is always such an amiable fellow Le Capitaine – expressing interest in our trip around Moorea but also wanting to share a video with me that a friend had uploaded onto facebook of a lemon shark he had observed in the lagoon only yesterday. Lemon sharks are an endangered species and extremely rare. They are big and very shark like but apparently not interested in humans. Le Capitaine couldn’t share the video with me but I have downloaded a photo– perhaps they are friendly, but I for one will be erring on the side of caution for the next few days keeping flippers and wetsuit boots on at all times during my daily swim! 

monkey's fist laundry key

Lemon Shark with baby

So, it’s midwinter here now. The temperatures have dropped by a few degrees and daylight by about an hour. Dinner is nearly always by candlelight and sunsets enjoyed before we even start cooking. Passion fruits and Polynesian tangerines have replaced avocados and mangos on the colourful roadside stalls and Taro is back on the supermarket shelves after a long absence. The place somehow seems quieter. Subtle changes, but we notice them. We are enjoying the lower temperatures and sleeping better at night for sure but it’s still hard to equate the heat with mid-winter. Yesterday we were wiring up our freezers all day. It’s true that no job on a boat is straightforward but this one was a hum dinger requiring access to some of the most inaccessible spaces on Papillon to thread those cables through to where they had to be. By the end of it there was sweat running off the both of us – not a pretty sight! We met on Midsummers Day (on a boat as it happens) but this was an anniversary like no other and I hope one that we never have to repeat!! At least the freezers are working. Imagine if it had all been for naught!

Catching the rays on mid-winters day

His and her working freezers! Happy anniversary!