Raiatea round trip...at last!!
La Orana!
We have been on the move this week circumnavigating Raiatea on the third time of asking. The trip started badly with winds unexpectedly blowing from the south leaving us no option but to sail north around Taha’a and wait for the predicted north easterlies to arrive. For the most part we were on anchor watch owing to the strength of the wind, but we did manage one trip ashore to explore the “Taha’a Traverse” a walk following the route of an old road through the mountains. The track is now so overgrown and pitted that it’s hard to imagine vehicles ever using it but for walkers it provides stunning views: craggy peaks appearing as if out of nowhere their outlines sharpened against the intense turquoises of the lagoon, and under the canopy an explosion of flowering shrubs and glimpses of the rare green tailed Raiatea Fruit Dove. It was extremely cool but sadly will need to be completed another day as the wind continued to blow and we were reluctant to leave Papillon unattended for long.
|
|
|
Finally after 3 days and 2 very bumpy nights aboard the winds shifted to the north and we could leave under sail with spirits restored. Skipper hadn’t slept much… again so I was on the helm for most of the day and it was exhilarating. Passe Paipai was navigated under sail (a first for me!) and with the wind whistling through the gap between Taha’a and Raiatea we flew south passing familiar landmarks in the lagoon and down the west coast of Raiatea at over 8 knots. Even in the shelter of Raiatea we only slowed down a fraction. Skipper saw more than me – I was concentrating only on the helm but that all changed when plumes of spray appeared ahead. A geyser of water shot up in the air and then two humpback whales reared up out of the water right in front of the boat. I have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Helming duties were transferred, and filming commenced. I don’t know what’s funnier my commentary or the awful filming. One minute I’m in awe and then in terror imploring skipper to steer away because they might damage the boat. Thankfully my fears were not realised! I attach a short clip of one of the whales and another video of papillon sailing hard in the wind( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m3JaBpPft0) - enjoy
|
|
|
The whales continued to entertain until only a few miles short of our destination: Passe Punaeroa at the southwest end of Raiatea. It had been a memorable trip and the farthest south we had sailed down this coast. We threaded our way through a now very narrow section of the lagoon towards our intended “Navily” anchorage. Navily is a fantastic interactive app that skipper discovered early on. It recommends anchorages and invites yachtsmen to comment on them and post new ones. I’m not sure where we would be without it! This particular one at the southwest tip of Raiatea sounded perfect: 3 mooring balls and great shelter in strong easterlies. It proved to be exactly that. Retrieval of the buoy was tricky but once we were in the wind dropped and we found ourselves becalmed in a small horseshoe of a bay surrounded by tree covered mountains. After so many hours fighting the wind it was wonderful to be still again.
|
|
|
The following morning, I went ashore to explore “Ile Haio” which unlike other Motus we have visited had some height to it. Climbing out of the forest up what was probably an old lava flow I emerged onto a ridge of dusty red coloured earth littered with yet more boulders of rough black lava. The views were breath taking. Looking down there was Papillon appearing through the foliage on the water below, to the south Passe Naonao was opening up and all-around soaring mountain peaks were encircling the bay. Quite beautiful.
|
|
I descended through dense palms and literally hundreds of coconut crabs to a large sandy area at the northern part of the island. At the far end was a wooden hut raised on concrete stilts complete with a platform for burning the coconuts and surrounded by a man-made seawall of lava rocks – perhaps in anticipation of rising sea levels. It would not take much to wash it all away.
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
Like everywhere else at this anchorage, it was deserted. This seems to be the less well trodden part of Raiatea and we like it. So much so that we stayed an extra day to luxuriate in the calm . It proved to be a good decision. The narrow and shallow Passe Naonao is not to be recommended in any type of southerly swell but by the time we were ready to leave the wind had virtually died to nothing and we drifted through under sail – an uneventful passage save for the huge pod of dolphins accompanying us!
|
|
|
Our final reef anchorage on this circumnavigation was at the southeast corner of Raiatea. The sun was splitting the sky when we arrived and at a perfect angle for snorkelling. I was in the water in a flash sharing the coral with a couple of very lazy manta rays that would elegantly waft around for a few minutes before settling in the sand apparently sleeping while little fish foraged on their fins – perhaps a video to follow next time! Within an hour the sun had disappeared to be replaced by wind and rain in quick succession. It was just like home: squally gusts, misty rain and absolutely zero visibility for the next 20 hours! Out there on the reef with only ourselves for company it could have felt a little exposing but weirdly we felt completely safe, sand for at least a nautical mile on a constant depth of 2.2 m – there was nowhere to drag!
|
|
|
We completed the circuit under sail the following morning enjoying steady south easterlies in the lagoon all the way back to Uturoa. That night on the mooring the blue supermoon began to rise, a shaft of silvery light illuminating any boat in its path. Knowing that people all around the globe were sharing this experience was incredibly unifying. I hope you all got a glimpse wherever you were. We may have missed most of the meteors, but we were certainly blessed with clear skies for the supermoon!
|
Leaving under sail to start the circumnavigation |
|
What fabulous experiences - it really is like paradise …. I love having a little glimpse of it through your blog…. Love KB xxx
ReplyDelete