Papillon in the Pacific

La Orana! I write this quite unexpectedly from Moorea.   We had always planned to return to this beautiful island of high peaks, deep inlets and reefs but the 120nm passage against prevailing south easterlies is slow (and noisy) in Papillon and one that we had reserved for a spell of northerlies should they ever return.      Back in Moorea   Sunset en route Sitting over lunch at the delicious “Snack Tonoi” with Paul and Flore on Monday it was clear the northerlies had returned.   Cooling winds blowing in from the lagoon are not generally the experience of diners here.   We returned to Papillon and rechecked the weather…again.   It looked hopeful: quiet northerlies with the possibility of 10-12 knots of wind overnight Thursday.   We had originally planned to use them to return to Maupiti for a few weeks but perhaps we should rethink?    We had a couple of unplanned appointments we needed to make in Tahiti and...

  La Orana! On Thursday we celebrated our first anniversary of arriving in French Polynesia.   Little did we know then that a year on we would still be in the Society Islands.      Sunset in Huahine   New viewpoint in Taha'a We arrived with far more grandiose plans but one thing this past 12 months have taught me is that “gentle” cruising, as skipper calls it, has a lot to commend it.   At first the choice was not ours to make.   Papillon was simply not ocean worthy, and all our efforts had to be focussed on making that happen.   When we finally had sufficient solar power, a functioning water maker and the means to freeze months’ worth of food on board then decisions had to be made.   Did we want to move on immediately or did we want to explore the Society Islands more extensively? I naturally gravitate towards “ticking off” cruising.   New anchorages provide thrill and fear in equal measure and are exciting...

  La Orana! We have been battling with the elements this week - torrential rain one minute and hot sunshine the next.    Leaving Maupiti in sunshine and showers   Battling the rain in Uturoa It is of course the rainy season but even the locals say the weather has been extreme.   The strength and duration of the showers are taking everyone aback.   Each is preceded by an eerie calm; the water goes still and the skies darken to a leaden grey.   When it seems, it can get no darker the heavens open and within a matter of minutes, the rain is churning up the lagoon bringing up all manner of debris and mud from the seabed.   Visibility is reduced to nothing both in and out of the water.   With such extremes the speed of change continually surprises.   On Tuesday we got caught in the worst thunderstorm yet on our way to pick up a parcel from the post office.   It lasted almost 2 hours, forcing us to take shelter ...