Papillon in the Pacific

  Ia Orana! Visitors on board always bring fresh perspectives and from Duncan and Jenni   it has been our newfound respect for cocktails and ice cream.   Why we have never thought to try either before probably says more about our puritanical upbringings than their ability to party, but it has certainly been fun.   Mojitos and Daiquiris to accompany beautiful sunsets and ice creams to cheer up the saddest of deserts have been a revelation.   We will never look back.      Manuia!!   Visitors arrive For Duncan and Jenni, it has been a whistle stop tour of the Society Islands starting in Huahine, circumnavigating Taha’a, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Maupiti before finally picking up our mooring back in the lagoon last night.   The weather has been exceptionally kind, perhaps not so good for sailing but certainly excellent for exploring, making for an amazing fortnight with them. So many highlights but this time I am only...

  Ia Orana! It has been quoted on more than one occasion that “Blue Water Cruising is no more than boat maintenance in exotic locations”!   A little harsh perhaps but over the last few weeks whilst preparing for our visitors to arrive there have been moments when it has seemed remarkably apt.      Exotic locations with RVP in the distance   and boat maintenance! Duncan and Jenni touch down in less than 48 hours and we are still not in the designated RVP (rendezvous point if you aren’t familiar with skipper’s military style acronyms!)  The reason for the delay is our leaking dinghy and her ongoing repairs.  After initial efforts in November all was well for several months but the terrible weather in February took its toll first on the original patch and then on one of the rubber tubes that developed a series of air leaks.  The water leak has been successfully addressed but the air leaks have proved more challenging....

La Orana! The winds have been light this week and mainly from the east – challenging conditions for sailing to Moorea as we had originally planned.  Motoring against the swell for such a long passage was equally unattractive so instead we chose to remain in the lagoon and commit to a “sailing only” week.     Lagoon sailing in light weather   and not so light weather! For us this is defined as sailing off moorings and anchorages and only going where the wind takes us.  Skipper would have preferred it if anchoring under sail was included in the remit but I’m afraid that’s where the crew threatened a mutiny, insisting that the engines were at least idling when anchoring was attempted.  It all sounds a bit ridiculous when I put it down on paper, but it has certainly improved our sailing skills and reminded us how easy it is for these to get rusty in this part of the world.  With such steady prevailing easterlies ocean passages...