24 hour sail to Huahine

[Kyle]The sail to Huahine was in moderate and variable winds. This had us making use of the full set of sail combinations including our spinnaker – giving our guests Geoffrey and Sarah a good start to learning the ropes. The new moon and the chance to be out of sight of land made for some excellent southern sky stargazing (with excellent Milky way and southern cross). The guests kept Maryanne company for a while, but didn’t make it through to my midnight watch. Knowing we would arrive right after sunrise, Maryanne relieved my watch at 4am, instead of the usual six to allow me to get a little extra sleep in before our arrival at Huahine.

pictures – coconut opening lessons aboard

The sun rose behind the island as we were sailing up the western shore. By the time we entered the pass, just south of the main town of Fare, everyone was awake and eagerly anticipating our arrival. Once in the pass we started the engines and wove our way through the channel to the southern end of the island and Avea Bay by Hotel Mahana.

As we motored, we were getting an intermittent engine alarm. Each time, it was too brief for us to even notice which associated light was showing. By the time we approached the anchorage on low engine power, the warning became more steady. It was the water alarm from the starboard drive. This alarm is designed to detect a failure of the seal and implies there is currently water in the engine compartment. There was no water. Once we anchored, we sent our guests off to shore to explore while Maryanne and I attempted to diagnose and fix whatever was tripping the alarm (under their bed). We could not find any reason for the alarm, no short, nothing, but after taking everything apart and putting it all back again, the buzzing stopped. We assumed a poor connection had been fixed in the process.

Note: We later learned that just a couple of days later, a fellow 2017 Pacific cruiser, Tanda Malaika, had just gone aground just outside Huahine near the same pass we had used. They lost their boat, but all aboard were safely rescued by the amazing French Navy and the helicopter rescue team. Their blog post tells the dramatic story

Moorea

[Kyle]Once morning broke at Papeete Marina we were preparing for our next island destination: Moorea. The silhouette of Moorea had been prominent and beckoning us since we arrived in Tahiti. As we left the pass, Begonia was visited by a pod of dolphins, a great start to the sail for our guests. We had hoped for a brisk sail to show off the boat as she kicked up her heels, but the forecast wind never did arrive, so we plodded along slowly under one engine for the full journey. There was enough swell to introduce our guests Sarah and Geoffrey to the Pacific Ocean for real, and they managed it easily and without issue.

We soon put Sarah & Geoffrey to work - despite the heat and the rain

As we pulled around the North of Moorea into Opunohu Bay which is yet another green, lush, bay backed by spectacularly high mountains with impossibly steep cliffs. I joke that I like to wait until it rains before I get poor Maryanne to go out on deck and set the anchor – and it certainly did in Opunohu – she got quite drenched as I scouted just the spot for the anchor. As soon as the it was set, the rain stopped and the sun came out – exposing those spectacular cliffs. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset from freshly rinsed decks.

Amazing views!

The first full day in Moorea Maryanne persuaded Sarah, Geoffrey and I to hike to a local viewpoint (Belvedere) giving her some time to catch up on remaining odd chores. We hiked inland away from the beach on a road that took us past an agricultural school with shrimp ponds and cattle fields before we reached the trailhead at the far end of the valley. We switched from pavement to a dirt road that ran alongside a pineapple plantation. Further on, we joined a more traditional single-track hiking trail that took us up steep switchbacks in the shade of the jungle. We ultimately emerged atop a spiny ridge with steep drop-offs on each side supporting thickets of growth rising all around us. Finally, we found a gap in the growth, which allowed us to sit with our legs dangling over the edge of the cliff face to enjoy the beautiful view and a well deserved snack. From where we sat, we could see an even higher ring of cliffs behind us. Ahead of us, both Cook and Opunohu Bays stretched away. We could see the lone speck of Begonia.

Even though the trip down was easier, we were by then pretty tired from the exercise and heat, so we were very glad to arrive back at home where Maryanne met us with smiles and food.

We finished the day with a bottle of wine on the Trampoline – the wine being the only Tahiti wine we know of, and suitably made from Pineapples grown in Moorea.

Snorkelling & Enjoying the views
Thanks Geoffrey for the photo of us on the trampoline & Sarah showing off the a cushion star

Our anchorage was deep into Opunohu Bay, and silty from run-off i.e. not best for visibility, so before departing Moorea the following morning we made a brief stop at the reef just inside the pass for a snorkel on the coral reef. Here our guests got their fist sightings of sting rays, cushion stars, and spider conch among others before setting off for a 24 hour sail to Huahine.

Tahiti: Guests Arrive

[Kyle]From our anchorage at Taina, we needed to get clearance to pass the airport runway, and then hope Papeete Marina had a place (It is ideally located in downtown Papeete but runs on a first come first served, no reservations). Pulling up anchor was a bit of a pig (very stuck) and then we spent some time waiting on and then getting fuel at Marina Taina (This is the only place to get marine fuel in Papeete and there was a queue of boats hovering about waiting in line).

When we got to Papeete Marina, we found a spot, but it was a little bit of a race. There were two boats right behind us, so we pulled into the first slip we found. We didn’t want to risk having it taken while we looked for something more convenient - very happy. We spent most of our time there getting the boat guest-ready, followed by glorious cold (cold is lukewarm here) showers.

Our guests arrive and bring us Leis...

Once our guests Sarah and Geoffrey arrived, we finally got to do tourist stuff – the cathedral, the market, and the pearl museum as well as generally ambling around. Along the way we also managed to purchase some pearl jewelry. (Yes, Maryanne bought some Pearl jewelry). The Heiva was still going on. Today’s event was the Fruit Races. Coconuts were the favorite because they can roll. Whoops! No. Apparently, it’s a race of people carrying fruit. Participants lashed bundles of fruit onto either side of stout bamboo poles that they carried on one shoulder as they ran the race barefoot. Most of the loads weighed in at around 50 kilos (110lbs). One of the finishers let me have a go at shouldering his load. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but I bet the weight seems to quadruple in the first few steps of the race. Few seemed to be able to run the whole race without slowing to a walk near the end. Maryanne particularly enjoyed the traditional garb, which generally offered less coverage than more modern running gear – at least for the men.

Fruit Carrying Races - quite the show
Maryanne tries out the lead vehicle

Following a brief awards ceremony, a Marquesan dance troupe performed their version of a Haka, which is exhausting to even watch. Then came the Tongan drummers and the Samoan fire dancers. Unlike the hotel shows, this performance was primarily for the locals, it was free, and it was fabulous. By the time the show ended Geoffrey and Sarah had only been in Tahiti for 14 hours, it would have been a great first day but there was more to do; we decided to go to what many have described as “the best French restaurant in Tahiti” – a fancy pizza joint (L’Api’zza). We finished the day with drinks in Begonia’s cockpit at the Marina, watching the passing foot and cycle traffic on the boardwalk. We needed no help sleeping after such a busy day.

And quite the show!

Arriving in Papeete

[Kyle]Finally, it came time for us to sail to the big city. The anchorage was full. We had to get used to traffic noise and exhaust. Carrefour (the French supermarket chain) was packed all of the time.

Sailing to the big city - we are soooo in Tahiti - love it
Oh and the chores begin!

In our usual way, we spent almost the whole time running many exhausting and unpleasant errands because we could and because we wanted the get the boat visitor-ready and be able to spend our time with them as chore free as possible. We needed to get Begonia to a state where we could pretend she was always that clean, tidy and well-stocked. We spent most of our time heat-soaked and stressed, but all ready to start relaxing for a couple of weeks.

We took the bus from the dinghy dock at Taina to downtown Papeete to source some non-grocery items. Much has been said about the unpleasantness of Papeete. We didn’t really find it so. Yes, it is big and crowded compared to so many of the empty little gems in French Polynesia, but it has its own charm and it has lots of stuff you can’t get anywhere else. You just have to pay triple. If you took a vacation to only Papeete, you would miss the best that French Polynesia has to offer, but your trip would still be pretty cool. It has a lovely waterfront and some nice parks, lots of restaurants and plenty to do.

Maryanne suggested we go to the Heiva there that night. My knee-jerk reaction was, “Great! Something else we have to do that we don’t have time for.”

She very reasonably reminded me that Carrefours were all over the place, but the Heiva was Tahiti’s big event and we were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time - a once in a lifetime opportunity. "That’s why we’re doing all of this, right?”

"Fine, we’ll go.”

It made for a very long day, but It was totally worth it. It was amazing!

Heiva i Tahiti is a big festival celebrating all things Polynesian. The event we attended was basically a singing and dancing competition. We both agreed the singing was nice, but probably required an acquired taste and a fluency in Tahitian. Half of the stands took a break during the two singing presentations. The dancing was definitely the main event. We’ve seen the Rockettes and they have nothing on these dancers.

Heiva i Tahiti - 2017 - one evening of the many competition events

Actually, the whole production was fantastic. They had an “orchestra” of about thirty. Only three weren’t playing percussion instruments. To this beat, whole fields of hips jiggling in perfect unison juxtaposed torsos tracing graceful arcs, also in perfect sync. The men were equally impressive. Tahitian dance for men seems to be intended as a feat of strength. The last troupe performed for an hour and a half. It has to be like running a marathon in tropical heat.

Equally great were the costumes. All were intricately woven from feathers, grass and palm fronds. They were basically all single-use because the vigor of the dances shook them apart. The stage had to be swept during breaks, leaving a ring of yard waste around the perimeter.

The whole audience left all smiles. It was too late for the bus back to Taina, so we hitchhiked. We were picked up by a Tahitian teacher and her boyfriend who had just been to the Heiva as well. We all spent the short ride talking about how incredible it had been.

After that, we decided to move Begonia into town to be more in the middle of the action for our friends arrival.

Tahiti: Mara'a

[Kyle]Leaving Port Phaeton, we headed out Passe de Teputo into the open sea for the downwind sail to Baie Mara'a, on the southwest corner of Tahiti Nui. We planned the day so that we could continue if we got there and found it unsuitable. On the chart, it looked like it could be a similar situation to the anchorage at Bassin Teahupoo. What we found when we got there was much more usable. The reef was bordered by large shelves of white sand and we were able to set the anchor in 7m within easy snorkeling distance to the large reef.

The best part was the view. From the cockpit, the jagged skyline of Moorea dominates the horizon to the northwest. Its steep spires look like a grove of trees where a couple have fallen over. Just to the left of it, the setting sun sinks below the horizon.

In the morning, the wind had picked up and we had a really slow, wet dinghy ride to shore to see what was there. Maryanne found a 41 year-old Cruising World article with a two-sentence reference to the Mara'a Grottoes. She checked the map on her phone and it was still there, so now we had a goal.

There was a sign on the road and a little pulloff with space for about eight cars. A path led into the jungle to a big cave full of water with vines hanging down over the entrance. We were all prepared for a cool, freshwater swim, but instead found a barrier and a sign saying, "Attention! Chute de Pierres". Well, merde! Now we can't go swimming because somebody failed to dive out of the way of a rock sometime in the last four decades.

After exploring the grottos we also found a local with home made fish traps for sale

At the next one, we found the sign and barrier so far back as to barely be able to see the grotto. The third and last one had no blockade and was fronted by a lovely lily pond that looked to be about four inches deep. Off I went.

First of all, the clarity of the water makes it look much shallower than it is. Two steps in and I was up to my waist. The awful part was that the bottom third was oozy mud. Eeewww! Swimming cancelled!

We decided as a consolation prize to look for another grotto higher up the mountain. We stopped by a local sandwich shop where the nice woman there explained that you can't get there from here. Okay, then we'll have a couple of sandwiches. Maryanne got a nice barbecue chicken. I decided to get fancier and added cheese and fries. Her sandwich was fine, but mine had two little pieces of chicken and a whole lot of strange and unwanted meat. I'm still easing my way back from vegetarianism and that was a bit too much all at once. I think I had a heart attack on my third bite.

We did some more wandering around and found the village of Mara'a proper. The grocery store was closed for renovation. The convenience store was closed. The only thing open was a store selling beautiful brightly-colored sundresses, which I assume must have been for weddings based on the prices.

Further down, we came upon the public pier and park. There lots of kiteboarders were setting up for the day. Like surfing, it looks like the kind of thing that would be a blast if you were good at it. We watched them for a while and then headed back to Begonia.

Watching the kitesurfers and the dramatic surf

At home, we found ourselves in what appeared to be the warm-up area before they went out the pass into the big surf outside. Then we were treated to some pretty amazing acrobatics as they cavorted in the ten-foot breakers.

Snorkelling during our time at Maraa

The following day it was windy and rainy. I decided that wouldn’t be too big of a deal snorkeling, since I would already be wet. The reef at Mara’a is extensive, so I had a lot to keep me occupied. The underwater landscape between the lagoon and the ocean had lots of peaks and valleys to explore. My big find of the day was a sea turtle who was so focused on munching away that she failed to see me approach. When she did, I spun around to give her some space and she was gone. I searched and searched, but never found her again.