Hi
from Clare, Wednesday 16th
August 2017
WE
ESCAPED THE CITY
It
is two weeks today since we left Tahiti and sailed to the Island of
Moorea. We anchored near the Soffitel Hotel on the eastern side of
the island where the water is calm and the snorkeling good. We
enjoyed peace and quiet, sunny days and welcomed shade late afternoon
thanks to the nearby mountains. A lovely location with the added
benefits of Internet access via the Soffitel and a short dinghy ride
into the nearby village for provisions. We busied ourselves and
spent a few hours each day polishing the deck. A very rewarding job
and quite enjoyable when not under time pressure.
WE
FOUND FRIENDS
Eventually
strong S/E wind forced us to leave our serenity and sail to the north
side of the island to Cooks and Opunohu Bays for protection. We were
greeted by our American friends Tom and Sylvia on “Cinnabar”,
Kenny, Betsy and family on “Alcyone” and new friends Rob and
Nancy on “Shindig”. Over the next few days we enjoyed drinks on
Alcyone, group walks to the prawn farm and the fresh fruit stall, a
gathering in the nearby park and many chats on all the boats. We
also enjoyed the presence of three whales in the anchorage. Two
adults and a calf just lazing about having a rest for a few days.
They were not the slightest bit perturbed by the number of people in
dinghies and motor boats coming out for a close up view.
 |
| Oponohu Bay anchorage |
The
cruise ship Paul Gauguin shared our anchorage and lit up the sky with
an unexpected and quite lengthy fireworks display. It must have been
some special occasion for them but we were the happy recipients, the
anchorage erupted with horn blowing, whistles, cheers and clapping;
it seems fireworks never lose their magic. We hope the whales enjoyed
the show, they were certainly right underneath it.
HUAHINE
A SPECIAL ISLAND
On
Sunday afternoon we left the island of Moorea and sailed 85 miles to
the island of Huahine. The trip was terrific, very gentle with
lovely sunny weather and plenty of moonlight at night. We were a
little sorry when we arrived as we were enjoying ourselves so much,
we could have just kept sailing.
 |
| Anchorage at Fare, Huahine |
We
met up with American friends Steve and Lili on “Liward” who we
haven’t seen since September last year. So after a quick snooze in
the afternoon to catch up on lost sleep, we had drinks on their boat
that night. Very lively company and we had a most enjoyable evening.
 |
| A nearby resort in Fare, Huahine |
Last
night we met again to celebrated Andrew’s birthday with dinner at
the Huahine Yacht Club. We commenced with Happy Hour cocktails and
met a number of Steve’s friends including a tourist from New
Zealand also celebrating his birthday. Being a bit younger than
Andrew this chap started celebrating his birthday the day before,15th
down under and then came up for another dose yesterday 15th
in French Polynesia. Only the young would be so brave, he was a
little worse for wear by the time we met him, but happy.
 |
| Steve, Lili, Andrew and Clare at the Yacht Club |
A
BROKEN DREAM
Recently
one of the Cruising yachts ran aground on the reef at the southern
end of this island. The catamaran is a write-off as it has a big
hole punched in the bottom and sea water is right through the boat.
Thankfully the crew was air lifted to safety but have since returned
with a number of volunteers and stripped the boat bare in the hope of
selling the equipment to pay for the final removal of the hull.
Yesterday
a few of us went over and had a look at all the gear, what a
depressing sight. It is all dumped in an outdoor shed with no walls
and on a dirt floor. It is pouring rain now and half the stuff is
wet. Because of the salt water through the boat most things are
starting to rust. Andrew bought some engine parts that are new and
unused.
 |
| Andrew in amongst the salvaged items |
SO
WHAT’S NEXT
High
winds have been forecast for the next few days. So far we have
experienced gusts up to 34.8 knots. It is chilly also, we even had
to put a blanket on our bed; totally unheard of! When the wind
drops, we will go down to Avea Bay at the end of the island. This is
one of our favourite spots and so we are looking forward to improved
weather and some snorkelling.
Love
Candy xx
