Hi
from Clare, Monday 3rd
October 2016
A
GREAT SAIL
We
left Moorea on Friday 24th
September and had a very pleasant overnight beam reach sail to Maroe
Bay on the east side of Huahine. This was Cheryl's first overnight
sail and she stayed up 'till midnight enjoying the warm breeze, the
sway of the boat and the star studded sky above. Patrick has
previously sailed overnight with us in Italy but he too marvelled at
the experience once again.
WHAT
CORAL?
After
breakfast we went snorkelling behind Motu Topati where the fish
congregate away from the current. This Motu is written up in the
Lonely Planet as “a magnificent place to snorkel” in Huahine.
We saw many varieties of colourful fish but the coral is mostly dead,
I couldn't help but think that the pretty fish deserved a nicer place
to live. Since then we have snorkelled a few more times in various
locations around Huahine and found the coral to be very
disappointing.
 |
| Calm behind the Motu |
IN
THE DARK
That
evening we had a BBQ on the beach as Aussie friends Sasha and Roger
on 'Ednbal' and American friends Meryl and Walter on 'Flying Cloud'
had arrived in the bay. Cheryl and Patrick opted to stay on the
boat. I think the draw card was that I had introduced Patrick to the
Jack Reacher series of novels by Lee Child and Patrick was deep in
his own adventure. We had a great BBQ, a few drinks and a chance to
catch up by the light of Roger's roaring camp fire. The following
day we caught up with American friends Cheryl and Mark on 'French
Curve'. The four boats travelled together for a few days and so we
had plenty of company.
 |
| Roger, Sasha, Clare, Andrew and Walter at the BBQ |
UP
THE CREEK
We
took the dinghies a few miles up a channel to lake Maeva to the
township of Maeva. On the way we passed ancient fish traps (see
photo) which date back to the sixteen hundreds. These are V shaped
rock walls in the water and herd the fish into the narrowest point
where they are easily caught. In Maeva we went to the Museum which
is a replica of an open traditional house (see photo) and read about
ancient customs and traditions and archaeological digs a few miles
away in the hills. On the way back to the yacht, which was anchored
in Faie Bay, we called into the village and saw the blue eyed eels.
These
generate some interest as their blue eyes are quite unusual. They
live in the creek in the town and some are six foot long.
 |
| Old stone fish traps |
 |
| Traditional building at Maeva |
 |
| Blue eyed eels |
We
sailed around to the main township of Fare on the western side of the
island. This is where the old meets the new. A large supermarket
with everything in it and a main street dotted with open stalls
selling fresh produce. We bought a lovely tuna fish for A$15 but
passed on the lobsters due to lack of room in the fridge. With extra
people holidaying on board the fridge is half full with the more
important things like alcohol and chocolate.
Patrick,
Cheryl, Andrew and I dived the pass with Mahana Dive. I am very
pleased to say that after the very expensive and disappointing
experience in Moorea, this dive was not only half the price but also
more than twice as good. We saw sharks, schools of barracuda, eels,
eagle rays and many schools of tropical fish. The coral wasn't great
but it is the best we have seen in French Polynesia so far.
 |
A&C at the safety stop |
That
evening the ten of us from the yachts previously mentioned enjoyed a
happy hour at the Huahine Yacht Club. So much so that we all
returned the following evening for dinner. Both Andrew and I had
steak in pepper sauce with vegetables which was very good. Everyone
enjoyed their meals and once again the company was terrific. I think
Patrick has been surprised at how good the camaraderie is within the
cruising community. Something we are used to but never take for
granted. Here we parted company with Ednbal as they are travelling
east, but we will see them again next season and take up exactly
where we left off.
 |
| At dinner at the Huahine Yacht Club |
 |
| Clare (curly) & Andrew |
The
good thing about Huahine is that you can travel down the west side of
the island without leaving the flat water inside the reef. There are
many very calm anchorages to enjoy and one could spend many months
here exploring the bays. It is only six miles from the township of
Fare to the southern tip of the island. We travelled half way and
took up a mooring ball at Hana Iti Beach. Patrick, Cheryl, Andrew
and I went for a bush walk up into the hills. It was lovely to be in
amongst the greenery and the scenery from the top of the hill was
worth the climb. There was also a lovely little beach there where
tripper boats would bring small parties daily to enjoy a BBQ on the
beach. Each morning before the anyone arrived a local man would rake
the beach and burn any debris laying around. By the time the tripper
boat arrived the area is picture perfect.
 |
 |
| Views from our walk |
We
continued on to the southern point of the island to Avea Bay which
is where we are now. Last night eight of us had drinks on Flying
Cloud. It had a good night with lively conversation. Today Patrick
and Cheryl hired a car and toured the island. They had booked motor
bikes but as the company ran out of bikes they were given a Eurocar
for the same price. Andrew and I opted to stay on the boat and have
a quiet day. This is probably a good thing as I managed to get this
newsletter done.
 |
| Views ashore at Avea Bay |
SO
WHAT'S NEXT
Tomorrow
we will sail twenty odd miles to Raiatea/Tahaa lagoon to continue the
adventure. So until next time stay safe and have fun.
Love
Candy xx
