Greetings
All, 1-2018 French Polynesia 3rd May 2018
ANOTHER
NEW START
So
here we are back in French Polynesia ready for another season of
sailing. The weather is perfect, bright sunny days, balmy nights and
29.6 degrees sea water. Swimming is almost like taking a bath. Most
of the tropical rain has gone but occasionally we get a deluge, just
to keep us on our toes. The heavy downpours come quickly, mostly in
short bursts and saturates everything. We even have to drain the
mainsail bag before we reopen hatches or we are likely, when the boat
rolls, to end up with a bucket load of water on the dinning table. So
it’s a case of ‘stay awake’.
WE’RE
GETTING GOOD AT THIS
Upon
our return we found Eye Candy in good condition. The inside of the
boat was perfect and the de humidifier did a good job at keeping any
mould at bay. We also had a Yacht Services business checking on our
batteries, and for any unwanted infestations. The deck was stained
and grubby and the outside ropes were black. Fortunately we used
the boat yards pressure house and cleaned this up in no time. So
after painting the bottom, polishing the hull, deck and re
establishing Eye Candy we launched in early April.
 |
 |
| Anchorage on West side of Huahine |
LAP
IT UP
After the launch we
sailed 20 miles east to Huahine and enjoyed a well earned rest in the peace and
quiet. It was bliss sleeping with a gentle sea breeze flowing over
us. Especially after weeks of working in a hot, dusty and very noisy
boat yard. We enjoyed some walks, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing
breaks on shore, having morning coffee in the shade listening to the
water lapping the shore and looking out to a vast expanse of aqua
sparkling water.
 |
| Avea Bay, Huahine |
 |
| Coffee at the Resort Restaurant, Avea Bay, Huahine |
We
sailed back to Raiatea to catch up with some of our cruising friends
returning to their boats for the season. It was back to the boat
yard but this time it was much cooler as we could anchor off.
We
had dinner out with Tom and Sylvia from Cinnabar and Rob and Sue from
Athanor. The girls sat at one end of the table and boys at the
other. Everyone was happy and clearly we had our own conversations
and catching up to do.
WHERE
ELSE WOULD YOU RATHER BE
 |
| Sue, Clare and Sylvia |
 |
| Pizza with Tom and Rob and Andrew |
We
are now on the island of Tahaa enjoying more peaceful walks and
perfect anchoring conditions in very calm bays within the reef. Rob and Sue are with us and together we have snorkelled the Coral
Garden. This is a lovely shallow spot between two atolls with a
gentle current running through. It is a great drift snorkel with
many colourful fish and lovely coral. Probably one of the best places
to snorkel around here. The water is so warm you can hardly feel it
on your skin. We sat in the shallows under the shade of a tree and
chatted about the snorkel until our skin wrinkled up. It is easy to take
these experiences for granted, but they are truly magnificent and
something we will always remember.
 |
| Fish and coral in the Coral Garden |
 |
| Coral Garden at Tahaa with Bora Bora in the background |
SO
WHAT’S NEXT
So
tomorrow we will have to tear ourselves away from this paradise and
go to Raiatea for shopping. We are running out of fresh food. Just
think if we didn’t have to eat we could stay here for ever; what a
pity.
We
have to leave French Polynesia by the end of May so we will
provision the boat over the remaining weeks and plan out trip west. We have booked to leave
the boat in Fiji by the end of the season.
So
until next time stay safe and our love to all.
Candy
xx
