We were saddened this week to learn from our close friends Diane and Rob, of the sudden death of their beloved 30 year old nephew. Too sad for words. Makes you truly cherish every day. On a much happier note, the circle of life continues. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Danny and his girlfriend Ashley will be bringing our newest grandchild in to the world around December 22nd. What a fabulous Christmas it will be!
This past week we sailed around Tahaa, a small island with about 4,500 people. We anchored at the head of a mile long bay and were the only boat there. The full moon shone overhead and was a magnificent sight suspended between the two headlands at the entrance to the bay. The photo doesn’t do it justice. On Sunday morning, we planned on going to the little church in this isolated community, but we didn’t make it in time. We (okay maybe just me) really enjoy going to church as the entire village comes out and they dress up in fancy hats and their Sunday best. The singing is amazing and even though we can’t understand the service, which is a combination of the local Tahitian language and French, we love how welcoming the locals are to us.
We hiked 8 kilometres over the mountain from our bay to the bay on the other side of the island. The views were breathtaking. After another night in this anchorage we sailed over to the southern bay where the yacht club is. One major difference between South Pacific cruising and Mexican cruising is the depth of the anchorages. It is very common to anchor in 100 foot depths here. We have 300 feet of chain and another 200 feet of rode (which means nylon anchor line to you landlubbers), so we are able to swing comfortably, while others have to attach to and pay for mooring balls.
While here for a few nights we decided to be more social than usual and went to the bar the first night and then to a special Tahitian buffet and dance show on the beach the following night. We were joined there by about 7 of the 20 Blue Water Rally boats – which is an around the world rally that started in England early this year. We enjoyed kibitzing with these sailors as well as meeting some sailors who have plied these waters for over 8 years – so we got a wealth of knowledge on the countries we will be sailing to this season.
The only downside was that Peter said that we could go to this show, but no matter what he wasn’t going to get up and dance and make a fool out of himself. We had a beachside table and you can guess the rest…..Peter was dragged up (glaring at me as he was led away) and he “shook his booty” in front of the packed house. I was laughing so hysterically that my pictures didn’t turn out very well. Peter was actually a pretty good sport about it.
We returned the day before yesterday to Raiatea to do some routine boat maintenance such as refueling, changing the oil, filling propane bottles, etc. Peter discovered that the impeller in the generator was broken. I made the monumental mistake of asking what it was for. Peter then gave me a dissertation on the function of this water-wheel looking contraption. (Kylie, you can well imagine just how thrilling this was!) The reader’s digest version is that this little $20 piece is essential in cooling the engine to prevent a complete breakdown. It is pretty easy to replace and since we have spares and then more spares on board, it was due to be an easy fix. Turned out not to be the case. The spares that the manufacturer supplied in their kit were the wrong size. After lots of swearing and mature ranting calling them a bunch of “f***ing idiots”, Peter went to the marina to see if they had the part.
No, is the short end of the story, but he was able to order them and have them flown in from Papeete (where he also ordered more oil filters, just in case). They were supposed to arrive in a few days, but to our very pleasant surprise they arrived today – at a mere cost of $250.00 U.S. (for three of them). We are still delayed here though as the propone still has yet to be delivered. Hopefully soon.
Our next stop was going to be Bora Bora, but the winds have intensified and shifted, so that if we went now we would be dead on the wind. Instead we will probably head over to the southern side of Tahaa to snorkel the reef for a couple of days while waiting for the wind to be more favourable (and most likely for the propane to be delivered). Being able to choose to sail with the winds at our back in following seas is just another great benefit of not being on a fixed schedule.
My computer got seawater on it (we left a hatch open for a few minutes, and it managed to destroy my keyboard). We got a new one to hook in to the computer, but of course it is French, so the keys are all marked differently. Makes for some interesting typing. Sadly, our binoculars finally bit the dust. They have a real sentimental value as they were Peter’s Dad’s who was given them on his retirement in 1984. We have used them faithfully for all our sailing, and the new ones we bought won’t be nearly as special. Needless to say we’ll keep the original ones, as well as the special wooden case that was built for them. Another little inconvenience here is weevils. Seems the pesky little things get in to most flour, sugar, breadcrumbs, etc. Really, they are just a little extra protein, but Peter is a real baby about them, so I try to hurry when I’m doing any cooking using these dry ingredients.
Every night we are serenaded by drums playing on the beach. It’s like our own private concert. As I’m finishing this off, Peter is currently putting in the impeller – it is the right size but instead of 6 thingy’s, it has 12. You can tell I’m not the mechanic on board. Hopefully, it will work alright – Peter has just emerged from the work room with a big smile on his face, so he’s a happy camper now. We are good to go.
Until next week…..do something fun and free. Like a picnic!
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