We are in the Cook Islands

The sky during our passage



Coming to you from Aitutaki, Cooks Island.
Temperature 24 degrees, sunny, nice gentle breeze, humidity 78%.

Yeah.....making landfall in the Cook Islands



We survived the crossing, although it was a rough and exhausting one. You can see the previous “daily crossing posts” above if you are interested in talking yourself out of every making a crossing. It was wonderful to make landfall, although we had to stay out in the rough seas outside the entrance for a few hours while we waited for high tide. It was great to reunite with our friends Scott and Cindy on Beachhouse, who we met last year. Scott came out with his dinghy and guided us through the narrow and shallow unmarked channel. They don’t recommend any boats that draw over 1.5 metres to come in. We draw 2 metres, but like living on the edge!

Hoisting the Cook Island and the Quarantine flag



We made it in without incident, but the little harbour was full with 3 cats (or double-wides as we monohulls affectionately call them) and one sloop. We tied up to a barge at the mini-pier, but it turned out they were painting it, so when I jumped off to tie up, I got some nice fresh black paint on my sandals. We spent just one night there, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner aboard Beachhouse, and then we had to move the next day because of a freighter arriving, which requires the use of the barge. So yesterday, we went out to another area, that has minimal depth and it took us over an hour to anchor with both bow and stern anchors, and a lot of help from Scott in his dinghy acting as a bow thruster. The currents are strong here and they win over the winds, so it makes for an interesting, and unsecure holding, amongst lots of coral heads, which doesn’t make our Captain happy. We stayed on board for the afternoon and had Scott and Cindy over for dinner. So great to have outside social contact again.

Scott and Peter making the dry run through the pass



This afternoon we will assist Scott and Cindy and another boat that is leaving on the high tide. Then we will move in to the harbour and stay until next week or however long the mood strikes us. We will rent scooters this afternoon (very affordable at only $20 a day) and then we are going out for dinner with Rob and Ruth from Albatross (a South African couple) who have sailed from South Africa and going to New Zealand to immigrate. The big rugby game (tri-country tournament) follows dinner and tonight it is South Africa against New Zealand. Apparently the New Zealand team has one Cook Island player on it, so it should be quite lively in the bar.

Scott and Cindy from Beachouse onboard QuickStar for the sunset



It is fantastic to be in another country and it seems like we have entered another world. The Cook Islands is part of New Zealand, which means that the locals all speak English in addition to their local language. They are warm, friendly and welcoming. It seems surreal to hear English spoken (with a Kiwi accent). That means that now I can get back to my Spanish lessons, as I couldn’t do it while in the French speaking countries, as I was totally confused!

The little boat harbour



As I write this, we are sitting on the bottom (sand), with the lowest tide in about two weeks. Once we get floating again and get moved over, we’ll head to the major hotel so that I can get internet access and send this. We expect to be here till next Wednesday or Thursday and then we will have a two night crossing (joy, oh joy!) to Palmerston Island, a remote island of the Cook Islands. I will do the next update while underway on the Ham radio.



Until next Friday…..enjoy a magical sunset

Land Ho!

Good morning. We are within four miles of land. I am very happy about that, especially after another very uncomfortable 24 hours. We are rocking and rolling, and will arrive sporting a few more bumps and bruises. During the night, we had a wave crash over the cockpit, soaking everything, just to add a little bit of humour to things. They say that it takes three days to get in to the blue ocean routine, so we have only been out long enough to stay beyond the comfort zone. I have to admit to being exhausted and grumpy and will be one very happy camper to set down the anchor. This hasn't been an easy crossing, and even singing along with Tom Jones/Diana Ross/Tina Turner and witnessing the shooting stars that flashed out through the dark clouds didn't help my sagging spirit much.
We will be arriving at the outside of the reef by about 9:00 a.m. local time and then will drop the anchor until 11:40 when we will attempt the shallow pass during high tide. It only has a depth of 6 feet and that's what we draw, so we expect to power through the sandy bottom to make it in. Last week a boat got stuck coming out and they had to stay aground overnight, heeling and wait for the next high tide the following day (and help from our friend Scott on Beachouse) who will be keeping an eye out for us and coming out to meet us in his dinghy if he isn't out diving this morning. We will be hoisitng our Cook Island Flag and the quarantine flag shortly. Peter will go to check in with customs and immigation and bring back the health inspector and the food inspector. Once cleared, we are free to leave the boat, although I suspect that for today, we'll catch up on some much needed sleep. Our plan is to stay here a week, where we will do lots of exploring and diving and also do some sail repair and clean-up before the next two day crossing to Palmerston (joy, oh joy!) There isn't easy internet access here in Akitati, so I may keep relying on the ham radio email for the next couple of weeks. Thanks for coming along with us.
P.S. Wasn't able to send it earlier. It is now just past 8:00 a.m. local time and we have the anchor down in 20 - 25 knot winds, in a large sea. Feels like we are still underway. Scott has already made contact with us as we were approaching, so he'll come out shortly in his dinghy to give us the lay of the land and to assist with our transit through the narrow and shallow pass in a few more hours when it is high tide. I sure hope we can make it in as the prospect of spending a night at anchor in these conditions, is far from inviting. Take care.

Day Two

Good morning. We had a much smoother day yesterday with consistent swells and clear skies. It rained most of the night making the night watches rather damp and miserable, but at least the sea wasn't like a washing machine, as it was the day prior. I have my sea legs now, so that helps also. We have less than 125 miles to go. Right now at daybreak, the sky is 95% overcast, with dark, ominous looking clouds. Don't think we'll need to worry about sunscreen today. We should be hoisting the Cook Island flag about this time tomorrow. Will check in when we make landfall. Have a great day.

Underway to the Cook Islands

This blog update is coming via our ham radio email. We have almost completed the first 130 miles in 24 hours. As dawn breaks, we still have a very lumpy, bumpy ride with variable winds between 15 - 20 knots and dropping. Neither of us were able to catch more than a little sleep here or there , nor were we able to read, eat or do anything else (except me getting sick over the side of the rail) as the boat was rocking and rolling to beat the band.. The swells are only about 8 - 10 feet with a 1- 2 foot chop, but the sea is confused and coming at us from all quarters. The good news is we did make it out of the narrow pass at Mopelia without incident, so that was a great start. We also didn't have any rain, and that is about the longest stretch since we've been here this season where it hasn't had some rain in a 24-hour period. Here's hoping the next two days won't be quite as rough. I'll check in again tomorrow morning and hopefully have reports of whale sightings! ETA Akitaki, Cooks Islands, Wednesday, July 14th around 11:00 a.m.

Departure Delayed

Good morning. Happy Birthday to Joe. Today is also a sad day, as it was one year ago that our former employee and friend, Trisha Carlson was killed in a car accident. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.

Just a quick blog post to let you know we've delayed our departure by a day. We had blustery winds yesterday and the weather forecasts predict that the front will diminish today, so we planning on heading out as soon as the sun is directly overhead so that we can pick our way out through the coral heads and the narrow pass. Yesterday two more boats made their way into the lagoon. They made a few aborted attempts and then stood off for a couple of hours, but they ultimately made it in safe and sound. Hope that bodes well for our departure. I'll update the blog tomorrow morning while we are underway.
Cheers...

Bonjour from Paradise

Tuna caught while underway




Note: It is now July 16, 2010 (Cook Islands, Black Rock Cafe) and I'm updating this post with photos from Maupiti and Mopelia.

Peter trying to get the internet in Maupiti



View of the main village in Maupiti from the motu across the lagoon




Farewell Maupiti - port marker on the way out




The crashing surf as we are leaving



This is being sent to you via Ham Radio from our picture perfect anchorage in Mopelia. We arrived here after an overnight sail last Sunday, and we could stay here forever. It is our kind of Robinson Crusoe island - with only 12 inhabitants divided amongst four families. There are no facilities of any kind and the families live a basic and self-sustaining lifestyle.

Approaching Mopelia...




Made it through


There are two lovely anchorages here. We spent the first four nights in crystal clear water facing the motu with miles and miles of white sandy beaches fringed with coconut trees for as far as the eye can see. I've never seen a nicer beach anywhere in my travels. We moved this morning to the northern anchorage where we'll stay for the next two nights. This gives us easier access to go snorkel the wreck of the Sea Adler. We attempted it today, but the waves were too high, the swell too strong and the current too dangerous, so we had to turn back in our dinghy. Hopefully we can do it tomorrow afternoon. That was the main draw for coming here, but we are so glad we didn't listen to the guidebooks, that basically said it is a narrow and dangerous pass (which it is) and difficult to navigate both in and out.

Isn't this amazing!!!



The pass was quite intimidating as it is very narrow, with unforgiving coral on both sides all the way through. The books go on to say that most people who have ventured in have said it wasn't worth the stress of getting in and out. We think it is a golden jewel and it is our favourite place that we've come across this season (yes, it even beats out our second favourite place of last week, Maupiti, but only because it is so isolated!

Beautiful shells for us to leave for the next people to enjoy




We do hope we'll get out without any problems. One of the ham radio fellows told us that he went aground on the way out and had to kedge off and dig the coral off his hull. He then returned for 4 days to calm down, lick his wounds and try again!

Endless ocean



We went for a long walk around the motu and then crossed through the coconut jungle for the round trip. Can't even begin to describe how beautiful it is here. Next week, when we get to internet range, I'll post some pictures.

Here's some photos - Di walking on the wild side



We did go visit the key family here. The husband is Kamili and he is a big, welcoming guy who speaks a limited amount of English. We had some interesting conversations with hand signals. His sons were busy getting the roasted-in-the-sun coconuts ready in big burlap bags. Once every four months, a ship comes to the pass and collects their harvest, which is their only source of outside income. We'll be here today to see how the transaction takes place.

Kamili's family home



Another gorgeous rainbow



He also showed us his huge coconut crab. When we went snorkeling yesterday on the reef, he came over and taught Peter how he hunts for Oysters and they ate one fresh from the sea. It is wonderful to see pristine coral, alive and well. We haven't seen beautiful coral like this since last year in the Tuamotos and the Marquessa Islands.

Coconut Crab



The plan is to leave Saturday morning (we could leave today, but Peter adheres to the Sailors creed of not beginning any passages on a Friday). I could happily stay here forever, but we must start heading west and there is still so much to see. We will up-anchor on Saturday morning and head toward the Cook Islands. It will be with some sadness that we take down the French flag as well as the Polynesian flag, in readiness to hoist the Cook Island flag.

Taking down the French Polynesian flag



We expect the crossing to take about three days. I admit to being a little nervous as this will be the longest crossing with only Peter and me. One of the cruisers who just arrived in Akitaki (where we are heading) broke his rib on the crossing. Hopefully we'll be a bit luckier.

Heading out of the pass from Mopelia



The weather has been quite unsettled, with squalls and rain, so we expect we'll be weathering some of that. As requested, I will try to post a message on the blog each morning, beginning Sunday morning for the duration of the crossing. There is no guarantee that we can get reception, so if there is not a posting one day - please do not worry. We should make landfall sometime Tuesday.

A little intimidating...but here we come


Hope everyone is well and happy. Although we do love it here, we miss our friends and family and think of you all often.

smiles from the South Pacific



Until Sunday..have a great weekend.

We've died and gone to heaven

This is a view that you see almost anywhere you look

Wow – we’ve found our favourite place so far in the South Pacific. The tiny island of Maupiti is a well kept secret. There are only three sailboats in the entire lagoon. There is no major tourism here, only the odd small pension, and the locals want to keep it this way. They have successfully resisted all attempts to become the next Bora Bora.

The tricky entrance with breaking waves



The island combines the best of both the atolls of the Tuomotos with the high cliffs of the Marquessa Islands. What keeps it “off the beaten track” is the very tricky pass to get in. With any kind of southern swell, it becomes impassable. We planned accordingly with the weather and arrived at noon last Friday. It was quite hairy coming in, but of course, Peter loved the excitement.

A motu on the left-hand side as you come in to the pass.



We had planned on only staying about four days, but due to high wind and heavy swells, we aren’t leaving until Saturday – although we love it here, so that is no hardship. I’d arranged via email in Bora Bora to go for a dive on Saturday, so the Dive Master Lionel came out to our boat to meet up with make the arrangements.. My main diving goal has been to swim with the Manta Rays, and we accomplished that on Saturday. Yahoo!

It was absolutely incredible. We dove in only about 30 feet of water and we positioned ourselves by the “cleaning” rock. The current was quite strong so we had to hang on, but that is the reason the Manta Ray’s come there. They literally float over the large coral head and open their gills and the many fish come out and “clean” them. Once done, they danced over top of us, making direct eye contact and coming within touching distance. We saw five of them, up close and personal, and it was amazing. A definite diving highlight! We didn’t get any photos as our camera doesn’t work for diving.

All family members are buried in front yards. This is a common burial plot.



That afternoon we walked around the 11 kilometre island. There is hardly any traffic as the locals ride bicycles or scooters. They are very friendly and welcoming to the few tourists that they get here.

The front of the church



On Sunday, we went to church – the first Protestant service that we’ve been to, as most of French Polynesia is pre-dominantly Catholic. Usually when we drop in at church we sit at the back so that we don’t take the spot of regulars. We tried to do the same here; however, a member of the church service moved us to the front row and presented both of us with a live floral lei. The service was all in Tahitian, but one of the speakers spoke directly to us in French and welcomed us to their church. We’re not sure what all she said, but we just kept smiling and nodding. After the service, they shook our hands and thanked us for coming. We felt like honoured guests.

A picture of our beautiful lei’s with the church in the background



The main island is surrounded by a coral reef with three motu's just inside the reef. They are all public, with miles of white, sandy beaches and we have gone for long, leisurely walks around the motu's. We’ve also wandered around and explored the “mari’s”, which are ancient sacred sites.

The most famous sacred site



We had two little girls who were our unofficial tour guides. They talked passionately about the mari and pointed out all the special features – all in French. Again, we just smiled and nodded. I sure wish we could speak French so that we could communicate better with these friendly people.

Our adorable tour guides



We also went for a strenuous hike, attempting to get to the top of the mountain. The trail was very rugged, under and over trees, and we ended up running out of daylight and having to turn back without making it to the top. The views were inspiring though and we got lots of exercise.

View from one of the lookouts to the two false passes



We celebrated Canada Day, by being goofy and wearing our Canada paraphernalia. We were thinking of everyone back home and hope you are all enjoying a nice long weekend.

Wishing everyone a Happy Canada Day



I am updating this blog at the home of one of the locals here. We will go for a last dive this afternoon and then if all goes accordingly to plan we will leave at noon tomorrow for an overnight sail to Mopelia. This island also has a tricky pass, so we may not make it in if the conditions are too rough and then we will just keep on going to the Cook Islands.

At low tide you can walk from the mainland beach out to the Motu



Assuming we make it in, we will stay for a few days and go snorkeling on the sunken World War I German schooner called “Sea Adler” which was used for raiding. Our friends that have gone ahead of us say it is really interesting. The island itself is all but deserted, with only 12 residents remaining on it. There are no services.
Once we leave for the Cook Islands, which will be sometime next week, I’ll update the blog on a daily basis for the four day crossing. This will be the longest stretch that Peter and I have done alone. Wish us luck!

Until next time….celebrate the long weekend.