Great Barrier Island

We spent last weekend with some old friends - the first time we have slept off the boat since leaving England last January. On Saturday we went racing with them in their boat - a 28 footer. There wasn't much wind when we started, and we were the only entrant in a 'no spinnaker' class. We were delighted that having finished the course we went on record as having won! It took us 8 hours to get round the course - round one of the islands in the bay - the wind came up to a good 25 knots in the afternoon, but we had to beat against it and tack our way back to the marina.
On Sunday we went to Katikati on the Bay of Plenty. It was an interesting and varied drive. We passed through a gorge and through a gold mining area which is still being worked (Waiki). There's a huge hole which is the open cast mine. Saw some large kauri trees about 600 years old, and had a walk along a lovely 6-mile long wild beach. On the way back stocked up with kiwis and avocados in an area where they are grown, and visited a winery.
At the moment we are exploring Great Barrier Island 36 09 890 S and 175 21 567 W which is very quiet at the moment but evidently gets up to 1,000 boats visiting during the Christmas hols. There are lot of sheltered inlets to anchor in though, and lots of walks to do on the island. Yesterday we did a longish hike to an old kauri dam built in about 1920. In the days when they were logging the huge kauri trees they got them down from the hills by building wooden dams, in this case in a series. When the water level had built up they released it and all the logs that they had rolled into the water. They must have lost quite a lot of the wood as the stream is full of huge boulders.
Having had three gorgeous days - blue sky and hot sun but the air is still cool in the shade - today it is raining, light but consistent. The days are getting nice and long - not dark until nearly 9pm.

we've arrived!

Good old Pegasus has brought us safely to New Zealand. Hard to believe we're actually here. As expected the last 24 hrs were quite difficult. The barometer was falling every time we looked, the skies were black, and the wind was rising - the only plus was that we were going like a train. By midnight it was pitch black, raining, and gusting over 30 knots. However we knew that once we were in the bay it would at least be calmer, and at the rate we were going with only a pocket handkerchief of sail out, it wouldn't take long.

So by 2am we were getting into the protection of the Bay of Islands. We called the authorities and asked if we could anchor until dawn as by then it was gusting 40 knots. The thought of trying to tie up at an unknown dock with no one to take our lines was not attractive. Found a very sheltered little bay, and by 3am were anchored in calm waters.

This morning we motored to Opua at the head of the bay, and joined about six other boats on the large Customs dock (evidently yesterday they checked in 15 boats arriving from Tonga and Fiji). Formalities were efficient and thorough - all fruit, veg, dairy products and seeds had to go. So here we are, at a dock in the large marina. Lovely hot shower this evening. Lots of people we know here of course, including a couple we met in San Blas and then Panama three years ago before they went through the Canal. Declined to join the partying for Obama's success this evening, no sleep last night so early to bed tonight. Temp 14 C as I write, jeans, socks, fleeces all day.

progress report 4th Nov

Last night was a mixture of motor and sail, but the wind came through in the early hours of this morning and we have been making very good progress under sail since then. Have just been in contact with NZ customs on the SSB radio to say we should be arriving at 6am tomorrow. In fact if we continue at the speed we are doing now we'll be there well before dawn, but luckily we have a large bay to go through, so can follow the buoys slowly waiting for it to get light.

At breakfast time the mainsail suddenly blew out - it's an old one. Too difficult to get it down and put another up in these seas because of the in-mast furling, but we're doing fine with genoa and mizzen.

Position at 06.00 GMT 4th Nov 34 08 S and 174 29 E 63 miles to go to the entrance to the Bay of Islands

progress report 3rd Nov

Another busy day of sail changes and motor on and off. Very changeable winds and quite a lot of rain. We're trying to move as fast as pos as there is bad weather S of NZ which is going to cause big seas and high winds for the last part of our trip. The aim is definitely to get into Opua in daylight on Wed.

Caught a nice tuna today and am about to cook some for dinner.

Position at 0500 GMT Mon 31 57 S and 175 30 E

progress report 2nd nov

Motored all night last night. No wind at all, a very starry sky, and smooth shiny sea. Rather nice except that we'd rather not be using up the diesel. Very chilly at night now, fleeces and long trousers and today I got the woolly hats out.

Today, unexpectedly, the wind filled in and we had a gorgeous sail until about 4pm, catching up "Shilling of Hamble" and "Lindisfarne" the other two boats in the vicinity. Now motoring again, and it looks as though we may have rain later.

G was kept busy for an hour or two repairing the prop generator - it suddenly stopped charging. Luckily it was an easily diagnosed loose wire, but it isn't easy working down in the engine room while at sea.

Position at 0500 GMT 2nd Nov - 30 02 S and 176 15 E. 331 miles to go to Opua in the Bay of Islands

progress report 1st nov

We are motoring with flat seas, clear blue sky, and next to no wind. Hard to believe after the wind and waves of the last days, but exactly as forecast. The barometer has risen and we're in a high pressure zone. Just hope we get enough wind to sail at least for a while over the next couple of days, and then the winds will fill in again off the coast of NZ.

Flat seas mean that we can cook more interesting meals, and even read a book, so it is a comfort zone if nothing else.

Last night we had clear skies and were making excellent progress, overtaking the nearest boat. The fastest of our group will arrive in NZ on Tues morning, whereas we will probably get there some time on Wed. afternoon.

Our position at 0500 GMT 1st Nov is 27 56 S and 177 06 E Over half way there.

Progress Report Oct 31st

We crossed into the eastern hemisphere in the early hours of this morning. Our position at 15.00 GMT is 25 36 S and 178 58 E. We left Minerva after lunch at the tail end of an exodus of all six boats in the anchorage. Are still at the tail end, much to the captain's dismay and much tweaking of sails, but there are just some faster boats on the ocean!

We've had winds of 20 - 25 knots, so are making good progress though the forecast shows 'light and variable' ahead. There was a period of diversion this afternoon when a NZ airforce plane was in the area buzzing each boat then calling them up on the radio (C, remember 2am in Canadian waters?). We have already had to send off a fairly comprehensive form, and also have to call up or email 48hrs before arrival, so this, nearly 700 miles out, seemed a bit OTT though sounded a pleasant job for the crew concerned.

Caught a nice small mahi mahi this morning, perfect for 2 meals.

Minerva Reef

After a good night with 15 - 20 knots consistently from the SE, and reasonable seas, we have stopped for a few hours at the only stopping spot en route. It's a circular reef with one passage through to a 2 mile long lagoon. Therefore shelter is possible in any wind direction. Will be interesting to see it on Google World - apart from some nearbye bits of reef it is the only shallow water for many miles around.

So we have fixed what needs fixing, checked the rest, made bread and cake, generally tidied up, and had a bit of a rest. After lunch we'll head off again - there were 6 boats anchored here and all are leaving today.

Position 23 38 414 S and 178 53 492 W

NZ Progress report

Well we knew this wouldn't be an easy trip, but weren't expecting squalls of 40 knots the first night - we didn't get round that low. Luckily saw the first one coming so got the sails reefed. Another boat lost part of their rig, got their prop and rudder fouled with lines, and are now limping back to Tonga. We spent a few hours standing by, but then a research ship heading that way said they would accompany them so we got back on route.

So it has been a night and day of quite rough seas but the wind is now around 25 knots and we're making good progress. We plan to stop at Minerva Reef which we should reach tomorrow morning. We have a broken mizzen topping lift - easily mended but easier to do at anchor - and also have the opportunity for a bit of sleep.

Position at 0800 GMT 29th is 22 59.238 S and 178 00.430 W 62 miles to Minerva Reef, and 900 to NZ

PEGASUS: The last lap to NZ

Pegasus weighed anchor from Nuku Alufa, Tonga at 10am local time (9pm GMT time the day before) today 28 October heading for Opua, Bay of Islands, NZ. We are currently heading just west of the rumb line hoping to miss a low coming in from Fiji. Then, when we get near Minerva reef (an optional stopping place), we will head more westerly hoping to keep north of a high near NZ. Then when we get level with NZ we will head south picking up the westerlies that the high will have caused. That anyway is the theory and current plan, but weather systems move fast in these parts so we will have to see.

Wind at the moment is SE 15-20 kts but the sea is lumpy and not that comfortable. Current position 22:00 local time is 21deg 49.596min S and 176deg 03.991min W.

More Tales from Tonga

We are now in the central, Ha'apai, group of Tongan islands. An area seldom visited by 'palangi' or foreigners except for one island which has a small airport. Even the hundreds of yachts now in Tonga waiting to cross to New Zealand (those going to Australia have taken a different route) for the most part miss this area out. So we are a select few souls who are prepared to do without supplies, technical assistance, bars cafes and restaurants and ice cream. Instead we have uninhabited or sparcely habited islands, miles of sandy beaches which are a shell-collectors paradise, unspoilt reefs, and enough fish to keep us on a mainly fishy diet. Also traditional villages where time has stood nearly still.

On this island, Luangahu, the population is 200. The village consists of one small store, a church, a school, and a straggle of very basic houses. Pigs, goats, chickens and a few tethered cows snuffle, chew and peck at their extremely free range diet of ripe mangoes and coconuts with a bit of breadfruit. The villagers are very friendly. We met a family on the track into the village with an ancient wheelbarrow in which was packed a small girl, several papaya, a bag of mangoes, taro, and some leafy vegetable. They presented us with a large papaya and we found out that he was the pastor - his English was much better than that of most of the villagers. We were already quite laden with fruit. Another man had said he could supply us, and marched us off to his house where a group of women were sitting on the floor finger weaving panandus mats. It was hardly a house, more like a wooden shed, with a large pig fast asleep under a hammock slung outside the door. We then followed him along paths through plantations of palms and fruit trees with patches of taro, yams, and cassava. Soon we had a stalk of bananas, a few lemons, lots of mangoes (in season at the moment and dropping off the trees), and a papaya.

As we get further south, we are out of the real sticky tropical heat which is very nice, but it also means that snorkelling expeditions are chillier, and a walk on a beach is often more tempting. Our shell collection is getting quite large, and our 'Seashells of the World' book is well-thumbed. There are fruit bats (flying foxes) on several islands, and many terns that object to our landing on their territory. But good whale sightings have eluded us. We have seen a few from the boat, blowing and jumping, but not close too. I really wanted to see mothers and babies, as this is the season and place to see them, and eventually went on a commercial whale watching trip with some other cruisers. It wasn't meant to be though, the day before there had been whales right next to the boat, and also the day after. On our trip we only saw a few whales, and all quite far away. The boat did have an underwater microphone, and it was wonderful to hear the (distant) whales 'talking' to each other.

Only a couple more weeks before we choose a day for the last leg of our trip - to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. The weather is calming down in that notorious stretch of water between here and there, and we have started to keep an eye on the weather reports that we can download on our email system. Some families are sending mums and children by air from Nuku A'lufa, the capital of Tonga, and others are flying in extra crew. We are giving the boat a good check through, and just keep fingers crossed that the seas will be kind to us. As we run down our supplies, Pegasus is riding high in the water which hopefully means we can go faster.....

Tongan Feast and Things

We have had a few days of good weather, starting on my birthday when we went for a very hot bike ride. Then moved to one of the outer islands of this group, quite difficult to get to as it involved finding the deep channels between very shallow bits of reef, and as the electronic charts are well and truly out of position, they weren't much help. Worth it though, it was a lovely spot with a long beach and exposed rocky area at low tide, and a path through to the ocean side with cliffs and pounding waves. Extracted ourselves yesterday in 30 knot winds - carefully following the GPS track from our inward route.

Now in a much tamer anchorage with lots of other boats, but we came here so that we could go to a Tongan Feast last night. This is a weekly event put on by a Tongan family for tourists, but exactly the same as the feasts put on for any local celebration. It all took place in a simple shelter just behind the beach. There was music provided by a banjo, a couple of guitars, a wooden drum and some good strong singing voices. (helped along by a large bowl of kava drunk from coconut shells) Then a group of local primary school children did some dancing - no hip shaking here, but a lot of hand and arm movement from the girls, and warlike stamping and gesturing from the lads.

The food was delicious. A long table was covered with banana leaves, and we ate food packed in banana leaves, in short lengths of halved bamboo, or coconut shells. So no plates, no utensils, and all local ingredients - fish cooked and raw, clams and other shellfish, chicken, pork, and raw and cooked vegetables. All the cooked dishes were from an 'umu' an underground oven, which cooks slowly and gives a delicious slightly smoky taste to everything. The 'guests' were a mixture of New Zealanders on holiday, a French couple teaching in NZ, and a Dutch, French, and Colombian crew from a yacht. 14 of us in all.

We still haven't seen any whales, so I'm booked to go whale watching next Wed with some friends on other boats - G has seen whales often in S Africa so isn't so interested. No doubt between now and then we'll see them all over the place!

We have had a great three days of calm sunny weather, but now the low is sitting over us again. It poured with rain for hours yesterday and we have nearly filled the tank and have all drinking water containers full. Then last night the wind came up and the forecast for the next couple of days is 25 - 30 knots. We are in a lovely anchorage with a string of 3 little islands and long beaches. The 'ocean' side is steep cliffs and chasms, blow holes, and lots of splash. A path goes over from this side. Even did some good snorkeling while the weather was calm - lots of sea cucumbers of all sizes and shapes, bright blue starfish, and a good selection of little fishes.

Tales from Tonga

Since our last update it has been windy, rainy and at the best very overcast - a slow-moving convergence zone stretching over the whole area. We stayed longer than planned in Rarotonga (Cook Islands) because of the weather, but the only harbour on the island was fairly exposed and quite uncomfortable too - we had to be tied stern-to to a concrete wall, with a bow anchor out. Such was the slop though that we couldn't be close enough to the wall to step off the boat, but had to keep the dinghy as a 'stepping stone' between - a bucking bronco between would be more accurate. The slop caused huge pull on our mooring lines, and although we didn't have problems (good, thick, fairly elastic ropes) others had lines breaking. By the time we decided enough was enough we had two anchors out and six mooring lines; and one very nervous Dane who spent most of the day and night pacing his decks to check on things, had three anchors and 13 lines, a bit of a spider's web.

From the Cook Islands to Tonga was a 5 night trip, fast, but fairly rough with squalls the first couple of nights (they always seem to hit at night time). Still we arrived safely in the Vava'u group, happy to be in this ideal cruising area of sheltered water.

Tonga is about the only independent group of islands in the South Pacific - it has never been colonized. It is a monarchy, and you may have seen in the press that the latest coronation was an occasion of great pomp and ceremony (and expense) only a short while ago. But it is quite a poor nation, with little aid coming in, and no welcoming destination for migrant workers though many do manage to get work in New Zealand and Australia. The capital is Nuku Alufa in the south; and there are no other towns of size. The main town of this group has very healthy looking pigs and piglets running around the streets, and the 'supermarkets' only sell very basic goods. It is quite a 'yachty' area, there is a Moorings charter base here, and sailing people provide most of the visitors except for a cruise ship that anchors off every now and then and floods the little town with 2,500 people.

The Tongans are tall and heftily built, helpful and friendly. Their singing is wonderful, and going to a church service is one of the 'highlights' in all the tourist info! We were walking through a little village last Sunday and passed a pastor calling his flock to worship by banging a hollowed horizontal tree trunk with a large wooden mallet. The sound was very loud, and much more mellow than a bell or gong. There were two tiny churches very close together, and the singing was loud and harmonious, - and competitive! The missionaries in the early 1800's did a very effective job here, as religion is firmly embedded in the culture. Sundays are strictly observed, to the extent that no one is allowed to swim or go out in a boat, and everything is closed. Dress is very conservative, and clothing should be below the knee and over the shoulders.

The formal Tongan dress is a woven panandus 'mat' which both men and women wear wrapped around them like a rather stiff skirt. Traditionally the more mats you have, the wealthier you are, and they are used for sitting on, sleeping on, things are carried in them, and they go over the head to keep the rain off. The panandus palm leaves are boiled trampled in the sea, rinsed, sun dried and made into thin strips. They are then finger-woven. The best quality mats are creamy white, supple, and they gleam like silk. Everyday mats are brownish, and rather stiff. Even if mats are not worn, a wrap-around skirt is very common for men. The school uniform seems to be a choice of skirt or trousers for boys, worn with a shirt (and tie for church). Trousers are hardly ever seen on women, and are forbidden, or at least frowned on, for church. And as in other Pacific islands, a slim figure is not seen as any more beautiful than a large one. When wrapped up in a mat like a flat-bread wrap it would be difficult to look slim anyway!

On many of the islands we have visited disposal of rubbish is a big problem. Here, lacking a regular collection service, all the boats are asked to bring their rubbish to a particular jetty in town between 9 and 9.30 3 days a week. Happy is there with her car, and for a small charge loads her car up and takes it all off to the tip. As there are 100 boats anchored off the town at any one time, she has taken on a major task. She says that it gives her a chance to advertise the fact that she also does laundry and sells meat!

This area is one of the best in the world for seeing humpback whales, and most people we have talked to have seen them and even had mothers and babies in their anchorage. We haven't as yet, but are keeping fingers crossed.

Hello from Vava'u, Tonga

We are now legally checked in to Tonga. It was pouring with rain when we went to the customs dock with several other boats. The Customs man dealt with one boat then said that it was much too wet for all the other officials to come to the boats, and we should go to them! This was actually a much more efficient system, as Customs, Immigration, Health, and Quarantine officials usually tromp all over the boat, often suggesting little 'gifts'. A usual 3-hour process took about 30 mins.
Still not much to report about Vava'u. We've been no further than the little town to get provisions. It's high season so busy with yachties and NZ/Oz backpackers. The waterside bars and small restaurants all doing a roaring trade. But it's a 3rd world sort of place. Pigs and piglets roam the street, and some of the houses are no more than a few concrete blocks with corrugated iron. The supermarkets are very basic, but some enterprising foreigners have started small food businesses to cater for western tastes. There's an Austrian baker who makes very tasty, heavy, multigrain and rye bread, an Italian who does home made pasta to order, and New Zealanders running internet cafe/mooring rental/general info and help/diving and whale watching businesses.
The Tongans are large people, friendly and helpful but more reserved than those in the Cook Islands or French Polynesia. Quite a lot of the men wear the traditional dress of a black sarong with a length of tapa (bark cloth) over it folded over a belt at the waist. The women are in skirts and dresses (the wearing of trousers isn't the custom for women), and well covered. The missionary influence still holds strong. Sunday is a real day of rest, no work of any sort, no taking boats out, no swimming for the children, and certainly no businesses or restaurants open (except the international resorts but none of those here in town). There's a nice little daily market that sells local produce (quite limited, no fertile volcanic soil here), and some high quality wood and bone carvings and basketwork.
The genoa furling machanism has been really stiff recently, and couldn't be turned at all manually, so Geoff took advantage of a beautiful calm dry sunny day yesterday to take the whole thing apart. Quite a job as you can imagine. Today he is reassembling it, having cleaned it all. Bearings OK thank goodness, and nothing broken, just a bit dirty. We thought we would be stuck here waiting for spare parts to be sent in from NZ. Hopefully that's the problem. If he can get it together by this afternoon we hope to go for a walk to a local look out point and nature reserve.

Hello from Tonga

Well, the wind dropped a bit too much yesterday, but it meant that we had a lovely gentle sail along the steep cliffs of the northern side of Vava'u - green and wooded, very steep to, and not a single sign of habitation in sight.  Then we turned into a huge fiord-like area,  very calm and it has lots of little anchorages.  We had the anchor down before sunset and the boat was completely still for the first time for weeks.  In bed just after 8pm, and we slept until 7.30am so feel like new this morning.

Tomorrow (Mon) we have to go to the customs dock to check in, evidently a 3-hour process and there are about a dozen new arrivals so we expect it to take quite a while.  Evidently there's room for about 3 boats on the dock, and the rest have to raft up to them, we'd rather not be the one against the huge black fenders of the dock designed for big ships!

This is the gathering place for all the boats we've met over the last months.  Some take off for NZ from Fiji, but most from here.  Luckily it's a huge area, lots of islands to explore so room for lots of boats.

We're now over the international date line - not geographically, but Tonga prefers to be on the same day as NZ and Oz.  So instead of being 11 hrs behind GMT we are now 13 hrs ahead. Position 18 41 431 S and 174 01 764 W

progress report

  Caught a good sized WAHOO this morning, having lost one lure and had 3 other bites on the line yesterday.  The wind has dropped but the seas haven't calmed to match so it's a bit sloppy.  Had a really good sail all yesterday with a perfect combination of wind, waves and sunshine.

  AT 1930 GMT we have 40 miles to go to our waypoint off Vava'u  Position 18 40 776 S and 173 18 394 W

Pegasus Thursday 11 September

With 15-20 kts wind, all sail out for the first time in ages, seas down, and sun up Pegasus is tootling along nicely.  Just passed Niue which we cannot now visit as a low pressure system is moving in Monday that will bring westerly winds and a lee shore.  The five boats that are there are leaving today. Ever onwards thus.  Position at 08:00 local time (19:00 GMT) is 19deg 10.69min S and 170deg 25.03 min W.  207nm to go.  We will have to average 7kts to get in in daylight which will be a very close call and one we will probably lose as the wind is predicted to ease.

Pegasus: position Wednesday 10

Looks like the squalls are over.  The last one gave us a resounding goodbye at 40 kts just as we were doing our ablutions.  We were heavily reefed so all we could do was point th nose dead downwind and hope.  We are now going better, without these  sudden gusts, in steadier 20 to 25kts of wind.  Position as of 07:30 local time (18:30 GMT) is 19deg 50.21 min S and 167deg 23.36 min W.  It has been too rough even to think about fishing so it is bully beef tonight.

In spite of the above all is well on board both with boat and us.  A few hiccups - I left the cabin window open on 'ventilation' and got half a wave in all over starboard bunk, books, and even inside a cupboard.  Also we had been given about a dozen loose bananas, and with the rolling of the boat they mashed themselves up and dribbled over the veg. rack onto all the other veg, onto the carpet, and down into the underfloor lockers.  Someone on the dock asked me the other day what we did with our time while on passage........

Pegasus reporting, Tuesday 9 September

Conditions a little better but still squally - 35 knots for 30 minutes last night.  As of 12:15 local time (23:15 GMT - yes we have crossed a time zone) we are at 20deg 09.911min S and 165deg 07.313min W.  We have 512nM to go, now doing just undet 7 kts.

When we reach Tonga, we believe we will be over the international date line so instead of being 12 hours behind GMT we will be 12 hrs in front.  Still caught us out - planned to reach Tonga Friday but it will be Saturday instead.

Pegasus, Monday 7 September

Rolling and banging along in 20kts of wind but still squally so we remain heavily reefed.  No the best conditions but progress is being made.  As of 13:00 local (23:00 GMT) we are at 20 deg 28.62minS and 162deg 21.1minW.  669 nM to go to Neiafu in Tonga. Niue is 455 miles away on the rum line (still an option).  We are carefully watching a low that is approaching from the N but it appears - hopefully - to be losing its character.

Pegasus on the move

We are on our way to Tonga.  We waited a week for the weather so clear but it hasn't.  Either now in a rather difficult window or wait at least another week.  So it is now and hoping for the best with a low coming down from the north.  It is rough with winds 25-30kts and confused seas.  As of 18:30 our time on Sunday 6th, (04:30 GMT on Monday) we are at 21deg 03.86minN an 160 deg 41.30min W.  We are making about 7kts and have 767 miles to go.  May call in at Niue (Savage Island) but that will depend on conditions then.

The Dinghy Saga

 Woke up one morning in Papeete (Taihiti) where we were moored to a dock in the centre of town, to find that our dinghy and outboard had disappeared in the night.  Regret to say that we assumed it was a local and that we would never see it again.  But, after three days of detective work, we found out who had taken it - a young Brit who couldn't get a lift by hitch-hiking back to the marina, so 'borrowed' our dinghy.  In the meantime we had spent hours in the police station, hours being taken round the local area in the marine police launch looking for it, and hours looking at new and horribly expensive replacements.  Without a dinghy a sailing boat is quite stuck, we anchor out most of the time, and need it to get to land.  By the time we tracked down the culprit, who was crewing aboard another yacht, the dinghy had disappeared from the place where he had left it.  However the yacht he was on told him that he would have to buy us a replacement, and that they would provide the funds up front.  So we have a new dinghy, but not as good as the old one, and the same model of outboard as the one we bought new in Panama only a few months ago.  And A has a debt of 3,000 pounds at the age of 20 and fresh out of university.  An expensive taxi ride for him.

Followed by the Bike Saga......

This happened on Bora Bora when P was with us. We hired a bike for P, and had our two folding bikes and cycled right round the island - about 32 km.  Near the end of the circuit we locked up the bikes at the bottom of a steep track leading up to a WW2 American gun emplacement and trenches.  When we got down again the bikes had disappeared!  P noticed a 'guilty looking' boy in the woods, and she and G gave chase while I ran to the road to try and get him stopped.  With all our shouting (yes, we really said "stop thief"!) and running there were plenty of spectators, and a jogger told us which house the boy had gone to, and some builders called the police.  The parents of the lad put great pressure on him to tell us where the bikes were, and they were found in the wood - still locked together.

  By this time a community policeman had arrived, and then two police vans - 8 police in all!  They stopped a tour guide who was passing as she could speak English so we even had an interpreter.  It appeared that the local lad had seen what had happened but wasn't involved (he must have run because he was scared) and the others, one of whom threw a large rock at G, disappeared in the other direction.  It is such a small community, and the whole incident caused such local interest that someone probably knows who did it - they wanted the (new) hired mountain bike, not our bikes of course.  We were very pleased to see the bikes again, only slightly the worse for wear for having been carried/dragged together into the bushes.

  So the sailing life isn't all sailing!  However we have had P on board for 3 weeks, and have sailed the Society Islands fairly thoroughly.  In Moorea went to a spot where stingrays come to be fed.  A bit touristy (the rays have their stings cut off), but the rays come right up to you and take bits of fish from your hand.  We didn't take food for them, but there were enough people around who had, tinned sardines seemed just as welcome, so we had a close-up view.  Left the island with a good supply of small sweet pineapples which grow so well on the volcanic soil of Tahiti and Moorea. It was a night sail to Huahine, about 80 miles.  We chose a rough night, winds 25 knots which wasn't too bad, but the seas were big and we were running with the wind so rolling like mad.  Everything rattling and banging and none of us got much sleep, it was so nice to get into the calm shelter of the island early in the morning.

  Huahine is really two islands very close together and connected by a short bridge.  We explored the northern island by bike, filling our rucksacks with a tasty fruit called 'star apples' (not star fruit) bought at the roadside, and also some mangoes picked from a wayside tree, so were fairly heavily laden for much of the day but had plenty of fruity refreshment.  There were plenty of stops en route - a huge complex of ancient 'marae' or religious sites consisting of stone platforms and upright slabs of stone.  Some were beside the sea, and some up steep paved tracks through thick forest - plenty of mosquitoes. There was a vanilla farm to visit, and we hadn't realised that the pods grow on a sort of vine (the tourist info says it is an orchid??)  Only one harvest a year, then the pods are dried in the sun for 3 hrs a day for 3 months, so no wonder they are quite expensive to buy.  We've seen the pods used to make sweet-smelling bracelets, and also as a sauce for fish.  Don't fancy the latter.  Another break to take a short boat ride out to a pearl farm in the middle of the lagoon, with  demonstrations of how the oysters are prepared and a final stop was to see some sacred blue-eyed eels that live in a small river.  They come to the bank to be fed (tinned sardines again).  There's a taboo ('tapu') on eating them.

  We had hoped that there would be some dancing for P to see, so were pleased to hear that there was a local 'soiree' in the little town.  Actually it was a 20 min walk out of town, very dark and no pavement but luckily not very much traffic.  A large marquee had been erected with lots of food stalls and a bouncy castle around it.  It looked as though the whole town was there, and all evening people were coming and going into the marquee with food, and children were playing around, a real local event, not put on for tourists which was nice.  Many women were dressed in traditional brightly coloured mumus with coronets of flowers on their heads, and the men with necklaces of shells and sharks teeth and coronets of leaves and bark.  The dancing was great fun, lots of hip swinging and foot stamping to drums and guitars.  As we noticed before in Papeete, the dancers are all sizes, and those with rolls of fat dance as enthusiastically as the skinny ones, it's just not considered important. We have some good photos which hopefully will get on the blog in due course.

  Bora Bora was the last island we visited before leaving French Polynesia.  It has a population of 5,000, 50% of whom have arrived in the last 10 yrs or so to work in the tourist industry.  There are lots of resort complexes owned by Intercontinental, Sofitel, Club Med etc etc, ie international not local;  all very upmarket and self-contained, so the island outside these walled complexes appears poorer and less well-kept than the other islands in the group.  Local little restaurants and bars are only used by independent travellers, cruising people and Sunsail charter clients.  Whereas the other islands have income outside tourism - pearls, vanilla, pineapples etc., in Bora Bora there is nothing, even much of the artisan stuff in the shops is brought in from elsewhere.  A strange contrast.  The resorts all consist of thatched cottages built on stilts out over the water so you can swim in beautiful clear blue sea straight from your terrace.  And the lagoon is calm and has lovely colours, almost like the calendar pictures.

Now we have reached the Cook islands, a 500 mile, 3 night sail, and are in Rarotonga.

Hello from the Cook Islands

Arrived safely in Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands at about 5.30pm yesterday, so still plenty of daylight. It was quite a fast journey, just as well, as the seas were large and uncomfortable. Not too bad when sitting still or lying down, but exhausting when walking around. The harbour, and only safe haven, is quite small here, and boats have to put an anchor out then reverse to the dock wall to tie up. Luckily we had plenty of help from other boats as there was a lot of wind and slop and it wasn't easy. (Old acquaintances from Galapagos among the boats here, and one little Aussie boat came in this morning having sailed all the way from Galapagos non-stop, 6 weeks at sea)

The surge in the harbour is pretty bad at the moment, so a lot of boats have left, but the wind should swing over the next 24hrs making it more comfortable. We are well away from the dock wall because of this, so have the dinghy tied to boat and wall and have to pull ourselves across - getting in and out of the dinghy in a 3ft swell isn't easy, and a flying leap landing in a heap is the safest if not the most elegant method.

It is very nice being back in an English-speaking environment, and rather strange hearing NZ-accented English being spoken by Polynesians. They are all very friendly and helpful, and pretty laid back. Written instructions about paying overtime rates if checking in between 4pm and 8am, having to have the boat sprayed for insects, and dumping all tropical fruit are just writing. The officials just aren't around for out of hours check-in, and they are not prepared to risk life and limb climbing onto rocking boats.

This is the main island of the Cook Island group, and Avatiu where we are is the largest town. However it is no more than a large village spread along about a mile of seashore, similar to towns in French Polynesia except that there's a fish and chip shop just down the road, and I had a hair cut for about seven pounds today (but you did a grand temporary job P).

Rarotonga is one of the newer volcanic islands of the Pacific, but a bit older than the Marquesas as it has a fringing reef but no lagoon between reef and land. 32 km round so we are going to try and cycle it, trying to remember to ride on the left. There are supposed to be some good walks up into the mountains, though we hear they are unsigned so hard to find. A familiar story eh P? And the properties we have wandered into to find someone to ask always seem to have a 'chien mechant' (not sure of the spelling of that one).

More news when we have explored a bit. G is busy mending a leaking salt water pump at the moment, always something to be done. But we have found the problem with the toilet pump P, it jammed up completely yesterday so had to be taken apart again, and a little metal washer thing had come adrift. All is now in good working order, sorry you had to struggle with it.

Position report Tuesday

We are making good progress and as of 11:00 local time (2:00 GMT), we are at 20deg 50.24min S and 159deg 06.57min W. We have 44nM to go so should be in by nightfall. Winds about 20kts and the good ship is doing about 7kts poled out. No fish - no good lures left.

Thanks for info about the southern cross P, when the boat stops rolling around we'll put it to the test. Hope you've caught up on your sleep.

Position Report Monday

At 09:30 local time (GMT 19:30)we are at 19deg 16.38mn S; 156deg 16.25min W.  Wind 15-20kts from east.  229nM to go to so more than half way to Raratonga.  Seas lumpy.  No Fish.

Position report Sunday

As of 12:00 local time (22:00 GMT) on Sunday 24th August, we are romping along in 20-25 kts wind at about 7kts.  Position 17deg 54.49min S, 145deg 05.05min W.  Fish caught 0, lures lost 2.

Hello from Huahine

This morning we have been for an interesting dinghy ride through shallow water between Huahine and the outer reef to a motu (little islet forming part of the reef). Forgot to take shoes, so had a rather painful but lovely walk along the rough beach, finding quite a few shells. Gorgeous water colours. Now P is busy making some savoury muffins for lunch, as she says she is tired of baguette!

We had a very pleasant few days in Moorea. Went to a spot where stingrays come to be fed. A bit touristy (the rays have their stings cut off), but the rays come right up to you and take bits of fish from your hand. We didn't take food for them, but there were enough people around who had, tinned sardines seemed just as welcome, so we had a close-up view.

Left the island with a good supply of small sweet pineapples which grow so well on the volcanic soil of Tahiti and Moorea. It was a night sail to Huahine, about 80 miles. We chose a rough night, winds 25 knots which wasn't too bad, but the seas were big and we were running with the wind so rolling like mad. Everything rattling and banging and none of us got much sleep, it was so nice to get into the calm shelter of the island early in the morning.

Huahine is really two islands very close together and connected by a short bridge. We hired a bike for P and spent a day cycling around the northernmost island. Very scenic and the coastal road was quite flat except for one very steep bit with a look-out at the top, and an even steeper downhill the other side. I didn't trust my brakes and walked both up and down! Along the way we filled our rucksacks with a tasty fruit called 'star apples' (not star fruit) bought at the roadside, and also some mangoes picked from a wayside tree so were fairly heavily laden for much of the day.

There were plenty of stops en route - a huge complex of ancient 'marae' or religious sites consisting of stone platforms and upright slabs of stone. Some were beside the sea, and some up steep paved tracks through thick forest - plenty of mosquitoes.

There was a vanilla farm to visit, and we hadn't realised that the pods grow on a sort of vine. Only one harvest a year, then the pods are dried in the sun for 3 hrs a day for 3 months, so no wonder they are quite expensive to buy. We've seen the pods used to make sweet-smelling bracelets, and also as a sauce for fish. Don't fancy the latter. Another stop to take a short boat ride out to a pearl farm in the middle of the lagoon. Demonstrations of how the oysters are prepared, but it was mainly a little shop selling locally made pottery, and pearl and mother-of-pearl jewellery. The final stop was to see some sacred blue-eyed eels that live in a small river. Big fat things about 6ft long, and again fed by the tourists (and local children) so they are quite tame. There's a taboo ('tapu') on eating them.

We had hoped that there would be some dancing for P to see while here, so were pleased to see that there was a local 'soiree' in the little town. Actually it was a 20 min walk out of town, very dark and no pavement but luckily not very much traffic. A large marquee had been erected with lots of food stalls and a bouncy castle around it. It looked as though the whole town was there, and all evening people were coming and going into the marquee with food, and children were playing around, a real local event, not put on for tourists which was nice. Many women were dressed in traditional brightly coloured mumus with coronets of flowers on their heads, and the men with necklaces of shells and sharks teeth and coronets of leaves and bark. The dancing was great fun, lots of hip swinging and foot stamping to drums and guitars. As we noticed before in Papeete, the dancers are all sizes, and those with rolls of fat dance as enthusiastically as the skinny ones, it's just not considered important. We have some nice photos and a couple of videos on the computer, passed on by some people from another boat so hope we can show them to you some time.

the dinghy saga

P has arrived safely, and we left Taihiti yesterday afternoon and had a very good fast sail to Moorea. Today we've had a good long walk up to a look out, and also round an agricultural research centre where there is a labeled walking route round plantations of pineapples and areas where other tropical fruits are being grown - mostly not new to us, but we saw lichees and a couple of unknown fruits for the first time. Cooled down with a snorkel when we got back, in lovely clear water.

The dinghy saga has ended more or less well for us, or at least better than expected. On Saturday we reported the theft to the police, then on Sunday had a look at the guard's report book and found that at 4.30am on Sat a young American and girlfriend had taken a dinghy and driven off. We told the police who said that maybe therefore it was somewhere local and they took us for an hour and a half search in their launch round all the nooks and crannies of the coast, into the marinas and round the anchorages. Nothing. On Sunday the Fri night guard was back on duty. He described the lad, and said that he had been on a boat 'Astra' that had been at our dock on Thursday, and who had been visiting another boat on the dock on Friday. So we then asked around the dock, and found out that Astra was in a marina as the owner had gone back to Britain, and the crew were still on board. He called the lad, A, on the radio, and A said he would go and get the dinghy and come straight over with it.

Well, he didn't arrive, so in the afternoon we decided to go back to the police and get them to go with us to the marina. I left G waiting at the police station and went back to the boat to find the A waiting for us. Full of apologies. The dinghy had disappeared, and he was willing to buy us a new one. Evidently he was drunk on Friday evening, tried to hitch a lift back to the marina unsuccessfully, and 'borrowed' our dinghy instead. Then he didn't do anything about it all weekend, and of course by the time he went to look for it on the bit of beach where he'd left it it was gone. The police gave him a good talking to, but left it to us to sort things out. Mrs from Astra was still on board, and insisted that our dinghy had to be replaced, and was willing to fund it. So by Monday evening we'd found replacements, and on Tuesday it was all delivered to the dock. It appears that 20-yr old (British) A has been in trouble with the police before, and Astra offered to take him on their planned round-the-world trip to try and sort him out. He is well-educated with a degree, and knows a lot about sailing, goodness knows why he did such a stupid thing. He now has a debt of over 3,000 pounds, an expensive taxi ride.

Not very much choice of dinghy in Papeete, so it's not nearly as good as our old one, and a bit smaller. We have got exactly the same motor though, (which has to be run in). So apart from the stress and strain and agro, it has cost us a full tank of fuel (UK prices here), a dinghy cover and a cover for the engine, having to stay for 3 or 4 extra days at the dock instead of free anchorage, and a good tip for the guard who helped us identify the boat and described the guy. At least though we didn't have to fork out for a new dinghy ourselves. What a saga.

A thief in the night

Woke this morning to find that the dinghy plus outboard had done a runner. Have spent a lot of the morning in the police station, but very doubtful we'll ever see it again. Grrrrrr J

Finally some pictures

Pegasus under sail - taken in unknown location (Clare posting)


Blue-footed boobie (Galapagos)


Fatu Hiva


Nuku Hiva


Black-tipped shark in Fakarava

Tahiti

We're about half way round Taihiti now, in the part that has no road round the coast. The steep slopes drop straight down into the water, an impressive coast to sail round. Position 17 48 568 S and 149 07 673 W. There are a few houses right on the water's edge here, and a sort of path connecting them and the small coconut plantations, but all transport is by boat - the kids have an hours journey each way to school by boat then bus. Amazing that such a remote area exists so close to Papeete, but not surprising when you see the terrain.

Tahiti

At last a place that everyone has heard of. Island of Captain Cook, Paul Gauguin, pearls, tattoos, and dances with wiggling hips and grass skirts. Well Papeete, the main town, has all of those, and it also has 4-lane highways, sprawling suburbia, and a huge Carrefour supermarket with 100 types of French cheeses, Dutch UHT milk, US cake mixes, and lots of New Zealand meat. The choice is overwhelming and so are the prices - who buys the local watermelons for 25 euros ($40 dollars)each?? To some extent we shut our eyes and just buy what we want, knowing that soon we won't have the choice when we move on to more remote spots. (No, we haven't had watermelon). Why are locally grown bananas (to be seen in every garden) more expensive than imported ones in the UK? And mangoes and papaya ......However, baguette is cheap, fresh, delicious, and available everywhere.

Pearls are certainly big business, and it has been interesting to see just how cultured pearls are produced. First oysters are grown for 3 years, then they are 'seeded' with a small bead of mother-of-pearl and some epithelial cells from a donar oyster. The positioning of the seed is very precise work, and the seeders work at tables a bit like a watch maker with strong lights and delicate instruments. In French Polynesia a species of oyster is used which produces black pearls. The seeded pearls are hung in strings of net bags in the clean water of lagoons, and have to be checked and cleaned regularly. It takes another 3 years to produce a pearl of the size required - or longer for larger ones. What surprised us was that only 10% of the pearls are A-grade, and only 1% perfect, no wonder they can be very expensive. Black is a bit of a generalisation, as the colour can be aubergine, greenish, bluish or gray, not actually black. We will be looking at pearls with much more awareness now - the white ones are mainly Japanese.

Tattoos are seen on the majority of Polynesian men, beautiful traditional swirling patterns over shoulders back and chest. The patterns are also seen on 'tapa' (bark cloth) paintings, and on some of the intricate wood carvings. When missionaries arrived in French Polynesia in the 1820's they banned tattooing (ie they banned uncovered bodies!) as well as traditional dances and singing. It was only in the 1980's that it was re-introduced as an art form - and now it is purely decorative whereas before it was a religious rite, a sign of wealth and social position, and a mark of tribal identification.

As for the dancing, we have certainly come here at the right time of year. In July, leading up to Bastille Day (a public holiday, but not really celebrated), there is a festival of song, dance and sports in all the Society Islands. The biggest of course is in Taihiti. The sports include things like climbing coconut palms, carrying fruit, tossing poles, and the very popular outrigger canoe races - a sort of tropical Highland Games. We spent an evening watching part of the dancing competition. Wonderful costumes which have to be made of natural materials, so leaves, flowers, feathers, and 'tapa'. The hip swaying is something that they grow up learning, a 5-yr old child was standing in the aisle next to us dancing with the music too. The accompanying music was mainly drums of various types, with ukele and nasal flute. And the singing is very harmonious - church services are a 'concert' in their own right.

Taihiti itself has very few beaches, though it does have world renowned surfing spots (as I write we are at Teahupoo, one of the best known, but there's no wind today so the surf looks very benign). All the Society Islands, of which Taihiti is the main one (and Bora Bora the only other well known one) are mountainous with a surrounding reef. So there is calm lagoon water around the coast, with surf battering the reef a short way away. This is the main difference between these islands and the Marquesas which have no reef around them. Reefs filter sea water giving clear clear lagoons whereas the sea around the Marquesas tends to be cloudy. The next island along, Moorea, is where the tourists and locals go for sea, sand, and waving palm trees. We spent a very happy week there before coming here, and were able to have our folding bikes out to explore the one road that runs around the island. Inland on both islands it is extremely steep and mountainous and fairly inaccessible. These days nearly all the population is around the coast, but the original inhabitants - pre 1500 - lived inland up valleys to protect themselves from other tribes. Ancient 'maraes' or sacred platforms are found well inland in many places.

Today the men of Teahupoo village are out on the reef collecting crown of thorns starfish which are threatening the coral. On the dock near us the women are preparing lunch for them, quite a community effort. We had to go and see the mayor for permission to anchor off the village - a very attractive and elegant lady with a smart Mercedes. Most mayors have other jobs too, so not sure what other hats this lady wears!

Hello from Tahiti

We are anchored just south of the airport and about 5 miles south of Papeete. We leave the dinghy in the nearbye marina, and exit onto a busy 4-lane highway with a MacDonalds just down the road, rather a culture shock! However 10 mins down the road is a very large Carrefour with all the French cheese, pate, etc you could dream of - for a price. It feels much more like a bit of France here than any of the islands did - for a start there are a lot more people of French rather than Polynesian extraction (as well as a lot of Chinese who originally came to work on the vanilla plantations). The cars have French registration, and les toilettes in Carrefour have that special smell...

Yesterday we took Le Truck, (there are also proper buses but on longer routes) into the city. Were quite impressed, the water front area is lovely, the tourist office extremely helpful, and our cup of coffee was in a large china cup, and good, not Starbucks rubbish. This month, leading up to 14th July celebrations, is a festival of song, dance and sport called the Haeva. We have booked to watch some of the dancing and singing (all part of a competition) tomorrow evening which should be fun. The sports are free to watch and include things like stone lifting, coconut palm climbing, coconut husking, and carrying fruits. Also lots of canoe races including a marathon. The canoes all have outriggers (as do the traditional sailing boats), now made of fibreglass though there are plenty of old wooden and bamboo ones in the small islands. Imagine all those fit young men with fantastic tattoos ........

Hello from the Society Islands

When I last wrote we were awaiting our evening meal with the family on the island of Taou. It was quite a meal - bearing in mind that they can only get supplies when their large outboard motor is working and the sea is calm enough for the crossing in an open boat to Fakarava. We had pizza as an appetizer, made with coconut milk in the dough, and with some of our mahi mahi on it. Then bbq chicken, lamb (that we had supplied), 'poisson cru' which is raw fish soaked in coconut milk and lemon juice, fried fish, crab, crayfish, rice and coconut bread. Then a delicious light coconut tart for dessert. The crab was coconut crab, a large land crab that is nocturnal. We were telling her that we hadn't either caught or eaten one, so she got her husband to go and get one specially for us! We gave them some epoxy glue when we left, that sort of thing is very hard for them to acquire and extremely expensive.

Made the decision to put off our arrival in Tahiti for a bit longer, so made the 240 mile trip to the Society Islands, but are now in Moorea, only 20 miles or so from Tahiti. (Still French Polynesia). This island is the 'recreation island' for Tahiti with beaches, and good diving and snorkelling. It is also much quieter. There's a tarred road right round the island, but inland it is very steep and craggy and pretty inaccessible. There are two deep bays on the north side, Cooks Bay and Opunohu Bay, both of which were explored by Capt Cook and found to be excellent anchorages, sheltered, fresh water, fish and fruit available, and friendly natives. The views can't have changed very much since his day, but he wouldn't have heard cars passing or been able to buy fresh baguette daily!

The Society Islands are in between the Marquesas and Tuamotos in age. They have developed a barrier reef, but are still very mountainous. Reefs filter water so we have beautifully clear water, the bottom clearly visible at a depth of 10 meters. We were disappointed to see crown of thorns starfish on the coral - large brownish spiny starfish which crawl up onto the coral and devour the living polyps. The bikes have been out, and we've cycled quite a way round the coast road to a high lookout spot with stupendous views towards Tahiti and over the reef and pale blue lagoon area inside. Have been lucky with perfect weather, calm and sunny, for the last couple of days. Today looks much more ominous and we have the rain catcher in position but the rain only seems to be falling on the mountains.

We've met up with a few old friends here - a S. African couple on 'Sapristi' who we first met in Guadaloupe 2 yrs ago, then caught up with in the Galapagos. We arrived here after dark and they were kind enough to come out in their dinghy and guide us to an anchoring spot they had chosen for us during the day. Also a Swiss couple on 'Shiva' who we met in the boat yard in Chesapeake Bay last time we hauled out, and have been leapfrogging ever since.

We have managed to do a couple of things here that we thought we would have to do in Tahiti. G needed a 'proof of life' form signing for his pension, and we happened to cycle past a lawyer's office so enquired if they could do it. Were told that the mayor does that sort of thing. So cycled off to the Mairie, the mayor was found pottering around the garden outside, and he signed it, no cost, and the post office was next door so in about 10 minutes it was finished and (hopefully) on its way. Also, for a price, we can get wifi on the boat. Had hoped to skype as the connection is quite good, but it is only good now and then so the sat phone is more reliable and cheaper!

Tales of Taou

We made a move yesterday, a day sail from Fakarava to Taou where we are on a mooring for a change in a 'false inlet' between two motus but not inside the reef. The reef is just in front of the boat, so beautiful snorkelling very close to hand in clear clear water. Position 15 48 209 S and 146 09 092 W Just one (fairly extended) family live on the inlet, lovely friendly people who run a small pearl farm and provide meals to order for sailing boats. We are eating there tonight with 3 German boats (all of whom of course speak fantastic English).
Not having caught any ocean fish for ages, we decided to stock up with meat in Fakarava and bought a frozen chicken and a frozen NZ leg of lamb. Then, of course we caught an 18lb mahi mahi en route - one of our favourite fish. It took at least an hour to get it on board, and we were lucky as it was only hooked with one hook through the lip. We now have an excess of protein on board, so have part exchanged the lamb and a chunk of fish for our meal on shore tonight. The store in F. had very little, and we could only get onions and potatoes in the fresh veg line when we arrived. Then the supply boat came in and they had carrots and apples! We did our usual asking of the locals if anyone had vegetables for sale, and were directed to the house of a man who turned out to be Kenyan/NZ married to a local. He started growing veg for home consumption, but is now trying to do it on a larger scale. Not easy, there is next to no topsoil on these islands, and continuous salty breeze. However he makes his own compost as he has a shredder, and is growing hydroponic cucumber and tomatoes, and also lettuce, peppers and aubergines. He didn't have much available as the local 'pensions' buy from him, but we now have enough tomatoes, lettuce an cucumber for a few days, so delicious after a few weeks of tinned peas. And there was a bakery in town so for the couple of days we were there we had fresh baguette, and have brought several loaves with us to crisp up in the oven.
I spent an evening helping to teach English in the local primary school. Two ladies on a boat that we have been meeting up with since the Galapagos, often do an English course for a couple of weeks in the villages they visit. A lovely way to meet the locals. This time they were rather overwhelmed with children, so were roping in volunteers so that the kids could be divided into smaller groups. All good fun - they were practising for a 'show' for parents and teachers tonight, so had to be up to scratch with 'what's your name, my name is .....' and 'the store is down the street on the right'.
We heard today that there are about 100 boats in the anchorage at Papeete, Tahiti, our next stop. There are big celebrations in July leading up to '14 juillet' with dancing competitions, so many people will be staying for that. With a big Carrefour only 5 mins away it will be such a change from these islands.

Tales from the Tuamotos

We're in the land of atolls and lagoons, quite a change from the Marquesas which are comparatively 'new' volcanic islands, steep and rising straight out of the sea. The Tuamotos on the other hand, though not very far away, are much older, basically old volcanoes that have circular reefs growing around them. The volcanic peaks have sunk under water over the millions of years for three reasons: sea-level rise, the weight of the volcano causing flexing of the crust beneath it (like piling books onto the middle of a shelf), and/or the oceanic crust cooling with age, making the crust contract. As the volcano sinks, the coral keeps growing upwards into the light, so that eventually you just have the reef as an atoll surrounding a lagoon. Parts of the reef eventually become little islets or 'motus' like beads on a string.

The lagoons are lovely calm places to anchor, but not so easy to get into. The passes through the reef can be quite narrow, and the tidal water can move at 6 kts - causing standing waves if the wind is blowing in the opposite direction from the water flow. Catching the pass at slack tide is a hit and miss affair, and we have had some rather exciting entries shooting through like a cork out of a bottle with shallow jagged reefs on both sides. Once in, the water is usually quite deep except for coral heads which grow up to within inches of the surface. Very visible with sun overhead, but completely invisible with the sun in your eyes or if it is raining. Some of our charts are very accurate, and even the coral heads are marked so that it would be possible to steer a safe course by GPS. However, in other places our charts say we are anchored on solid ground, and the only way to sail is with a lookout on the bow.

With good reason the Tuamotos used to be called the "Dangerous Archipelago" - these days radar, GPS, and a big investment by the French in channel buoys and markers (as well as basic equipment like depth sounders and engines on sailing boats!) have made the atolls a lot less dangerous to visit. They are very sparsely populated, two thirds of the atolls are uninhabited, and most of the others have very small communities struggling to survive now that the young people tend to go off to the bright lights of Tahiti. The small communities make a living from pearl farming these days - more lucrative than copra and fishing. With so many families starting up small pearl farms though it sounds as though there's a bit of a glut on the market.

As in the Marquesas, the communities are worried about the affect that tourist development would have on their way of life, and on the whole are against Club Med type investment. This means that the few people visiting, mainly on sailing boats, are welcomed most hospitably. It also means that the villagers are fairly self sufficient, and the few stores have nearly empty shelves. However, being French, there are bakeries producing fresh baguette every day, a big plus. Most of the time we have been in anchorages with no settlement nearbye, so have been very dependent on ships stores. We have missed not being able to eat fish most days. The lagoon fish tend to have an accumulative toxin called ciguatera which they get from a type of algae that grows on coral - when bigger fish eat smaller ones they accumulate the toxins from them. As we have been eating reef fish for several years in the Caribbean, we have decided it would be too risky to eat more here. At the moment we are near a village where we can actually buy butter, cheese, eggs and flour, all of which we had completely run out of.

The French have invested huge sums in these islands, most now have air strips (often on an adjoining 'motu' or islet, so passengers then have to be ferried by boat), solar panels for power, large new rain water collection tanks (no fresh water except for rain water on any of the Tuamotos), and well buoyed reef passes. Some say it is to make up for the huge fuss about nuclear testing on Mururoa Atoll. Also well built primary schools, though secondary school children have to go away to school - we have heard a lot of critisism, not about the schools, but the boarding facilities only have one adult per 100 children.

We have spent much of our time here enjoying the remote anchorages with clear water, healthy coral, and lots of fish - different species from those we were familiar with in the Caribbean, and many more varieties, so our fish book has been well thumbed after every snorkeling expedition. Clams with brilliant green or blue edges nestle in the coral, and huge schools of tiny blue fish swim around a coral growth that looks like a clump of low growing flowers until we get close when they dive into the 'flowers' for shelter. The colours and shapes of fish surpass imagination, a wonderful sight. There are a few sandy beaches, but in the main they are rather rough coral. The outer (ocean side) reefs of an atoll are wide shallow areas of very jagged rocks, absolute disaster for any ship landing up on them. However a diligent hunt along the water's edge leads to finds of beautiful cowrie shells, lovely shiny shells of various colours and designs - no wonder they were once used as currency in this part of the world.

Next stop will be Taihiti, still French Polynesia, and in a group called the Society Islands. Much more developed and 'touristy' than here, and evidently very beautiful.

Fakarava

As you see we have made a move at last, and actually had a really nice sail, 15 kts on the stern, blue sky and calm sea. We were amazed as the day before it was blowing 30kts, and was very overcast so we thought the seas would be big. We spent a rolly night anchored off (ie outside) a small atoll, then got going at 6am to catch slack tide at the south pass of Fakarava. En route the furler mechanism for the genoa stopped working, so G has been busy with that. He has got it working but wants to paint the metal parts and it keeps raining. It is beautiful here, a small village and a few palm thatch cottages for tourists. The tiny church is festooned with strings of shells, and cowries and mother of pearl decorate the alter and pulpit.

Best of all is the snorkelling. Evidently a drift dive through the pass is a must, but when we went this morning the sun was a bit low and it was too gloomy in the depths. However when we drifted over the shallows inside the pass it was great, we were zooming along, and there were lots of unicorn fish with long spines on top of their heads, a first for us. Today has been an 'April' sort of day with sun then showers, so we have been out three times and fairly briefly each time. The coral heads along the sandy coast of our nearest motu are beautiful with lots of fish and very healthy coral growths. Clear clear water which is great too.

Hope we have a nice sunny day tomorrow so that we can 'do' the pass as we really need to get up to the northern end of the lagoon where there's a larger village with a couple of stores and hopefully some fresh fruit and veg.

Tahanea

We have been in Tahanea, a (now) uninhabited atoll for the last week. Crystal clear water, but unfortunately rather cloudy skies, and now strong winds and rain too. Spent a few days in a beautiful spot between several small motus or islets (position 16 57 458 S and 144 35 032 W) where there was actually a bit of sand rather than the rough coral rubble that most of the islands have. Very quiet and wild, and we spent our time collecting and identifying shells, and snorkelling around the reefs. Enjoyed the company of a couple of American marine biologists from Alaska and their 20 month old son.

Now it is time to make a move. We came back to the pass yesterday - badly timed as there was a complete white-out rainstorm en route. Not a hope of seeing the coral heads in the lagoon. Luckily we had already worked out that the computer charts are very accurate here, and the shallow spots marked were spot on - but you never know if there are more than are marked! We explored the abandoned village near the pass which has a very smart little church, a graveyard with quite recent graves, and a few tumbledown shacks. There is hardly any soil on the motu, just coral rubble, so apart from a few coconut palms they must have found it very difficult to grow any food. No wonder the very small population moved elsewhere.

It looks very rough outside the pass so we have decided to postpone our trip to Fakarava, where there is a larger village and a couple of shops. Our fresh food supplies are now extremely low - and we have run out of white flour, thought I had another bag somewhere. Made bread just with wholewheat flour but it tastes like sawdust - normally I use a mixture. Only onions and potatoes left so we are having to be very inventive with tinned things. Plenty of stores though, packets of juice, dried fruit, UHT milk. We are not on the way to malnutrition!

G spied one cockroach the other day, so we've had a big drive to put a special gel round all the through holes between lockers. No sign of it again or of any others, so hopefully it was a one-off. As I think I told you we had a few weevils in the rice so put it all in the oven at a low temp for a while which certainly killed them off and doesn't seem to have affected the rice. The joys of being in the tropics!

G is busy today making a new rain catcher from a reinforced plastic tarpaulin we have on board. We will tie it over the front deck, attached to the rails, and have an attachment for a hose fitted to the middle. The sun awning that we have used for the purpose up to now has never been very efficient and leaks like a sieve. Of course once finished we probably won't see any more rain for a while. He has also been making candles. We found a large chunk of wax washed up on the beach, and he melted it down in a tin and poured it into jam jars with a birthday candle as a wick. Pretty good - he's a beach comber par excellence!

Tahanea

We had a good 24 hour sail to Tahanea - 16 50 980 S and 144 41 571 W This is a now unpopulated atoll, but the snorkeling is supposed to be good for coral as well as fish. At the moment it is rather overcast and blowing 25 knots, so we are having an odd job morning. One other boat came in this morning, and there are evidently a few boats at the southern end of the lagoon but out of sight. Didn't catch a single fish en route, even though we were going at the right speed and there was no moon. Had to have tinned tuna pie last night. Rather frustrating that there are lots of good sized grouper and other fish on the reefs, but the locals don't eat them because of ciguatera which is a pretty good warning for us. G misses his evening trawl in the dinghy.

The entry through the pass here was fairly straightforward, though we had to wait for a couple of hours (trawling up and down the drop off of the outer reef hoping for a fish) until the outward flow had calmed down a bit. The combination of good sunlight to see the reefs, and suitable tides, is a tricky one.

en route again

We have spent the last couple of days on the other side of the lagoon from the village - the wind came up and the coral heads right behind us looked a bit close for comfort. It was about 6 miles across, mostly deep water but with large coral heads that come up from 30m to just a few inches from the surface. Luckily very visible as long as the sun is well up and behind you. G stood at the bow the whole time. We anchored off some pretty little 'motus' or islets which were actually nicer to look at than to walk on as they are made of very rough coral, and even the sandy beaches are too sharp for bare feet.

A short dinghy ride away they were building a new pearl farm. We went to have a look, and as it was Sunday afternoon, were welcomed warmly by the construction crew. They took us to their main building, and invited us to share their lunch - shark curry, rice, fried fish, rice, and dumplings made from flour and coconut milk. All quite tasty. We were shown around with great enthusiasm. The whole of the very small motu has been cleared, and various buildings are under construction - a Japanese project, and most of the lads are from Tahiti, with just 4 local boys from Raroia village. They insisted on giving us half a dozen little birds eggs when we left - very sad that they are collecting them to eat, 20 people there for 12 months could do a lot of damage to the bird population.

Snorkelling was good, with quite a lot of clams nestled among the coral growths. Some have brilliant blue edges to the wavy closing edge. They snap shut as you get close, certainly wouldn't want a finger anywhere near, and G. had a diving knife strapped to his leg just in case. Also picked up a couple of pearl oysters which we opened on board, but no pearls of course.

This morning we headed out, miscalculating the tides a bit so found ourselves zooming out with the outgoing tide at a very hairy speed. I was keeping an eye on the range poles behind us while G. steered, a bit too exciting. We're not quite sure which island we are going to next, it depends on our speed and tide times. Will keep going through the night anyway, so will let you know where we are tomorrow.

Rarioa

Took the dinghy to the cut and drifted with it, snorkelling over the drop-off. The coral is pretty dead unfortunately, but the fish are fantastic. Lots of new ones to look up now that we are in a different ocean, and different varieties of familiar types. Plenty of sharks, mostly black tip, cruising along but luckily not too inquisitive. One reason why we swim with the dinghy - it allows us a quick exit if necessary! I saw a large octopus sitting on a lump of coral. First time I've seen one so wasn't sure what it was to begin with. There was a big blobby eye staring up at me. Unfortunately, couldn't get G's attention and then we had drifted past.

Also went over to see what the Mayor's celebrations were like. As we had seen in the Marquesas, the women had been busy decorating the meeting place (just a large roof, no walls) with plaited palm leaves. We arrived in time to see the welcoming ceremony for the dignitaries; some lovely music and singing, then young girls with flowers in their hair presented the guests with leis (garlands to hang round the neck). We then wandered along the ocean side of the moto (little island) as the tide went out looking for cowrie shells. Found four types which G is now trying to identify. When swimming G dived for a beautiful large shell with long spines, alive, so we put it back, but will be looking out for one of those on a beach. Have a feeling that we're not allowed to take shells into NZ, so will give P a select sample to take back with her.

The people on the other sailing boat said that they had caught a tuna in the cut from their dinghy at sunset, so we went with them (in 2 dinghies) yesterday. The tide was ripping out at its full 8kts, so we wouldn't have wanted to go out there with only one dinghy. Our new outboard is wonderful, faster, quieter, and much more economical. Makes such trips feasable. We returned as darkness was descending minus two lures and sans fish. Not sure what we hooked but they were both too big for the line!

It sounds from F as though he's getting very detailed charts?/satellite photos? of our position. We tried to get a look at the blog in Taiohae, but it was just too slow. Will have to wait until we get to Taihiti.

Rarioa

We've arrived in Rarioa - the island on which Thor Heyerdahl landed with Kon Tiki. Position 16deg02.316S 142deg28.229W. We are anchored in water but our navigation charts show us anchored on land.....
We were a bit nervous about making our first entry into a lagoon through an atoll pass. Tides can produce 8 kts of current, particularly if there is only one channel in and out, and this is one of those. Slack tide can be calculated from moon rise and set, not necessarily by high and low tide as it depends on the way the water runs over the reef. So as you can imagine we weren't sure we had got it right. We only have tide tables for the major islands in the area. We did get the timing right as far as the sun was concerned, as it was fairly high and behind us, so good visibility. Also we knew it was a fairly wide pass and well marked. It was a bit hairy at one point as about 4 kts of current (with us) was pushing us sideways, so it was full power on the engines, and consequently rather fast as we tried to work out which was the next marker to head to. Once in though it was calm and blue and gorgeous, with channel markers all the way to our anchorage off a small village. It was nice to see that there is one other boat here, we weren't expecting anyone. It's a catamaran from Guernsey with one of the owners and a couple of Kiwi crew on board. The village probably has a population of less than 100, so it was surprising to see a brand new airstrip with smart buildings, lots of new solar panels on the wood and tin houses, and channel markers flashing red green and white after dark. There is no doubt that a good dollop of French investment has been made here recently! The main source of income is from farmed pearls, and we had offers to visit the pearl farm - and to buy pearls yesterday, but were a bit tired to appreciate it, and now it's weekend. No doubt we'll have the same opportunities in other islands, or here on Monday. Today there is evidently some sort of celebration going on in the village, so we'll be going over to have a look. More news tomorrow.

Tales of the Marquesas

At the moment we are tucked up in a sheltered narrow inlet with steep green slopes on both sides.  Last night we watched hundreds of fish and the occasional shark and ray feeding around the boat, visible because of the trail of phosphorescence they caused.  This afternoon there are half a dozen manta rays feeding nearbye, they have a 'wingspan' of at least six feet, and strange horn-like flaps on each side of their mouths.  They feed on plankton, so swim with their mouths wide open as they filter the water. 
  On land all is activity too.  There is a very small settlement at the head of the inlet, and this afternoon the mayor has called for a party (at least we can find no other reason for the celebrations).  Yesterday a temporary shelter was being beautifully decorated with plaited palm leaves, and long tables had fringes of palm fronds along the edges.  This morning huge red ginger flowers and multicoloured leaves were being tied around the support poles.  A pig was being baked, whole, in a pit, evidently covered with aromatic leaves.  Beside it a calf was roasting on a framework over a glowing fire.  There is a big boom box, but the music playing is quite quiet and tuneful, we have never heard loud music playing in any of the towns or villages, in huge contrast to the Caribbean islands where one house will compete with the next.
  We spent the morning walking up to a 'marae' or old meeting place with several stone tikis or statues.  Tikis, both old and new, are scattered around all these islands, and with a good supply of rosewood and other hardwoods, and suitable stone, carving and sculpture are at a very high standard among these very artistic people.  This site consisted of a platform of large stones, with the tikis standing guard around the edges, and marking the corners of the surrounding walls.  There was a good, well maintained path up to the site, but it was difficult to find - necessary to go up to three houses, and then stop a passing truck.  We disturbed a couple of wild pigs on the way up, but they were very shy and ran off fast.  These islands have very few tourists, a few visitors come on the supply boats, and there are quite a lot of sailing boats, but that's it.  And the locals don't really want more - there were plans to build a Club Med on one of the bays we've visited, but it was firmly opposed as it was felt it would disrupt the traditional way of life of the inhabitants.  Hence the lack of signposts or info, everyone is very helpful and willing to provide instructions, you just have to ask.
  The Marquesas are the home of tattooing (though some say it came from Samoa originally).  It used to be part of the rites of the onset of manhood, and of social status, as well identifying which island group someone was from.  Now, it is enjoying a revival as everywhere else, and traditional designs and patterns  are used with great artistry - no hearts and arrows and "I love Tracy" here.
  On a more practical note, we have at last been able to buy onions and potatoes - the first since leaving Galapagos.  The supply boat only comes in every few weeks, and all supplies were running low in the two grocery stores in the main town of Taiohae - no butane in the island for example.  No problem for the locals who cook on wood burning stoves, but quite a few sailing boats were getting a bit worried.  The shops don't sell any fruit and vegetables.  There is a small market at 4.30am on Saturdays - well before dawn - which sells locally produced vegetables, wonderfully fresh.  So in order to buy a lettuce it is necessary to set the alarm, take a 5 min dinghy trip, climb a 6-ft quay wall on a very rusty ladder, and use a torch to sort out notes and coins in local francs which have an alarming number of zeros.  However it's possible to be back in bed by 5am!   Fruit is another matter.  Everyone has fruit trees in their gardens, so no one needs to buy.  Consequently you just have to ask the locals if they will sell you some lemons, mangoes or grapefruit.
  There are quite a lot of sailing boats, like ourselves making their way to New Zealand or Australia. Both boats and owners encompass the full variety of boats and sailors.   There are the tiny boats strung around with fuel and water tanks and all the other things that there is no space for inside.  Many have no frig, though most, these days do at least have GPS, and are not reliant on sextants.  At the other extreme are large smart boats with generators to run everything from microwaves to washing machines and satellite communiations.  In between are the rest of us who live quite comfortably, but still have to wind the winches and pump the toilets!  At a fairly typically mixed pot luck dinner on a beach last week we were in the company of a young French couple with an 8 month-old baby, a retired French couple who had been sailing for years all over the world, a NZ couple who had been living in London for 10 yrs and are returning home the slow way with 2 children, and an American couple, both lawyers, on a year's sabbatical.  One of the great pleasures is meeting up again with boats and friends last seen in the US or Bahamas or Panama, who happen to turn up in the same anchorage at the same time as us. We compare notes on routes, weather, speed of travel, and fish caught with tales getting taller as the evening progresses.
  In a few days, when the winds look as though they are blowing in our favour, we will be making the 3 or 4 day crossing to the Tuamotos.  Coral atolls, very different from these steep volcanic islands.

Nuku Hiva

We made a move at last yesterday. Geoff is back to normal thank goodness, and we are pretty sure that the problem arose from the meal we had in a home in Fatu Hiva as we met someone else who had the same symptoms. So we left at 3am yesterday morning for the 80 mile trip to Nuku Hiva, the northernmost island of the Marquesas group. Our position is now 08 54 S and 140 06 W.
Entering this deep narrow bay just before the sun set was a beautiful sight. Steep craggy rocks with caves, arches, and spires, all hazy in the setting sun. There is a small town here, and actually some traffic on the road. About 30 boats in the anchorage too. The perfume of frangipani trees drifted across after nightfall.
Today we managed to check in at last. A very friendly young gendarme who spoke very good English. One form to fill in, no cost, what a change from Ecuador and Panama. We have a 3-month permit which can be extended for another 3 months. Non-EU residents have to deposit a bond of US$ 3,000 or show a return air ticket, and then only get 30 days which can be extended to 3 months.
Unknown to us, today is Armistice Day, and a public holiday here, so except for a small grocery store everything is closed. So after a walk around the neighbourhood, with the fantastic perfume of frangipani and jasmine everywhere, and fruit just dripping off the trees, we have returned to the boat to smoke some of the yellow-fin and blue-fin tuna we caught yesterday. Before leaving here we have to stock up on fruits, as the next group of islands, the Tuomotos are coral atols, and grow very little apart from coconuts. The lushness of these volcanic islands is wonderful. The stores don't sell any fruit as all the locals have plenty of their own, so to get fruit you just have to ask people if you can have some from their gardens. Either to buy, or to trade, and often they just give it away.
There are some lovely walks to do here, and we look forward to exploring either from here or from the other anchorages around the island.

Land Ahoy- Fatu Hiva

After 21 days at sea we have got to safe harbour in Fatu Hiva, in the Marquesas. Quite an eventful last few days at sea as we had to go to the assistance of a boat that had lost steering and was drifting quite helpless. The boat, a catamaran, had hydraulic problems, and no alternative way of steering the boat by motor or manually. Either we had to try and tow them, or they had to abandon ship. So we took them in tow, and luckily had good wind and seas for most of the next 2 days and nights. One night a squall hit, and after a very scary few minutes their bridle broke. We just had to heave to for the rest of the night, and keep them in sight. Boats in the Fatu Hiva anchorage were alerted that we were going to arrive in the middle of the night and would need assistance, and there were lights for us and dinghies to take over the catamaran. After 200 miles of towing, we were very glad that both boats had arrived safely.
The next morning we woke to the wonderful sight of the Fatu Hiva anchorage. A small, steep sided bay, with rock pinnacles and narrow gorges. It's one of those places that you can really only get to by boat. The copra boat calls in to another bay, but there is 17km of steep dirt road between the two settlements. To get to the small jetty it is necessary to brave the swell which breaks on the narrow bit of beach - several dinghies have been flipped over en route.
The town is tiny, but has a school (it's a French island so gets some French support), a church, a very small store (which only gets supplies when the copra boat comes in) and concrete roads but we haven't seen any traffic at all. It is green and lush, full of hibiscus, frangipani, and fruit trees. Breadfruit, limes, grapefruit, mangoes, papaya, bananas and lots of nonni fruit (not sure how it's spelt) which is evidently the in thing as a super tonic/heal-all in the US so I suppose they export it. Their main product is copra from the coconuts, and there are big drying platforms beside the roads. The well-kept houses have chickens and often a pig or two plus fruit trees, quite self-sufficient as there's plenty of fish in the waters round about. We passed a group of men with dogs going hunting up in the hills - wild boar and goats they said.
This is French Polynesia, and the people are very different from the African mix found in most of the Caribbean islands. Very friendly, and we are managing to communicate reasonably well with some very rusty French. Today we traded a cap, a little box of coloured pencils, some nail varnish, and a length of cord for a large quantity of fruit! They all ask for perfume samples which we don't have - should have kept all those little airline bags of shampoo and cream etc. they love those. We don't have any of the local currency (no bank, no ATM, no internet cafe, no cafe at all!) but they are very happy to trade for things that they can't get easily.
One local family cooks meals for the boats at anchor, and they take euros or dollars. 10 of us had a delicious meal on their terrace - fried fish, marinaded raw fish, chicken, breadfruit, carrot and green papaya salad, cooking banana, grated coconut, and rice. With large jugs of homemade lemonade. The husband gently strummed his guitar, their little daughter danced for us, and mum, after her efforts with the food, sat back and watched television! Then of course, on a dark dark night, we had to brave the swell in our dinghies to get back again - just as well there was only lemonade to drink.
When arriving in a new country, we have to check in for customs and immigration. The (one and only)local gendarme allows boats to stay for three days in Fatu Hiva before moving on to Hiva Oa which has a larger settlement, and the necessary officials. However, today is May Day, tomorrow Ascension Day, and then the weekend, so there will be no official on duty until Monday morning. Our yellow 'quarantine' flag will have to continue flying for a few more days. So we are moving on to the little island of Tahuatu for the weekend.
We are now nine and a half hours behind GMT. The Marquesas is only place in the world (to our knowledge) where the time changes by half an hour. Evidently a throwback to the time when the British and French were vying for control of world time, and the French system was 30 mins different.

We've arrived

After 22 days and 12 hours (well 15 actually with time change) we have arrived. Middle of the night but the whole anchorage ws out helping with the boats. Stunning anchorage but 40 m deep. Must zizz - more later.

Progress report 26th April

Well, not much progress, but we've had quite a night. Gradually yesterday the clouds built up and we had a bit of rain, and then squalls. Winds of 20 knots and quite big swells - no problem normally, but Camille was all over the place, nearly overtaking us at times. Then eventually, after dark, the bridle on their boat holding the towing rope broke. Nothing to be done in the dark, so we hove to for the night and waited for dawn.
This morning, with great difficulty we got the tow line in place again and are on our way, slowly and carefully. Geoff says that if he had any hairs left to go gray they would be. The trouble is that the only other option for these people is to abandon their boat which is horribly drastic. Kelsea diverted to stand by too last night, but then their auto helm packed up so they are on their way again hand steering for the last 60 miles. And we had thought we were nearly there!
It is a comfort for us to know that we have an emergency rudder, and also windvane as well as autohelm steering. Just imagine if either of these problems had occurred 1,000 miles away.
Anyway, our position at 17.30 GMT is 10 27 S and 137 45 W and 62 miles to go to the anchorage. We are going slowly, so will probably arrive in daylight tomorrow. Just keep fingers crossed that the weather is on our side and we don't have to spend another night hove to.

Position Friday 25 April

The Flying Horse has become a horse and cart. We were called up by one of the boats nearbye to say that they had lost steering - hydraulics had gone. So we are now towing a 40 foot catamaran the 135 miles to Fatu Hiva. Luckily wind and sea conditions so far have been very benign, and we are under sail and making 4 knots which is pretty good under the circumstances. We keep fingers crossed the weather will last. At this speed we will get in late tomorrow (Sat)
Our position at 16.00 hrs GMT is 10 23 S and 136 24 W