0600 position 17-35S 149-37W. On a mooring at Marina Taina, Papeete,
Tahiti
It threatened to rain all Wednesday evening, but never really came down
hard. After the initial rinse at midnight, I put on my foulies and rigged
up the catchment system, but that jinxes things and it never really rained
again. Thursday morning it was still and humid. The clouds were down
near sea level and Shark's Tooth and the other peaks were hidden in the
mist. We decided that it was a good day to head for Papeete, so after
breakfast we tried to weigh anchor and get going. Key word is tried.
Robinson's Cove is a famous place, and over the years folks have
attempted different tourist oriented ventures there including picnic boats
and stops during circle island boat tours. They put down moorings which
were later abandoned. We managed to hook one of the hidden abandoned
moorings when we anchored, and realized it when we tried to leave. It
took about half an hour, and Matt graciously volunteered to go swimming,
but we eventually got free and were on our way at 830AM.
There was no wind, so we powered for an hour to Aroa Point on Moorea's
northeast corner. The wind filled in there from the north and we set
sail, shut down the engine, and headed for Taapuna Pass which is the back
way into Papeete and close to Marina Taina, our destination. It was great
sailing for half an hour until we got out of the shelter of Moorea, and
then were exposed to a huge south swell. The swell was no problem for us
sailing in the open ocean, but I knew there was no way Taapuna Pass would
be usable since it is narrow and faces the south. So we altered course
forty degrees and headed instead for Papeete's main harbor entrance which
is navigable in any weather.
Papeete's main entrance is busy and full of commercial traffic. One must
obtain permission from harbor control on the VHF before entering. It is a
hassle and to be avoided if at all possible, hence my preference for
Taapuna Pass, but we had no choice today.
The water that comes in over the reef as surf due to the large swell must
find its way back into the ocean somehow, and that path is always through
the deep channels in the reef, including Papeete's entrance channel. As
we entered Papeete Harbor we encountered a four knot current that slowed
our progress over the ground to about one knot. It was slow going into
the harbor and all the way to Marina Taina four miles along the coast
inside the barrier reef. Normally I would have anchored off of Marina
Taina, but in the chop and strong currents due to the surf I decided
instead to pick up and pay for a mooring and have some peace of mind.
Matt and I dinghied ashore, had a beer at the Pink Coconut, and went
shopping at Carrefour, the local Costco equivalent within walking distance
of the marina. French wine, fresh lamb, and baguettes. It's what's for
dinner. We were happy boys.
On Friday we caught Le Truck to town to do some business. We stopped at
the airport where Matt confirmed his flight out and I cancelled the
refundable Hawaiian Airlines ticket I had purchased in lieu of posting a
bond. We went down town to the ferry terminal to visit the Port Captain
and get our clearance documents out of French Polynesia, went to customs
to get our duty free fuel permit, and stopped in at the local marine
hardware store to get a spare light bulb for the mast head light and some
canvas waterproofing solution. On the way home we stopped in at Carrefour
again and picked up another load of provisions. It doesn't sound like
much, but civilization exhausts me and we came back to the boat pretty
tired. .
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