17 September - Cruising Mode Again

0600 position 17-29S 149-52W. At anchor in 50 feet , off Papetoai
Village, Moorea

It would have been too much hassle to transport our empty crate of Hinano
the quarter mile to Carrefour and bring a full crate back, so we saved
that for Cook's Bay where you can dinghy right to the supermarket parking
lot. With our full crate of Hinano and some fresh baguettes we returned
to the boat, did some projects, then headed for Oponohu Bay, once again
getting the head end of the bay all to ourselves. Mitch and Jenna, who
were driving around the island that day, stopped and yelled at us from the
coast road. After a dinner of grilled lamb, fresh baguette, salad, and
Bordeaux , Lori got to see slides and movies of what she had missed during
the trip from Tonga.

The next morning we moved the boat up to Papetoai Village where Lori could
visit the Post Office and it would be easier to rendezvous with Mitch and
Jenna. Lori continues her efforts to single handedly support the Post
Office by mailing dozens of postcards from every place we visit. We had
planned to either go whale watching and fishing or snorkeling with Mitch
and Jenna depending on the weather. After we picked them up it looked
like a good sailing day, so we headed into Oponohu Bay for a sailing tour.
In the middle of the bay we encountered a couple of pods of spinner
dolphins so Mitch went swimming with them while we circled around under
sail aboard Moku pe'a taking pictures. The wind died before we could get
offshore, so we reverted to plan B, anchored out on the barrier reef, had
a picnic lunch, and went for a snorkel. We made it back to our anchorage
off of Papetoai just before dark and all went to dinner in their rental
car at Te Honu Iti (The Little Turtle) in Cook's Bay. We had noticed the
restaurant from our anchorage there earlier, and its waterfront setting
looked inviting. A fisherman walked into the restaurant right behind us
carrying a thirty pound bull mahi mahi, so we knew that was fresh, and
half the table had some of him for dinner. Lights shining from the deck
attracted wildlife, and we were entertained at dinner by sharks and rays
swimming in and out of the light. Another great day.