17 October - Relaxing in Paradise

0600 position 16-31S 151-46W. At anchor in 15', sand bottom, In the lee
of Toopua Island in the Bora Lagoon

I had purchased a thick slab of bacon at the supermarket and had bacon,
scrambled eggs, and fresh baguette, butter and jam with my coffee on
Tuesday morning to reward myself after Monday's epic work day. While
cleaning the grounds out of the coffee press on the swim step after
breakfast I looked down and saw a four foot black tipped shark swam by.
Hmmm. That was a bit disturbing. Perhaps I won't be spending a lot of
time in the water here in the lee of Toopua Island.

The bacon and eggs weren't just about pampering myself. While at the Four
Seasons I was able to weigh myself for the first time since April. I'm
down to 153 pounds. Not good. I suspect I'm losing muscle mass because I
have been off of my exercise routine for six months. There's no canoe
paddling or weight lifting on Moku pe'a, just a little bit of hiking and
biking once in a while. So I'm trying to bulk up a bit. In addition to
the bacon, I purchased a boneless rib roast from which I'm cutting a ribeye
steak periodically to grill for dinner. Had one both Monday and Tuesday
night. So ono.

I had originally anchored right up under Toopua where the hill shields the
boat from any strong trade winds, but Tuesday afternoon was still and hot
so I moved farther from the island where there was more breeze to keep me
cool. It was a stunning day, and I decided to "Bloke Up", forget about
the sharks and go for a swim. I snorkeled the coral heads near the boat
and then cleaned Moku pe'a bottom. The water was so warm that I ended up
staying in for nearly an hour.

The weather started to deteriorate on Wednesday, and by Thursday morning
it was pouring rain with gusts in the mid twenties. I've been stuck
below, and have decided that I'm already over the single handed thing. I
prefer company and wish I weren't alone. The weather is starting to
improve though, and the forecast for Friday is light winds from the
northwest, perfect for a down wind sail back to Raiatea.

I think every cruise develops its own theme. In 2011 we had a ball during
our three months of knocking about in French Polynesia. We didn't have
refrigeration aboard Moku pe'a at the time though, and nearly every
afternoon we went ashore in search of cold beer. I blogged about our
escapades, and pal Tim Dick responded that we were on a daily "QFB", Quest
For Beverage. I love that acronym, and decided that 2011 was "The QFB
Cruise".

Matt and I had dinner in early August in Port Maurelle, Tonga with Pauline
and Steve from the Macgregor 65 "Rum Doodle", and we were discussing our
upcoming sail to Raivavae. This lovely Australian couple are as tough as
nails having already sailed once around the world raising two children
along the way. We met them in Vava'u while they were on the final leg of
a four year circumnavigation of the Pacific. Upon hearing our trepidation
at the potential for extended periods of head winds and rough seas,
Pauline said, "Well then boys, you'd better Bloke Up!" I love that
Australian equivalent of "Man Up", and have decided that our 2014
adventure is "The Bloke Up Cruise". Ironically, nearly the entire cruise
has been sailed down wind and we haven't had to bloke up yet. With just a
little bit more luck we never will.