The wind finally filled in enough to sail at 830AM and we shut the engine down after powering for twenty three of the previous twenty four hours. Since then we have been close reaching to the north east under full sail. The wind has been slowly increasing, as forecast, and we are seeing speeds over six knots once in a while. The seas are still very flat and there is no water on deck, but a small left over wind chop from the north has given us a little jerkiness to the ride. Moku pe'a is happy to be sailing again. She doesn't like powering any more than I do.
We are madly consuming our fresh vegetables before they start going bad, so it was a salmon salad for dinner. It was too hot to cook anyway.
The sun during the day is brutal. Even under the bimini the heat radiates and the sunlight reflects off of the waves. I'm staying below while I am off watch in the morning and trying to hide from the sun during the afternoon. It will probably get even hotter as we pass under the sun's latitude. The sun is south of the equator and heading south now, so in a couple of days the worst should be over and it should start to cool off a bit. The water temperature is almost bath warm and will likely continue to warm until we approach the equator. At least that makes it easy to dump that first bucket over your head at bath time.
I'm waiting to take my daily bath until after 430PM when the heat isn't so bad and I won't start sweating again. I'm keeping all of the windows in my cabin open to keep the air circulating and keep it as cool as possible, but it is still difficult to sleep in the heat.
There's not much to do. Nothing has broken so there's nothing to fix. I took the opportunity to dry out the forward cabin while we were under power and all the windows and hatches were open. I'm working on an improvement to my homemade canvas bucket and reading a good book.
Tony has slipped right in to the routine effortlessly and is enjoying the ride so far. He is humoring me with my six hour watch system, something he had never tried before. We spend a lot of time talking about boat projects. He is getting his Islander 44 ready for a South Pacific cruise in a couple of years and still has lots to do on his boat. I like talking about it, but I'm glad it's him doing the work and not me.
From Tony - So I arrive in Bora Bora after 21 hours in transit and hop on the ferry to Vaitape. The day is dazzling, with the classic profile of Mount Otemanu watching over the lagoon. As we approach the little ferry harbor, there is the Mighty Moku pe'a anchored all alone and regal at the entrance. Noodle is on the dock waiting for me. It was great to see him after 18 months, or so I thought. We dinghy out to the boat, meet Kendra, and stow my gear.
The day is still sparkling, except for a black squall in the southwest, headed straight towards us and Mt. Otemanu. Noodle and Kendra exchange knowing glances that I later determine meant, "Let's put the newby crewmember through the Initiation Hazing." Noodle suggests a "hike" up to a nearby gun emplacement on one of the arms of Otemanu. We dinghy ashore.
The "hike" ends up being along the "road" through Vaitape. This is the biggest (only) town on Bora Bora. It is glued to the slopes of Otemanu where she meets the lagoon, leaving only a narrow passage for the road through town. It is always full of cars, trucks, busses, taxis, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, dogs and chickens, all trying to squeeze by one another.
Boy, am I gullible! Remember the black squall? It backed up against Otemanu, its mists swirling around the craggy peaks. It started raining and it was soon dumping at a rate of 16 inches an hour. This turned the dusty road into a mud pit, with deep puddles everywhere. The crowds continued to move through it all, though, with everyone, including chickens, screeching to a halt when oncoming cars stopped each other to exchange pleasantries. It wasn't just the timing of the squall that was the
hazing, though. I was relegated to the back of the line so the mud that was flung off the back of Kendra's and Noodles slippers caught me right in the kisser! Confirming my growing suspision that this was a hazing and that these two know the squall timing intimately, the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we got back to the dinghy dock.
Nah, really, Bora is beautiful and fun. It was so good to see Noodle and Kendra. Mt. Otemanu is truly awe-inspiring, towering over everything, the lagoon colors are amazing, and Noodle's snorkelling spot was just beautiful! There were so many different types of butterfly fish, all paired off for Springtime. Even Vaitape has its charms and the people, dogs, and chickens all seem cheerful.
Now at 06:30 we're making 7 knots in a squall generally on course for our waypoint area at 10N 145E, which gets us through the ITCZ at a good point to pick up the NE trades. Maruru, Bora Bora! And thank you Noodle for showing me around!
Tony
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