After the cup race was over yesterday, Rob, Renee, and Mike took off in the dinghy and went in to town to do some provisioning. Their passage to Vaitape and back was an easy one in the gentle breeze compared with our more challenging dinghy ride the other day. I stayed on the boat to keep off my feet. I have arthritis in my left big toe joint and it has been swollen and bothering me for the past week.
The voyagers returned with a dinghy full of provisions and at 11AM we slipped our mooring and powered around to Bora's eastern lagoon. According to the cruising guides, this part of the lagoon is limited to vessels with drafts of less than eight feet or so because there is a shallow spot that deep in the channel. Our draft is eight feet but we were confident that we could make it. The shallow part of the channel has a sand bottom so there would likely be no damage if we did run aground. We never touched the bottom and made it through with at least a foot of water under the keel.
The only item our shoppers couldn't find in Vaitape was eggs, so we stopped at a village on Bora's eastern shore where Mike and I dinghied ashore to buy some. I minded the dinghy while Mike hiked to the village convenience store to do the shopping. After returning to Van Diemen with the eggs, we continued to the south end of the lagoon where we anchored.
The forecast for the next couple of days is very light wind and we want to be far from land so we can stay cool in what little breeze there is. We are about a third of a mile off of the motu and all by ourselves out here in twenty feet of water over a sand bottom. The water is super clear here. I could see the anchor hit the bottom and the chain pile up around it as I was setting it yesterday. There is a big coral head that comes to within fifteen feet of the surface just astern of us. We all dove on it yesterday afternoon for a look.
We are falling into a routine here in the islands of a beer mid afternoon and a rum and juice drink just before dinner. Van Diemen is a very civilized vessel. Our rum drinks are made with ice and a squeeze of lime. I used the last of the ice while making our cocktails last night though. I am worried about tonight.
We are trying to turn Renee into a sailor. Every once in a while we can bait her enough to get her to swear like a sailor, but we have thus far been unable to get her to drink like one. We will keep trying.
Last night it was barbecued lamb for dinner followed by a movie, "Das Boot 2". Life is goo.
No comments:
Post a Comment