Cook Islands

0800 Position 21-12S 159-47W. Moored in Avatiu Harbor, Rarotonga

Yesterday was quite pleasant sailing. The wind was far enough aft and dropped a little bit allowing us to fully unroll the jib to fix the furling line. Rob had a replacement aboard and in a couple of hours the repair was done.

It is amazing what a difference a couple of degrees of latitude makes on the temperature. In the Society Islands at latitude 17S I was sleeping with just a sheet, and the air temperature was perfect. Water temperature was in the low to mid 80s, also ideal. As we headed southwest toward the Cook Islands it got progressively colder. Last night on deck I wore a fleece lined jacket and I'm now using a sleeping bag in my bunk. Water temperature was 78 the last time I looked.

We sighted Rarotonga about an hour before sunset, and as it got dark the lights of the island started appearing. It was pitch black as we approached Avatiu, the only decent harbor on the island. Normally we wouldn't enter a strange harbor at night, but the approaches appeared to be well marked, relatively wide, and our GPS plotter was matching with our visual observations. We entered cautiously and without incident but once inside the harbor we found no place to tie up except a large commercial pier intended for big ships. It was also surging quite a bit as the harbor is open to any swell from the north.

Tying to the commercial pier was a difficult task with the large fenders built into it and high quay wall. Rob backed in and I jumped onto a ladder built in to the quay and climbed to the top to catch lines thrown from the boat by the boys. Our intent was to tie alongside with our fender board up against one of the large ship fenders to keep us away from the concrete quay. We had to rig bow, stern, and spring lines simultaneously in the wind and surge to make it work. Fortunately the strong winds were pushing us away from the quay, great for keeping the boat from hitting but making it more difficult to get lines ashore. It took nearly an hour, but we got the boat secured with only one minor booboo on the stern.

At 930PM I finally had a chance to look at my watch, relax, and open a beer. We were safe for the night.

We all slept great, but kept an ear open in case some ship showed up to use the pier. None did, and this morning we are waiting to see if we will be kicked out and reassigned somewhere else in the harbor. We also have to go through the formalities of officially entering the country. How long we stay will likely be dependent on the availability of a safe mooring.

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