The Tour de Huahine

0800 Position 16-49S 150-59W.  Anchored in Avea Bay, Huahine

 

There is a little known bicycle race that was held yesterday on the island of Huahine Iti.  The Tour de Huahine, held in conjunction with the Tour de France now underway in Europe and celebrating Independence Day in the United States, is a relay race twice around the island.  This year's entries, Team Relais, made up of Rob and Noodle, and Team Mahana, made up of Rene and Mike, were closely matched in the competition.  It was a classic battle of age and experience versus youth and beauty.  The first pairing, Rob and Renee, started at 830AM.  Other than a few rain squalls their lap around the nine square mile island of Huahine Iti was uneventful.  They were neck and neck as they entered the transition area at 1130AM.  The handoff was a thing of beauty.  Rob called Van Diemen on the hand held VHF and the second pair dinghied in to take custody of the bicycles.  It's a long way to Tefarerii, the halfway point in the course, and it was tough going past that point.  Mike and Noodle didn't get rained on, but the headwinds after Tefarerii consumed what little gas was left in the tank and they agreed to stop at a store a mile from the finish and reenergize with a beer.  The rest of the race was close and there was no clear winner except the Hinano Brewing Company.  With the competition concluded at 3PM, the teams repaired to Van Diemen to nurse sore okoles and tired muscles with more Hinano.

 

We had a post race 4^th of July dinner party aboard Van Diemen last night inviting over a cruising family from Newport Beach who are here in Avea Bay on their Pacific Seacraft 38, Sweet Pea.  Kevin, Brit, and son Evan Fullerton are crossing the Pacific as a part of the Pacific Puddle Jump fleet headed for New Zealand.  We had a great time comparing our cruises.  Their passage from Newport to the Marquesas took twice as long as ours did.  This is their first ocean crossing and the program is a bit less sophisticated than ours.  They only just lit their stove for the first time two months into the voyage after Brit flew down to join the boys in Tahiti.  Up to that point everything they ate or drank was cold.  That is really roughing it, but they are having the time of their lives.

Noodle tries on the "yellow beanie" that is traditionally worn by the winner of the Tour de Huahine

​Van Diemen proudly flying the Stars and Stripes on the 4th of July​