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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Friday, July 21, 2017
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Now I Remember
0800 Position 20-16W 158-04S. 110 miles from Rarotonga. Days run 241 miles.
The last twenty four hours have been some of the most unpleasant sailing I can recall. It reminds me of my daughter Kara's and my passage to Tahiti in 2011. It blew harder as the day progressed yesterday with rain squalls hitting us every hour or so. Not that it mattered. The boat was soaked anyway by breaking waves. There was a southerly swell left over from some storm down there that combined with the southeast swell our current wind pattern is making to produce chaos in the ocean. We are headed southwest so we leap over the south swell with a jerky motion, and the southeast swell is trying to round us up. The peaks combine right next to the cockpit once every few minutes to produce a few buckets full of water on our heads. It is days like this that make me vow to never sail on another transoceanic voyage in a small sailboat. I've made that promise a number of times but have a hard time keeping it.
I seem to have some kind of a bug too. My head aches and I go through periods of nausea that disappear and reappear for no apparent reason.
Everything on the boat is wet. Clothes, bedding, towels, pillows, hair, and the floor. Doc took a spill this morning on the wet saloon floor that scared the shit out of me. Fortunately he landed on his back and is fine.
Last night at 10PM the jib furling line broke in a thirty knot squall instantly turning the double reefed jib into a full size one. Rob and I had to go forward in the pitch black and spray to figure out how to deal with it. We ended up tying the broken ends of the line together to get our double reef back in, but we have lost some turns on the drum so it won't furl completely. We will figure out how to solve that issue today in the daylight.
At 4AM this morning I came on watch to find Rob and Piers staring at the chart plotter anxiously. Van Diemen was in the middle of the 23 mile wide channel between Mauke and Mitiaro, two islands in the southern Cooks, when they encountered the Paul Gaugin, a 600 foot cruise ship, headed in the other direction. Van Diemen would turn north to avoid the Gaugin, and the Gaugan would turn north. OK, let's turn south. The Gaugin turned south. This game of chicken went on too long for Rob's comfort but in the end we passed about a quarter mile apart.
Today looks like a better day. We've only been rained on once in the last two hours, and we have been able to slack sheets a bit after clearing the islands for our final run into Rarotonga. I'm feeling better, and the boat is starting to dry out. Unfortunately, it looks like we will arrive off the island just after dark tonight.
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The last twenty four hours have been some of the most unpleasant sailing I can recall. It reminds me of my daughter Kara's and my passage to Tahiti in 2011. It blew harder as the day progressed yesterday with rain squalls hitting us every hour or so. Not that it mattered. The boat was soaked anyway by breaking waves. There was a southerly swell left over from some storm down there that combined with the southeast swell our current wind pattern is making to produce chaos in the ocean. We are headed southwest so we leap over the south swell with a jerky motion, and the southeast swell is trying to round us up. The peaks combine right next to the cockpit once every few minutes to produce a few buckets full of water on our heads. It is days like this that make me vow to never sail on another transoceanic voyage in a small sailboat. I've made that promise a number of times but have a hard time keeping it.
I seem to have some kind of a bug too. My head aches and I go through periods of nausea that disappear and reappear for no apparent reason.
Everything on the boat is wet. Clothes, bedding, towels, pillows, hair, and the floor. Doc took a spill this morning on the wet saloon floor that scared the shit out of me. Fortunately he landed on his back and is fine.
Last night at 10PM the jib furling line broke in a thirty knot squall instantly turning the double reefed jib into a full size one. Rob and I had to go forward in the pitch black and spray to figure out how to deal with it. We ended up tying the broken ends of the line together to get our double reef back in, but we have lost some turns on the drum so it won't furl completely. We will figure out how to solve that issue today in the daylight.
At 4AM this morning I came on watch to find Rob and Piers staring at the chart plotter anxiously. Van Diemen was in the middle of the 23 mile wide channel between Mauke and Mitiaro, two islands in the southern Cooks, when they encountered the Paul Gaugin, a 600 foot cruise ship, headed in the other direction. Van Diemen would turn north to avoid the Gaugin, and the Gaugan would turn north. OK, let's turn south. The Gaugin turned south. This game of chicken went on too long for Rob's comfort but in the end we passed about a quarter mile apart.
Today looks like a better day. We've only been rained on once in the last two hours, and we have been able to slack sheets a bit after clearing the islands for our final run into Rarotonga. I'm feeling better, and the boat is starting to dry out. Unfortunately, it looks like we will arrive off the island just after dark tonight.
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Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Cook Islands Bound
0800 Position 17-53W 154-41S. Underway headed for Rarotonga
After breakfast we moved the boat to the anchorage off of Vaitape. Doc and Piers went shopping and Rob and I went to visit Bruce and Ramine Seaman, family friends who have a home in Vaitape. The Seamans were off island during our first visit to Bora Bora and it was great to see them as well as their granddaughter Poerani who is visiting from Tahiti.
They also had great local knowledge on the availability of a doctor for Renee, and Ramine was able to make an immediate appointment for her. It turns out Renee is on the mend as we suspected, and the doctor gave us the OK to go to sea.
Van Diemen sailed out of Bora Bora's lagoon at 1PM with the intended destination of Maupiti, twenty five miles to the west, but we decided against going there once we saw the sea state outside the lagoon. Maupiti has one of the most dangerous passes in the Pacific, and many boats have been lost trying to use it during rough weather. When the surf is high and the tide is ebbing the current can flow at up to nine knots out the channel. The surf was up and the tide would be ebbing until after 4PM, not good conditions, so we set our next waypoint at Rarotonga, 540 miles to the southwest.
Last night was the roughest of the trip so far with winds well over twenty five knots in the squalls and very confused seas. The wind was shifting up to forty degrees in the pouring rain and pitch black night. Not pleasant sailing, but we are still here this morning soldiering on. We now have a triple reefed mainsail and have had as many as two reefs in the jib. We've made good time though averaging more than ten knots since departing Bora.
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After breakfast we moved the boat to the anchorage off of Vaitape. Doc and Piers went shopping and Rob and I went to visit Bruce and Ramine Seaman, family friends who have a home in Vaitape. The Seamans were off island during our first visit to Bora Bora and it was great to see them as well as their granddaughter Poerani who is visiting from Tahiti.
They also had great local knowledge on the availability of a doctor for Renee, and Ramine was able to make an immediate appointment for her. It turns out Renee is on the mend as we suspected, and the doctor gave us the OK to go to sea.
Van Diemen sailed out of Bora Bora's lagoon at 1PM with the intended destination of Maupiti, twenty five miles to the west, but we decided against going there once we saw the sea state outside the lagoon. Maupiti has one of the most dangerous passes in the Pacific, and many boats have been lost trying to use it during rough weather. When the surf is high and the tide is ebbing the current can flow at up to nine knots out the channel. The surf was up and the tide would be ebbing until after 4PM, not good conditions, so we set our next waypoint at Rarotonga, 540 miles to the southwest.
Last night was the roughest of the trip so far with winds well over twenty five knots in the squalls and very confused seas. The wind was shifting up to forty degrees in the pouring rain and pitch black night. Not pleasant sailing, but we are still here this morning soldiering on. We now have a triple reefed mainsail and have had as many as two reefs in the jib. We've made good time though averaging more than ten knots since departing Bora.
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Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Back to Bora
0800 Position 16-29S 151-46W. At anchor off of the Bora Bora Yacht Club
After breakfast yesterday a power boat showed up astern of us with a couple of Tahitians aboard offering tours of their pearl farm in on Tahaa. Piers and Doc went with them, and came back an hour later pleased with their experience and toting a kilo of pearl oyster muscle meat. This was just the cleaned muscle that holds the shell closed, not the mess you find inside a fresh oyster. They were told that the meat makes great poisson cru, the Tahitian version of ceviche.
We haven't had much wind since Piers and Doc arrived, and it was light again yesterday, so we ended up powering all the way to Bora Bora with the awning up. It was a bit rolly without any sails up, but a couple of hours later we were anchored off of the Bora Bora Yacht Club. We were too far offshore to pick up the club's WIFI signal, so we headed ashore to have a beer at the bar and check email.
Piers and Doc made some great oyster meat poisson cru for pupus at cocktail hour and we enjoyed another movie night after dinner aboard.
Renee has been feeling lousy since we left Tahiti. We are not sure if it is flu, chicken gunya, zika, or something else. She appears to be on the mend, but we don't want to take any chances since we are about to leave civilization for a couple of weeks as we head west. She and Rob are going to try to find a doctor in Vaitape this morning to make sure it is OK for her to go.
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After breakfast yesterday a power boat showed up astern of us with a couple of Tahitians aboard offering tours of their pearl farm in on Tahaa. Piers and Doc went with them, and came back an hour later pleased with their experience and toting a kilo of pearl oyster muscle meat. This was just the cleaned muscle that holds the shell closed, not the mess you find inside a fresh oyster. They were told that the meat makes great poisson cru, the Tahitian version of ceviche.
We haven't had much wind since Piers and Doc arrived, and it was light again yesterday, so we ended up powering all the way to Bora Bora with the awning up. It was a bit rolly without any sails up, but a couple of hours later we were anchored off of the Bora Bora Yacht Club. We were too far offshore to pick up the club's WIFI signal, so we headed ashore to have a beer at the bar and check email.
Piers and Doc made some great oyster meat poisson cru for pupus at cocktail hour and we enjoyed another movie night after dinner aboard.
Renee has been feeling lousy since we left Tahiti. We are not sure if it is flu, chicken gunya, zika, or something else. She appears to be on the mend, but we don't want to take any chances since we are about to leave civilization for a couple of weeks as we head west. She and Rob are going to try to find a doctor in Vaitape this morning to make sure it is OK for her to go.
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Monday, July 17, 2017
Stunning
0800 Position 16-36S 151-34W. At anchor off of Taotao Motu, Tahaa
It is always nice here in the Leeward Islands, even when the weather isn't perfect. Yesterday was one of those post card days though. The air temperature was ideal. The wind was about six knots, just enough to keep us cool but not enough to chill us when we got out of the water. The sky had enough puffy cumulus clouds to be interesting but not enough to create shade when we were snorkeling.
After a morning swim at Naonao we pulled the hook and powered up through the lee of Raiatea until the trades filled in where they funneled between Raiatea and Tahaa. We killed the engine and sailed under jib alone at six knots with the awning up. The wind lifted as we approached Tahaa which allowed us to sail into Tahaa's lagoon through Paipai Pass and then along the coast to the Coral River where we anchored at 1PM.
I have probably snorkeled the Coral River a dozen times over the years, and yesterday was the best so far. The surf was as small as I've ever seen it here, and since surf coming in over the reef creates the flow in the Coral River, there was no current. The bright sunshine had warmed the stagnant water to nearly bathtub temperature, but the river was clean and full of fish. With little current we could take our time meandering downstream and some of the guys took almost an hour to complete the ¼ mile drift. Our timing was perfect for both sunlight, which was almost directly overhead, and crowds. There was only one other pair of snorkelers in the water. I got more than five minutes of video of a school of striped fish that numbered in the hundreds. It was hypnotic to watch the school change direction and feed as they migrated along the reef.
Last night was just as magical. The trade winds died off completely and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The moon didn't rise until midnight, and there isn't any light pollution here, so the Milky Way was brilliant above us for the first half of the night. It was completely quiet in the glassy calm except for the gentle sound of surf breaking on the outer reef and fish feeding on the surface around us.
This morning Rob tossed some mango peals over the transom and a pair of remora came out from under the boat to check them out. These suckers were nearly three feet long and apparently are not vegetarian.
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It is always nice here in the Leeward Islands, even when the weather isn't perfect. Yesterday was one of those post card days though. The air temperature was ideal. The wind was about six knots, just enough to keep us cool but not enough to chill us when we got out of the water. The sky had enough puffy cumulus clouds to be interesting but not enough to create shade when we were snorkeling.
After a morning swim at Naonao we pulled the hook and powered up through the lee of Raiatea until the trades filled in where they funneled between Raiatea and Tahaa. We killed the engine and sailed under jib alone at six knots with the awning up. The wind lifted as we approached Tahaa which allowed us to sail into Tahaa's lagoon through Paipai Pass and then along the coast to the Coral River where we anchored at 1PM.
I have probably snorkeled the Coral River a dozen times over the years, and yesterday was the best so far. The surf was as small as I've ever seen it here, and since surf coming in over the reef creates the flow in the Coral River, there was no current. The bright sunshine had warmed the stagnant water to nearly bathtub temperature, but the river was clean and full of fish. With little current we could take our time meandering downstream and some of the guys took almost an hour to complete the ¼ mile drift. Our timing was perfect for both sunlight, which was almost directly overhead, and crowds. There was only one other pair of snorkelers in the water. I got more than five minutes of video of a school of striped fish that numbered in the hundreds. It was hypnotic to watch the school change direction and feed as they migrated along the reef.
Last night was just as magical. The trade winds died off completely and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The moon didn't rise until midnight, and there isn't any light pollution here, so the Milky Way was brilliant above us for the first half of the night. It was completely quiet in the glassy calm except for the gentle sound of surf breaking on the outer reef and fish feeding on the surface around us.
This morning Rob tossed some mango peals over the transom and a pair of remora came out from under the boat to check them out. These suckers were nearly three feet long and apparently are not vegetarian.
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Sunday, July 16, 2017
Working our way West
0800 Position 16-55S 151-26W. At anchor in the lee of Naonao Motu, Raiatea
Rob bought a fat roll of vanilla beans from his friend the farmer and returned to the boat at 10AM yesterday. We put the awning and bicycle away, pulled the hook, and powered down to Fare. Doc, Piers and I dinghied ashore to do a bit of shopping while Rob and Renee drifted offshore.
We bought some vegetables and beer in Fare's well stocked supermarket and Piers bought a dress for his granddaughter from a shop on the way back to the dinghy. Back aboard Van Diemen we hoisted the mainsail and took off for Raiatea.
During the crossing Piers and I were talking about my cruising experiences here, and I realized that over five trips I've spent nearly a full year in total just messing about French Polynesia in boats. I've seen most of the good stuff multiple times, but I don't get tired of it. As I write this the sun is just rising over the horizon and lighting the lush green hillsides of southern Raiatea. It is flat calm, and I can hear the surf breaking on the barrier reef behind me. The boys are talking about boats, as usual, while they are enjoying their morning coffee in the cockpit. I think I could do this forever and not get tired of it.
I did have a new experience yesterday, entering Raiatea's lagoon through Teavamoa Pass at the southeastern end of the island. One of the cruising guides I've always used recommended against using that pass, but the seas were flat, the wind was light, and it was the closest pass to our destination, so we gave it a go. The pass was easy and once through we were right off of Taputapuatea where we anchored.
The boys dinghied ashore so Piers and Doc could have a look at Taputapuatea's magnificent marae, and after returning to the boat we powered down to Naonao Motu at the south end of the island to snorkel and spend the night. I got some great video on my Gopro of the six inches of clearance between the sand bottom and Van Diemen's keel in the Naonao anchorage. I don't think we ever touched the bottom.
Last night after a great dinner of grilled tuna we watched my Dad's hour long movie of his sailing trip around the world in 1939. It was one of the first color movies ever made, and the world was a different place.
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Rob bought a fat roll of vanilla beans from his friend the farmer and returned to the boat at 10AM yesterday. We put the awning and bicycle away, pulled the hook, and powered down to Fare. Doc, Piers and I dinghied ashore to do a bit of shopping while Rob and Renee drifted offshore.
We bought some vegetables and beer in Fare's well stocked supermarket and Piers bought a dress for his granddaughter from a shop on the way back to the dinghy. Back aboard Van Diemen we hoisted the mainsail and took off for Raiatea.
During the crossing Piers and I were talking about my cruising experiences here, and I realized that over five trips I've spent nearly a full year in total just messing about French Polynesia in boats. I've seen most of the good stuff multiple times, but I don't get tired of it. As I write this the sun is just rising over the horizon and lighting the lush green hillsides of southern Raiatea. It is flat calm, and I can hear the surf breaking on the barrier reef behind me. The boys are talking about boats, as usual, while they are enjoying their morning coffee in the cockpit. I think I could do this forever and not get tired of it.
I did have a new experience yesterday, entering Raiatea's lagoon through Teavamoa Pass at the southeastern end of the island. One of the cruising guides I've always used recommended against using that pass, but the seas were flat, the wind was light, and it was the closest pass to our destination, so we gave it a go. The pass was easy and once through we were right off of Taputapuatea where we anchored.
The boys dinghied ashore so Piers and Doc could have a look at Taputapuatea's magnificent marae, and after returning to the boat we powered down to Naonao Motu at the south end of the island to snorkel and spend the night. I got some great video on my Gopro of the six inches of clearance between the sand bottom and Van Diemen's keel in the Naonao anchorage. I don't think we ever touched the bottom.
Last night after a great dinner of grilled tuna we watched my Dad's hour long movie of his sailing trip around the world in 1939. It was one of the first color movies ever made, and the world was a different place.
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Saturday, July 15, 2017
Lazy
0800 Position 16-49S 150-59W. At anchor in Avea Bay, Huahine
We had a busy couple of days saying goodby to Mike, collecting Piers and Doc, clearing out of the country, provisioning, fueling, watering, and sailing to Moorea and Huahine. We earned a vacation from our vacation, so we vacationed yesterday in Huahine. We didn't do anything but laze around on Van Diemen. Oh sure, we did check out the talent that arrived on the charter catamarans and went for a swim, but did little else. Our biggest accomplishment for the day was moving Van Diemen 150 yards back to "our spot" in front of the Relais Mahana Hotel when the usurping catamaran there departed.
We didn't even launch the dinghy until it was time to hit the food truck for dinner. It was great food, as usual, but they were out of chow mein, their specialty, which disappointed a few of the crew.
There is more energy aboard today. This morning the boys were up before sunrise to head into the hotel for fresh baguettes. Rob is off on his bicycle now to buy some vanilla from a farmer down the road. We will be departing for Raiatea when he returns.
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| Moonset over Raiatea from the anchorage in Avea Bay |
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