Monday, September 15, 2014

15 September - Moku pe'a's Excellent Adventure, Chapter 4

0600 position 17-30S 149-49W. At anchor in 50 feet , Cook's Bay, Moorea

The crew change in Papeete felt like the ending of one chapter and the
beginning of another in this adventure. It was difficult to see Matt go.
He is a lifelong friend, a great seaman, sailor, and chef, and I don't
think our voyage from Tonga to Tahiti via Raivavae would have turned out
as well without him. There were some sketchy moments out there, and I
knew I could rest easy when he was on watch. What else can you ask for in
a shipmate?

Lori's flight arrived in Papeete and she cleared customs just a few
minutes before Matt had to go through security to make his flight to
Honolulu, so we had a brief but enjoyable Tonga crew reunion in the
airport lobby. It was wonderful to be reunited with my sweetie again
after a month apart. To add to the excitement, Lori's high school
boyfriend and classmate Mitch Haynie and his wife Jenna, who were on their
way to Moorea to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary, were on Lori's
flight. They gave us a ride back to Marina Taina in their rental car and
we are planning to meet up with them Tuesday on Moorea for a sail on Moku
pe'a. It is a small world.

On Sunday morning Lori and I made a trip to Carrefour to do our
provisioning for the time that she will be aboard. I was in a bit of a
hurry because we also wanted to sail to Moorea that day, but it is
difficult to get out of a place like Carrefour in a hurry. Picture
Costco, but with everything you can imagine. We had a particularly hard
time deciding on wines, cheeses, and cuts of lamb. We did manage to make
it back to the boat in time for a pre-noon departure from our mooring.

The big south swell had dissipated so we were able to depart via Taapuna
Pass. The forecast for light winds was correct, and we ended up motor
sailing nearly all the way to Cook's Bay, arriving just after 4PM. The
mild crossing was perfect for getting Lori back into the swing of things
aboard Moku pe'a. The highlight of the day was the multiple pods of
humpbacks along the north shore of Moorea that performed for us and got
close enough to make us nervous.

Lori took a nap after we anchored, and I made a dinner of fresh green
beans sautéed in butter, garlic, and spices, baguette and brie, and a nice
Bordeaux finished off with some 52% cacao desert chocolate. Life is good.

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