Riatea and Bora Bora with Nitidus

Riatea and Bora Bora with Nitidus
                                                 
11 January 2012  Moorea to Riatea
                                                        The gas came, as had been promised and at the price quoted, so we left Moorea at about 1100 hrs. If we had to be stuck anywhere this has been quite a good place to be stuck. The weather has been dreadful but I think I have probably made the best of what good days we have had. However the general mood is that we have had enough of this place and need somewhere new.

Genady goes forward

 We set off on a fine reach for Huahine or Riatea depending on what the wind decides to do. We had intermittent SUNSHINE and morale rocketted. It was an easy day and easy into the night but Genady managed to conjure up another squall at 0200hrs which required a main drop in freezing wind and rain.

12 January 2012    Riatea
                                          The entry to Riatea was well marked and easy, and very beautiful. We went through the reef pass between two little motu with the rising sun behind us illuminating this green island with pale pink streamers of mist lifting off the hills of the main island. It was a beautiful sight and as we turned to approach the town, Bora Bora was framed by Riatea and Tahaa rising above the lagoon. After the rain and grey skies of the last week it seemed a magical place. I was so entranced that I forgot to take any photos.
We squeezed into a slot in the marina and eventually the authorities decided we could stay. The marina looks clean and quiet and should suit us very well for a few days.
 The town didn't take much exploring, just a couple of streets, which was probably just as well as I returned to the boat early to nurse Sergiy's cold which he handed round in Moorea. It was a pleasant easy day lazing, swimming and lazing again. Slept like a log!

13 January 2012  Riatea
                                       I felt better after the sleep and decided a short outing to Tapioi Hill which overlooks the town would be a good thing to do. Kosta and Genady went there yesterday and were full of praise for the view. It was a short, easy climb up a zig-zag track to a ridge which overlooks the town and the lagoon and all the surrounding islands. The views were indeed spectacular, North across the lagoon was the greenness of Tahaa with it's many bays, West was Bora Bora cloud capped and  majestic, to the East was Huahine and South the ridges of Riatea lifted away enticingly.  I sat and gazed at the colours for about two hours eating my papaya and feeling very contented. Eventually I came back down to the more usual activities of getting weather off the internet, asprin from the chemist and pineapple for lunch. The afternoon was spent swimming lazily in the sea and lazing about the boat and harbour. This is truely the Land of the Lotus Eaters!
Kosta came back from one of his wanders with a great slab of indeterminate fish so it is sushi and fried fish for supper.

The view over the Lagoon to Tahaa from Tapioi Hill

The view across the lagoon from the seafront just beside the marina

14 January 2012  Riatea
                                      I thought that I would take the bus which the Information Office said would leave a 0900hrs and go to another group of 3 waterfalls. I was up early, breakfasted and shopped for lunch but no bus showed up! It was only about 5-6kms so I started to walk. About half way there I got a lift with a French teacher and his wife who were just back from France. "The news there is universally depressing. It is better here where we hear less and can ignore more!". I tend to agree with him. He was exteremely worried for the employment prospects of his children who were finishing university in Bordeaux. They dropped me at the end of the track to the falls and I was soon trying to shelter from a thunderstorm. Some tropical vegetation makes a tolerably good umbrella but it is not a match for a tropical downpour!. After the rain the waterfalls in the distance had gone from white to brown and the river beside the track was roaring along. I thought that the falls would be spectacular, but the track ended at a river crossing and the river in spate looked more than I could handle, so after casting about unsuccessfully for a crossing I turned to go down. When I was taking one last picture I noticed that the falls were once again white so I went back to the crossing and the water was lower. After about another 30 minutes I thought it was low enough and I wadered across though not without some difficulty. I picked up the path on the other side but after only 400m this ended in another river crossing and a banana plantation from which there was no obvious exit. I tried wading up the stream but progress was slow and not with out it's dangers so I decided on discretion and retraced my steps.

The falls I didn't get to

The river which stopped me initially

And the one I tried to wade up

  I had lunch by the lagoon and walked all the way back to the boat. It was hardly my most successful expedition but it was not without interest and a peverse sense of enjoyment.

15 January 2012  Riatea

The coast West of Uturoa

                                         After yesterdays excitements fording swollen rivers I thought a quieter day was in order. I was up early for a swim before breakfast and then took the road West from Uturoa to the marina where most of the charter companies are based. It was prettily done and full of catamarans. Cats seem to be the charter vehicle of choice around here. We are parked at the end of a long line of  them in our marina too. They vary in size from very large to grotesquely enormous, are universally sumptious inside, have enormous amounts of space both inside and out, and are, I am sure, the perfect boat for chartering here with their shallow draught suited to lagoons and reefs. However they leave me with an impression of ugly ostentation which depresses rather than lifts my spirits. I swam off the marina breakwater and had my lunch sitting on the lawns around the basin. A Polynesian family came down and the children played in the water having a marvellous time. It was very peaceful and relaxing so I did a few yoga stretches to try to keep everything moving. I then noticed that the clouds were building omminously so I started the hike back to the boat. In fact the rain held off until the evening so need not have hurried back.

15 January 2012 Riatea
                                      The weather looked a bit iffy in the morning and no-one seemed interested in doing anything. I think Genady is still suffering from the cold which Sergiy generously passed around. Kosta is talking about paying until the 19th so we will not be going off to explore the bays of Tahaa. There are lots of ferries on the quay which go to Tahaa so I thought a day trip would be good. The 0900hrs  boat finally got going at 0935hrs after a hurried visit ashore to borrow a battery to start the engine! I went to Patio at the Northern end of Tahaa with the intention of walking over a col to Hamene and getting a ferry back from there. The ride out through the lagoon was lovely, all turquoise and aquamarine blues with a ribbon of surf pounding on the reef and a string of motu to give it that true desert island look.

A motu similar to those on the reef North of Patio

At Patio I asked when the last ferry back to Riatea was, and was told that I was on it! I didn't feel like just going back and thought that an overnight on Tahaa would not be the end of the world should that prove necessary. Optimistic fool that I am I thought that maybe there might be a later ferry from Hamene. The Gendarmes at Patio sent me the wrong way along the coast road for the track over the col, it was left and they sent me right! I was eventually put right by a chap in a road mending truck who backed up, turned round and took me to the start of the track. He made sure I knew that 'It was a long way' (12kms), that it would be muddy and that I had water. Such kindness.
 The track itself was just that, a track rising to a low col with good views N and S. Along the way I collected mangoes from the roadside and was given 'beanpods' where you eat the padding which tastes like sugary cotton wool. I had lunch at the col and then set off for Hamene which was obvious below. I took a more direct route down a steep muddy path and found myself in an area of cultivation with 4 men and a girl tending what looked to me like marijuana plants. I thought it judicious not to show too keen an interest and continued to Hamene through a wild mango forest. I can taste them still. At Hamene it was confirmed that the next ferry was at 0500 the next morning and it would leave from a quay about 7 kms out of 'town'. There was a pension close by the quay so there should be no problems about a bed for the night. However all along the road to ther quay were moored speedboats so I enquired about a 'taxi' back to Riatea. Soon we had a deal and I came scuding back across the lagoon to everyones satisfaction.
 Kosta collected a stray from the town quay, a chap called Andre from a boat called Symbiosis. He was originally Hungarian but left with his parents when the Dubchek regime was put down by the Soviets. I cannot say that enjoyed his company. To my mind he was a totally self-centred incompetant masquerading as a self sufficiant idealist. Over the course of the evening it transpired that:
His boat was leaking from the stern gland and needed to be pumped for 2.5 hours daily!
That in crossing the Pacific from Mexico to Marquesas the propellor of his boat fell off!
That he had been struck by lightening and his instruments and earth bonding had fried and had not been repaired!
That he had an electrical fault, which had nothing to do with the earth bonding, but which prevented him from using his engine!
And when he crossed the Pacific he ran out of gas because he didn't carry a spare bottle!
What else was wrong one can but wonder. His Mexican ex-girlfriend apparrently got off at the Marquesas, I can only wonder why she got on in the first place!

17 January 2012  Riatea
                                      This morning we pumped up the dinghy and Kosta and I chugged over to the motu by the entry pass to do some snorkelling. It was a good place, interesting coral gardens in the shallows and reef in the entry channel was alive with fish of all shapes and sizes and colours. There were fish in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black and white; in stripes, spots and quadrants and any mixture of the aforegoing that could be thought of. At one time I thought the visibility had changed and when I checked  why, I found I was in the middle of a vast shoal of  tiny almost transparent fish. We saw a live ray and in the shallows and a Stone Fish, oops beware! I also had some more Spanish conversation with a young French girl who worked in Barcelona and was here visiting parents, she paddled over to the motu in a little green canoe. The island was open to public access and various huts and barbeques had been built, but we were the only ones there, and nothing was being maintained so it was in dire need of some TLC. I found a hat which I kept and a broken surfboard which I used to paddle out to the reef. It was an interesting morning and we were back in time for lunch, and to avoid the afternoon's rain.

A very similar motu to the one where we all went snorkelling

18 January 2012 Riatea last day
                                                     All the others wanted to go out to the motu and snorkel so I volunteered to do the shopping and supper.
A very lazy day.
Ann will be on her way.

19 January 2012 Riatea to Bora Bora
                                                           It was a lovely day and we were away shortly after 10am. The exit was easy and the channels in the lagoon were well marked.In the lagoon we ran on the engine and set the jib once we were out of the western pass. It is the first bit of real downwind sailing that we done in fair weather. We gave the Hydrovane a try and it worked fine when reaching but was not so good further off the wind. It was a very easy trip and was in fact quite boring after many of our passages. At Bora Bora Kosta handed the steering over to me but then started making what I considered unnecessary instructions which so confused me that I gave the boat back to him.
 The hotels on the shore seem virtually empty. We anchored in a very secure pool behind an island and next to another Hilton Hotel which is mostly huts over the water. Bora Bora is beautiful and impressive but from our anchorage we cannot see the main island. If they stay here for a long time I think they will be bored.

Bora Bora from the pass through the reef

Just before we entered the pool where we anchored

Looking forward to Ann's arrival.

20 January 2012   Bora Bora
                                              Another fine day, this must be a record for the trip. The other 3 were keen to go off and look for snorkelling sites so I volunteered to stay behind and do a sort out of the money/shopping credits and debits, and do a collection of my gear ready to leave tomorrow. The money transfers were not worth bothering with which is the best possible result and I got most of my packing done. They all came back just before lunch without enthusiasm as the underwater is nothing like as good as Riatea. However during the morning I had noticed collections of trip boats out in the shallow part of the lagoon behind the reef. These I guessed were the feeding sites for the rays and sharks so Kosta, Genady and I went to investigate. It was a feeding point and the sharks and rays were very impressive in the water at close quarters. The sharks were 2m long reef sharks and although harmless nevertheless produced a sharp intake of breath and a quickening of the heart as they swim towards you only to sheer away at the last minute. The rays were about 1m wingspan and 1.5m mouth to whip, and they brush against you as you stand in the water. OOH ARRR.
I have doubts about the advisability of feeding wild creatures but it was a never to be forgotten encounter.
 That evening I took the crew to the Hilton for farewell drink which we all enjoyed. The hotel is nearly empty, only about 20 people in a 200 bedroom hotel complex which is beautiful, the prices are however astronomic $500+ per night. How can it be economic ? If they reduced the prices and upped the occupancy rates would it not be better and provide more employment as well?
I do not understand, but it is not my problem!!!!!
Ann arrives tomorrow.

Moorea pictures

A rather subdued New Years Eve party

Dawn over Port Phaeton

Looking into Opunoho Bay from the anchorage

The head of Opunoho Bay on a good day

A Mape tree

Moorean Big Game Park

Mt Rotui flanked by Opunoho and Cooks Bays as seen from the Belvedere

My German friend at 3 Pines

The ridge above Viare

Mount Mouaroa

When it wasn't raining we made the best of it

The beach at Opunoho

These are the pictures that should have been scattered throughout the last post, but which only seem to like to be handled by the laptop!

Waiting: Tahiti Iti and Moorea

Waiting for wives; Tahiti Iti and Moorea

31 December 2011   Papette to Port Phaeton
                                                                     The morning was spent doing last minute administration, banks, internet, notes to the Port Police who were not on duty, shopping etc, etc; but we were away at 1100hrs. There was no wind so we motored the whole way to Port Phaeton. It was a very easy run and the entrance wasn't as difficult as the charts and pilot book lead us to believe. We were in with the last of the light and anchored which is a first for this trip. The windlass which was corroded solid was put in a state to move whilst we were in Papette was used for the 1st time in many a year. The run down gave glipses of the hiniterland of Tahiti, lots of sharp steep peaks over even more steep sided valleys. Habitation is largely confined to the coastal strip. Today the clouds lifted at odd times to give these insights into the interior but they were short and tantalising. Let us hope the weather continues to improve. Port Phaeton is a hurricane hole between the main bulk of the island and a smaller area joined to it by an isthamus. The holding is fantastic and no safer place for the boat would be possible. It would be nice to explore Tahiti Iti which is small enough to cross in a day, but has some very rugged country in its interior.
 We have no idea what lies ashore beyond a boatyard and a bar, but that's a good start!
All the crew were a bit homesick s New Years Eve is a big celebration in Ukraine. There was no point in my going to bed so we dug out my ties and did our best to have a party but it was a rather subdued affair.

 ( I don't seem to be able to stick in photos at the moment. I have no idea why but will bash on and keep trying!)

1 January 2012  Port Phaeton
                                            We put the dinghy together and Kosta and Sergiy shot off to explore the bay. They came back with horror stories of stolen dinghies and stripped boats, so the decision is that there must always be someone on board. I am very sceptical of the veracity of these tales because there are several liveaboard couples here and they could not live like that and wouldn't stay if that was the situation. However it is not worth arguing about. Genady voluenteered to for the 1st stay on the boat so after breakfast the rest of us went ashore to look at Taravao, and there was really very little to see or get excited about. Today was the first clear day we have had since we arrived in Tahiti and was very hot. I moved away from Kosta and Sergiy to explore on my own as going in a gang you see  very little and meet nobody. Across the isthamus was a small commercial harbour which had not been used for some time as the bollards were flaking rust. However the reef markers were in place, the water was clean and there was a beach to one side and a little motu offshore to set off the scenery. I thought it would be a perfect safe and convienient place to explore the area from. Kosta however was not keen so we won't do it.
 I wandered back to the boat and was picked up by Genady. The others came back after lunch and Gena and Sergiy went off in search of beer. Kosta picked up messages on his satellite phone and found that after 5 Jan we have strong northerlies forecast. He decided that tomorrow we will go to Moorea for a few days and then back to Papette to pick up the gas when the bad weather arrives. it is not a bad plan but one of our good days for exploring and swimming will now be spent going to Moorea. We seem unable to move the boat short distances, or out to clean water for a swim and then back again. Everthing is so intense and serious, there is no carefree attitude to life.

2 January 2012  Port Phaeton  to Opunoho Bay, Moorea
                                                                                      I was up early and got breakfast ready but was the only taker, no idea why. Kosta insisted on giving me a detailed and lenghty description of how to pull up a chain! I stepped back and let him risk his back doing it his way. Sometimes I despair.
There was no wind so we motored carrying the dinghy on the foredeck. The rear tube extensions of the dinghy formed a comfortable backrest so I read for the morning. The comfort is a welcome as the cockpit sides are too far from the rails to use them as a backrest and the cockpit floor is often wet. The dinghy on the foredeck also gives us a bit more space which after the last few days I think we need. After lunch a slight breeze blew up so we sailed for a couple of hours before we had to go downwind which killed the breeze. We motored to Opunoho Bay and entered easily, anchoring  to the East with a lot of other cruising boats in the channel behind the reef towards the hotel complex. The mystery of where the porthand channel marker for the entrance had gone was solved- it was aground behind the reef about a mile out of position! We just got in as the rain started but it was soon over and we all swam and had a mega-supper.
The setting and mountains are really dramatic.

3 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                              Sergiy wanted to stay on board so Genady, Kosta and I went walkabout. The Opunoho Valley was well written up in the guides so we decided to go there. Kosta and Genady were slow to start and decided to fiddle and fill showers that could easily have been left to Sergiy so we were missing the cool of the morning. They were also slow once we had started and I suddenly found myself alone on the road and enjoying the silence. At the Agricultural College I took their do-it-yourself guided tour which lasted about an hour and identified all their plants and the uses to which they were put. I was given papaya by one of the workers, water by another group and a pineapple by the girl in the snackbar. I felt duty bound to try one of their pineapple and grapefruit juices and it was delicious.
  I walked up the road to the archelogical area and viewed various piles of stones without much enthusiasm. On the way back to the road a side path into the jungle beckoned and I found myself on a back trail to the Belvedere viewpoint. The jungle was cool and shady and there were many trees with roots like fine butresses and nuts scattered across the forest floor, I later found they were Mape trees and a staple of the original Polynesian cuisine. I also passed a wildlife reserve specifically set aside for snails, of which there were lots, mainly large ones with two-tone swirly brown shells. At the viewpoint it really was a lovely view over both Opunoho and Cooks Bays and the old caldera with Mt Rotui thrusting up into the centre of it all.
 After resting I returned to the trail I had ascended and headed for 3 Pines intending to descend from there to the Pineapple Road and Cooks Bay. Walking in the forest was hot but not unbearably so because of the shade and the constant interest involved in not losing the path. The silence was profound. At 3 Pines which was another fantastic viewpoint I met a German woman who was living on Moorea and was walking alone. She was headed for Viare, the ferry terminal on the other coast, where the buses ran from and to. So I agreed to accompany her there and get a bus back to Opunoho. She was good company and very knowledgeable about the forest plants although she was a bit of a food freak. However we spent a very pleasant afternoon in each others company. The view from the ridge above Viare was excellent. In one direction the harbour, channel and Tahiti; and in the other another view of Mt Rotui and Cooks Bay. The path down was fairly easy so we arrived in time for me to have hamburger and chips! She saw me on to the bus with a papaya and coconut drink both of which were delicious. I arrived back at the Sailing School in Opunoho at the same time as Kosta and Genady, and Sergiy picked us up in the dinghy. The others went off for a Polynesian evening at the hotel and I stayed boat sitting as I will, I am sure do something similar with Ann when she arrives.
It was a good day if a little strenuous 0800-1630 with not many stops.

4 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                              Today I thought that I would try to find the high level trail around the Opunoho Valley. I failed to identify the start and after walking for about 1 1/2  hrs I ended up back where I had started from! It wasn't an unpleasant experience as there were lots of flowers and I managed to swim in a stream, but it wasn't what I had planned. As it was still  early I set off along one of the parallel tracks to the Pineapple Road scrumping grapefruits and pineapples which had been discarded along the way. And at about 1 pm I arrived at Cooks Bay, dunked my feet in the sea and ate my spoils. I also made a trip to the supermarket for essential supplies like wine and luxury of luxuries I had an ice-cream.
 On the road back to the boat I got shanghaied by 3 old Tahitian men (in truth probably younger than me) who insisted on taking me to their shack, of nailed up corrugated and dirt floor, to give me a coconut drink. They were not enamoured of the French but had no idea what they would do if they were independant.
 Kosta had asked another Canadian called Adrian to eat with us. He is selling his boat, to set up 'Kite Sailing Ecological Tour' He was/is a fascinating dreamer who also does some amazing things like kite surfing for 36hrs from Tahiti to Huahine through an eclipse. He was great company and I hope his dreams work out but I would find it impossible to live such a financially precarious life.
  The weather is turning nasty, Northerly winds when we want to go North, what a surprise! Add to this that Kosta has now found somewhere here to fill the gas so we will not be going back to Papette. This means that I must go on the ferry, as I need to book the flights for when Ann is here to give some structure to her visit.

5 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                              Hitched to Viare and caught the late morning ferry to Papette. I paid the outstanding harbour dues, got clearance for Bora-Bora which none of us knew we needed. I then booked the flights for when Ann is here which sets the framework for her visit. I picked up brochures at the tourist office and checked the weather. The forecast is for solid northerlies for a week and nasties on Sunday. I then picked up wine and milk at the supermarket and headed back with the glad tidings about the weather. The trades have evaporated and there are Northerlies all the way to Hawaii, would you believe it!

6 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                              The weather was as foul as was predicted. I used the last of my phone battery setting up the accommodation for Ann's visit. All of it is pension self catering and reasonably priced though not cheap, and of course booked unseen. I then went to the Hilton Hotel up the road for lunch and to recharge my phone battery. It was nice sitting by the lagoon with a book and a drink, but the grey skies and squally showers took the edge off things. Certainly the holiday makers paying $500+ a night were looking very glum. The break in the weather and the reurn of the gas have both now slipped back to Wednesday.

7 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                             The weather is dreadful. I arranged to take a hold all full of clothes I will not need until after Bora Bora to the pension on Moorea where we will be staying. Today seemed as good a day as any to do it. The only problem was catching the bus whose arrivals seemed somewhat haphazard to us and there is no bus shelter, so by the time it arrived I was soaked in spite of my waterproofs. At Viare I got off expecting to have to change buses but found that my bus carried on and the driver just waved me aboard like a long lost friend. Mind you he also drove straight past the pension which I was lucky to spot.
 The pension looks fine 'in the flesh' and I handed over my bag. The owner/manager a young guy called Hari took pity on an almost drowned, almost septugenarian and gave me a lift back to the boat in his van.. Towards the end we found that he spoke Spanish, as well as French, Tahitian and English, so we had a bit of Spanish conversation. When I got back I was given a lift out to the boat by the owner of the Sailing School on one of his little catamarans.
Sergiy and Genady went off to the hotel for a beer or two and Kosta and I went off to see Adrian who has now definitely sold his boat. The inside of the boat was a bit of a mess, a batchelors boat, but it was a good solid cruising boat which was nicely arranged though in need of a coat of paint and some TLC. I can't think why he is selling it to buy something else. There was much discussion of the strategies for sitting out the existing bad weather and should we do this, that, or the other. With a well dug in anchor, an oversized Bruce, which has already seen us through 30+kts plus the 2nd anchor deployed as an angel I think we are bomb proof.

8 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                             It rained all day, sometimes hard, sometimes less so but it never stopped. Nobody went anywhere and there was much sleeping, eating, reading and backgammon. The cliffs of Mt Rotui beside us were dry when we arrived. They now are home to no less than 9 waterfalls and in any other weather at least two of them would merit a guide book write up as a tourist attraction.

9 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                              I woke at 0530 to the anchor alarm which had been set too sensitive. The wind began to build and we had a few gust of 35kts and upwards but the anchor and angel held us steady. It looks like another dreadful day as far as the weather is concerned.
 The day was as bad as expected but without too much wind, just rain, rain and more rain. however in the evening it eased to dampness and the wind stayed below 20kts. Kosta and Genady went to the hotel for a break and to get some weather from the internet. They returned with the promise of a break in the rain of at least 2 days. WOW! The evening was tinged with pink for the first time in a long while so maybe it is not just wishful thinking.

10 January 2012 Opunoho Bay
                                                The day dawned dry so I was up early and on the road by 0830. I got a lift to the Agricultural College with one of the French research workers and then walked up to the Belvedere. There was nobody else there. I took the track to 3 Coconuts Pass. It was well defined and heavily used so how I missed the turning to the col I will never know, but miss it I did. And I walked on and on through the forest, and on and on along a logging track and then part way up a ridge before realising that I was miles away from where I should be and the only course open was to retrace my steps. Retracing ones steps is a boring business so at what I reckoned to be the 1st opportunity at a cairn by a stream crossing I took a path going sharply uphill. This climbed a ridge of Mt Mouaroa and took me to a thin high traverse across the face of the mountain to a col. It wasn't 3 Coconuts but I was grateful to be there and celebrated with lunch.After lunch I descended the other side of the ridge and found a path contouring left which quite quickly brought me to the viewpoint above 3 Coconuts. There I found a Tahitian family and a girl doing meditation! I chatted to the family and then descended to the pass and on down to Haapiti. The descent was straightforward, but the walk out through the valley long and boring. By the time I reached the road I was tired so I just waited for a bus to Viare. There I met Kosta and Genady on a shopping trip so we all arrived back at the beach in a tropical downpour. It would not have done to have stayed dry all day!
  Adrian came to supper, he really is a very likeable, hardworking, immature surf bum and excellent company,  we all wish him well in his new adventure with his new boat.

Waiting for wives with Nitidus

Waiting in Polynesia for Ann and Julia


Because we could not make landfall in the Marquesas, as was explained in the posts about the voyage, we arrived in Tahiti 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the time we expected. So we had almost a month to wait before Ann arrived on the 21 January and Julia a few days later. When Ann arrived it had been agreed that I would leave the boat and go on with Ann. The others would spend time on the boat with Julia and when she lef,t take the boat back to Hawaii. Until then however there was the whole of French Polynesia to explore if we wanted to. This post records the time we spent in Tahiti, Moorea, Riatea, and Bora Bora

Christmas Day and Boxing Day
                                             Not a lot happened on Christmas Day, however we found the market which was open,and we bought eggs and fresh bread and fruit and all sorts of goodies for celebratory breakfast. I opened my presents and shared the chocolate which I got from Sierra and Ashbury with everyone else so it was a bit like Christmas.
 I then investigated the bag with my good clothes which had been stored in the forepeak and which I thought had survived the inundations of the voyage. Alas I was wrong and the mould  had started on lots of my clothes so Christmas Day turned into a major dhobi day on the pontoon. I managed to save most things and of course the T-shirts which were completely expendable were untouched whilst the good clothes were affected.
Kosta went off to try to book-in more in hope than expectation, and so it proved .
The harbour area of Papette is lovely, there are moorings and  promenades and gardens and play areas for children and canoe clubs and the whole area is pretty and well maintained. However once you leave the front the rest of the town is decidedly tatty and down at heel.

No-one is doing very much except sorting out their possessions, fiddling with the boat moorings and sitting in cafes drinking the odd beer and last but not least, dodging the rain which comes frequently and heavy.

27 December 2011  Papette
                                          Yesterday I declared my intention to go for a hike to the Tauana waterfall unless there was a job that needed doing. I got 2 jobs but finished them both that evening so after breakfast I left. The guide book said to get an entry permit from the Mayors Office. 'No permits, route closed because of rain', but I decided to have a look anyway. The bus driver assured me that he went to Titioro, the start of the route, but in fact he dropped me at the end of the road to Titioro so I had 4-5 kms to hike before the start. It was not an auspicious beginning. The route starts as a track from Bain Loti, a pool in the river where children swim, though there were none when I went out. It wanders beside the offices and workshops of the municipal water company, and then out through tropical rain forest at the bottom of a steep narrow valley. There were avocados and mangoes growing wild so I picked some to supplement my sandwich and pineapple lunch. The track was easy walking for about an hour, and then it turned into a footpath which got more and more difficult to follow as it progressed deeper into the valley. There were hand ropes on a few exposed sections but the important ones at the numerous river crossings had been removed. Underfoot was slippery and treacherous with smooth basalt, mud and tree roots; and apart from the various exotic flowers the scenery was decidedly green!

This was typical of the path

The drops of water on the Hibiscus were there all day

About 2 hours from the start of the track I got to bottom of the falls which were very impressive. They were a single drop of about 600ft into a cirque of overhanging basalt cliffs and ending in a black, black pool.

A greatly fore-shortened view of the falls

I sat a little way back from the falls to eat my lunch, I basked in the sun and dried myself from the effects of the  mornings' frequent tropical downpours. However the spindrift from the falls would sometimes wash over me in a cooling caress. It was lovely and I was utterly alone and quiet, a joy after the close confines of the boat and the noise of Papette.

 Eventually I stirred myself and retraced the path back to the end of the track, and here a bridge crossed the river and a footpath led up the hill to an old fort above the top of the falls. On the way up I was passed by a couple of young French lads who insisted on shaking my hand as they passed. I caught up with them at a viewpoint where we were joined by a brother of one of the lads and his dishy girlfriend. Whilst we were looking at the waterfall a Tahitian hunter with 5 dogs and a shotgun covered in tattoos/chasing came down the track and passed us without a word! Then it was on and up the path to the fort. At the fort I carried straight on on the path but it eventually got narrower and narrower and more indistinct around the river, so I decided to retrace my steps to the fort.   At the fort I found another path by a wall which teetered over a ravine and then dropped steeply over wet rocks and tree roots, with a fixed rope for security to the river at the top of the falls. Here there were two basalt pools complete with entry water slides. The first was cavernous with a sprinkler tributary from its' roof; and the second ended in what can only be described as an 'infinity pool' at the head  of the waterfall. My 'friends' were already swimming so I stripped down to my knickers and joined them.

The swish down the water-slide and the swim across to the top of the waterfall and the view out into space was FANTASTIC.
  I dried in a patch of sun, ate the last of my pineapple and then headed down. it was an uneventful descent of about  an hour and a half. At Bain Loti the children were in full swim and greatly enjoying themselves. It was 4.55pm and I asked about the bus back to Papette. 'Last bus 5pm, probably gone. But don't worry my son will take you on his scooter' Amazing generosity. On the way we passed the bus on it's way up but 'the son' insisted on continuing. he dropped me at the market and refused any recompense. It was a wonderful end to the excursion.
 Chow Mein and 2 beers for supper and asleep by 2100hrs!

28 December 2011  Papette

A pirogue at Point Venus

         Genady and Kosta decided to do the walk I did yesterday. They declined advice on the route as they wanted to find it for themselves. I was left to sort out how to get gas and buy a padlock as they had failed to complete these tasks yesterday, when they had a frustrating time. By contrast I had a charmed run and completed both jobs by 0930hrs so I wandered back to the boat to be fed an enormous brunch by Sergiy.After this I took off on a local public bus, with much assistance from, and amusement for, the local populus. I headed to Point Venus. This is where Capt Cook was sent to by the Royal Society in order to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun. The timing of which was used to determine the orbital radius of the earth. It was a pleasant enough place with grey sand  and the only lighthouse on Tahiti, and fine views across the lagoon to the reef and motus(little desert islands on the reef).
  I dodged the rain and then walked back to the road and past a fabrication plant making today's sporty version of the traditional outrigger.

I then turned towards the mountains through a village of shacks and bungalows by a river. Kids and dogs and friendliness everywhere. there were bananas and mangoes in all the gardens and flowers in profusion. I was tired after yesterday and the afternoon was hot so I turned back after a couple of miles. At the main road was a bus stop with a seat in the sun and I think I slept though the first bus, but caught the second and got back to the boat just before the hikers.They had had a good day but failed to find the pools at the top of the fall which I considered the highlight of my trip.

29 December 2011  Papette
                                            Sergiy and Kosta found that the housing of the Hydrovane shaft had been bent. How and when this happened we have no idea but it must have been before it was dismantled at the end of day 3 or 4. Emails to Hydrovane were not particularly helpful so we went ahead and mounted the thing anyway! The housing holds bushes top and  bottom to act as bearings for the shaft which turns the rudder to rotate in. The bend in the housing has affected the orientation of the bushes and consequently the shaft is stiff to rotate. Sergiy mounted it 'back to front' saying if it bends again at least it will bend it straight!
I did a bit of shopping and tried to plan out Ann's visit on a calendar. I went looking for a West coast beach to swim from and on the advice of the tourist office ended up outside Sofitel and looked out at 30-40 yachts over-wintering in the bay behind the reef. I swam off the beach and watched a family of Tahitians fishing with as little success as we generally achieve. The view across to Moorea was fine even though the mountains of Moorea, like those of Tahiti, were wreathed in cloud. Today we have had very little rain which is unusual.

30 December 2011  Papette
                                          We awoke to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Kosta went for the weather and says that there should be a break in a couple of days, so we have decided to stay a bit longer. I said I was going to see the Arahoaho Blowhole. Kosta and Genady said they wanted to come too, so I went off to get the info from the tourist office. Eventually the others appeared and we all waited for the bus and watched the people going by. The bus takes the road along the NE coast and passes many surfing beaches all of which were busy. The blowholes were interesting and the force of air driven out and sucked back in was impressive.

We watched the waves breaking and the surfers riding in to the beach, and then we walked up to the triple falls a short distance down the road. The road was lined with the usual mixture of smart bungalows and shacks and exotic vegetation with kids and dogs always in evidence. The falls were impressive but not on the scale of a couple of days ago. They were about 3-400ft of cascades but there were 3 waterfalls around the end of the canyon. The paths had all been prepared and there were warning and prohibition notices in many places. Not at all like the first trip. After buying some papaya we returned to the blowhole to watch the surfers again, to eat our spoils and wait for the bus. Looking in to the interior from the bus  during the ride back to Papette I was impressed by just how thin is the coastal strip of development and how wild the forested canyons and passes actually are.


This was to be our last day in Papette as we sailed the next day. I will continue  that story in another post.

A Personal Assessment of the Voyage

A Personal Assessment of the Voyage

 By any measure the crossing from Hawaii to Tahiti must be considered a great success.

We sailed 2470 miles, calculated on 1000hrs -1000hrs plots, in 19 days. Our highest daily mileage was 158 and the lowest was 98. We used the engine for only 35 hours so the vast majority of the journey was done under sail.
We all arrived in Tahiti without illness or injury and in a boat that was undamaged in any important feature.
We ate well throughout the trip and on arrival were in a physical and mental condition which would have allowed us to continue for much longer had that been neccessary. Moreover we arrived talking to each other and more comfortable in each others' company than when we set out. There were no acrimonious disputes and nobody left precipitously on arrival.
We also had a tremendous range of experiences, some good and some not so good; some tedious and some exciting, and some very exciting!
The weather created many challenges which were met successfully and created a voyage of much more interest than a long, easy, down-wind slide could have provided. It wasn't what we all thought it would be like, but it was no worse for that.
Could it have been better? Of course it could. But that in no way detracts from the achievement. It was a great experience which I will never forget and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of it.

The Voyage: Hawaii to Polynesia Pt 2

There were not meant to be 2 parts to this post but 70 years and modern computers create an uncertain mix!

11 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  It was much the same story as yesterday during the morning. we had a slow start and rolled about a lot but eventually we put up the main with 1 reef and the large jib to make variable headway S and E all day. We managed to dry most things and the boat, until 1600hrs when we were hit by another squall which was exciting. We dropped the main and changed to the small jib with considerable difficulty, and then rolled about going nowhere when the wind dropped. After a while with no obvious squalls around we re-reeved the No1 reefing line to the No3 reef position and flew the main. The boat moved and when the next squall did hit it took off like an express train. We were regularly hitting 9 kts going up wind and the boat was awash with spray and more solid chunks of water. In all this we had a visit from a large pod of dolphins who were all high jump specialists and they put on a magnificent display for about 1/2hr. I think that they were as interested to see us as we were to see them because traffic in this part of the ocean is sparse to say the least.
 The wind continued to build as darkness fell and the boat surged on, no moon, no stars, no horizon no light at all except for the tiny pools shed by the navigation lights and the boat crashing on into the blackness and the ghostly grey of the ever present spray and breakers. It was a ride like no other I have ever experienced and I will never forget it.

12 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  The wind of last night died at about 1100hrs. We then flip flopped about in the residual chop until we dropped the jib and motored. We got the evening meal before the wind arrived again 15-20kts from SE so we ploughed Southish all night. It is very difficult to determine whether or not we are out of the doldrums and last night's steady winds are the SE Trades. It would be nice to think so but I remain to be convinced.

It rained on and off all day so we rinsed various bits of salt impregnated clothing and collected at least the days' supply of water. We could have got a lot more with a funnel and a tube, but a saucepan sufficed. 

13 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  The wind held steady 15-20kts SE and we made reasonable progress South. After the blow the sea was very confused and often stopped us dead but it wasn't bad progress. I would have flown more sail, but Kosta prefers slower progress but less alarms and excursions, and after the experience of the last few days he has a point. We have currently sailed about 1000mls. we have 900 to the Marquesas, 1100 to Rangiroa  and 1400 to Tahiti. More to the point Marquesas are SE, Rangiroa SSE and Tahiti almost due South. We have the SE Trades to experience and my viewing of last years wind maps leads me to believe that the wind will back to the East as we go further South. Whether this will happen we shall see but it is this which will eventually determine our destination. It would be nice to make the Marquesas but I am not putting any money on it and every day it gets less likely.
  We are now at least 30-40% of the way to Tahiti. that alone gives a vivid idea of the size of this ocean where after 8 days we are 1000mls from anywhere!
At this stage a few thoughts on boat and crew would be apposite.
 Boat first.
As a boat to cruise the S Pacific it is largely unsuitable as it is so wet. Without the little doghouse over the companionway it would be a complete disaster. There is limited ventilation apart from the hatches which must be closed in heavy weather, of which we have had lots. The babystay leaks into the forepeak and the cockpit has hardly been dry since we left. The inside of the boat is always hot and humid. The saloon has a large open area of varnished floor at the bottom of a very steep companionway. the saloon is fortunately spannable to grabrails along either side, but at 20 degrees of heel when the floor is wet it needs to be crossed with care, and it needs to be crossed to pass hot drinks from the galley to the cockpit. The 2 quarterberths and the saloon setees and bunks have remained largely dry so although we are wet all day we do have a dry place to sleep.
Topsides the boat is an offshore racer pure and simple. The decks are clear of clutter to the extent that it only has 4 cleats! As an aside my boat had 16 plus 8 to hold the halyard falls and reefing lines and a futher 3 on the mast. So finding places to tie anything off is a challenge and resort must usually be made to quick release thumb knots which are not very satisfactory. it has stoppers and tracks all over the place for sheet and spinnaker controls, but has no stoppers on the reefing lines so they have to stay on the winches which are also used for halyards! And the 3 reef points but 2 reeflines you know about.
However the real difficulties stem from the strange arrangement of controls and rigging. The forestay is foiled so the foresails have to be guided into the groove by someone on the bow, the jib halyard is led back to the cockpit  under the doghouse so it is difficult for both people to communicate and the same is true to a lesser extent about the main and main halyard. Changing any sails is a 3 man job if it is to be carried out with ease. The solid kicker is not strong enough to lift the boom when the main is dropped so as there is no topping lift the main halyard always has to be used. The halyards are wire so they are uncomfortable to handle. The engine can only be started from inside the saloon, and at night from the 'proper' helming position it is difficult to read the compass. and so it goes on, Nitidus is probably the most difficult boat to work that I have ever encountered.
 That said she has some excellent points. SHE SAILS LIKE A WITCH and points higher than any boat I have ever been on. It has a strong hull and a wonderful towering mast which is well secured and it doesn't need a a lot of wind/sail to make her go  so she is inherently safe. She has wonderful emergency and navigation equipment and wind instruments. the Hydrovane is wonderful but going to windward she balances so easily that it is not necessary. She is a joy to handle under sail and I can understand why Kosta loves her so. So she is a good boat to SAIL the S Pacific but a dreadfulone to CRUISE the same!
The Crew
Kosta, owner and captain, knows the boat very well, has long sailing experience and sound judgement. He is careful about checking the boat and sails for faults so they can be corrected before they get serious. If he has a fault it is that he is unwilling to delegate tasks so the learning curve for Genady and myself has been very gentle. He is cautious with sails so the wind we have had has not always been used to best effect but that could also be to minimise the chances of accidental or storm damage. It is only a matter of balance and I have had no serious misgivings about his judgement on this passage.

Sergiy, is Kostas usual sailing partner. He is also a mechanic so he has taken on much of the regular maintenance and projects to uprate the boat for this trip. He would really like to be sailing just with Kosta and finds other people, especially me, quite difficult to work with as he wants to do it all as he does with Kosta. He is very strong, mechanically inventive and a fantastic cook. He has undertaken most of the cooking and produced tasty, sustaining and interesting meals in some dreadful conditions. He is a tower of strength if some times difficult to live with.

Genady is the quietest of the group. He too is an engineer in a company fabricating roof truss joints. He and Kosta have been friends and sailing companions since they were at university together. His experience of both boat and sea is less than anyone else, but he is easy to get on with and keen to co-operate working the boat. I think that the size and violence of some of the seas have shocked him but he has recovered quickly and come back for more.

And then there is me.
They all look after me as they think my age demands and I don't object with any strength!

Life is wonderful: I would not have thought it possible 40-50 years ago when I was sitting  in my tank on the N German Plain looking East, that I would one day be sitting on a small sailing boat in the middle of the Pacific with 3 ex-members of the Red Army speaking Russian to each other. Amazing!

For a few hours in the afternoon we shook out a reef and the boat took off at 7-8 kts. Sergiy was pleased as it was his watch. We prudently went down to 3 reefs at last light and ploughed uneventfully through the night.

14 December 2011 On Passage
                                                   Yesterday Genady and Sergiy fed fishing lures to the predators of the S Pacific, and today is no different. We get lots of hits but the fish break or cut the line very quickly. One bite took all the line off the reel in less than 3 secs and before anyone could get near the rod. It is frustrating for the fishermen but if these monsters are on the end of the line it is probably better that they are in the ocean rather than the cockpit.
This morning was sunny and blue for only the 2nd time this trip so we went off the wind and dried our clothes and mopped the bilges and emptied the forepeak of water and wet sails. It was a very pleasant few hours. I just hope we don't have to pay for it later with interest. It should be OKif the wind backs East. The general feeling is that we will head for Tahiti directly with an ETA about Christmas. It is not certain but is increasingly likely.
We kept the same 3 reefs and small jib all day and through the night. We were a bit under powered but still made 120 miles in 24 hrs. For 15hrs throughout the night the boat plodded dutifully to windward and none of us needed to touch the tiller. It felt like a holiday.
We have lots of flying fish, silvery shoals skittering across the waves in the day and grey shapes disappearing into the night. Last night we had a small sqid on the deck too.

15 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  The weather looks set fair at 10-15 kts SE so we shook out a reef. I think we could carry more sail but it makes for a comfortable ride and we are making 5-6 kts in more or less the right directions. We are losing our hard won easting quite quickly but the promise of East winds for a couple of days and then even 2 days of NE. So if they materialise the eastings will be easy to get back.
It really is an amazing boat to sail. With Spirit of May you felt the power of the boat when she leaned to the wind and shouldered the seas aside. Nitidus doesn't give that impression at all as she seems to slip through the water without effort. Often I think we are hardly moving but when I look at the GPS I see we have a steady 5 kts.
 Today was Sergiy's day for a fish. After yesterdays losses he trippled the leaders and upped the line strength and was rewarded with a 5-6 lb Mahi-Mahi. I look forward to sushi and fish and chips!  Not much sushi and no chips, but the fried fish was delicious.

The wind is steady SE under 20 kts so we can carry the large jib and 2 reefs in the main; and she sails herself going south for hour after hour.

17 December 2011 On Passage
                                                 Today I checked the diary against the ships log and found that I had lost a complete day! When it was I can only guess but I suspect that it was over a week ago when we were having alarms and frustrations in the doldrums. It shows what a different time capsule is a small boat on passage.
 Last night was also the 1st time we had a cloud free sky and no moon. I spent my watch looking for new stars and watching the familiar ones sink low to the North.  This morning we crossed the equator. I made a small libation of my morning coffee to King Neptune and asked that the present benign conditions continue. We go at 6-7 kts without effort.
Today we also abandoned formally any thoughts of making the Marquesas and our intention is now Tahiti. The Marquesas are 600 miles away but directly to windward and if we wanted to go there we would have to sail around 1800 mls to account for tacking and leeway and the set of the equatorial current. Even in a boat that sails as well as Nitidus this is not a trivial undertaking and it makes one appreciate the skills and fortitude of the sailors like Cook who made these passages in square rigged ships without charts or GPS. And even more so for the Polynesian navigators who found their way in catamaran canoes.
Sergiy hooked and lost another big fish. Once it saw the boat it dived , bent the rod double and snapped the line.
There was another star filled night and and the 24 hr run was 158 miles! That is better than 6.5 kts average.
Kosta was playing with the GPS and found a screen with a maximum speed of 15 kts. Unfortunately he reset the field! Even for allowing for the 2 kt variation caused by GPS plot accuracy it is an awesome speed for a 40ft sail boat.

18 December 2011 On Passage
                                                 During the night the wind backed to the East and increased in strength so at 0600 we took in the 3rd reef and paid off to 210 degrees. The motion is much easier and little of our precious Easting is being lost. We are told that as we go further S the wind will back further so it should be easy to lay a course for Papette. However with the reaching the boat will not easily steer herself as she did all day yesterday so we must hand steer. The speed is little if any reduced and I expect a similar daily tally of miles to yesterday. With the firm decision to head for Papette the guide books and pilot books are being studied avidly.
The wind built steadily all day pushing up the swell before it. The boat started surfing across the front of the waves and was increasingly difficult to control. We dropped the main and everything calmed down immediately but the speed stayed at 6-7kts so we decided to stay like this overnight. The days run was 157 mls almost identical to yesterday. The hand steering is tedious after the luxury of the last few days but with 4 fit crew it is not a problem. At this rate we will be in Tahiti in about 6 days. A most attractive proposition.

19 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  We hand steered all night and in the morning the wind abated slightly. the boat was sluggish so we put up the main with 3 reefs and away she went again. The steady trade winds are a joy after the  variables of the doldrums and the Med, just as long as you don't want to go upwind! We rolled along all day and just before we were due to eat Genady caught a 5lb tuna. In the area there were hundreds of terns wheeling and diving so we suppose that the tuna were corraling flying fish or sprats. But how can hundreds of birds arrive at a bait ball? We seldom see more than 1 or 2 at a time so where do they come from and how do they know?
Anyway the tuna was very welcome. Much darker and more meaty in texture than the Mahi-Mahi, and not as sweet. When it came in it was beautiful, silver streaks with a deep green back and an enormous black and silver eye.

20 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  Awoke to find that the wind was backing furthar and we needed to ease the sheets to go south. the boat leveled up and the cockpit was dry for hours at a time! It is a bit rolly in the quartering sea but we are getting on a treat. To celebrate I had a salt water shower at the back of the cockpit, a 1st since Hawaii. The rest of the day was like a holiday, blue sky, blue sea and white caps on the waves and an easy passage towrds our destination. The wind lasted until 2200hrs and then died so everyone else had a frustrating night of calms and wind shifts in a sea left over from the days blow.  

21 December 2011 On Passage
                                                    I woke early for my watch with crashing and banging of halyards and and the slapping of sails, sheets and blocks. We were making very slow progress SE with thunderstorms and squalls all around. Eventually we put the engine on and pressed on but with a similar racket. About an hour into my watch we were hit by a squall which went from 0 to 38 kts in under a minute . There was just time to kill the engine and slacken the sheets to avoid a serious broach. We were only carrying a triple reefed main and the small jib but the boat surged away and laid over at 45 degrees with us spilling wind as best we could. When it was obvious it was not passing we quickly we dropped the main and regained control. The heavens opened and it poured reducing visibility to about 100m.  as usual with heavy rain the sea went oily smooth in spite of 20+kts of wind. Genady and Sergiy took a fresh water shower and I was very little drier in my oilskin jacket . At watch end I made myself breakfast and prepared a vegetable curry for lunch. Kosta and |Genady both had similar blows but we now knew what to look for and we got the main down in good time and so avoided more dramas.
 Around sunset there was a discussion as to what to do with the sails as the wind was very light and we were only making about 2kts at best, and then often in the wrong direction. Kosta was unwilling to use the engine but after an hour of severely slatting sails he relented and we went SSW in the right direction at 4-5 kts all night. Most of the time the wind wasn't strong enough to turn the wind generator so moving a boat downwind would have been impossible. I was also happy about the decision because the sails were taking a beating and we do not have a spare main so this one is precious.

22 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  During the morning the wind veered East and we slowly increased the sail area and avoided obvious squalls and thunderstorms. It finally settled ESE-SE at a steady 15kts so we went up to 2 reefs and made good progress all day. At night there was an active band of electrical storms all across our front so when the wind shifted quickly and increased we dropped the main completely and continued like that through to the next morning.

23 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  Today dawned fair with a steady E-ESE wind of 15kts and fair weather cumulus all around. After some discussion about whether to use more sail and arrive tomorrow night, we decided 'Sod the arrival' and flew the sail. The boat went beautifully and the wind gradually increased in strength so we were surfing across the front of the waves. We ate the last melon sitting in the cockpit with the boat going like a train in a blue and white sunny surround. Just lovely. However all good things come to an end and we shortly afterwards had to reef and then drop the main completely. I had a fairly easy watch but Kosta and Genady had calms and blows and Genady had a 28 kt squall so it was good that the main was down. We are sticking to the jib as we are still making 6-7kts  in the right direction with very little effort.

24 December 2011 On Passage and Arrival

                                                                     The boat continues to plough S at 5-6 kts under the large jib alone. The sea is rough but not unruly except when it decides to dump a wave into the cockpit and on top of whoever is helming. We made steady progress all day and at the end of the evenings pancakes we sighted Tautira, an atoll 30 mls N of Papette. It was the 1st non pelagic thing we had seen since we left Hawaii. There was an accelleration zone just N of Tahiti which bent and brought us on a course for the loom of Papette's lights. It was rough but at this time who cares! We picked up the leading lights a long way out but the channel markers through the reef were heavily disguised in the background glare of the town and a plethora of winking reds and greens. However with the GPS and the leading lights we had no difficulties entering the harbour. We went bows to a floating pontoon and picked up a lazy line. The harbour was unsurprisingly quiet at 0300 on Christmas morning. There was nothing left to do but celebrate our arrival with a drink and then go to bed so that is what we did.

The Voyage: Hawaii to Polynesia

The Voyage: Hawaii to Polynesia
                                                     After the stopover in the US with Don and Kathy, and the preparation of the boat in Hawaii, reported in the 2 previous posts, it was about time to get on with the event which had brought me half way around the world. This post records our adventures, highs and lows on the passage from Hawii to Tahiti.

5 December 2011 Kona and departure
                                                             After an unhurried pack-up we booked out of the resort. We are all anxious to get started, but I feel that Genady and I are still unfamiliar with the boat and could have done with some time spent in instruction and practice. Kosta says not to worry we will pick it up easily enough! On contacting immigration Kosta was told to report to the airport at 1130hrs which gives us a few hours of waiting so we put anti chafe on the spreaders and did last,last, last minute shopping.
 When Kosta got back there was a mini panic about the state of charge in the batteries, but the engine startyed and it was considered to be just that the boat had sat unused for 3months. Serge fitted his new gear change to the outboard and it is a great improvement on the original broken bit that it came with.
 We left at 1345hrs and picked up a NNW wind of 8-9 knots which took us easily down the W coast of Big Island under full main and the large jib.

Leaving Hawaii

We lost the wind about 15-20 miles N of the most Southerly point and proceeded under engine, but not for long. In the area of the Point we moved into an accelleration zone and got East winds of 25-30 knots. Frantic reefing, 1 reef, 2 reefs as the wind built and the light began to fade. We were still over-canvassed so changed the jib for a small one in challenging conditions. the large jib was left secured to the stancions on the foredeck. The boat was still going like a train, or perhaps a submarine would be a better analogy, and it was not easy to handle, so we decide to take in the 3rd reef. We/I then found that although the sail had 3 reef points there were only 2 reef lines and no stoppers on the reef lines so No1 reef line had to be undone and re used as No3. In failing light with high wind and sea conditions it was not the easiest of tasks, but it was done eventually and the boat finally came under control just as it got properly dark. We decided to hand steer through the night, not sure why, but we did. The boat was swept continually by seas, many of them heavy, and everyone was wet. The boat leaked badly under these conditionswhich shocked Kosta who had never experienced anything like this before and had assured me that the inside would be dry.
 Around midnight on Kosta's watch there was a major panic as the large jib had broken loose. Kosta and Genady did some fancy footwork on the fore deck and managed to bundle it and the accompanying waves in through the forehatch.
What a baptism of wind and water!
The boat sails like a witch but is probably the most uncomfortable boat I have ever sailed on. This morning the cabin floor is nearly awash and most of the water that lands on the deck returns to the ocean via the cockpit!

6 December 2011 On Passage
                                                With the morning we took stock. The wind abated slightly to around 15kts and the boat was wallowing as she was undercanvassed. With some trepidation we shook out a reef and she began to fly again. we also set up the Hydrovane which is a wonderful piece of equipment. It is so simple but steers better than any of us can. this means that we can watchkeep from the little companionway shelter instead of being on the windward side of the cockpit which is regularly swept with waves and spray.
 There was another alarm about 1500hrs when we noticed that the Hydrovane had slipped in it's mountings and twisted. Sergiy and Kosta spent a couple of hours hanging over the back and managed to straighten it and tighten the bracket bolts. Lifting will have to wait for calmer conditions. In the attempts to provide easier for Kosta and Sergiy I learnt 2 rather disturbing facts:
1. My crew had no knowledge of heaving-to, with all the implications that that has for MOB drills.
and
2. Nitidus will not heave-to easily anyway as the foresail sheet lead is too far inboard to properly back the sail and stop the boat.
Best not to fall off I guess!!!!!!!!!

Sergiy on watch in relatively easy conditions, note the water running into the cockpit

 The boat continues to sail beautifully at 50 degrees off the wind and 10-15kts gives us 5-7kts in a direction which will allow us to make the Marquesas. What will happen in the Doldrums and then more worryingly, the SE Trades remains to be seen.  'Sufficiant unto the day' and for now we are making 130-140mls/day in the right direction.
  At about midday the choppiness on the top of the swells eased and the boat began, with our help, to dry out. I have 2 sets of clothes that I use, 1 wet, the other damp, and I switch beween them. Goodness knows what my good clotheswillbe like in the bag I stored in the forepeak. The boat is heeled at about 20 degrees and every job is of necessity a one handed job. Unless you are wedged somewhere you have to hang on. Interesting!
 The winds got up again towards evening and I made a chicken curry whilst restrained in a cats cradle of ropes at the stove. There is no bum strap and nothing to wedge against, Sergiy and to a lesser extent Genady manage to work the stove in a chaotic ballet dance but it is beyond me.

Genady cooks. Masterchef eat your heart out!

At the time it was my watch both Kosta and Sergiy were on deck so I went to bed in a quarterberth, first time warm and dry for 2 days. Slept for 12 hours!
Afternote: That last comment shows why soldiering is a young mans' occupation, 50 years ago, 2 days on the go and soaking wet were a fairly unremarkable occurrence.

8 December 2011 On Passage
                                                Somewhere in the chaos of the last few days I have lost.
Woke in time for my watch and things were much quieter. The wind was down below 15kts and the boat was down to 4.5 kts. We really needed more sail to drive the boat as the hydrovane needs speed to recover the course from bumpy waves. However we stayed with small jib and 2 reefs all day to give us a chance to tidy up and clean out the bilges. Everything is much more civilised now with a dry cabin floor.
Yesterday Genady tried his hand at fishing and lost 2 lures in quick succession. The fish must have been big as there was no delay, just bang and gone. Today however was different and after about a hour he hooked a Mahi-Mahi. After about 10 mins we landed this beautiful 15lb fish.

 On the way in it was silver and green and blue by turns and on landing it turned yellow. Kosta played itGenady gaffed and butchered it, and we all had sushi for supper! Delicious.
  Just when you think everything is under control........... the wind got up, and the Hydrovane shifted again and had to be dismantled. by this time it was night with 20+kts of wind. We managed to heave to eventually by dropping the main, but then the boom had to be secured against the roll of the boat and there is very little to tie anything to on this boat. For a while it was a melee of noise and flying ropes and the crashing back and forth of the boom, but eventually everything was tamed and after about 30mins the hydrovane was recovered. Another night of hand steering. it was my watch and the others disappeared below. The watch was a real joy,Nitidus handles like a big dinghy and with the wind below 20 kts the splashing was minimal, there was a beautiful moon to steer by, flying fishes skittering about in the ocean and on deck. It was a lovely 3 hrs.

9 December 2011 On Passage

This is more like it!

                                                I woke to find that Kosta had lashed the tiller and the boat was sailing herself close-hauled. I wasn't sure she would do this, but she does and balances like a dream. the weather looks fair and settled so we mopped upthe bilges again, eased the angle on the wind, flattened the jib, eased the boom out and got the boat sailing flat in roughly the right direction with the cockpit and decks dry for the 1st time since we left.
  The wind dropped to under 10kts so we changed to the larger headsail. We had our 1st uneventful night since leaving but were visited twice by dophins.
  Since leaving we have seen no shipping, no planes and limited birdlife, just a few boobies and albatrosses and a scattering of petrels.
Sergiy found a corroded connection in the charging circuit so now the charging works all the time!

10 December 2011 On Passage
                                                 The wind was again light so after breakfast we put up the full main and had a lovely time sailing gently to windward until 1100hrs when Kosta discovered that about 1/3rd of our fresh water was missing from the Starboard tank. The water in the bilges had disguised its' loss over the last 5 days. We drained what was left into the main tank and took stock. We have about 200litres of water left. The Marquesas are1300mls away and we have sailed 650mls in 5days. We have the doldrums and the SE Trades to contend with but allowing 3 weeks to complete, which we reckon is well within probability, will give us 9 litres a day between the 4 of us. We were frugal on water before, now we must be miserly.
    What caused the leak we have not established. there is no obvious damage to the container so I can only think that one of the inlet/outlet caps was not properly secured. (In Tahiti we found a small slit on the top of the tank which we repaired with sail tape. But what caused the slit is still unknown.) We checked the port tank very carefully and all is well there.
 The wind picked up and the boat took off at a steady 6kts for the Marquesas. At last light we took in a reef and the speed was largely unaffected. At 0300hrs during Genady's watch we were hit by a sustained squall in excess of 25kts from the SSE. We paid off and dropped the main in driving rain and spray. Spent the night going SSW! At about 1100hrs the wind backed 30 degrees and we were able to hold a Southerly course. With the loss of easting, and the S aspect of the winds, plus the SE Trades; the Marquesas becomes problematic. Tahiti is 300 mls furthar at 1000 mls and almost due South, so we are keeping our options open by heading as mujch SE as we can and will reassess in 2-3 days.
Today was a very frustrating day, sails up - too much wind; sails down -wind drops; just one of those days , 0-20 kts and everything in between from most points of the compass!
Engine On,
Engine off again PDQ as we took off on a beat to the SE and the Marquesas; and another midnight main drop in 25+kts.

Kosta at the helm

11 December 2011 On Passage
                                                  For the early morning it was much yesterday so it was a slow uncertain start. Eventually we put up the large jib and the main with 1 reef and we made variable headway S and E throughout the rest of the day. We managed to dry most things and the boat until 1600hrs when we were hit by another squall which was pretty exciting. We dropped the main and exchanged the jibs with some difficulty, only to roll about in the swells when the wind dropped. As there were no other squalls on the way we re-reeved the