The Societies....

When Duncan's parents; Chris and Jean; first mentioned a visit, it seemed a long way off. We suggested the society islands as we thought they'd be a sight to be seen. They were unsure at first, then they asked around friends who had seen a little of this side of the world... then they knew it was an opportunity too good to miss. As Tahiti came into view just over two months ago now, I still remember the anticipation for what was to come. By this time we'd been in French Polynesia 6 weeks already. We'd seen the two extremes of atoll formation; the high volcanic peaks of the Marquesas and the sunken remnants of the Tuamotus. Now it was time to revel in the best of both worlds; mountainous islands cosseted by their outlying reefs; turquoise lagoons peppered with motus (small outlying coral islands) surrounded, but safe from the breaking surf.

Chris was kind enough to note down some thoughts of their visit so I've included some of them throughout this blog, in italics as here;

"Duncan was introduced to sailing at three months and although all our children have sailed extensively across oceans in small boats, salt water has always seriously run through Duncan's veins. I suppose it was inevitable that he would cross the Pacific but he caught me by surprise when Ruth and Duncan asked us out. We didn't think twice and although Impetuous was still 700 miles away in the Marquees Islands we booked our flights with air New Zeeland to Tahiti. True to their word we found them waiting for us at Papeete airport. After a short taxi ride we piled into the solid dinghy they had made in Guatamala, and feasted our eyes on easily the most beautiful yacht in the lagoon, for the first time. 

We had visited Impetuous on land in Houston while she was in her cradle but now the 38ft double ender lay deep in the water and with her bowsprit and wooden mast looked truly spectacular."

We arrived two days early intentionally to Tahiti so we could see a hurricane hole anchorage we'd read about and do a little stocking up at Carrefour (the luxury of French living!). The anchorage did appear to be as safe as reported and we spoke to a couple who'd left their boat there for a few months, they were happy. We're just gathering information for next time; French Polynesia is special as a cruising destination. It's not just amazingly beautiful, there are no fees for us Europeans which makes the European prices in the shops easier to take. You might be surprised just how much of the boat budget gets used up on entry and exit fees, we certainly are!

We'd washed our cushion covers for our impending visitors which seemed a great idea until it came to leaving the boat. Do you leave them up drying on the sheet ropes? hoping they won't blow away or get rained on, or bring them in early... it was time to go so they came in, They got put back in place and we rushed off. We didn't quite know where the airport was beyond how it looked on our charts so after speed marching a mile or so we started asking around; 'ooh la la, Loin!', came the reply, 'what, how many kilometers?', '5...6...7?'  Well, of course it wasn't, we were there within thirty minutes, which was great as we then turned out to be two hours early...(Duncan really paid attention to the correspondences!)

It was very special having Chris and Jean staying with us.  For a start off Chris did ALL of the washing up and got so enthusiastic about catching rain water that we never had to think about it whilst they were here.  Having another couple with us brought home to us just how lucky we are to have all the time in the world wherever we choose.

First off we went to Moorea.  In retrospect there was a lot more to see in Tahiti but at the time we wanted to get sailing and into more peaceful climes.  As our friend 'Jacques' said "Here in Papa'ete we've got a refill on our Carbon monoxide levels!" as the traffic zoomed around us.  Our first bay in Moorea was little visited for obvious reasons, we rolled about like Weebles.  We enjoyed our walks up to the waterfalls but back on the boat we made a quick exit.

Our exit through this pass was pretty exciting with waves breaking over the back deck.  Closely watching the GPS, 'yes we are moving... just....'  Cooks bay on Moorea was astonishingly beautiful.  The water was deep and crystal clear.  A clean, fresh clarity, entirely different from the turquoise clear waters that we stayed in the next night round the corner.  There we shared the anchorage with numerous rays.  Outside the pass we saw a whale with a calf...

After Tahiti and Moorea we headed on to Huahine.  There's no doubt; when we first mentioned that we would be setting out in the evening for this 90 mile trip, there was some clear silent resistance.   I, as a novice just assumed they'd understand and look forward to it, and Duncan of course didn't elaborate or worry about the deafening lack of enthusiasm from his parents.  The night sail was a pleasant one with plenty of wind so I was surprised that Chris and Jean didn't really seem to relish it.  In the morning Jean said 'well if I was impressed before by your long passages, now I'm really amazed by what you two have done'.  We anchored near the pass at Huahine ready for lunch then everyone had an afternoon sleep.

Huahine was a lovely island.  It's peaks were a little less dramatic than the others and perhaps therefore the feel on island was much more agricultural than tourist driven.    

"It seems to me that Duncan has made two very good decisions. The first was choosing Impetuous. I discussed the choice of boat with Ruth giving them both the credit but she was quick to remind me that at the time she knew nothing of yachts, only narrow boats, on which she lived. It was entirely Duncan who chose the Alajuela. Ruth obviously took a leap of faith to devote so much time effort and money into the Impetuous dream! But Impetuous IS simply a dream. She has beautiful lines, the finish of her hull, the varnish work especially her lovely wooden mast, together with her topsides, cockpit and interior all add up to the perfect blue water yacht. We set off from Tahiti for Huahine about 100 miles away. Soon we were clear of the land and picked up a force 5-6 broad reach. The Aries (Beryl) was set, and off we went at 6-8 knots. The long keel gave her amazing directional stability. The cutter rig kept her sails small and manageable and her 13 tons made for an easy motion. In short the perfect yacht for trade wind passages and more than able to take more challenging conditions in her stride."

"Secondly, of course, its getting together with Ruth who is clever, highly practical, a quick learner and totally at home on Impetuous whether at sea or at anchor and very active. Indeed often when either of them find a spare moment they are beavering away at some repair or new project. For instance, varnishing the gunwales, repairing sails, making cushion covers and commissioning step ladder, essential for getting out after a swim for the old fogies!"

Chris and Jean swam from the boat at least twice every day, they were like yo-yos in and out of the water so the swim ladder was a good addition for them.  We had managed up until then by climbing out of the sea up the rudder hinges onto the back deck.  A good trick, but perhaps not the most elegant way for visiting dignitaries! 

"I had imagined that our time on Impetuous would include eating ashore in beautiful little French Polynesian restaurants perched on strategic outcrops with splendid views and perhaps even with air conditioning. My thoughts were misguided, we found no such establishments anywhere. They probably existed, almost certainly on Tahiti but we never came across one and apart from a baguette sandwich we never ate ashore." 

"The off islands especially Bora Bora were peppered with exclusive holiday complexes on the motu islands of the reef, where exclusive food was no doubt served. However, there is a plus side to French Polynesia; French food in the supermarkets at not too unreasonable a price. We bought baguettes, Pate de Campagne, endless cheeses, merguez sausages and on and on."

"What came as a real surprise was the truly magnificent, imaginative food cooked by Duncan and Ruth. They occasionally cooked together but usually one would take full control. It didn't matter who, the food was superb. They had caught a large Dorado before arriving in Tahiti and from time to time it was the basis of the evening meal both in the form of fish stock and sometimes frozen steaks from the freezer compartment of the excellent fridge." 

"It will be the use of beans that I will remember most. Beans, which I have never really eaten apart from the Heinz variety, turned up in most meals. You had to think ahead as they needed soaking for various amounts of time and when enhanced by a variety of spices were quite delicious. I'm a toast and marmalade man for breakfast so I remain surprised at how tasty a dollop of chilli beans wrapped in pancake was at 8 O'clock in the morning! The food produced from cuisine Impetuous was spectacular and the need to seek food ashore seemed pointless." 

"No account of our food should exclude fruits which grew naturally on the islands. With the exception of pineapple which we bought but were very cheap everything else was free. Ruth was constantly foraging for limes. Ruth too was getting good at breaking into a green coconut and acquiring the milk through a straw. And, of course, we cracked open the ripe coconuts for their flesh. But the real surprise was breadfruit which grew in profusion and was not obviously harvested by the locals. We picked the large fruit about 6 or 7 inches in diameter, they were cut into chips and fried; delicious!"

Having four strong personalities on the boat was of course occasionally a stretch for us all. For Duncan and I the constant chatter and commenting on everything got to breaking point a few times.  Duncan came up with a novel solution for this; strapped a dive tank on and submerged.  When he came back, the answer to 'how was your dive' was a very heartfelt 'quiet'.   

Chris and Jean have been sailing on their own boats their entire lives together (well over 40 years) and so obviously have their own ways of doing things.  Mostly there were no clashes but it was inevitable there'd be some.  You've already heard their shock and subsequent acquiescence to beans being a large part of the menu.  You've been spared from hearing just how much our lives would be enriched (according to Chris) by the purchase of an outboard motor but it seems the washing up was an even bigger deal; 

"I am always happy to wash up. My culinary skills are somewhat limited and I feel that washing up, drying the dishes and generally clearing up is a useful contribution; I feel I am doing my bit!  Normally I enjoy immersing the greasiest of pans into hot soapy water, fresh water of course, putting them onto one cloth to drain before drying them with another, nothing new there, I hear you say! You can imagine by dismay when I was quickly informed that cold salt water was the order of the day and there was a special tub of vim-like salt water soap specially provided! I must admit, my first feeling was one of shock. Cold, salt water, surely not! There was worse to come! You see, if you dry salty dishes with a tea towel, it soon becomes heavy with salt and in the moisture ridden atmosphere of Polynesia never dries. Yes, I found myself drying up with damp salty tea towels. At first I just bit the bullet and followed protocol but as time went on and I became active in acquiring fresh water, either from a tap ashore or sometimes from collecting it from the sunshade,  Anyway, I now felt more confident and started surreptitiously rinsing my clean salty dishes with a quick squirt of fresh. Also I took to washing out the tea towels in fresh and hung them out to dry; that made me feel so much better. Taking a step backwards, I really can see that on long voyages washing up in salt water makes a lot of sense. In time I grew more accustomed to the situation and would perhaps have adapted to it in the end."

This anchorage on Tahaa was the most beautiful snorkelling we've seen.  There is a hotel there called the Tahaa Pearl where people stay in wooden huts over the water (at VAST expense) and yet the gap between the islands seemed hardly visited by them.  The pass between the islands is nicknamed the 'Coral Garden' an apt name indeed and is visited sporadically by trip boats.  Jean came back from her first visit wide eyed with wonder.  The coral and fish were so bright you could see them clearly from outside above, but once you put your mask on and drifted amongst them it was spellbinding.

After Tahaa we sailed over to Bora Bora where Chris and Jean would be flying back from.  We had several days there with them so went right around the island.   The island had a different feel from the others.  It seemed less friendly with it's busy road and commercial feel but there's no doubt it is a stunning place.

"The people of French Polynesia, almost to the last one, were quite delightful. The girls were pretty, usually with a flower tucked behind an ear and the boys were handsome. They invariably smiled, were always ready for a joke and were as helpful as they could be. Even the traditional Polynesian tattoos seemed somehow more acceptable." 

"I was surprised at how they never pushed their wares at us and left us alone at anchor. Some young men were often seen paddling outrigged fibreglass canoes around the lagoon. One chap paddled after us for 10 or 20 minutes, finally catching us as we dropped anchor,with a smile he handed us a diary for us to sign!"

"Bora Bora was indeed beautiful. Much of the lagoon is deep enough to sail in but shallow enough for the sandy bottom and the blue sky to give those perfect turquoise blues and with a backdrop of the volcanic crater perhaps it does deserve the title of the most beautiful island in the world. As we watched Impetuous sail slowly away from the reef island airport a turtle surfaced and with those images, our time in Polynesia came to a close."

Once we'd dropped off Chris and Jean to go back to the world of hot showers and dishwashers we decided we still wanted to see a bit more of the Society islands.  We'd missed Raiatea which is a big mountainous island inside the same fringing reef as Tahaa (of the excellent snorkelling).  Though this looks like a house that might have a vase of flowers in the window and floral bedspreads, it's actually just a shell used by the fishermen to store their equipment on the edge of the lagoon.

Most of the anchorages in the Societies were very deep.  It became a bit of a problem whilst we were moving so often; it's ok pulling up 70m of chain in 25m of water every few days (though still hard) but every day gets a bit much.  So when we found this beautiful spot anchored in 3m of sandy basin we stayed several days, went diving on the nearby wall, varnished, relaxed and enjoyed the peace!

This was one of the biggest ceremonial places of the islands; a Marae on Raiatea.  It was a big platform for dances and offerings with many ancient carved stones overlooking the sea.

Then we returned to Bora Bora and had a few more days there enjoying the scenery and doing some boat jobs.  A squall around the top of the island ripped apart a seam on our mainsail so we took the opportunity to sew a new leech line onto it too.  Thus rejuvenated we wonder if we'll ever get around to rebuilding and fitting our new one.

Bora Bora Maitai yacht club; it's a popular place.  Though it's been a luxurious joy to find french cheeses, baguettes and saucisson on these islands of the pacific, our waist lines will thank us for leaving.  We're getting ready to run out of butter again.

The most beautiful island in the world?  We'll let you know...

Off again...

Just a short note to say we're off again.  We're leaving the beautiful Society islands in our wake, heading towards the kingdom of Tonga.  We have lots of pretty pictures to post, but it'll have to wait till we have better internet.  We have itchy feet!

A few things not to cruise without...

We recently heard from our friends Tracie and Steve that they are ready to cast off their dock lines and set off on their dream. Its really great to know people whom we met; as they, like us, trudged through a never ending list of boat jobs. Now they've finished counting down the weeks. Lets face it, for all those that do; there are a greater number that start to plan, then don't!

Looking forward to following you both on your blog; Sailing Saga Sea......

http://www.sailingsagasea.blogspot.com/

Anyhow, it got me wondering about which items we are really glad to have on our boat. The things that we feel have made cruising that much more enjoyable. Not big items, just a few little things we bought before we left. The first was actually a present from Tracie...

• 1   A Sprouter... We're big bean and lentil users as it is, but the further dimension of sprouting them means there is always something fresh to accompany our meals. Mung beans are by far the easiest, of course; the butterfly that flutters from this bean like caterpillar is the most commonly seen beansprout. Sometimes they're found flacid in cans, slowly rusting in the bilge, but not on our boat; they're always fresh and in the toilet sink! Everything in it place, no matter how unusual.

 

• 2 Fishing lines, lures and ever bigger hooks... For that matter everything in our fishing bag is being up sized. Only a few days ago a great fish jumped in to the air snapping our 120lb test line (1.2mm nylon) and taking with it our wire leader and only decent no 9 hook. The yellowfin tuna that followed the next day did not get away. But neither was it as big. We do use surgical elastic to absorb the initial shock force but bigger line is on our shopping list. Here's a photo of a dorado we caught on the way to the Tuamotus. He was a beauty; fed us well for over two weeks and made many gallons of delicious soup to boot!

• 3 Our Blender... or as we refer to it the whizz whizz. Banana smoothies are the current favourite. Two bananas one teaspoon of coconut milk powder some ice, water and whizz whizz. Margaritas were how this little blender found its way into our hearts but it also helps with humous, soups and sauces and all manner of drinks. It helps if your fridge can keep you in ice.

• 4 Windscoop... Do not go anywhere hot in a boat without one. I was heading off to the Mediterranean over a decade ago when my parents passed their surplus to me. Its kept me cool ever since. After a decade of use its now in tatters and was on our list of things to sew anew. Fortunately my parents joined us in Tahiti for a holiday. Their first question was, 'have you a windscoop?' learning of its state they brought us a new one together with an excellent extra fan.

• 5 Pestle and mortar complete with spices... Though powdered spices don’t keep on boats, or for that matter anywhere, whole spices do. If you ever want to make curry or almost any meal tasty, whole spices and condiments are what you need. To give you an idea of how often we use our pestle and mortar, it lives on top of the washing up soap. Some of the Spices we use most: Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods and seeds, pepper, methi (fenugreek) seeds and leaves, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, nutmeg, saffron, vanilla and asafoetida, though admittedly that’s already crushed. .

• 6 Pressure cookers. Yes plural; we do have two. One small that on passage is rarely off the cooker top and one large. The small one is particular useful for beans, rice, potatoes etc. We recently met some guys who had worked out exact quantities of seawater, seconds and pasta one needed for al dente pasta that came out ready to serve; that's commitment! though for us, we'd rather use fresh water.

We met another couple who had mastered canning using ball / kilner jars. they showed us a locker full of various meats beans and fish they had canned. We picked their brains on the technique they used. Will let you know how we get on once we've found some jars to use. Dispel the idea that pressure cookers are only good for sloppy stew (though they are too). On a boat where cooking fuel is at a premium and a further barrier between pan of scolding water and skin is often desired, they are indispensable.

So that's our little list. All items costing little but in our opinion worth a lot. No doubt some of you were fearing a boring blog about all our electronic gadgets and gizmo's; but depth sounder, AIS, broken VHF and a cluster of GPS's isn’t really worth talking about.

Archipelago de Tuamotus... (Tummytoes)

Sorry it's been so long... of course we've been having a wonderful time in magical places. Also there's been very little internet available, at least rarely fast enough to be willing to pay for. We've been moving often and so it's nice to be able to take stock now of how far we've come.

More photos from the Marquesas as it took too long to upload them whilst we were still there.

 

 

Jacques Brel's grave; the Belgian chanteur who amongst many other hearty rich songs in french wrote the ports of 'Amsterdam' which David Bowie covered. The flowers pictured lie on the floor all over these islands under the small trees that grow them and the women really do almost always wear one behind their ear; very becoming.

 

 

Several of the anchorages were quite uncomfortable with swells coming into the bays unhindered. These kept our boat in motion in a rather annoying manner, so when we found Anaho bay on Nuku Hiva to be well sheltered we knew we'd struck gold. It didn't hurt that it looked like this and that the walk over the hills was peppered with coconut, lime and Pamplemouse (big sweet grapefruit) trees.

 

We found a bit of time between walks and socialising to improve the dinghy towards being able to sail it.  The Marquesas were varied and beautiful but it was time to push on towards the Tuamotus.

 

 

 

The islands of French Polynesia like almost all Pacific islands are the product of volcanic activity. Darwin was the first to theorise during his Beagle voyage that the radically different high islands and the low atolls were all part of the same process in different stages.

 

The Marquesas are an example of relatively recently formed volcanic activity. A weakness in the ocean floor allows magma to bulge and spill out, gradually building to the surface. There the action may continue giving rise to huge volcanic peaks, craters, lava sides and basalt plugs. Once the volcanic action slows and stops the elements start eroding the island. Birds, ocean currents and winds bring seeds, soil begins to form and life starts to weave itself around the island.

In warm waters coral polyps are brought by currents and affix themselves to the edge of the island. Coral grows from a depth of 50m to the surface at a very slow rate but this is then able to keep pace with the erosion and gradual sinking or melting of the rock back into the ocean floor. As the rock of the island slowly sinks away, the reef around the outside of the island continues to grow up to the surface and build upon the old dead coral. This makes an outer reef where the edge of the island used to be, then water fills the gap as the land sinks and erodes leaving island surrounded by lagoon then reef. This is how the Society islands are which is where we are now.

As the rock continues to sink and erode then often all that remains is the original volcanoes crater in the middle full of water then eventually all that is left is the coral reef around the outside. This keeps growing in pace and as the waves pound the coral then broken coral often builds up behind the reef. This then can form small sand and dead coral islands called a 'Motu'. So an atoll is a ring of coral with shallower sea in the middle and often with sand islands around it's edge.

 

The Tuamotus are such atolls which are at the end of this process. The sea around the atolls is usually very deep so they rise up very steeply out of the ocean. Whilst the islands were still high, they produce lots of rain and therefore streams flow down their sides. Where these enter the sea the coral does not grow so this creates gaps in the reef which we use as 'reef passes'. The currents in and out of these are often strong and depend on tide, wave direction and wind. Traversing them can be an experience! This one was easy to see and the weather was calm, nevertheless we had to motor in against a 3-4 knot current.

 

 

We had only a week or so in the Tuamotus and visited only 2 atolls. They were astonishingly quiet and peaceful. They are sporadically inhabited and farmed by Polynesians who trade dried coconut 'copra' used to make oil and cultivate pearls in their lagoons. It would be perfectly possible to spend weeks on each coral atoll of which there are 76 and rarely see anyone. This is a place to relax.

 
 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful gentle downwind sail onwards to the society islands which was an extremely welcome change to what the trade winds have been throwing at us up until now. These are mostly high islands which have well developed reef around them. The biggest is Tahiti and perhaps as famous Bora Bora which has been called the most beautiful island in the world by some. Duncan's parents Chris and Jean have been visiting us so we've been enjoying showing them around and introducing them to our life.

Marquesan Meanderings

Within 24 hours of arriving another two boats had arrived. After 48 a further four boats squeezed into our small anchorage that already had a fair few boats in it. All had recently made a big passage; whether from Canada, Chile, Mexico or like us from Panama, some but by no means all via the Galapagos. It was like pulling the pin on a party time grenade. Evenings on each others boats late into the night revelling in someone new to talk to; bbq fire pits on the beach where we roasted two chickens amongst all kinds of other treats; to a finale night of a drumming competition in the village. Atuona on Hiva Oa was just what the admiral ordered.

The mountain of Temetiu (1213m) towered above us almost permanently ensconced by a veil of cloud. We decided to set the alarm; somewhat a rarity in our current life, and scale it, or at least get as high as possible. After five weeks at sea our legs needed some exercise and they certainly got it.

We timed it perfectly in that the bakery was already open as we walked through town; proper french baguettes; and there were already plenty of people around to frequently ask for directions. Finally finding the start of the track we picked our way up through the paths in the relative coolness of the early morning. The Marquesans easily tell you 'sure you can go up there, there is a trail which they will point out on the hillside, but ask them if they've ever been themselves and it's a different matter. Consequently the track was far from obvious and at times pretty exciting but we made it as far as we could without turning our hands to rock climbing. 

Atuona was a real highlight of our Marquesan meanderings where we found goats cheese, new friends and fun but after a week there we felt we rather ought to see another island. It was a shock to the system as we ventured out of baie Tahauku. There hadn't been any breeze to speak of inside the natural harbour so we hadn't worried about the windows and were fully prepared to have to motor the 10 miles to our next anchorage. It was a wet and wild ride across to Tahuata and the wind continued to gust alarmingly once we were tucked up into our next beautiful bay anchorage.

 Ua Pou was our next island and is characterised by it's dramatic basalt volcanic plugs. We stumbled upon a rehearsal of a traditional dance/ play in an out of the way village where we were the only boat visiting. The actors and musicians appeared to be largely around the 18-30 age group and were putting a lot of sweat and passion into their performances. Our fellow spectators did not appear to take it all so seriously; children were running about getting in the way, one little girl enthusiastic with her newspaper kite and whenever there was fighting or other such excitement in the performance, the 5 or 6 dogs prowling around would join the melee with howls, pouncing and barking. It was a quite unexpected spectacle.

Now we're at our final Marquesan island 'Nuku Hiva'.  Here we've been cracking on with a few jobs (the dinghy is still wending it's merry way towards being a 'sailing dinghy') and enjoying lovely long walks in the  scenic countryside which ranges from Scottish highland style desolate peaks to tropical and temperate rain forest.

We've been enjoying doing the tourist thing whilst in the Marquesas; we saw the graves of both Guaguin and Jacques Brell, searched extensively for the monument to Herman Melville and have walked many miles.  We managed to get to see the third highest waterfall of the world (there's a bit of a drop off after the first two!) such trips are greatly improved by the excitement of finding fruit trees allover the place and several chilli bushes. 

The Marquesas have been beautiful; the people have been friendly and helpful but we have to leave too soon.  Next stop is the Coral Atolls of the Tuamotus before heading onwards to the Society islands.  Plenty to look forward to!