Day 274, Year 1: Arrival in Rarotonga
Date and Time: Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 2000 Tahiti Time
Weather: Sunny and Blue Skies; Winds SW 15-20 knots
Air and Water Temperature: 77 degrees F
Latitude: 21 degrees 12 minutes South
Longitude: 159 degrees 47 minutes West
Location: Avatiu Harbor, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
We made it! The last 24 hours were not easy, but we did arrive here safe and sound in the late afternoon. We sailed through a trough with driving rain, saw the skies clear, and then went into a cold front with more driving rain and changing winds. With 100 miles to go, we ended up with winds right on our nose and we had to drive the motor hard in order to get here today. We felt like we had been through it all, but then the crew from a boat that just arrived from Auckland, New Zealand came to help us anchor and told us their story. They went through much rougher weather than we have been through and have lots of repairs to do, so I guess we should be thankful that we made it through with no major problems. They said that it has been a very strange weather year in Australia and New Zealand. That certainly matches what has been happening in the whole of the South Pacific.
I feel a little bit like I am at the end of the earth here. Avatiu Harbor is the only harbor in the southern Cook Islands where a boat with a draft of more than six feet can anchor and it is a very, very tiny little harbor. I know I should be thrilled that there was a space for us here, but it is a bit of a shock compared to the beautiful anchorages we have been in for the past few months. This harbor is filled mostly with fishing boats and small cargo ships with just a small space for visiting sailboats. It is a working harbor and it is far from your picture of a perfect South Pacific anchorage. We will have to get out and explore the island a bit tomorrow to see what it is that draws people here. Sailors that have been here rave about the island, so we will have to find what it is that they are raving about.
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| 060718 Day 270 – Day 274 Cook Islands, Rarotonga–Raitea to Rarotonga |
