by Judy Handley | Jul 3, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 259, Year 1: Here in Bora Bora
Date: Monday, July 3, 2006
Weather: Another Beautiful Sunny Day in Paradise
Location: Bora Bora (Society Islands, French Polynesia)
Here we are in Bora Bora. This is one of those places that we have thought of as a landmark destination and it is almost unbelievable to us that we are here. We are so thankful to be enjoying this part of the world with Lee and Mary Ellen. It really made the arrival here even more special.
We made plans last night to get me to the hospital for blood testing, to get the groceries bought, and to get the boat filled with water as soon as possible this morning. Around 0730 Lee and Mary Ellen went across the street from the dock to the hospital to get a wheelchair to transport me to the hospital. Mark wheeled me to the hospital and we tried our best to convey information to the staff, even though no one spoke English. All I needed was a blood test to make sure that the blood thinner the doctor in Papeete prescribed was doing its job. We felt like we got the message across, and then I told Mark to leave me and go back to the boat . The testing was done fairly quickly and then I waited in the outside ER waiting room to get the results. By 10:00 AM, I had the results and the go ahead to leave for Bora Bora. I will return to Raiatea next week for x-rays, but at least at this point, all is well.
While I was at the hospital, Lee and Mary Ellen did the grocery shopping and then Lee and Mark hauled water to fill the tanks. Yesterday when we arrived at the town dock in Uturoa, we were the only boat on the dock except for one other charter boat. By this morning, the dock was crowded with boats and there was no way to move close enough to the fresh water outlet to use a hose, so hauling water one jerry can at a time was the only option. By 1100 we were on our way out of Uturoa. We crossed the lagoon to Tahaa passing pearl farms on the way, and then exited the lagoon on the west side of Tahaa and headed for Bora Bora. By 4:30 PM we were at anchor in the southwest lagoon here in Bora Bora. The water is crystal clear and the view of the mountains is beautiful. As soon as we were anchored, Lee, Mary Ellen, and Mark were overboard swimming in the turquoise water.
We decided that we had to visit Bloody Mary’s tonight. This is a famous bar and restaurant very close to where we are anchored. They have a great place to dock, but unfortunately for me, the walk to the restaurant is a long one. I made it into the restaurant, but had to literally crawl up the steps to get inside. I’m sure many crawl out of the establishment, but I think I might be the first to crawl in. We all had a Bloody Mary and enjoyed talking with Kathy and Jerry from the sailing vessel Poo’ina Roa. We have heard them on the radio many times, but this was our first face to face meeting.
It was a good day and it is so exciting to be here in Bora Bora. We have a lot of exploring to do tomorrow and will report on that in tomorrow’s log.
by Judy Handley | Jul 2, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 258, Year 1: Safe Arrival in Uturoa, Raiatea
Date: Sunday, July 2, 2006
Weather: Another Beautiful Sunny Day
Location: Uturoa, Raiatea (Society Islands, French Polynesia)
We arrived at the town dock in Uturoa, Raiatea, at 1130 this morning. We had a good sail with fairly consistent 15 knot winds all night. Once in a while we would dip down to 9 knots and go as high as 18, but that was the range. Seas were fairly calm, but downwind sailing is always an adventure. Mary Ellen and I had a chance to catch up on family news while on watch together and we had a great time. Not sure what Lee and Mark did, but the good news is that no one got sea sick and we all enjoyed the overnight voyage. It was great for Mary Ellen and Lee to see what night watches are all about. We saw a fishing vessel and a couple of sailboats during the night, so Lee and ME got the practice of tracking vessels with just the lights visible.
Mary Ellen and I went on watch at 4 AM and just before sunrise, we spotted the island of Huahine. At first we saw only one light, but then all of sudden there were a dozen lights. This was not our destination, but we certainly wanted to spot the island as a waypoint on our way to Raiatea. Just after sunrise, we could see the outline of Raiatea. Sunrise here is about 0630 and sunset is around 1730, leaving us only an eleven hour day. But they are glorious days. At about 0700, Mark and Lee got up and joined us as we sailed toward Raiatea. We were using the wind vane steering since our auto pilot is not working, and the wind vane did a fantastic job. We were sailing downwind which was a little rocky and rolly, but the wind vane hung in there. Thank goodness for small miracles!
When we got into the harbor of the main town of Uturoa, we had a little difficulty figuring out where to anchor. I got on the radio and called the boat Ranger who I knew had been here just a couple of days ago. They are presently in Tahaa right across the bay. I explained that I have broken my leg and need to get to the hospital tomorrow morning for blood tests. They answered and gave us great information on anchoring possibilities. I signed off with them and then a boat named Dawn Breaker called us. I had never heard of this boat before. The person calling identified himself as Richard, a local here, and suggested that we should anchor on the town dock. He had heard my conversation with Ranger about my broken leg and need to get to the hospital tomorrow and he had great directions for us. He is also a boat repairman, doing electronic work, so I told him we might be contacting him for help with our broken auto pilot. He said he would be by the dock to meet us and shortly after we got settled in, he did drop by. We told him to come back later in the evening and that we would have the gear box removed and ready to give to him to check out. Richard, an American, has been here for about 10 years after living in Haiti for 30 years. Glad he is here now. What a stroke of luck to have someone right there to help us deal with our problem.
Once we were tied up at the town dock, Mark, Mary Ellen, and Lee were ready to explore town. Just before they were ready to leave, a gentleman walked by and noted that we were from Concord, New Hampshire. He introduced himself as Richard (another Richard), originally from Stoughton, Massachusetts-small world. He explained that he came here after the Vietnam War and married a 17 year-old vahine. They are still married and he has enjoyed his life here. He explained to Mary Ellen that he has written a trilogy about a Polynesian family going back about four generations. The books are almost ready for publication and he gave us his e-mail address to contact him in about three months. He will then have a website publicizing the books. Richard also told us that we should get to Bora Bora ASAP. The Heiva celebration has started there and he says it is fantastic-much more traditional that at other islands.. That helped us to decide to get to Bora Bora as soon as possible. After talking with Richard, the gang left to visit the hospital which is directly across the street from us. They made arrangements to pick up a wheel chair early in the morning to wheel me across the street. They also walked through town and visited the Catholic church here-unfortunately not as impressive as many we have seen.
As the day progressed, the sleepy little dock here became a haven of activity. Many locals gathered on the adjoining dock waiting for the arrival if an inter-island ferry. Other boats came in and tied up to the city dock. It is great that we are here on a dock so that I don’t have to get in and out of the dinghy. Lee and Mary Ellen will go to the early morning market tomorrow to pick up a few items that we will need in the next few days while Mark and I will head to the hospital for the blood tests. If all goes well, we will be headed to Bora Bora before noon.
As I am writing this at 9 PM, Richard, the boat electrician, has returned with the news about the auto pilot. He is going to have to order new parts-the gears-which will arrive here in about ten days. So we will return here after Lee and Mary Ellen fly out of Bora Bora to get the repaired auto pilot before taking off for Rarotonga. There are helpful people everywhere we travell and we are so very grateful for that. Life is good.
by Judy Handley | Jul 1, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 257, Year 1: Another Change in Plans . . . On Our Way to Raiatea
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2006
Weather: Beautiful Sunny Day
Location: Overnight Passage to Raiatea
You have heard me say many times that sailing is all about flexibility, and that is certainly the case here aboard Windbird. We spent our morning taking showers and doing laundry and then Mark and Lee started working on the auto pilot. The deeper they got into it, the more it became apparent that we have a major repair or replacement at hand. The gears appear to be stripped and we are not sure what else, so we are heading to Raiatea instead of Huahine to see if we can find a replacement. Raiatea has two boat yards that do major yacht repairs and three chartering services that are very helpful to cruisers in need of technical help. In fact, Raiatea is the only place in all of French Polynesia where you can get boat work done. There are no services in Papeete. In addition to the auto pilot problem, I have to be in Raiatea on Monday anyway for blood tests. I was put on a blood thinner when I broke my leg as they always worry about an embolism when you have a limb that is immobile. They wouldn’t let me leave Papeete unless I promised to be in Raiatea on Monday as none of the other islands have a hospital and the capability of doing a blood test. In Bora Bora and all of the other islands, all tests are sent to Papeete to be read. So Raiatea is the destination. We should be there by mid-day tomorrow.
The winds are now about 15 to 20 from the east. The seas are about 3 to 6 feet and we are having a nice sail. We are using the wind vane steering and it is working very nicely evening though this is a downwind sail. We are rolling a bit, but so far Mary Ellen and Lee are doing great. Lee has been a fantastic help to Mark and Mary Ellen is making sure we don’t starve to death. I am getting around okay, but going up and down and up and down and up and down the steps from main cabin to cockpit is difficult in the best circumstances, and even trickier when we are underway. I was able to shower and do the laundry, however, and am feeling more confident about negotiating with this broken leg.
Since we had planned on going to Huahine and not to Raiatea, we have a little research to do on watch tonight. Mark and Lee are on the first watch from 7 to 10 pm and 1 to 4 am. Mary Ellen and I will be on from 10 to 1 am and 4 to 7 am. Lee is our coffee maker, so we will get him at 7 am to start our day.
We really are having a fantastic sail right now. The sun just set and the view of Moorea has been spectacular. We are all looking forward to arrival in Bora Bora on Tuesday and enjoying our time between here and there.
by Judy Handley | Jun 30, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 256, Year 1: Uncooperative Weather . . . Another Change in Plans
Date: Friday, June 30, 2006
Weather: Unsettled and Windy with Lumpy Seas
Location: Cook’s Bay, Moorea
Well, here we are back in Cook’s Bay, Moorea. We made a decision last night to leave today for Huihine in the late afternoon, arriving there early on Saturday morning. We kept the rental car for another four hours this morning and did some shopping. The Paul Gauguin cruise ship came in yesterday and was still here today. We knew that meant that the vendors would have their booths set up near the wharf. Since Mark and I were in Papeete all day yesterday we had not gotten to shop with Mary Ellen and Lee, and they wanted us to see some of the wares . . . so off to shopping we went. We found more good deals on black pearls and Mary Ellen found some great South Pacific clothing.
We returned the car around noon and went back to Windbird for lunch and to take a nap before heading out for our overnight trip to Huihine. It continued to be windy in the anchorage, but we really thought it was settling down. Around 4:30 PM, we weighed anchor and motored through the pass. It was much windier and the seas were much lumpier than we expected. It was blowing a steady 28 and although the seas were only eight to ten feet, the period between waves was very close together. And then we discovered that the auto pilot was just not working right. Mary Ellen was at the wheel trying to hold the course while Mark and Lee were trying to figure out the problem. It was very rough and with my leg in a cast, I was not much help. The decision was to go on overnight and hand steer in rough seas or go back to Cook’s Bay. Even though it delays us another day, the decision was an easy one. We got back into the bay after dark with the well lit pass and lighted range lights guiding us.
We had already fixed dinner so all we had to do was reheat and eat. Everyone is now sitting in the cockpit and we are making plans for tomorrow. Hopefully we can get the auto pilot fixed and the winds will calm down. We will try again late tomorrow afternoon to set sail for Huihine. If all goes well, we will arrive there very early on Sunday morning.
by Judy Handley | Jun 29, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 255, Year 1: Broken Leg, but All Is Well
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006
Weather: Stormy Weather
Location: Cook’s Bay, Moorea
My injured leg is in fact broken. What a bummer! But life will go on and I will adjust.
We made a decision this morning to keep the rental car for one more day so we could drive around to Afareaitu. The local hospital is there, but we also knew that today is a holiday here and weren’t sure what services would be available. Due to the language barrier, we don’t know if they could not x-ray because the machine was broken or because there were no x-ray technicians on duty for the holiday. At any rate, we were forced to go to Papeete for diagnosis and treatment, which is probably for the best as they have a very modern hospital.
We first went to the ferry terminal, but the holiday schedule did not give us much time in Papeete unless we stayed overnight. So the next stop was the airport. For about $120 both Mark and I were able to fly round-trip to Papeete. The Moorea Airline flies from Moorea to Papeete and back every hour. We arrived Papeete, caught a cab, and got to the hospital by 10:00 AM. The taxi driver was so wonderful. We had only bills for 10,000 francs ($100) and she had no change. She simply gave us her card and said to call her to come back and pick us up. We were impressed. We were also impressed by the ER administration desk. They registered me and never asked for any proof of insurance of money. When Henda told me my leg was broken, I was devastated. But then she told me I needed to go back for another x-ray because she thought another part of the fibula, just below my knee, might also be broken. Evidently it is a common occurrence. If this were the case, she explained that I would have to have a hip-high cast. I was SO happy when I found out this was not broken.
By 2:00 PM I had been x-rayed twice, had a cast on my broken fibula, and we were running around Papeete by cab looking for an open pharmacy to get medication and crutches. It cost only $114 for both x-ray sessions and another $60 for the physician consultation. The physician I was assigned was Henda Gorsane. She is a young resident from France and she was top-notch. It was a very busy day in ER and she was obviously tired, but she gave me wonderful care and did her best to explain as much as possible to me in English. She did her best to accommodate our sailing schedule with her requirements for future visits to island ER facilities, and she did all of this for $60. Absolutely everything in Papeete was closed-except for two pharmacies. Of course, it was 2 PM and they were both closed for lunch until 3 PM . Once prescriptions were filled we caught the 4:00 flight back to Moorea where Lee and Mary Ellen picked us up. Though we had spent money on an extra day of car rental, a flight to Papeete, and cab fares all over town, the total bill was still less than $500, and the hospital accounted for only $180. Plus people tried in every way possible to accommodate our lack of local language. We were very impressed.
We had planned to leave tonight for Raitea but decided to put this off until tomorrow. In fact, now we are thinking of going to Huahine first. We shall see.
