by Judy Handley | Jun 28, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 254, Year 1: Back to Cook’s Bay—The Big Fall
Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Weather: Another Beautiful Day
Location: Cook’s Bay, Moorea
Early this morning we left Opunohu Bay and came around to Cook’s Bay. We got here in time to head into the Bali Hai Hotel to rent a car for the day to circumnavigate the island. This was the second time around for Mark and me, so not many things were different. We did stop in the town of Afareaitu and drove up a road into the Afareaitu Valley to a high waterfall. We drove part of the way and then walked the last part up the mountain. There was not as much water cascading down the sheer cliff as we had hoped, but is was a great little trip into the interior of this island. Mary Ellen and Lee were both really taken by the beautiful shades of blue in the lagoon on the eastern and southern side of this island. The views of the lagoon on the left and the mountains on our right as we drove around the island were just spectacular. We ended our day by driving up to the Belvedere viewpoint and exploring nearby archeological sites-Marae Titiroa and Marae Ahu o Mahine. The day was coming to an end as we were walking down long paths into the dark woods exploring the different maraes and I think we all convinced ourselves that there are spirits of the past that lurk in the woods of this sacred site.
We got back to the Club Bali Hai Hotel just in time to go out to Windbird and get ready for the traditional Wednesday night dance show at the hotel. The show was great and then we had dinner with Tom, Bette Lee, and Kathleen from Quantum Leap at the Bali Hai. It had been a wonderful day, but on the way from the restaurant to the dock, things took a bad turn for me. There are no lights on the dinghy dock. I was walking with Bette Lee and came to a step down. I thought I was on the end of the dock and was falling into the water. That would have been a good thing. Unfortunately, I was falling down to another level of concrete and I hit hard on the side of my right leg. I have either sprained something in the ankle area or broken something. I am sitting here with wraps around my right foot and ankle and lots of cold packs. Thank goodness we have Nurse Mary Ellen aboard. She thinks I should definitely head to the hospital tomorrow morning for x-rays, so that is the current plan. At least then we will know what we are dealing with. Hopping about on one foot on a boat is no fun, but it is possible. Not sure whether a sprain or a break is easier to deal with, but whichever, I will just have to adjust.
by Judy Handley | Jun 27, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 253, Year 1: Fun in Opunohu Bay
Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Weather: Pinch me. I must be dreaming! II (sequel to yesterday)
Location: Opunohau Bay, Moorea
Today was simply the most beautiful day you can possibly imagine. Bright sunshine with not a cloud in the blue sky, moderating temperature (it’s only 74 F tonight), crystal clear turquoise water, and great company. Having Mark’s sister Mary Ellen and her husband Lee aboard has been great. We are having a wonderful time learning more about French Polynesia by reading and experiencing it together. We got up early this morning but didn’t rush into the day. We took it slow and easy, admiring Mt. Mouaroa that looms above Opunohu Bay here in Moorea. It is the craggy peak that is the symbol of the mythical Bali Hai and is sometimes called “the saw tooth or shark’s tooth”. It is fascinating to watch it as the sun rises higher in the sky and casts different shadows across the mountain. While we were doing this, Lee made coffee for us and we then had scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes and toasted baguettes. Good start to the day. By 10 AM it was time to go to the beach to snorkel the inner reef. We took the dinghy to the sandy beach just across from the anchorage. Beyond the beach is a well-maintained coconut plantation. We got permission from the caretakers to leave our dinghy ashore and then we snorkeled out among the coral “garden” and enjoyed the tropical fish. The fish here are not the most colorful we have seen, but there are lots of brightly colored butterfly fish, different kinds of trigger fish, moray eels, strange sea stars, sea cucumbers, trumpetfish, and enough other creatures to certainly keep your interest. There is a variety of coral and enough color in the fish and other creatures to leave you with the impression of fantastic snorkeling experience.
We must have been in the water for almost two hours and then headed back to Windbird for lunch. We are giving the new grill that Lee and Mary Ellen brought to us a real workout. We have grilled out for every dinner and today we grilled for lunch. We were going to relax a bit after lunch before heading to the outer reef for an afternoon snorkel, but Tom from Quantum Leap was out wind surfing and he came over to invite us to give it a try. First Mark, and then Lee, gave it a go. It was a windy day and a bit challenging for beginners, but both were able to get up on the board and at least surf along for a few seconds. I think they both really enjoyed it. I have a new screen saver for my computer-Mark windsurfing underneath Mr. Mouraroa.
After wind surfing, we took the dinghy out toward the outer reef and snorkeled there. We saw the same variety of coral and fish as we had seen on the inner reef, but the eels were larger and there were lots of Christmas tree worms. These little creatures are one of my favorites, so I really enjoyed the afternoon. I snorkeled all the way back to the boat and had a special swim with a spotted eagle ray on the way. I had hoped to swim with the turtles, but none showed up this afternoon. While Mark was out wind surfing and I was out in the dinghy as his support team, Lee and Mary Ellen stayed on Windbird and watched a turtle swim back and forth behind the boat for quite a long time. Evidently they are too shy to stay around once humans are in the water.
Another thing that happened today is that we made water with the new water maker and started filling the tanks. That is fantastic news!
We sat around this evening planning our next few days. We will head to Cook’s Bay early tomorrow morning, rent a car and tour the island, attend the traditional dance show at the Bali Hai tomorrow night, and go to dinner with Quantum Leap. On Thursday, we will do some low key exploring of Paopao in Cook’s Bay and in late afternoon leave here to sail overnight to Raiatea. We should arrive there on Friday morning and by Friday evening we will join a group of sailors who will race to neighboring Tahaa on Saturday morning. The sister islands of Raiatea and Tahaa are having a celebration for sailors and we will join in the fun.
by Judy Handley | Jun 26, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 252, Year 1: Tahiti to Moorea
Date: Monday, June 26, 2006
Weather: Pinch me. I must be dreaming!
Latitude:
Longitude:
Location: Opunohau Bay, Moorea
Today was just a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, the sail to Moorea was good, and the anchorage here in Oponuhu Bay, Moorea, is simply fantastic. We are anchored in 12 feet of crystal clear water. There are turtles and manta rays in the water all around, and we understand that the snorkeling is simply fantastic. We’ll let you know about that tomorrow.
We started our day by going in early to do laundry while we still had the luxury of a laundromat on the dock. We got in before 7 AM, but the laundry room was already full of people. Marie from the boat named Ranger and Penny from Long Tall Sally were there. I have heard many stories about Penny of Long Tall Sally out of Texas and was excited to finally meet her. She is a retired physician and was instrumental in the communication with the French doctor who orderrd the evacuation of our friend Randy from Procyon. It was great to finally meet here face to face.
While I was doing the laundry, Mark, Mary Ellen and Lee walked out of the marina to the nearby McDonalds. We all thought it would be great fun to have a McMuffin in Tahiti, but unfortunately they didn’t open until 11 AM. So it was back to Windbird for breakfast then back to the marina to see our agent, Laurent, and get our check out paper for French Polynesia by way of Bora Bora. Laurent was not in as early as he had hoped, but it all worked out and we had our exit paperwork by noon. In the meantime, we all headed to the grocery store armed with back packs, LL Bean carrying bags, and our rolling carts. We shopped for food for the next two weeks, loaded it into our carrying bags and carts, and headed back to Windbird.
By just after noon, we pulled up the anchor and headed back down the Chenal de Faaa to the pass out of Tahiti. We will miss the great Le Truck transportation and carry with us wonderful memories of Tahiti, but we all felt it was time to move on. We arrived in Opunohau Bay around 5 PM and anchored just behind our friends on Quantum Leap. We immediately jumped into the water and headed over to say hello to Quantum Leap. The water here is really crystal clear and you can see the bottom and watch the fish, turtles, and manta rays from the boat. We had a great swim over to Quantum Leap and while there, we got to hear Kathleen’s new skill as a ukulele player.
It was a great day and we look forward to snorkeling in this location tomorrow morning. It really is beautiful here.
by Judy Handley | Jun 25, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 251, Year 1: Sunday in Papeete
Date: Sunday, June 25, 2006
Weather: Beautiful Day!
Location: Anchored Closer to the Reef, Still Near Marina Taina, Papeete, Tahiti
I was gently reminded by a friend back in New Hampshire that my description of last night’s Ballet of Tahiti performance might put our website in the PG-13 category. I’ll just blame that on the influence of my brother-in-law Lee. I was just quoting!
Our day today started very early. We were up by 6:00 and in downtown Papeete by 7:30 to see the Sunday morning buying frenzy at the central market. Everyone flocks downtown between 5 AM and 8 AM to buy fresh food for their Sunday afternoon dinners. The traffic going into town was unbelievable for 7 AM on a Sunday morning, but it is tradition here to shop, get the food cooking, go to church, and then feast with family. We had fun watching the crowd and taking pictures. Mary Ellen, Mark’s sister, was totally taken in by the flower vendors. They sell arrangements of the most exotic tropical flowers that you can imagine for $10 to $20. The same arrangements in the US would cost somewhere between $75 to $100 dollars. I was most fascinated by the fish market. They have blue parrot fish alongside some sort of red fish, and then yellow fish, black fish, and on and on and on. The display is beautiful
We had a little extra time before the 9:30 mass at the Notre Dame Catholic Church in the heart of Papeete, so we went down to the waterfront for coffee to go with the French pastries we had bought at the market. While there, we were watching the beginning of the Holland-Portugal soccer game on a large screen in the center of the waterfront restaurant. We then proceeded to the Notre Dame Church, but there was no mass. We were told to return at 10:00. We walked to the government center, the Territorial Assembly, and took some pictures and then returned. Still no mass. We finally gave up and decided to walk to the Papeete Evangelical Church. This church is known for the hats the women wear and for their beautiful Polynesian music. The visit did not disappoint us. We stayed for part of the service, enjoyed the singing, and then headed out the street to catch LeTruck back to the marina.
We had a great morning in Papeete and then went out to the reef area for a snorkel. I saw a Crown of Thorns eating away at the coral. We saw lots of other reef-fish but the coral here is damaged and not very colorful. Still the water was very clear and it was a wonderful afternoon in the water.
Lee cooked dinner on the newly installed grill that he and Mary Ellen brought to us. It is great to have a grill again. Tomorrow we do our final shopping here and then head to Moorea. The adventure is underway once again.
by Judy Handley | Jun 24, 2006 | French Polynesia - Society Islands, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 250, Year 1: Day in Papeete, Evening at the Grand Ballet de Tahiti
Date: Saturday, June 24, 2006
Weather: Showers and Sunshine
Location: Anchored Closer to the Reef, Still Near Marina Taina, Papeete, Tahiti
Every day just gets better and better. Today we got up early headed into Papeete on Le Truck. Mark and I wanted to go to one of the local chandleries, NautiSport, to try and find a few boat needs. Unfortunately they had nothing that we needed, but we took advantage of being in the locale to visit a few hardware stores. We enjoyed going to Ace Hardware and exploring. Mark’s brother-in-law, Lee, is a retired Ace Hardware manager, and he had a great time checking out the Ace Hardware here in paradise.
We then headed back into downtown Papeete to visit the Tourist Center and other downtown facilities. Mary Ellen and I enjoyed our visit to the local market and to the Pearl Market. I actually ended up buying a few pearls at the Pearl Market, but Mary Ellen bought her pearls outside the local market area.
We toured more of downtown Papeete and then returned to Windbird. We decided to dinghy over to the Intercontinental Hotel to see the evening show of the Grand Ballet de Tahiti. It was a wonderful show of local culture. You could say that it was “hip shakin’ babes and guys with sexy buns” or you could just say that it was a wonderful presentation of dance art. Whatever, we truly enjoyed the performance.
When we returned to Windbird it was only about 10:00 but we were all beat. It had been a full day. Everyone else has turned in and I intend to head to bed as soon as I post this log.
