Position: 16 degrees, 36 minutes south; 151 degrees 33 minutes west

View of Bora Bora in the distance from where we're anchored

Sunset with Bora Bora in the background our first night at Tahaa

(It’s pretty cool where we’re anchored right now. We’re a half mile off the island in about 12 feet of water up against the reef. In the distance, on the island we can hear drums beating marking the rhythm to the hulu dancing. I get the same feeling listening to this and seeing the surf, sky and stars as Captain Cook must have when he first showed up those hundreds of years ago)

We had a lovely sail today. We headed north on the passage inside the reef on the eastern side of Raiatea, up the island and then across to Tahaa and up the west side inside its reef. Two things made it great; it was flat water all the way and it was downwind. After pulling up anchor at about 0830, we unfurled the jib and headed downwind with just the jib at 5 plus knots all day long. All we had to do was watch for the channel markers which were spread about every mile or so and watch out for reef markers which from time to time were right in the middle of the channel. You definitely had to be on your toes or you could hit a reef doing five knots, but for the most part it was just a tremendous cruise.

We followed Astarte and Ladybug (AKA Charisma – Victoria -once you check out of French Polynesia as they did, you need to travel incognito and they decided that there were enough Charismas around that they could just “blend in”) followed us. Each vessel was about a half hour behind the next so we were in very loose formation. We ended up sailing 17 miles and are now in a spectacular spot with a view of Bora Bora in the distance. At twilight the view was amazing. Many shades of blue with the outline of Bora Bora in the distance and the outline of a motu with coconut palms tracing the sky in the foreground.

We’re anchored at the northern end of Tahaa right up against a sandy reef. When I say “right up against” I mean it! Both Ann and I dove the anchor to make sure it was dug in sufficiently. The anchor is in about 25 feet of water. Charisma is in about 12 feet of water, but her rudder (at the back of the boat) is only about three feet off the bottom. We’re in the “blue water”, but right up against the light blue water. It’s amazing to look at. The “treachery” of these waters was apparent when I dove the anchor the first time. What I saw was the chain wrapped around a “bommie” (a big coral rock that sticks up and can pierce the bottom of your boat). There was another big chunk of chain also wrapped on the bommie from someone who had been here before and had to cut theirs loose to get away. I debated leaving the anchor “as is” but decided it was a bad omen to allow it to be wrapped on a piece of coral that had a broken chain already wrapped on it. So…after diving the anchor the first time, we pulled in the anchor chain and moved a bit, then reset. Now we’re out of bommie territory. I also have a float on the chain to hold it off the bottom and above the bommies if we swing.

So, that’s our day. We’re also starting to plan our post-Polynesian trip since we have to exit these waters within the next week having been here for our allowable 90 days. Wow, it went fast. We’re currently thinking of the following rough itinerary: First the Cooks: Aitutaki and/or Raretonga, then Palmerston and finally Nuie. Then possibly Samoa if the weather permits and Tonga. That’s today’s plan anyway.

Tomorrow, weather permitting we’re going to dinghy across the shallows to a spot that’s supposed to be great for snorkeling. It’s called the “Emerald Garden”. We’ll see and report back in the evening.

Position: 16 degrees, 49 minutes south; 151 degrees, 21 minutes west

We’re currently anchored just inside the reef at Raiatea. It’s both unnerving and spectacular. The ocean waves of up to 10 feet and the winds in the low 20’s are hitting the reef and making for a lot of noise. However, all the energy gets expended when the wave breaks on the reef, so it’s relatively calm where we’re anchored. We’re on a “shelf” between the shallow reef and a deeper inner reef passageway that goes all the way around the island. The reef protects the outside and is very shallow and the passageway is like a lagoon around the island protected by the reef. The shelf is a very narrow transition zone that allows us to anchor in reasonable depth. As we approached the spot we wanted to use, the depth went from 100 feet (deep blue) to 20 feet (turquoise) to 10 feet (light green/blue) in about two boat lengths. We dropped anchor in 20 feet, but once the chain was out, Charisma was sitting in 45 feet (the anchor is still at 20 feet) and a boat length behind us is 100 feet. The anchor alarm is set, but less of an issue over here since if we drag it will be into deeper water in the lagoon and we’ll have plenty of time to do something about it versus over at Huahine were we would drag right onto the reef if the anchor let go.

We had a nice sail over the 20 mile channel between Huahine and Raiatea. Deep blue water, 10-15 knots of wind and four foot waves. We did 5 knots most of the way with just the jib (yes, I’m lazy and didn’t want to put up the main for such a short sail).

Coming through the pass was an experience. It’s pretty narrow and the surf breaks aggressively very near the boat on both sides. You feel like if you are a few feet to either side, you’ll run up on the rocks, but in reality there’s probably 100 yards of room. Still, not much when you’re talking about powerful Pacific waves crashing down.

Once anchored, I dove on the anchor. Not as solid as I’d like to see. It’s laying on its side, but we backed down very hard on it and it held. We have a lot of chain out so we should be good.

Once we were set, we joined up with the other two boats here-Astarte and Ladybug and went ashore to see Marae Taputaputea, which is held to be; “the most important religious and historical site in Polynesia”. Indeed it was very impressive. The number and size of the rocks that were brought here and put into place to make the platforms and monuments where religious ceremonies were held centuries ago, is truly amazing. After visiting the site, we walked around the little village and then back to the boats for…what else at that time of day? Charismas! Yes, everyone came back for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. A lot of fun sitting in the cockpit watching the sunset and swapping stories. Ann is cooking a light dinner of scrambled eggs and bacon and then we’ll sit in the cockpit listening to the wind and waves crashing on the beach before crashing ourselves into the bunk.

Another fun day. Did I say “fun”? Yes, we are having fun again now that the “wind event” has passed.

event” has passed.