06-07-15
Monday
1030
Depart Tuherahera, Tikehau
Engine
1654.2 hours
1145
Successfully went through the passe. It was low tide with current
still going out.
Wind
20 knots ESE
COG:
180 deg M, SOG: 5 knots
07-07-15
Tuesday
The
wind steadily decreased as Sadiqi sailed south. By sunrise the the
winds were 12 knots NE.
COG:
200 deg M, SOG: 5 knots.
Sailing
with almost full mainsail, yankee jib and staysail.
Noon
1200 UTC -10 hours
Wind
12 knots (T) ENE
Lat:
16 41.92 S, Lon: 149 15.49 W
COG:
190 deg M, SOG: 5 knots
Engine:
1656.1 hours
116
miles since leaving Tikehau atoll.
With
the wind on the beam it was a very pleasant sail.
By
mid afternoon the winds were less than 8 knots from the east. I could
see the high island if Tahiti and Moorea from 40 miles away.
1700
Beer o clock.
Wind
less than 5 knots from the east – drifting.
COG:
185 deg M, SOG: 1 knot – sometimes.
12
hours to sail 30 miles to Papeete, Tahiti to arrive after sunrise.
08-07-15
Wednesday
Very
little wind overnight – drifting toward Papeete.
0900
Arrived marina Taina, Tahiti
Engine:
1659.2 hours
I
called up “Fair Winds” Sherman and Judy on the VHF radio, they
were just about to leave the marina for Moorea. I picked up the
mooring ball (C4) that they had used.
Marina
Taina is a large, impressive marina with a good number of very large
super yachts. There are several restaurants and marine service
facilities on the premise. The mooring ball for Sadiqi cost around
$50/week dependent on boat length.
 |
| Sunset over Moorea from Taina anchorage |
Since
leaving Ecuador, some 3 months ago, I have been bereft of news. It
would appear I did not miss much – there did not seem to have been
much good news anyway. Papeete, Tahiti is the first real, sort of,
civilised place I have been since leaving Panama. Well, if you can
call seeing a Macdonalds fast food outlet nearby civilised. I took a
walk near the marina to find an ATM to get cash. There was a large
Carrefour supermarket within easy walking distance from the marina.
I
had to resurrect the Mercury outboard that had not been used since
leaving Panama in January. I had rowed everywhere since then. The
only reason I used it was to ferry water, fuel, and supplies to
Sadiqi. Tahiti is also a good place to get marine parts in the event
of breakages.
I
serviced the Volvo Penta and rebuilt the water pump – new shaft,
bearings and seals.
I
asked about getting anchor chain re-galvanised. Michelle from Tahiti
Yacht chandlery advised that there was not such service in French
Ploynesia. He had 8mm G40 chain, made in Italy, available at a reasonable price around $6/metre.
I
purchased 32 metres of 8mm G40 High Test galvanised chain from Tahiti
Yacht Chadlery.
On
Sunday I did some work on the outboard engine then walked 8.5
kilometres into Papeete and back. Most places in town were closed on
Sunday.
Tuesday
July 14 was French Bastille Day – called something else here in
French Polynesia. My quiet protest for the French ever even
considering nuking the Tuamoto atoll of Mururoa was to work on the
boat. I spliced the anchor rode onto the new anchor chain. The old
chain was still in pretty good condition – just surface rust where
the chain had dragged over rocks. I washed the salt off the chain and
will get it re galvanised when I find somewhere that does it. Lugging
50 Kgs of anchor chain around was no fun. The easy way, as I saw on
the dock, was to pay someone else to do the work.
 |
| Anchor rode to chain splice |
All
to soon it was time to move on.
21-07-15
Tuesday
0805
Depart Marina Taina, Papeete. Tahiti
Engine
1661.7 hours
It
was a short pleasant sail, once out of the lee of Tahiti, in 15 to 20
knot easterly winds.
1245
Arrive Opunoha Bay, Moorea
Engine
1663.8 hours
Opunoha
Bay is the most beautiful, mostly natural bay, I have seen. I can't
find words to describe it and photographs just don't do it justice.
The scenery is mesmerising. I spent hours each day distracted by the
view and the changing colours. I met up with Tom and Jan on “Ambler”
who had anchored, with a stern line tied to a palm tree. The same
place they had anchored some 30 years before. They said it had
changed very little. Most mornings I would gaze at the steep cliffs
to the west as the sunlight painted away the shadows of the massif to
the east with rich vibrant and vivid colours, mostly green.
 |
| Opunoha bay, Moorea - looking east |
 |
| Opunoha bay, Moorea - looking west |
 |
| Opunoha bay, Moorea - looking south |
On
Sunday I walked to the Belvedere View spot. This is about 6 Ks from
where the dingy was parked. Several processions of quad bikes with
tourists from the resorts past me on the road. I had been given
directions by one of the very friendly locals to go to the Three
Coconuts pass. This was about another 6 ks further and at an
elevation of 358 metres or around a thousand feet. The pass presented
spectacular views to the south of Moorea and of Cook and Opunoha bays.
After 5 hours of walking and admiring the the amazing views I arrived
back at Sadiqi exhausted.
It
started to get a little crowded in
the bay
when the super yacht "Vava II" turned up, all 100 metres of
it, reputably worth US$100
million with
its
own helicopter. The
cruise ship Paul Gauguin anchored near the bay
entrance.
Another beautiful, large,
5
spreader sailing yacht also
turned
up. It is a truly beautiful bay and
surprisingly not crowded.
I
had seen a maximum of 5 yachts, the nearest
yacht to me was about
100 metres away. Most
yachts, about
40,
anchor near the entrance to the bay on the east side near
restaurants, shops etc. Granted the water is clearer there
as opposed to where Sadiqi
was at the bottom of Opunoha bay.
I
reacquainted myself with some gardening chores by offering to mow the
lawn of the hospitable family I'd had lunch with. I'm thankfully
cured of gardening for another few years.
The
clock is ticking. I decided to start the “advance notice of
arrival” formalities that some countries require, as I had good
Internet access in the bay. This is a 6 page document that for some
countries require photographs of the skipper and boat, it has to be
emailed or faxed at least 48 hours prior to arrival. I'll leave it at
that – the less said about bureaucratic processes and procedures
the better.
01-08-15
Saturday
0715
Depart Opunoha bay, Moorea
Engine
1664.8 hours
The
forecast was for up to 15 knots wind later in the day. There was very
little wind to start with. Sadiqi motored north west under brooding
grey clouds. The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) was making its
presence felt.
Noon
1200 UTC -10 hours
Wind
not much from the south
Lat:
17 17.94 S, Lon: 150 07.19 W
COG:
290 deg M, SOG: 4 knots
Engine:
1668.9 hours
20
miles since leaving Moorea.
Sadiqi
chugging along under motor with mainsail up.
02-08-15
Sunday
0110
Sadiqi passed to the north of Huahine
Wind
14 – 16 knots SE.
COG:
270 deg M, SOG 5.5 knots.
It
was good to be sailing again and give the old engine a break.
1200
Arrived Bora Bora. Anchored west side of Toopua Motu.
Engine:
1685.2 Hours (Way too much motoring)
It
was a beautiful anchorage with incredibly clean turquoise water. It
rained the whole afternoon. The water tanks were filled. I gave
Sadiqi's decks and myself a good scrub in the rain.
 |
| Bora Bora, Tapu Moto |
During
the night I noticed that the fridge seemed to running for excessively
long periods. The next morning I noticed that the batteries had
discharged much lower than usual. The batteries were fully charged
after having used the engine for so long. I saw that the fan that
cools the condenser was not turning when the compressor was running.
I had a horror thought of not having cold beer for beer o clock! I
took the dinghy to the town of Vaitape to search for a 12 volt fan.
Surprisingly, I managed to find a smaller version at a computer
retail store. I returned to Sadiqi and adapted the fan to fit the
condenser. The next morning the fridge was cold, as was the beer, all
was good.
 |
| Bora Bora |
I motored around to
where Tom and Jan on “Ambler” were and picked up a mooring. In
the evening I joined them for dinner at Bloody Mary's, a restaurant
having notoriety from the impressive list of famous patrons who have
dined there. By French Polynesian standards it was a reasonably
priced meal. The moorings are free to cruisers having lunch or dinner
at the restaurant.
I
went snorkelling with Tom. The visibility was excellent, there were
many reef fish.
 |
| Sadiqi's skipper feeding the fish |
Through
Tom and Jan I met up with Doug and Joy on “Gambol” from the USA.
Philip and Barbara on “Angela”, whom I had met in the Marquesas,
picked up a mooring near by to have dinner at Bloody Mary's.
Tom
and Jan left for American Samoa. I dropped the mooring and headed
back to the west side of Toopua to anchor. I chickened out of
visiting the east side of Bora Bora. The water is so clear in the
lagoon that deep water looks shallow. Later in the afternoon I heard
a voice say “Another small yacht”. I poked my head out of the
companion way to see a small yellow hulled yacht motor past. I
subsequently met Jan, from Germany, on his 28 foot “Pheobie”. He
had sailed from Europe, down the Atlantic coast of South
America,through the Beagle passage and onto Patagonia, then to French Polynesia. An
admiral achievement even with the bravado of a 28 year old.
 |
| Bora Bora Lagoon |
I
met up with Michelle and Corin again on “Ganesh” from France. I
had followed “Ganesh” out of Bahia Caraquez for the start of my
Ecuador escapades back in March. I also met up with Barry and Sylvia
on “Jolani”, a beautiful S&S yawl, from San Francisco.
Wednesday
August 12, I took the dinghy into Viatape, Bora Bora to clear out of
French Polynesia and do the last of the food shopping. I met up with
Darren and Jodie on “Grattetoille” from Hood River, Oregan USA.
They were heading to Christmas Island then to Hawaii before heading
back home to the States.
Thursday
– there was light winds from the north with scattered showers. I
set about making the boat ready for the long sail westwards. I was
anticipating another rough sail so secured and tied down heavy items.
The wind was forecast to swing to the south and pick up to 15 knots in
the late evening, the swell only about 1 metre.
