relaxation

Cooling Off in Auckland, New Zealand

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After a long southern summer on the docks at Nawi Island Marina, in Savusavu, Fiji, we had reached a point where we were convinced we may never be cool again.   The relentless heat – you wake up sweating, you sweat all day, you go to bed sweating, surrounded by 4 fans and praying for just a moment of relief – was finally getting to us.   We also needed to renew our visas and rather than just submit the paperwork to do so, we thought it would be easier to just leave the country for a brief time, thereby resetting our visas.

After some thought, we finally decided on a quick trip to Auckland.   We would have loved to have spent several weeks in New Zealand, perhaps renting a camper van and exploring some of the country, but our funds were starting to dwindle and we didn’t really want to leave the boat too long during what was still cyclone season.   With that in mind, we booked an 8 day getaway, flying from Savusavu to Nadi – where we overnighted, on to Auckland and then back via a night in Nadi. 

Our evening in Nadi on the way down did not give us much time to explore but we still managed to get out for a short walk-about before retiring to the small condo we had booked for the night.   The next morning, we were up early for a quick breakfast and then an afternoon flight to Auckland.  While we didn’t have the time to explore, we could see that Nadi was a bit more bustling than Savusavu, but no less friendly and welcoming.   We would have loved the opportunity to explore a bit more, but our respite from the heat was awaiting in New Zealand and we were excited to get there!

We landed in Auckland late afternoon, and immediately realized that we may have gotten more than we bargained for!   It was cold – like really, really cold – and windy!   As I frantically dug through my bag to find the long-sleeved hoody I had thankfully thrown in at the last minute, Owen looked into our options to get to our hotel.   A cab or an Uber would have been ridiculously expensive but a quick search revealed that the bus/train options were excellent.   And so, we bought ourselves transit passes, downloaded the app, and, after a brief wait at the wrong stop, found the bus to take us to a train, which deposited us at a station right at the waterfront, a mere ten-minute walk from our hotel.  The walk to our hotel took us along the waterfront, around the inner harbour marinas, over a lifting bridge – it all felt so – so – like home!   It was like walking along the seawall in Vancouver.   We immediately fell in love!!!

We could already see that we would have no shortage of restaurants to try out while we were in New Zealand.   One of our very few complaints about Savusavu has been the lack of variety in the food – most restaurants have the same menu of stirfrys, hamburgers and fish and chips.    As we walked to our hotel we saw all manner of restaurants and bars, discovering a wonderful Italian place just a half block before our hotel  – we were happy to return there after we checked in. 

Our hotel was located in the Wynyard Quarter – an area filled with lots of restaurants but just outside the edge of the action.   As a result, it was a bit quieter – if we wanted the nightlife or action, it was just a short walk across the bridge.   This was exactly how we liked it.  We did have a slight misstep when we first checked in – we had booked, and been very excited about, a room with a king-sized bed.    When we arrived in our room we found two twin beds pushed together.    I had been dreaming about a big, cool bed to stretch out in – I nearly cried.    We immediately went back down to the lobby – the attendant was extremely apologetic – their system had been down and they had been checking people in using an excel spread-sheet.   He immediately changed our room and upgraded us to a room that had a view of the harbour and of the tower – and of course, it had a big, comfy king sized bed!!  Keep in mind that our bed on the boat is, at its widest, a double bed – that king sized bed was EVERYTHING in that moment!

Our first day in Auckland, we set out do some boat part shopping.   We started at Sailor’s Supply – a short walk from our hotel and scoped out what was available there (so much!).   We then walked along the seawall, finally coming to the Westhaven Marina.   Westhaven is apparently the largest marina in the southern hemisphere and it is not hard to believe that – it is a small city of masts!!!   Auckland is definitely a sailing town!  We finally made our way around the marina and found Fosters – one of the oldest chandleries in New Zealand, and Burnsco – seemingly one of the biggest!!   We spent several hours and many dollars, stocking up on items we had not been able to find since leaving Canada!   We had to keep our luggage limits in mind – it was hard to not buy even more!!  We finally headed back, again walking along the seawall and back to our hotel, but not without a brief stop at a marine bookstore.   Our feet were so tired by the end of the day, we could barely drag ourselves out for dinner!

Our next day we decided to do ALL the touristy things – at least that is what it felt like!!   We started at the War Museum, spending the morning there and then headed over to the Maritime Museum.  Both sites were excellent – we probably should not have tried to do both in one day – it did feel like we might have shortchanged ourselves a bit.   After spending the entire day walking, we didn’t quite feel we had covered enough ground, so we took ourselves off to the train station and caught a train out to the Rugby stadium – we watched a New Zealand v. Australia match and given we were seated square in the middle of groups cheering for each team, we hoped things didn’t get too rowdy!!!  It was a fun night and by the time we made it back to our hotel room we had put 18,000 steps on our poor feet.

We had intended to have a much more chill day the next day but decided to go to the Auckland Sky Tower – it seemed closer on the map – and we didn’t realize the big hills involved, so of course we walked there – oof!   The walk was worth it though – the views from the Tower were spectacular – walking over the glass sections in the floor was not my favorite however!!  After the Tower, we did a little bit of shopping, hunting for some electronics we hadn’t been able to replace and then had an early dinner and early night it.   We were starting to realize that 4 months of sitting at the dock does not prepare you for 4 days of non-stop walking!!  

War Museum from the Tower

Saturday, we were again up bright and early to catch the ferry to Waiheke Island.   Waiheke is an Island in the Hauraki Gulf – just a 45 minute ferry trip from Auckland.   It started out as a bit of a hippy village but is now home to dozens of wineries, high end restaurants and some of the most expensive real estate in New Zealand.   We did a “hop on, hop off” bus tour – first taking the bus around the entire Island to get the lay of the land.  On our second loop we started off with a stop at an olive oil factory.   We enjoyed a tasting and came away with a bottle of olive oil and some delicious herb dip.   After that we stopped in the village for lunch.   The bus stopped directly across from a gelato shop that the driver had told us was excellent.   Given that the village is on a fairly steep hill, and the restaurant we wanted to go to for lunch was down the hill, with another bus stop even further down the hill, we did the only sensible thing and started lunch with dessert.    After devouring our gelato, we wandered through town and had a delicious lunch – possibly the best burgers we have had since leaving Canada – topped with nearly a salad-worth of fresh, glorious spring mix lettuce! –  before jumping back on the bus.   We got off at a winery for a tasting and then continued on to a stop at a gorgeous white sand beach – after wading out into the water, we confirmed that it was nowhere near as warm as the waters we had been swimming in the tropical destinations we had been visiting!!   We finally made a stop at one more winery before heading back to the ferry and back to Auckland – another wonderful day!! 

Apparently, we didn’t yet feel we had covered enough miles as we again set off around the seawall – we had determined that weight allowances or not, we still needed a couple more items from Burnsco.   Owen had also discovered that the America’s Cup Trophy was housed at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club, also located at Westhaven Marina.   We made the long trip around, found a few missing items at the boat store and then went over to see the trophy.   It is stored behind glass and is really quite an impressive object!!!   It does manage to stand out, even amongst the cases and cases of trophies.

When we had first started to look at what we must do in Auckland, one of my “must do” stops was a deli that served “Montreal style” poutine – I was determined that we must give it a try.   Unfortunately, it required back-tracking around the marina, and up the hills, as it turned out to the street directly beside the Tower. We also wanted to head over the bridge (in the opposite direction) to visit yet another boat store as we were still missing a part that Owen was hoping to locate.    Given that, and the fact that it was pouring rain, we finally opted to take an Uber to the deli.   We thoroughly enjoyed our deli lunch (the poutine was ALMOST Montreal good) and then headed back to the bus stop to get ourselves over to the north shore.   After a couple of transfers and a bit of walk, we finally found ourselves in the area of the boat shop.   We first made a stop at a hardware store to find aluminum tape (for wrapping hoses in the engine room), as it was on the way to the boat store.   We paid for the tape and I handed it to Owen to put it into the bag that contained the rather expensive stuff we had bought at Burnsco that morning.  It was only in that moment that he realized that he had left the bag on the hook under the table at the deli!!!   I panic called the deli to be sure it was there, and to let them know that we would very hopefully be able to get back for it before they closed.   We made a quick stop to the boat store that we had come all that way for – they of course did not have the part – grr.   After that we made the return trip back on the bus, this time with a bit more urgency.   We got off the bus at 10 to 3 – the deli closed at 3!!   Thankfully I was able to hightail it the couple of blocks back, just as they were ushering out the last diners and getting ready to close!!    As we were leaving at lunchtime the next day, and as I needed to figure out how to get everything in the suitcase, we were happy to have been able to recover it!

After a last dinner in Auckland, we went back to the hotel to try to figure out how to fit all the stuff we bought into the bags we had available.   We had actually bought a new gear bag to replace my sailing bag – the old bag had a ton of zippers and nearly every one of them had seized up – I had spent days, soaking them in vinegar and trying to slowly pry them open.   Finally, I had one zipper left to get open and asked Owen to give it a tug while I held on to the bag – unfortunately it was a bit too good of a tug and the zipper slide had come right off.   It was a sign to give up – my new bag is basically a big dry bag, with just clips and no zippers – much smarter – and thankfully big enough to apportion out much of what we had bought!  

We flew out from Auckland mid-afternoon, landing in Nadi late afternoon.   This time we were staying at a small resort directly across from the airport.   During our first stop in Nadi, we had come across a Cost-U-Less – sort of a miniature version of a Costco – and Owen had found a giant container of iced tea mix.   Iced tea is one of his favorite things and he decided that we must figure out how to fit it into our luggage – along with a big bag of cinnamon toast cereal!!    The challenge we had faced with luggage on this trip was that our weight allowance on the flight from Auckland to Nadi was 25kg per person but our weight allowance on the little commuter flight from Nadi to Savusavu was 15kg – we were at 14.8 and 14.9 when we checked our bags in.   Thankfully they didn’t weight our carryon bags by themselves (instead they make you get on the scale with your carryon!) as I am pretty sure they were over the 7kg allowance for those!!  

We did finally make it back to Savusavu and immediately were hit by a wall of heat!!!   We also felt almost like we were coming home!   All was good with the boat thankfully and by the next day it almost felt like we had not left!!

We had only a short time in Auckland but enjoyed every minute of it. We came back with sore feet, full bellies and a desire to see more of New Zealand!

Treasuring our time in Tonga

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We arrived in Tonga after a long day’s beating to wind – as we headed down the channel to Neiafu, we were unsure that we would make it in time to check in on that day and expected we would have to anchor out for the night before completing the clear in process.  As it was, we arrived at the “fishing pier” – the designated docking point for customs – at about 3:30 – but docking was not an easy prospect.   The fishing pier is a high concrete dock with a wreck on one end and a sand bar on the other.   When we arrived, there were 2 fishing boats tied to the dock with a frighteningly small space left to dock.  I made one aborted attempt and then finally headed in – thankfully the fishermen who had been milling around on the dock jumped up to take lines and to hold the boat off the dock while we repositioned our fenders higher than our deck – in an effort to keep the boat from sliding right under the very high dock!!!  

In very short order, the first official arrived at the boat, letting us know that clearance would have to happen quickly, failing which we would have to pay an overtime fee.   After settling himself down below, the very lovely customs agent requested cookies and pop before beginning the paperwork.  In quick order, we were also joined by a biosecurity officer and the immigration officer – the boat was bursting at the seams!!!   Thankfully, everyone finished up their paperwork quickly – Owen printed out our boat name and registration number more times than he could count.   We had some fees to pay and mentioned that we could not do so until such time as we were able to obtain some Tongan cash – the biosecurity officer kindly walked us out of the dock area, directing us to the nearest bank machine.   The officials let us know that they would wait for us to come back for payment so that we would not need to come in the next day.   We quickly found the ATM and then grabbed quick ice-cream cones (we needed to break up the big bills provided by the machine so that we could pay the fees), and then returned to settle up.   Within an hour of arriving, we were departing the customs dock and headed to the mooring field – a quick pass through showed that all mooring balls seemed to be occupied.   We considered anchoring but realized that we were in 80 feet of water over a bottom that the reviews indicated did not provide good holding.   We decided to make a last pass through the mooring fields and spotted a mooring ball that we hoped was available.  We asked the nearest boat and they indicated that they thought it was available so we tied up and settled in.

The first night was such a delight – flat calm water after 12 days at sea.   We sat in the cockpit watching fruit bats come and go from the trees on shore and thanking our lucky stars for bringing us to this amazing place!   The next morning, we were sorting the boat when we were approached by the dive captain who owns the mooring balls – unfortunately, the one we were on was actually for one of his dive boats.   He was giving us suggestions as to where we could anchor in shallower water, when, just as we started to get untied, the boat in front of us left their mooring!!   We quickly grabbed it up – we were so thankful we did as it would be weeks before one was available again!   We headed into town to do a bit of exploring and to grab some groceries and dinner.   The town is shabby, but the people were the friendliest we have encountered anywhere!  While we were out, we saw posters advertising the Vava’u Sailing Festival – which was set to begin that weekend (this might explain the packed mooring balls!).   After realizing that the entry fee included several meals and a “cultural” day, we decided it was something not to be missed and we quickly bought tickets.

As a result, our first full week in Tonga was a whirlwind.   We began with the “Sausage Sizzle” – a barbq hosted by the boat yard on the Saturday.   We ran into people we hadn’t seen since Mexico, met up with some of our fellow “Trapped in Paradise” boaters, and met some new people.   Monday was a dinner with a presentation by one of the New Zealand marinas, Tuesday was a breakfast with another New Zealand presentation, Wednesday was a race day (we didn’t race), followed by a barbq, Thursday was the Cultural Day and Friday was a wrap up dinner.    Thursday was our favorite day of the week – we were bussed over to the other side of the Island where we were able to see umus in action (pit ovens) and try the yams being cooked in the ground, wrapped in banana leaves.  We saw a weaving demonstration and had dancers perform for us.   Lunch was a monstrous buffet with roasted pig, yams, salads, rice, corned beef cooked in banana leaves and stewed papaya.   There was so much food, I literally had a heaping plate in one hand and was holding the papaya (which was served in an underripe papaya shell) in the other hand.   The afternoon was finished with a Kava ceremony. We all had the opportunity to try this traditional drink that forms such a strong part of the Polynesian culture. Kava looks like mud water and the taste was somewhat similar to Buckley’s – they serve a fairly large bowl of it and you are expected to drink it all – we managed, but I don’t think I felt my tongue until hours later!!! We had a wonderful day and so thoroughly enjoyed our very small glimpse into the Tongan culture.

There were several good restaurants in town, which made for great nights out.  Our favorite perhaps was the floating pub – the Hideaway.   The Hideaway is owned by a Canadian couple and serves margaritas made from lime juice that is squeezed from the limes in their own tree.   As for food, you can have anything you want so long as it is fish and chips (or fish or chips!).   We had so many great afternoons visiting with the owners, Bear and Char, and with other cruisers.  On one particularly fun afternoon, a group of guys off an Irish boat came over with their instruments and we had an enjoyable afternoon listening to them jam.   Perhaps the most fun part of that afternoon was that a group of locals had swam over for a drink and they were probably the most entertained by the music!   Bear and Char also own a deli in town and it was there that we were able to find the first good steaks we had had since leaving Canada, along with chicken breast, roasted sliced ham and other foods we hadn’t seen in forever!!!   But to make me an even bigger fan, Bear broke out the Pierogi maker one weekend – what a treat those were!!

While we were so enjoying our time in town, we were also eager to get out to explore the anchorages around the Vava’u group.   We were so pleasantly happy to realize that many of them were very protected and flat calm – so much like cruising at home.    Once the sailing festival wrapped up, we loaded up on groceries and headed just a few miles around the corner to a beautiful anchorage with crystal clear water.   There were several boats in the anchorage but even so it didn’t feel too crowded.   I inflated my paddle board and Owen launched his kayak and for the first time in a very long time we felt like we were casually cruising – it was delightful!!!  Our big adventure from our first anchorage was to take our dinghy and motor around to Swallow’s Cave – it was creepy cool to dinghy in through the entrance and arrive at a cave that was sadly covered in graffiti left by past visitors.   We opted not to get in the water there (we had both read that sea snakes like the cave!) but we drifted around in the dinghy – the only boat in there for a bit – we were just heading out of the cave when a tour boat came barreling in – good timing on our part!

After a few days in our first anchorage, we were itching to get out and explore some more.   We initially intended to head out to an anchorage that was very near to a reef we hoped to be able to snorkel.  Unfortunately, the winds were blowing right into the anchorage and having a reef right behind us suddenly didn’t seem like a good idea – we did a little donut in the anchorage and then headed about 6 miles away to another flat calm anchorage.   We were midway on our passage to this anchorage when we heard a mayday call on the radio.   Oddly – no one else answered it so we got on the radio with the caller – he was solo sailing and had just taken the boom to his face.   He was just a couple of miles out of the harbour but his call was not getting through.  We reached out to the operator of the Hideaway to find out if there was a local contact for emergencies – turned out it was him.   We still seemed to be the only boat that was able to consistently communicate with the other sailor so we kept communicating with him while Bear mustered a local boat, a nurse and a couple of sailors (one of which was Canadian Coast Guard) to head out to help.   Within a couple of hours, the sailor was on board the local boat, being brought in for medical attention and the cruisers were bringing his boat into the dock.  It was a tense afternoon but before we knew it, everything was fine on the emergency front and we were approaching the new anchorage.  

The difference with this anchorage was that there was not really a beach – we knew that people were walking from this spot into town but we couldn’t exactly figure out how they were doing it.   As it turned out, we were soon joined in the anchorage by a couple of other boats that we knew and it was decided that we should do a trek out to Veimumuni Cave – a natural spring pool in a cave just above the high tide line and about a half hour walk from the anchorage.   The day we were to go we joined the other boaters on a very shallow beach that we hadn’t even been able to see from where we were anchored.   We put out stern anchors and tied to shore, hoping that we would not be high and dry when we got back.   From there we climbed a short hill, walked through a pasture (we had to wait for a couple of cows to get up off the path to let us through – thankfully the bull was tied up), down a road through one small village and then through another village to the cave.   We did have a short detour though – we were headed through the first village when we discovered a small puppy lying on the side of the road – he couldn’t stand up and we were worried that he had been hit by a car.   We debated how we should handle it – there didn’t appear to be anyone home at the house where the dog was (though we didn’t know for sure if he was from that house).     It was so hot and he was obviously in distress.   There are no vets on Vava’u and we worried that he was not going to be able to receive care.   We reached out to a volunteer group that coordinated some animal care – bringing in a vet once a year.   We were not getting a response from them on Whatsapp – we were about ready to walk into town and try to radio them when we remembered that there was a restaurant near to where we were that joined in on the morning net – so we knew they had a radio.   One of the couples stayed with the puppy while the rest of us headed to the Humpback Lodge to see if we could get some help.   They immediately offered us the radio and then suggested that they should go pick up Dave, Denise and the puppy.   In the meantime, Denise had finally reached the volunteer group and it was finally decided that the puppy would come to the restaurant and then they would do a video call with a vet.   We were so appreciative of knowing that the puppy would be well taken care of.   We left him behind at the restaurant and headed off to the cave.   It was again a bit creepy but we did go swimming this time!  After a short swim, we backtracked and decided that, as we were going to pass by the restaurant again, it was a good idea to stop for lunch and to check in on the puppy!   We had a lovely lunch and then traced our steps back to the beach.  Unfortunately, we had not left the boats anchored out far enough and found our dinghies high and dry!!   Luckily, a big group makes quick work on getting the boats walked out to the water and we were soon floating again and headed back to our boats.

We finally realized we were running out of food and fuel (as we were still running the boat for hours every day to keep the batteries charged) and decided to return to town – it felt like coming home!!  Thankfully there was more room on the mooring balls and we were able to grab one.  

And so our time in Tonga went – a week or so in town, followed by a period of time out at anchor, returning when we finally needed supplies.  We snorkeled on bommies in the anchorages and tried to explore on the paddle board and kayak.   Sadly, I went to put my paddle board in the water one morning only to find that it was deflating.   An inspection showed that one of the seams was opening up.  I dug out the pvc glue and got to work patching it.   Unfortunately, as soon as I inflated it again, it opened up a seam next to the original patch.   After a couple of attempts at fixing it, I finally had to admit that years of being out on the back deck in only a mesh bag had allowed the glue to start to deteriorate – my board had to be given last rites and retired.  

We joined a garbage clean up during one of our times in town – one of the local dive-masters arranges a pick up nearly every week – it was a bit disheartening to realize how much garbage was around – especially as there are garbage cans everywhere – we spent two hours and picked up about 40 bags of trash between the group – we were hot and sweaty by the time we were done but were happy to have helped out.    

We were able to meet up with several other cruisers during our time in town, meeting for drinks at the Hideaway, dinner at several restaurants and a return visit to the Humpback Lodge to check on the pup.   We were so happy to find out that the owner of the dog had not wanted it back and the owner of the restaurant, having fallen in love with him, decided to keep him – she had renamed him Survivor!  He was thriving – we were there on a particularly busy night and he just made laps of the restaurant and kitchen, being scooped up by patrons for quick cuddles as he scurried by!

As the season latened the weather did become a bit more unpredictable with more showers and some stronger wind.   We had a few systems come through –  during most of these we just battened down the hatches and hid out below – which of course made for a steamy hot boat!!   One of the storms however, we were hanging out below when we heard a radio call from a 10 year old boy advising that his Dad was in town and his boat – a 70 foot catamaran – was dragging.  In short order we had four dinghies tied to the back of the boat and Bear, who ran the deli and the Hideaway, was hunting around town to find the Dad.   Thankfully the kiddo on board was able to find the battery switches so we could get the engine fired up and he knew how to work the windless (it had a few quirks) so we were able to get the boat safely away from the rocks.  Dad showed up in due course and the boat was soon secured to a mooring ball.  The entire time we were working to secure the boat it absolutely monsooned – we were drenched to the skin and actually pretty cold by the time we made it back to the boat!

We were saddened to realize that we were going to quickly be left behind in Tonga as most boats were making their way to New Zealand for cyclone season.   There were a few false starts, boats were all set to go only to have the weather take a turn for the worse.   As much as we felt bad that people had done all their prep for nothing, we were happy to be able to get out for one more visit, one more trivia night at the pub.   Unfortunately for some of our friends, some of the false starts turned out to be due to damage – one boat returned because they blew up 4 sails in 3 days.   Another returned when they felt some bad play in their rudder – they decided to haul out and leave the boat in Tonga to be repaired.   We were also horrified to hear that a boat lost their mast midway between Tonga and New Zealand – they had actually re-rigged in the Marquesas after discovering broken strands on their rigging on their Pacific crossing (on rigging that had been done new in Panama).   Thankfully, they were near several other boats and there was no other damage to their boat.   Three of the boats transferred fuel to the boat and one of them transferred another crew member.   They had a long, slow motor to New Zealand but made it safely.

Finally, after watching our friends head out north and south, and knowing that the friends who had put their boat on the hard were going to be flying out soon, we had to admit that it was time to move along.   We struggled with leaving – we were loving Tonga so much.   We did have a reservation in Fiji and we knew that, in the event of a cyclone, we would be much safer on the dock than at anchor or on a mooring ball, and so, sadly and with some regret, we finally did our last provisioning and cleared out of Tonga for what we hoped would be a 4 or 5 day trip to Fiji – as it turned out, we ended up taking a detour that added nearly a 100 miles to our trip – but kept us clear of the lightning and squalls from the South Pacific Convergence Zone, which had settled in just to the north of Fiji.   It ended up being a 6 day trip but, other than quite a lot of rain showers, it was a relatively easy passage.

It is so hard to put our finger on what we loved so much about Tonga – it may be that it was the first time in a long time that we had the opportunity to slow down, or that we were finally able to connect with some other cruisers.   Perhaps it was that the people were unfailingly lovely or that the anchorages were the most serene we have had since leaving Canada.  Whatever the reason, we have both left a piece of our hearts in the beautiful paradise that is Tonga.

Exploring Fakarava

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After spending 5 weeks in the Marquesas, it was becoming evident that we could not linger too long in the Tuomotos – we only had 90 days in French Polynesia and had big jumps to make between the Marquesas, the Tuomotos and the Society Islands.    We debated whether to try to see more than one of the atolls but realized that we just didn’t have the time – every time you enter an atoll you run the risk of getting essentially stuck there – if the weather turns it may make the pass unpassable and you will be sitting there until the weather improves.  We knew of many boats that found themselves stuck in one atoll or another for a week or more, preventing them from moving onto their next destination. This seemed especially taxing when in an atoll that did not have a settlement – no access to fuel or supplies and no ability to move on would be far too stressful!  Taking that into account, we opted for Fakarava – we knew it had a small village to explore, there is a pass at both the south and north ends, the northern one being quite wide and deep and passable in most conditions and it was supposed to be beautiful.  

We had a five day passage to Fakarava and landed at the northern end of the atoll, near the village of Rotoava.   We were so happy to see Viva anchored nearby – we had met Pierre and Marie in the boatyard and had been chasing behind them all through French Polynesia.   We reached out to them immediately and made plans to go to their boat for drinks and pizza that night.    We had a fabulous night on board Viva, visiting with Pierre and Marie as well as Kevin and Stacey from SV Flying Free.   The pizza was a treat and the company was fabulous!!

The next day we headed into shore to explore.   Rotoava has a great little enclosed “harbour” for the dinghy dock which was such a treat after some of the sketchy dinghy docks we had encountered in the Marquesas!!   We set out to wander down the atoll, through the tiny village – there were a few restaurants, a gas station with a fairly well stocked grocery store, the vegetable market (which was really only a vegetable market for about 2 hours after the supply ship came in!), another little grocery store, pizza shop and a few little clothing stores and of course pearl shops.   As we wandered down the road, we had to keep stopping just to stare out at the water – it was so incredibly clear and calm!!   We found nurse sharks swimming in close to shore at one stop and little fishies swimming in amongst the coral at a couple of others.   We wandered down until we came to a small resort, a gorgeous complex that included a little restaurant that had tables in the shallow water and milkshakes on the menu – what a treat those were!!!!    We tried to head back in for dinner that night only to find that the only restaurant that was open required reservations – so back to the boat it was!

The next day we spent a bit more time exploring and then headed to one of the restaurants for dinner – while we were waiting for them to open, the Flying Free crew arrived so we ended up having a lovely dinner visiting with them.  

We had a bit of a surprise the next night when, out of nowhere, the wind shifted hard to the south – within hours the fetch had built and we were hobby horsing on our anchor in 25 knots of wind – it was a pretty uncomfortable night until the winds switched around a bit to the east, reducing the size of the waves.   We had not necessarily intended to head to the south of the atoll as we for some reason had figured it to be a 60 mile run – that makes for a pretty long travel day for us and we really only intended to spend 4 or 5 days in Fakarava.   As it turned out, it is about a 30 mile run – taking that, and the fact that the winds were again to switch to the south, with 30 knot gusts expected, we decided to go check it out!!!   We motored out mid-morning, following the well-marked path through the bommies (they were huge!) – about half way down the wind started to build and the sea state was definitely starting to be “not fun”!   We had thought we would head directly to the South Pass anchorage but when we arrived at Harifa, nestled in the South East corner, we decided to drop anchor there.    Being so much closer to the south shore, the waves were minimal though the wind did blow pretty good all the rest of that day and the next.  

We finally headed over to the south pass the next day – the anchorage is a bit of a nightmare with giant coral bommies everywhere!!   We milled around trying to find a clear patch of sand to drop the anchor, that was not too close to other boats.   We finally settled on a spot and Owen deployed the anchor, floating our chain with fenders every 50 feet or so, as we had been doing in other anchorages in the atoll.   We let the boat back down and realized all to quickly that we were closer to the boat behind us than we wanted to be.   We decided to reset and started to bring up the anchor, only to discover that we had somehow already wrapped ourselves around a bommie!!   We tried to drive around to clear it but I think we guessed the wrong direction and wrapped it even worse!!   Owen finally had to get into the water with a mask and snorkel to see where the chain was wrapped – as we would unwrap from one bommie, the slack chain was wrapping on another – we tried for nearly an hour to unwrap us with Owen in the water and finally ended up with him at the helm and me on the bow shouting directions for where to turn while keeping up enough speed that wouldn’t let the chain go too slack – nearly two hours later we were off – finally!!   We moved a bit further east and set in a good patch of sand – but when we backed down we were too close to the reef and so we again pulled up anchor and tried again – finally, nearly 3 hours after starting the process, we were anchored (though it felt like we were so far east we may as well have stayed at Harifa!!).

After all of that, we decided we needed a dinghy toodle and as Kris and Steve from Exit had also arrived that day, we asked them to come along.   We headed into the dive shop – one of the only businesses on the south end and had beers at their small bar.   Kris and Steve had already made arrangements to go diving the next day.    The south pass of Fakarava is famous for its “wall of sharks” drift dive and they were excited to experience that.   Owen was really wanting to do a drift snorkel through the pass and wondered if he could tag along with their dive boat – Kris sent a message to the divemaster inquiring and he was told to come along.

The next morning, I dropped Owen off with Kris and Steve and they headed in early for their dive/ snorkel.   As it turned out, Owen was not permitted to go with the dive group – the snorkel was set for after the dive finished.  He hung out, doing some snorkeling around the dive shop and then all three of them joined a small group for a wonderful snorkel, seeing all sorts of fish and sharks.   I, being the chicken that I can sometimes be and having very limited experience snorkeling (like only 3 times previously), decided that the idea of a drift snorkel through a pass populated by sharks was not my idea of fun.

The weather was set to change to a more northerly direction and the supply ship was due into Rotoava so we decided to leave the next morning and head back to the north end.   We were up at the crack of dawn, planning to make it to Rotoava around the time the stores reopened for the afternoon, hopefully freshly stocked with veggies.   We started to pull up the anchor and, of course, found ourselves wrapped on a bommie!   Once again, Owen was in the water directing me as I drove in circles trying to free us – all the while, Steve was in the water giving Kris directions to get them unwrapped from their bommie!!!   Another hour of trying had us finally free and headed north.   We didn’t quite make it back in the time we had hoped but we were able to score a few freshies at the store.    We ended up grabbing pizzas for dinner that night and dining aboard Exit for another great night of visiting.

The north winds never did really arrive but they were once again set to blow from the South so it was that we once again made our way to Harifa – us and most of the boats from the North end!!!    By mid-afternoon the next day, the anchorage was packed.   The winds did in fact blow quite hard from the south for several days – we spent a couple of days just hanging out on board and then, when the winds finally started to ease a little, we were able to get out and explore a bit more.   We went into the beach one night for sundowners with Kris, Steve and Pierre and managed to get a snorkel in the next day.     We snorkeled around some small bommies in the corner of the anchorage and were pleasantly surprised to see quite a few fish of all different types and sizes.

Though we had only intended to be in Fakarava for a few days, we were nearing the two week mark there – honestly we could have stayed indefinitely – it is so beautiful there!   Sadly, we knew we had to get moving along – a window weather was opening and we needed to head west to the Society Islands.   We did one more run up the atoll to Rotoava to restock diesel and grab a few more groceries (but not before getting wrapped on one more bommie – quite literally the only bommie in that part of the anchorage!) and then finally headed out for Tahiti.

We were so sad to be leaving Fakarava behind and truly wish that we had been able to explore some more of the Tuomotos but time was not on our side!

Heading North

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We left Bahia Falsa and headed back to the islands of Isla Espiritu Santo and Partida, still deciding where we were going to end up for the night.   There was little wind to start, with the wind and waves gradually building from dead ahead.   We were able to sneak out a headsail to give us a little more oomph to make it through the waves and continuously congratulated ourselves for getting some of the barnacles off of the prop – we were definitely moving faster!!

We finally settled for going into Caleta Partida, an anchorage that we had not yet been into but which others had raved about.  Caleta Partida is the cut between Espiritu Santo and Partida, with a broken sandbar isthmus connecting the two islands – though it is open to the East, the isthmus provides some wave protection, and there is good protection from the North.   We found a good spot, tucked in a bit from the exposed eastern side, and set the hook.   The anchorage is beautiful and apparently a diver’s dream.   I really wanted to explore the shoreline so we put the engine on the dinghy and headed out – only to realize that the water very, very quickly shallows out, making it seem impossible to get to shore.   There is very cool coral or sponge just below the surface and we didn’t want to risk any damage to that.   We putted around a little more looking for a path to the back of the bay, all the while the wind and waves were beginning to build in the anchorage, and finally opted to just head back to the boat where Owen decided to drop and change the engine oil (still no new filter sadly!). I tried to relax while contemplating how we were going to get so far north in such a short period of time! 

We were up and out fairly early the next morning, hoping the forecast southerlies arrived to help push us north to Isla San Francisco.  Sadly, the wind never did appear and we motored for five hours.  As we approached the bay, I was tempted to detour and head elsewhere – all you could see from outside was giant fiberglass power boats – not my idea of ideal anchorage neighbors!!   The bay looked fairly packed and I was loath to hang out with what I presumed were probably party boats toting jet skis and running generators.    The water lured me in though – it was so green that the water’s reflection made the big white monstrosities actually looked like they had green paint jobs!   We motored in and found a spot to tuck in behind one of the bigger boats, hoping that if nothing else it would provide a bit of wind break if the southerlies did ever appear – the anchorage is completely open to those winds.   The water was breathtaking – I watched the anchor drop all the way to the sand and bury in and then watched the chain as it lay out on the ocean floor 25 feet below me – I could have counted the links!!!    While we were setting the anchor, a huge school of rays swam right under the boat, startling me as they appeared out the starboard side!!!    As I was marveling at the crystal clear water, already with thoughts of jumping in in my head, Owen called out to ask if I had a guess on what the water temperature was.   I hoped it was not too cold and was ecstatic when he said it was 27.7 Celsius!!!   I quickly put on my swimsuit and started to climb down the ladder – realizing as my toes hit the water that the water was not that warm!!!   I told Owen that it felt a lot colder than he said, but quickly let go and fell into the very, very cold water – beautiful, clear, but oh so cold!!!   Owen finally had an epiphany as I sputtered around trying to catch my breath – he had pulled the transducer out of the hull and it was sitting inside of the bilge – so the temperature he had given me was actually from the inside of the boat!!!   I still enjoyed a short swim, finally chased into the boat by the dreaded jet skis that were weaving in and out of the boats.   We actually noticed that the kayak on one of the other boats was tied way, way behind the boat – we thought it was drifting free at first.   In fact, they had put it on a 100 foot line in an attempt to keep the jet skis from buzzing their stern!  We took the dinghy into shore and walked along the shoreline, stopping to chat with a couple of other boating couples and then called it a night.   Despite the jet skis, generators, party music and general jackasses, it was still such a stunning bay that I couldn’t regret stopping there – until about 4 am.   That is when I woke up to find that the southerlies must have indeed filled in earlier in the day, working their way up from La Paz and building fetch on the water the whole way – the anchorage was being rocked by huge waves, coming directly in the entrance and taking us right on the bow.   The boat was hobby-horsing so violently that I could barely walk around – the dinghy was seesawing back and forth against the hull (we realized in the morning that it managed to unscrew and lose the cap on the oarstand, leaving us unable to use the oars.   I spent the rest of the night watching our radar alarm to be sure that we were not moving and keeping an eye on the bigger boat immediately in front of us.    I finally got Owen up around 7am and insisted that we head out before it got any worse.     Getting the anchor up was a challenge in the conditions and getting out of the bay and clear of the bigger waves right at its entrance was pretty scary!!!   We finally managed to round the end of the Island, heading north again, and hoping that at least we would have the wind to push us along, only to have it die almost immediately!

We motored the ten miles to San Evaristo, anchoring in front of the village.   We were very close to shore and uncomfortably close to another boat, but the anchorage is quite small, and the area with any protection is even smaller so we hoped that we had set okay.   That night, a Coromal kicked up about 10pm – these are very strong winds that funnel over the Baja from the Pacific side and come down the mountain face right into the anchorage.   We were seeing winds gusting into the high 20’s.  Owen had again set the anchor alarm and the radar alarm and had mirrored the wind instruments to his computer.   I tried to go to bed at a normal time, but ended up sitting in the salon, watching the wind instruments, hoping to see the wind finally drop below 20, and keeping an eye on our position, relative to the boat we were anchored beside.   It was a long night, with Owen snoring away in our cabin and me slowly descending into panic in the salon!   Finally, about 4 am, the wind started to settle and I was able to head to bed.    The next morning, Owen had the fun task of once again taking apart the toilet, this time actually taking hoses off and trying to knock out the disgusting calcium build up that kept plugging up the pump and hoses.   The crew of Dos Rojos came by just as he was finishing up to see if we would like to go for lunch – the promise of a fruity drink was exactly what he needed at that moment and we happily agreed to meet them on shore in a bit.   The lunch was excellent, though there was not a pina colada to be had and Owen had to settle for a coke!!   We went back to the boat and I winched Owen up the mast so that he could finally change out the two broken blocks, allowing us to once again raise the dinghy from the spinnaker halyard.   It was hot work and as soon as I had him back on deck, I was in the water cooling off.   By the time we had gotten back to the boat after lunch, a number of other boats had arrived in the already crowded anchorage, with one of them setting themselves very close to our bow.   We had a feeling it was going to be a bit of a problem in the night and sure enough, when the wind switched around, turning us all around, we could see that they had far less scope than us out and we were nearly bumping into their bow.    They let out a bit more chain, pulling a bit further from us, but then when the wind died completely in the night, their boat, being much lighter than ours, started to drift forward on their chain, while our heavy beast stayed happily where she was.   Sure enough, our radar alarm started to go off, signaling that a boat was much closer to us than we were comfortable with – when we went on deck they were nearly on top of us.   We hung out and watched as we just skirted around each other for a while and then went back to bed, hoping that there would not be an actual collision.   The other boat was long gone when we got up in the morning and it did not seem that there had been any contact.

Though we really liked San Evaristo, and would have liked to explore the tiny village a bit more, we did not have the luxury of lingering anywhere for very long – it was time to start marching north again.   We motored out of San Evaristo and then managed to sail for a few hours until the wind slowly died and we were left to motor again.   We finally managed to motor into Bahia El Toro at about 6pm and get the anchor set just as the sun was going down.   We didn’t even launch the dinghy here as there was quite a lot of swell wrapping around (from where we were not sure as there didn’t seem to be any wind all day!).   It was a bit of an uncomfortable night, with the boat constantly rolling side to side as it got turned into the waves, with no wind to pull it out of them.

We left early the next morning for the jump to Agua Verde, motoring or motor sailing and arriving in Agua Verde about 2pm.   We had been anxious to make this bay, having heard how beautiful it was, and it did not disappoint.   There are several possible anchorages and we chose to tuck into the south side of the bay, just off one corner of the very small village.   We took the dinghy into shore and wandered around, in search of the small store that was promised to be there.   We were quite disheartened to see garbage and garbage bags just strewn all over, with piles of previously burnt garbage nearly everywhere – we realize that burning garbage may be the only option in this spot, but would it not make sense to choose one small area to do so, rather than just burning it anywhere and everywhere?   We found the very small store and grabbed a few provisions and then headed to the beach bar.   We enjoyed tacos, with very, very spicy chili paste to top them off and chatted with some of the other boaters.   There was a table beside us with 4 guys who were together for a boys’ week – the first time all four of them had been together since they worked together at Boeing 40 years ago!!!   When they went to leave, they mentioned that they were going in search of the famed goat cheese – a must find in Agua Verde – I asked them where you go for that and they told us to settle up our bill and join them so we did just that.   We walked around to the village and went to the house that was expected to have cheese – sadly they did not have any ready (though I could see that they had some set up in a press at the time).   We wandered back the way we had come and a group of people at another house asked where our cheese was – when we explained that they had not had any available, the group sent us off to yet another house.   Sure enough, there was one round left and she split it up to sell each group one half – success!!!   We made our way back to the boat and enjoyed a nice evening in the cockpit.   Owen had a group of boys approach the boat on a stand up paddle board just after we got back but he couldn’t figure out what they were looking for – the next day, we realized that they were taking garbage from the cruising boats – for a 100 pesos a bag! – that explained all the white Costco garbage bags strewn everywhere!  The next morning, we went for a boondoggle in the dinghy, stopping by to see how the boys had fared – speaking quietly was a must as they mysteriously all had headaches!    Owen decided that this was the perfect place for me to try out snorkeling, something I had not yet done on this trip.   We took the dinghy over to one of the more protected beaches and waded over to a spot that promised good snorkeling – sadly we had left it a little late in the day and the sun was already starting to be shadowed in there, meaning that the visibility was not as good as it could have been.   It was a good first run for me though, and we considered it a success.     We were just back at the beach and getting ready to dinghy back to the boat when we spotted (and heard the bells from) the goats – they were way up in the hills, presumably heading out for a few days of grazing, their little bells tinkling through the air as they went – truly a memorable experience and one of the things that Agua Verde is famous for.    We were so sorry to leave this little piece of paradise the next day but it was time to get going further north – our haul out date was looming!

Friends and Turkey!

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This past weekend was the Bluewater Cruising Association’s Annual Thanksgiving Rendezvous.  As the Rendezvous is held at Thetis Island Marina – only an hour or so away from our home dock, it is an easy one to participate in.  This year was our third visit, and the second with Julia and Charlie (the pup!) on board.

We headed over on Friday night with overcast skies and winds that changed directions every few minutes.  The wind finally tucked in once we got out of the harbor and we took the opportunity to throw out the head sail – with rain coming and knowing we would be coming in after dark, we opted to not put up the main.  As it was, we were trucking along at 5.8-5.9 knots under the headsail alone – we were going so nicely that I nearly missed the entrance to Thetis Island!  We did have a bit of a downpour as we were heading over but the beautiful sail more than made up for it.  We got to the docks and I backed us in while several members of the BCA came to take lines and help us get secured.  And with that we were there and the weekend could begin.

The festivities were not set to begin until Saturday so we took Friday as a nice night to cook on board and curl up with our books – we had the little space heater going and lots of blankets to keep the cold at bay – our next project is definitely to install the heater though!

After a cozy sleep (polar fleece sheets are the best thing ever!), we had breakfast on board and then headed up to check out the day’s itinerary and check in to the Rendezvous.  Saturday included a visit from the local Coast Guard Auxiliary – of which Owen was a member for 17 years.  We had all toured the boat previously so instead we took off for a nice long walk, followed by some more book time.  Saturday night was a potluck dinner – we went easy – opting to fry up some bacon and onions and cook up some perogies – as easy as it was, they were a hit and were gobbled up in no time.  As is usually the case, there was a ton of food and it was all so tasty!

The club put on a couple of presentations in the pub Saturday night and then we all retired back to our boats to get ready for a packed day on Sunday.

We started with a breakfast potluck, followed up by a walk for us and then a scavenger hunt had us scrambling around deciphering signal flags, hunting for stones and tying knots.  The hunt was intended to take about an hour but nearly everyone was done within a half hour – leaving a bit of downtime before the Turkey Dinner – prepared and served by the Pub.  As usual, the Pub prepared a wonderful meal, made even better by visiting with club members.

Monday dawned overcast and completely windless – and not at all warm.  We joined the club again for a coffee and a pastry and then headed out.  By noon we were tied up at the dock and the weekend was over.

Once again I couldn’t quite bear the idea of packing the boat up entirely so we took what we needed and decided we will stay down there this coming weekend.  The weather forecast looks wet and cool so it will be a great weekend to hide out below, get something yummy going in the oven and read a book or two – maybe even bring down a movie!  We will need to take bedding, etc. off after that so that Owen can start to work on heat install, but it will be nice to have one more weekend of lazing away down there!

Sunsets, mosquito hunting and dinghy boondoggles

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After the rush getting the boat ready to go to the Thetis Island Regatta, followed by a long weekend of sailing to Montague Harbour to meet-up with our Yacht Club for a night, and then a trip to Bedwell Harbour to meet up with the Bluewater Cruising Rendevous for a couple of nights (and a 6 1/2 mostly motor home), we decided this past weekend that we needed a quiet weekend on the hook to recharge.

We left after work on Friday and were on the hook in Herring Bay on Ruxton Island by about 8pm – just in time to get the burgers cooked and to eat in the cockpit while watching the sun go down.

A quiet night on the hook turned a bit panicked when we realized that a horde of mosquitoes had followed us below deck – where did they come from?!  We don’t usually get many mosquitoes around here but I suspect that our looong, rainy, cold winter was the perfect breeding ground for them.  I managed to hunt a few down on Friday night, but much of Saturday was spent dispatching them.  Owen was working on something in our rear cabin and could hear the “thwack” followed by a “gotcha”, every time I went hunting one down so he had a pretty good idea as to how many I had crushed.

At some point on Saturday afternoon I managed to drag myself up on deck to re-do the lashings on our lifelines and Owen accomplished tons – installing a light in the rear cabin and installing the new oil pressure sensor.

Feeling we had accomplished quite enough (and realizing that we hadn’t actually left the boat for the day), we decided about 6pm to do a quick boondoggle in the dinghy – that turned into a 3 hour, 6.8 mile circumnavigation of a couple of nearby islands.  The engine suddenly dying when we were at about the furthest point possible from our boat led to a few panicked moments but luckily it had just overheated thanks to the seaweed that had gotten wrapped in the prop.  A couple of minutes to cool down and we were off again – thank heavens – that would have been a heck of a row against current!

This time we managed to get the hatches closed and the citronella candles out in time to prevent the influx of mosquitoes.  We had caught the sunset while motoring back to our anchorage but once the sun had gone down fully (and the mosquitoes had gone away) we sat in the cockpit and watched the sliver of crescent moon follow the same track that the sun had taken only a few hours earlier.  That left a perfect black night sky for star-watching – even the Northern Lights made a dim appearance!

Sunday morning started just about as lazy as the rest of the weekend, and then we were joined by friends who had been out on their boat all week and were on their way home.  After a quick visit, they sped off home.  Owen had made the mistake of saying that if only he had his wet-suit on the boat, he could dive and replace the nearly non-existent prop zinc – well lucky him, I remembered that it was in fact in the bow – so into the not so warm water he went!  That job being complete we finally set out for a bit faster motor home (barnacles scraped off the prop makes quite a difference in our speed!)

All in all a perfect, restful weekend and just what we needed.

Next weekend we are out racing on other people’s boats, so no cruising for us – though maybe we can make some more headway on the galley upper cupboards on Sunday.

sunsetting at Herring Bay