[password] pilot25041
[position] 16 42.8s 151 02.3w
[status] Wednesday 8th Aug early afternoon ....... anchored back in Fare on Huahine Nui, not far from the Huahine Yacht Club.
On Saturday we left our mooring and went to the Love Pearl farm, they again made us very welcome and even though it was a Saturday and only a skeleton staff there they gave us a good tour and explanation of the process, Jan also got some pearls. We then headed down to Uturoa and a couple of hours later came alongside the fuel berth ..... only to find everything was all shuttered up and chains across the garage forecourt entrance ...... so we waited until 2pm, the 3 big charter cats (Lagoon 62s) had by now left the town quay and when there were no signs of anything reopening with the garage / fuelling berth moved cross to the other side for the night ......... lo and behold at 3pm other boats went alongside the fuelling berth and it then opened up for the afternoon ........ obviously having been closed for their siesta! Ron was dispatched to walk around and find out their Sunday opening hours, so we could fuel before we left ....... 06.30-12.00 was the response, which meant
we could stay put! Leisurely afternoon, sundowners and expecting the 'dancers' to make an appearance, particularly as Wind Spirit the big cruising schooner was alongside for the night, we had a quiet dinner ...... no music or dancing was taking place on the town square. However, our peace and quiet did not last too long and we had a very noisy and disturbed night ...... yes all night; it started at 20.00 and lasted right through until 06.30 in the morning, several local youths playing loud music and generally making a blessed nuisance of themselves ........ the first time we have had to witness this sort of thing since we started this adventure.
Anyway this meant we were ready to move early on Sunday morning, so we refuelled and then went down to Taputapuatea to visit the Marea. After a leisurely hour or two ashore we then went around the corner into Baie Hotopuu, as where we had stopped to go ashore was exposed to the north wind, we managed to pick up a vacant buoy it was very pleasant and quiet area, necessitating an afternoon inspecting inside of eyelids, particularly after the previous disturbed night, a quiet evening and night that followed was also just what the doctor ordered!
Monday morning we then left here, went out through the reef via Passe Teavamo and around the bottom of Raiatea and in through Passe Naonao, we then managed to get another buoy in Baie Tuatau. After a short foray ashore it was time for some snorkelling, the reef beside the small Piton island we were moored near had very little fish and the water was quite murky, however, we then went out to the Isle Naonao beside the main reef entrance ........ the coral was fabulous, the fish were also in abundance and the clarity of the water was much improved ....... Barry was busy taking pictures and videos, when suddenly he saw to big sting rays swimming quite close ...... now swimming with the rays & reef sharks off Moorea in chest high water where they're almost tame is one thing ...... but these two creatures here where the water is 20+metres deep was a whole different ball game!! Back to the boat for another pleasant evening ready to depart to Huahine in the morning.
Tuesday dawned with a fairly fresh wind, that looked like it might allow us to sail across to Huahine, out through a very bumpy sea at the Passe that was clearly being exacerbated by a classic wind over current ....... we had a double reef in the main and full headsail, the sea was extremely confused, the boat was pitching and rocking like something demented and the wind was topping 30+kts, we ploughed on like this for well over an hour, but only made 3nm progress towards our target despite 6kts SOG, so headsail went away and was replaced by our two 75hp diesels! Nearly 6hrs after we left Raiatea we entered through the Huahine reef via Passe Avapehi and then anchored just off the Huahine yacht club at Fare. The grown ups went ashore whilst Barry & Ron changed the oil & filter on the Stbd engine ....... as it was all nice and hot after its exertions!
We had a fairly quiet night, although the wind did seem to howl at times, today the wind has gone around more to the north, we have restocked with important items from the supermarket, the rest of the Stbd engine servicing has been completed a lot easier with a cool engine and we've cleaned off lots of the salt deposits from yesterday's activities!
The 'gribs' indicate the wind will go further anticlockwise overnight and drop in strength, so although we're likely to be motor sailing tomorrow to get to Moorea, at least we wont be banging away upwind!
[END]