Around the Island

We rented cars and went touring around the island of Raiatea. All in all, it was interesting to get a glimpse of the terrain and the beautiful flora, but it certainly wasn't a show-stopper for any of us. A huge marae (ancient
religious and ceremonial site) was the highlight, with excellent interpretive signs, and a great beach for a lunch stop.

The folks are staying at the Sunset Beach Hotel - with modest bungalows set amid a beautiful coconut plantations. It's close to the marina, so we walk over each afternoon for cocktails and dinner. I believe my Dad's words were that he's happier than "a pig in s**t".

To top it off, we've been fortunate to buy fresh tuna from fisherman on the side of the road, so we've certainly been eating well. And Dave and Nola raved about their first sashimi experience!

New Arrivals

Our parents arrived today. And, we're in the marina, our first since Mexico,
a year ago. Their hotel is a 10 minute walk down the road, on a beautiful
coconut plantation overlooking the lagoon. They will be here for two weeks,
and we're looking forward to exploring the islands with them!

Almost Ready to Splash!

I can hear Mark now..."finally, a picture"!! We unpacked our big bags today,
and found our camera battery charger. So here is a pic of John installing
our shiny prop and new zinc. You may notice some un-painted areas of the
hull!

We're busily working away in the yard, getting Renova set to splash. We're
hoping for Monday. We almost finished painting the bottom today. We ran out
of paint with only the rudder and a small portion of the hull to do. If we
are able to find the paint locally, we'll finish it off before we launch
tomorrow. Another boat in the yard told us they just paid $500 per gallon of
bottom paint. Yikes. If that is the cost, we'll simply have to dive more
often and scrub the bottom.

The remainder of our jobs are getting ticked off the list, and we're looking
forward to being in the water again. We've reserved a spot at the marina
nearby for next week. Wahoo...unlimited laundry!! Watch out -- here I come.

All is well on board. It is a good thing we have our parents arriving next
week, it enables us to work towards a deadline! We would likely take twice
as long otherwise. The heat is unbearable at times. Don't get me wrong...i'm
not complaining. I prefer this to the snow on the ground when we left home
earlier this week. By the way - how is the weather back home?

Have heard spotty news about the earthquake and effects (we have limited
internet usage these days). We did hear that there may be a danger of
nuclear fallout reaching BC?! Yikes. Please keep us informed of the latest
news.

(Labels: Raiatea, French Polynesia, maintenance)

Moving to High Ground

Before dawn, John and I were hiking along dirt roads in search of high
ground. We were not hoping to snap a photo of the sunset. Instead, we were
seeking shelter from a possible tsunami.

As a result of yesterday's earthquake in Japan, a tsunami warning was issued
for much of the pacific, French Polynesia included. At 4:30 am, a LOUD siren
went off. I assumed it was the boat yard security system. John immediately
assumed it was a tsunami warning. I convinced him that he was a worry wart,
and we went back to bed. An hour later, a boat yard employee knocked on our
hull, advising us to get to high ground. Which we did. Quickly. The
uncertainly went on for a few hours. We had brought our computer with us,
and checked online from our mountain top refuge, to discover that other
island nations reported very small swells, so we finally returned to the
boat, having lost the best hours of the day for labour intensive boat work.

The rest of the day was spent sanding and adding epoxy to the bottom (John),
and digging out our v-berth (me). Small jobs that would take an hour or two
at home take the entire day in this heat. You simply can't move too fast, or
work too long without rest.

We've also managed to get to the magasin (store), and we're now fully
immersed in the land of baquettes and brie! Ahhh... It is good to be back.

When we find the camera...we'll take photos.

We've Arrived!

We're back in French Polynesia. After a very long 30 hours of travel, we arrived back to the boat in Raiatea! We quickly had a quick look around, and here is the result:

Good News:

• Boat is in great shape, no major problems!
• Batteries seem to be in great shape! Hurray.
• The boat yard has re-finished the bathrooms with paint and tile - what a wonderful change.
• Our new fridge-freezer made it through customs, and is keeping our juice nice and cold. 
• All of our bags arrived without any breakage, or any additional fees!! Over 100 kilos of stuff!

Bad News:

• We found a small leak, which has resulted in one of our cushion becoming super moldy. Yuck
• The mosquitos are back.
• We have very little food on board. We had canned tuna for dinner, and spagetti for breakfast.
• We didn't keep much food on board that had been opened, but what we had, was thrown away. No more spices!

More updates to come...

Quiz Time

Our courtesy flags arrived in the mail today. Just in time! I challenge you to see how many of these countries and/or territories you can name!

Ok, I'll give you one hint. The blue and white triangle is our yacht club ensign. You're on your own for the rest.

Reconnecting with Cruising Friends

Yesterday, I was thrilled to take a trip to Victoria to meet up with cruising friends we met in Mexico. Liz and Mike were kind enough to check out a second hand sail in Seattle for us...and then offered to deliver it to us via the Clipper Ferry! I met them in Victoria and we had a great afternoon catching up!

Back in November, John and I rendezvoused with Jacob and Julia - our friends from Pisces - also in Victoria. We met them last year in La Paz, and buddy-boated with them. They are now settled in Seattle, and their fabulous Jason 35 "Pisces" is for sale.

One More Item for Your Grocery List

When you hit the grocery store this week, you'll definitely want to pick up a copy of the new Pacific Yachting mag. You may just see some folks you know in there!

And, thanks to Diane for the great article!!

Anxious to be in the tropics

After a several month hiatus...we're excited to return to the boat, and the warmth of the tropics. Here is a glimpse of our life:

 

 

I know...the pic doesn't look much the Pacific Northwest, does it?!? Sunny AND snowy?? Crazy. Feels a bit like we're in Edmonton....well, except for the ocean. Hmmmm.....

Oh yeah...here's a close up of the top of the flag pole (whose flag was long ago shredded in one of our chaotic winter storms):

I'm also looking forward to blogging again!! Stay tuned for more updates, as we get ready to cruise once more!

Was Our Pacific Crossing Typical?

So, you may be wondering if our trip across the big blue was typical, or if others had a much different experience. Prior to leaving Mexico, there was A LOT of discussion and speculation about an El Nino year, and the increased possibility of storms and higher winds. Although winds were said to be higher than usual, we didn't notice any adverse affects. Our crossing from the Galapagos Islands to the Marquesas in French Polynesia was a quick trip of 23 days, and we didn't hear of any boats who had trouble finding the wind on their way across. Most boats accomplished the crossing in fewer days, although in our defense, we are smaller than most boats! Of course, those who departed directly from Mexico, had to endure the ITCZ, referred to by some as the 'doldroms', but a few hundred miles of uncertain wind seems quite normal for that route also.

A summary was published in the Latitude 38 magazine, as they do each year. I find it interesting to look at the stats for a few of the boats and see how many days they were at sea, how many fish were caught, the types and sizes of boats, and what equipment broke! You can check out the summary of this year's fleet by downloading the September 2010 issue of the magazine here. Lat 38 also publishes profiles of the crews who are planning to make the crossing each here. Our profile was in the March 2010 issue, which can also be downloaded from the Lat 38 website.

You can also view the summaries from the past years on the Pacific Puddle Jump website here.

Our first sight of land after 23 days at sea. The Marquesas Archipelago, at last!! May 1, 2010.