Paget and Stella arrived late on a Friday night when we were having dinner with friends we had met on the Atlantic crossing. Their flight had been delayed and we thought this was the easiest way to meet up and a cute place to see. The restaurant, Fish & Blue, is situated on the water’s edge and is delightfully eclectic. The highlight is the unisex toilet which is the size of a small room.

Taaha

The weather for the trip to Taaha was initially very windy so we went straight to Tapuama Baie, opposite the Coral Gardens where we hoped to snorkel. The bay was a good place to anchor because there was a small village with a wharf, shop, roadside fruit and vegetable stalls and a little bar to explore while sheltered from the strong winds.

TapuamaVillage

Flowers

There are hibiscus everywhere around the village which was quite sheltered from the wind even though it was very windy.

Fare Miti Bar

Fare Miti Bar was a gorgeous little bar at the top of the harbour located opposite the local rum distillery. It was built on a boat attached to the land by a long pontoon. The deck was situated facing the west and the setting sun and we made good use of it. The ceiling inside was all woven mats as were many of the wall panels. The roof was thatched with solar panels for power. Most of the building materials were local.

Drinks were followed by a walk to the local pizza shop and some dinghy navigation in the dark to get home.

Neiona Pizza

Pearl Farms

The weather continued to blow, not very good for snorkelling, so we decided to visit a pearl farm around the corner. With everyone in the dinghy it was off past Manta Ray point to the next bay.

La Orana

La Orana Peral Farm has a big dingy dock and is easily accessible. They gave us a lovely welcome and an excellent tour explaining how the pearl farm worked. We were interested to see that all the collecting and placing out of the pearl shells and all the sales were done by the locals, but all the seeding of the pearls and the fine work was done by Chinese staff.

They had a great selection of pearls for sale and Hew and I were enticed into buying a necklace. Paget and Stella were far more restrained and just walked around and viewed the facility. They were rebuilding the pier while we were there and doing a very good job.

Snorkelling

As the wind moderated we were off to the Coral Garden to do some snorkelling which was what Stella had really come for. We floated around the area for about an hour and did two runs with the inflowing current.

Coral Garden

In the Coral Garden you anchor your dinghy in the shallows at the Eastern end then walk down a path on the little island and hop in at the western/seaward end. This enables you to drift down with the current through the garden and return to the start if you wish.

The water is beautifully clear and there are plenty of fish although when the tide is not full you can get stuck between coral bombies and have to backtrack. It is a lovely relaxing place to snorkel. A video is also available ………….

Manta Ray Point

As the wind increased again went looking for Manta Rays just around the point from the anchorage. The area next to the cliff was quite sheltered and ideal for snorkelling. The water depth drops away steeply but there is a shallow area on top where the Manta Rays like to come in and circle. They were spectacular and worth waiting for. We went out twice and the second morning they came up close. Instead of chasing them, if you float quietly, they will swim all around you. Unfortunately, everyone else followed us out looking for them so we soon left. Video coverage is via this link https://youtu.be/7HMIEdjvan8

With the Coral Garden, Peral Farm and Manta Rays ticked off we wanted to find another good snorkelling spot.

Motu Mahae

The following day the weather forecast indicated that it might be good for half the day so we decided to motor around Taaha. By midday it was blowing again and raining but an hour later, just as we approached Motu Mahae, it cleared. The Motu is one side of one of the reef passages to the open sea. We decided to stop and snorkel while we could and found the water was beautifully clear . It was windy but worth having a look.

Fa’a’aha

Fa’a’aha where it blew and rained for two days. Not weather for doing anything much except reading. We did go out for an evening walk around the town, and dinner at one of the caravans the meal was very good.

The last night was still forecast to be windy so we decided it was easier to stay on a bay we hadn’t visited in Taaha so we did that. It was more sheltered from the wind than Raiatea would have been and we could pick up a mooring courtesy of the local pearl farm. The price for taking a mooring in the bay was to visit the farm which seemed very fair.

The snorkelling was no good as it was still too windy so the water was very murky but we went for a motor around the little island and then for a walk through the village. The main interest points were a fresh baguette from the local baker and the Pearl Farm.

Champon Pearl Farm

Champon Pearl Farm had lovely grounds, eclectic garden items, and a tree house for kids. They had a wide range of pearls, colours and jewellery designs, but they did not seem to be of the same quality as the previous Pearl Farm, more a retailer than a fully operating farm.

Below are a few photos of the walk to the point and the grounds. You will notice how windy it was on the windward side of the point.

Finally, it was time to go and we sailed back to Raiatea and dropped Paget and Stella at the marina to head home. Sadly the weather was so windy we did not achieve as much as we wished but hopefully there were some good memories.

Next Blog: Tonga to NZ

Bora Bora Arrival

With only 2 days between crew leaving and picking up new crew in Bora Bora there was not much downtime. After crew changes in Raiatea, Mark leaving us after a couple of months for a reunion in London we sailed across to Bora Bora, a lovely 25 mile sail, to pick up our new crew for the great expetition to Tonga.

Bora Bora lived up to expectations with a spectacular peak and beautiful sheltered water. This comes with a cost as the place is much busier and more commercial than the previous islands. 

Moorings To’opua and the Yacht Club

Timing our arrival for mid afternoon we picked up a very sheltered mooring off To’opua Island just up from the Conrad resort and had a relax with the boat to ourselves in the company of several other cruising yachts we recognised.

After a visit from the mooring man we paid our mooring fees for our stay and discovered how the system worked. A really nice guy and very welcoming, he collects garbage from the boat a couple of times a week and apart from the moorings over at the Yacht Club which are limited to 2 nights only we could stay as long as we liked on the other mooring fields. We had been warned that anchoring and mooring in Bora Bora was difficult and fraught with officialdom but our experiences were quite the opposite – maybe a rumour to keep people away.

The next morning we watched boats leaving the Bora Bora Yacht Club moorings so decided to relocate as they are closer to the ferry terminal to pick up our new arrivals. Also the Yacht Club has a great location and the thought of a happy hour cocktail made the move more attractive.https://www.boraborayachtclub.org/

The Town of Vaitape

A trip into town to start the check out procedure was next on the agenda as it is a 48 hour process and we were also at the end of our 90 day visa and were going to be overstayers by the time the last of the crew arrived.  With some trepidation we approached the Gendarmerie and officialdom with a list of “plausible” excuses as to why we needed an extra day or two.  Our fears were completely unfounded with a very pleasant young Gendarme processing our paperwork with no questions and then telling us to return on Monday with the crew passports for stamping after which we would have 24 hours to leave.

Next on the list was Supermarkets and fuel as we needed to resupply Eleuthera through to Tonga.  With a mass of Pearl shops on the foreshore we wandered up the road and checked out the 2 supermarkets.  Both shops were well stocked and conveniently within walking distance of the harbour and the dinghy. The fuel dock was easy to access so we were sorted for the resupply.  Returning to Eleuthera with baguettes and some fresh lamb chops for dinner after our cocktails all was well.

Barb of course went snorkelling on the nearby point and had a great encounter with a Manta Ray which did a spectacular flyby which she managed to film while holding her breath and lying on the bottom. Manta Ray https://youtu.be/FtqSPmvFIhg

New Crew and Departure Preparation

Our son James and sister in law Pauline Davis arrived next morning and we made sure we were waiting for them at the dock.  There is a free ferry from the Airport to downtown Bora Bora which makes it very easy. Armed with croissants and baguettes we all returned to the boat for swims and a relax after their overnight flight up from New Zealand.

Cocktails and dinner at the yacht club that  night rounded out a relaxing day as we worked through the list of boat jobs before the next ocean leg.

Next day it was off to the fuel dock to fill up with tax free fuel for the voyage.  At around NZD 2.00 per litre it was the cheapest diesel we will see for a while. Claiming our spot on the dock was a case of might is right as the local boats tried to push in on a busy Saturday morning. As well as fuel James received instructions from the locals as to how to climb to the top of the peak which was on his list to do.

Off back to the mooring field we had a bit of an explore but the snorkelling was limited and the locals were not particularly friendly when we were off “their” shore.  We did manage to watch some of the Louis Vuitton Cup racing thanks to Starlink.  James and Hew managed to refill the props with grease and clean the bottom for a speedy voyage.

A visit from a French boat next door led to us swapping a RNZYS burgee from one from YCLB (La Baule Yacht Club) in France as the skipper Arnaud Naintre’s father is Commodore there. He is sailing round the world in his Outremeer 51 and in good cruising fashion is waiting in Bora Bora for parts and repairs. Great to talk to a fellow yachty who was like us interested in the Americas cup.

We had a young Humpback whale swimming around the mooring field which was great to see.  Young juveniles remain in these waters to grow while the adults swim back to Antartica.

Final Crew Member and Last Minute Shopping and Climbing

On Monday morning Debbie Whiting arrived and Barb and Hew went in to collect her as she was bringing more Gin and other essential supplies.  Barb and Deb went off to the Gendarmerie to check out which was a 10 minute process and we were good to go, passports stamped and exit documents complete.

Moving the boat back to the Yacht Club moorings, we had a booking for dinner, Debbie and Pauline felt the need engage in some retail activity and James had a mountain to climb.  Delivering them back to town Hew left them to find their own way back to the Yacht Club.

The adventurers returned laden with retail spoil and photographs of a successful climb to the top of the mountain.

Departure

After final cocktails and dinner we departed Bora Bora at 7.30 pm heading for Aitutaki.

Aitutaki

We had a great sail across averaging 200 miles a day for the voyage only slowing down in the last few hours to ensure landfall in daylight. 

We were all looking forward to Aitutaki. All the pre arrival forms and been fulled in, harbour master, customs and immigration all knew we were coming and they said there was room in the harbour. On the way we had a message from our friends on Zipper, saying they had a problem with a leaking skin fitting. It was very similar to the same problem we had had so they changed course and also headed for Aitutaki. We planned to catch up with them and the day before we arrived they told us they had just got in and it was very full, but we might squeeze.

We arrived with the crew excited to get ashore on their promised 4 island tour of the Pacific. Calling up the harbourmaster on the radio established that our booked berth had evaporated and we would need to anchor in the lagoon. Also it would be best if we came in the dinghy to check it out.

James and Hew took the dinghy in down the recently dredged channel to discover the Boat Harbour is muddy work in progress and full of boats.  Additionally the supply ship was due the next day and the 2 catamarans already there would have to move to allow the barge to operate as the ship anchors outside the reef. An inspection of the “anchoring” area quickly established there wasn’t one suitable for Eleuthera.  We did find Zipper and left them with a plumbers plunger to seal their skin fitting from the outside while they repaired it.

With no room in the car park we decided to move on and head for Niue, another 550 miles away.  After a chat to Bubbles the local whale watching boat we had seen with whales a mile or so away we hoisted the sails and carried on. 

Passage Activities

Slipping into an onboard routine Scrabble and 5 Crowns were in regular use with the whole crew playing the games.  Very difficult to beat the Scrabble queens and their list of 2 letter words. Cooking has become a regular pastime and the crew continues to eat well.  Our new crew members Debbie and Pauline are also new to catamaran sailing and struggle to get used to the sometimes loud crashes and bangs underneath from the waves passing through.  Debbie likens it to travelling on the underground.

Debbie caught the first fish – a flying fish off the deck. Perhaps she is a pink lure!

Beveridge Atoll & Niue

A change in the weather forecasts suggested that a delay in visiting Niue would be beneficial as some Northerlies were due which would make staying on the mooring field untenable.  Also there were no moorings for our original arrival time at Niue.

A suggestion was made that we visit Beveridge Reef on the way so course was altered for a new destination.  Calculations were made and the sails trimmed to reduce speed and allow for a daylight arrival as Beveridge barely breaks the surface of the surrounding ocean. A detour to Beveridge for a beveridge seemed to hit a chord with the crew.

As you may guess as we were approaching Beveridge we get a message from Niue saying they do have a mooring for us – too late!! We were almost there.

Arrival

Having delayed our arrival for daylight we approached the reef which is only visible at less then 2 miles when we had a whale join us less than 100 metres away. As we gybed to head down to the entrance the whale breached in spectacular fashion and we were treated to this huge creature airborne alongside the boat. Of course no one had a camera ready but we were all amazed by the sight. The physics of getting 50 feet and several tonnes of whale into the air are a little daunting

Arriving at slack tide we had a very easy ride in through the entrance. Clear water but good depths in the channel and our charts seemed accurate. Then we headed for the NE and an old fishing boat wreck. It was great to be in still water – no swell in the anchorage and only 10 kts of wind. The scenery was beautiful – dark blue and turquoise water with beautiful clear skies.

The anchorage was easy with only a few Bombies and nothing very high. Everyone kept into the water when we got there because it was so clear and beautiful.

We had a rest then later that later that day did a snorkel on the wreck and then on the Bombies all the way to the yacht. James had some work to do and the girls were more interested in cocktail hour after being deprived of their favourite beverages for 5 days.

Sand Bar

We could see a sand bar at low tide on the western side so we were very keen to across for a look and a walk on dry land.

James had his drone with him which showed the colours of the water and the clarity very well.

Departure

After our interlude on the sand bar it was time to depart the next morning. If we didn’t leave then the forecast was for high winds, big swell and rain. With a low reef bigger seas break over it and set up a very unpleasant wave pattern on the inside. The other yachts were staying until after the weather so they could go to Niue, we decided to skip the island as the forecast weather on the moorings would have been untenable. So off we went into the sunset again.

Next Blog: Vava’u Sailing Week: https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2024/10/vavau-social-and-sailing-week/