A slow sail... vacation!
18 December 2016 | Parea, Huahine, French Polynesia
Bill
We left with a forecast of light wind from the North and seas of about 1 meter. And that was accurate... unfortunately the wind would swing to the west. 8 knots on the beam is OK sailing, which 8 knots on the quarter is not quite enough. Although pretty benign conditions.... it was still hot, and rolly and not much breeze... so there were some who didn't feel so great. Not having been on a moving boat for a month contributed also.
To make her feel better, we put her at the helm. No, this is not punishment, it actually works. She has to concentrate, mostly on a point on the horizon... and the combination of concentrating on looking forward and at the horizon makes all the difference!
Seven hours after cast off the dock lines we were at anchor in the spectacular SW corner of Huahine. Wow, how quickly we had forgotten how great it is to be in a peaceful spot with only one other boat in the bay... and they are friends of ours!
Tropic birds and two swims by lunch time. I guess that means we are on vacation! It is very peaceful with a little hotel on shore.
As a side note, this seems to be the week to visit French Polynesia. All the hotels and resorts seem empty as people prepare for the holidays.