South Pacific Convergence Zone
30 August 2014 | Kauehi Atoll, Tuamotos, French Polynesia
Bill
Clear skies in Kauehi..
We have had a Manta Ray leaping out of the water... now where did it go??
Now we are learning about the weather here. Which is quite different than what we know. Mostly we are in the Trade Wind zone, where the wind blows out of the East. Well, apparently, here, it blows mostly from the North East here.
When we arrived in Kauehi Atoll we headed for an anchorage that is in the SE corner. And that was great. We had a little learning to do as we realized after 24 hours that we had anchored just on the edge of where the water flows in and out between the Motus�... So we moved 100 meters West. That was really pleasant for a few days, then the wind blew a little more from the NE and we felt maybe we would like a little more protection should a squall come through, so we moved East about 1.5 miles. That was not a picturesque (Maybe splitting hairs here, but why not!)
We spent the next day on the boat working on projects and reading. By the afternoon of the day the wind was now coming solidly out of the North and we found our selves on a lee shore, which means that in our lee, or down wind from us, was the shore. Our anchor was well set, but it was still disconcerting and we both knew we would not sleep well if we knew there were coral heads and a beach not far a way should we have any problem. So we moved again�...
A half a mile further along the Motus, we now had good protection from a NE wind all the way around to West of South. We went to bed with a gentile breeze blowing. When I woke this morning, the first light was not coming in my port�... On deck we found that now the wind was out of the west!! We were once again on a lee shore!! Well, it is a beautiful morning and the sky is clear. We have a coral head 10' off the stern, but the wind appears to be backing more to the SW now, so we will sit tight and not move. This will be a good place to take a look at the bottom, check my rudder post bolt and snorkel around the coral nearby!
We have heard from our friends on Tewaka that around Moorea, close to Tahiti, that the weather has been squally with wind and rain from all directions. Mystic in Raratonga also has wind out of the west. Our weather sources show that the South Pacific Convergence Zone has extended out to go over Tahiti�... That would explain the weather near Tewaka, but it is not clear how that gives us wind that is clocking E-N-W-(and I assume S). This is acting like a cold front�...
So, we have some things to learn here!