Hi, Section 3 of the blog on the Pacific Ocean crossing. We left Tahuata Ilse just south of Hiva Oa on Thursday last after a lovely rest and relax in this beautiful anchorage for 5 days. There were a few other boats there including "MUKTUK" , "Pacific High" and "Sophie". The anchorgae is at a small bay called Hanahmoenoa which has an abandoned copra camp just off the beach and an orchard inland full of popplemouse, mangoes, limes, bananas and coconuts. Fish off the back of the boat, fresh fruit and fresh bread from the oven and we have lived well and recovered from the last crossing where going in a straight line was a novelty.

At Hiva Oa we checked into the country, purchased $4.00 beers and immediately regretted not filling the boat with 39c beers in Panama. We tended to move several times a day around the anchorage as boats left and others arrived trying to find a good spot in the small harbour of Atuona away from other boats and the cliff faces. After a few nights of listening to the breakers on the cliffs in the harbour we left for Tahuata Ilse and reckon we have seen the best beach in the Marquises. The beach is very steep so even the dingy got anchored off while we swam ashore and tried unsuccessfully to beat the dumping breakers on the beach. All good fun and interesting to watch others try and actually land their dinks here. The outboard mechanics of the fleet will do a roaring trade........

Once we got the nerve up to actually leave again we picked up a SE 12kt breeze and scooted out of Tahuata heading WSW to enable us pass the Archipel Des Tuamotus to the south (due to our limited steering) and then head SSW into Papeete, the main city of Tahiti where we will get new rudders made to continue our adventures. The wind gradually backed and is now dead astern making life difficult. If it is up to 120 degrees off the bow steering is difficult but manageable. Any greater and it is difficult and tiring with multiple drogues set that need to be reset everytime the wind backs and veers from NE to ESE which appears to happen in these parts with great regularity. We tend to meander 30 degrees either side of our course on autopilot with drogues at present so sail jybes are the norm until we settle down again. A lot better than we can accomplish with hand steering though. I think it would be like trying to navigate a road train through the woolies carpark. Yesterday we had 32 jybes with Code zero and/or genoa so it keeps us busy.

We need to haul in Papeete and construct new rudders as well as a few other jobs. The wire rope seagull striker has now nearly demolished itself. Probably all the jybes do not help and it is also now under emergency repair but will see us to Papeete. The only thing we need to do before hauling is import or quarantine the cat and we have madly tried to contact vets and Agriculture officials while we are underway. It is now day 3 of a 6 day passage so we should be at anchor somewhere in Papeete by next Wednesday and hopefully have it all sorted out before weeks end so we can get to work and stop wasting time.

Kerry Kelly has been researching accommodation for us in Tahiti and it leaves Jo stunned that rooms can cost so much so perhaps we will stay aboard for all but a few days when I have to disconnect the electrics and recable the batteries. I think the French all went to Darwin to learn how to charge. At least they do not have our Australian un-challengeable and impolite bureaucracy.

It is strange but when one thing goes wrong on the boat others follow quickly. First it was the battery isolaters which are now isolated from themselves, then it was the rudder, then the seagull striker, then the fridge which is continually defrosting. This is due to old cabling and loose cables but difficult to completely do at sea so it will have to wait till we get there. This has been brought about by the massive drain on the batteries from the autopilot which works like a trooper trying to use one rudder to keep us in the right direction. It is a voltage issue so when the volts drop below 12.2V the fridge will not cycle so defrosts. Also the old genset exhaust fitting is now leaking so we make water in the starboard hull. Never a dull moment to sit back and drink heavily.

No fishing this trip as it becomes a shambles of wrapped sails and fishing lines around saildrives with poor steering. We have seen whales, dolphins, large tuns and dorado and would dearly love to get a line out. It may go calm on us in a day or so and if it does out go the lines with flying fish for bait. Talking about Flying Fish, Tizer the HoP now waits on the cabin sides all night listening and watching for fish coming aboard and if you need to leave the cockpit he is at your heels and must examine your hands when you return in case you have a fish or two. He has become very demanding and is also in the habit of chewing your ankles in the dead of a night watch. Hard to fall asleep with Tizer the Hop on dual watch.

A small 800nm sail with poor steerage is not too hard on the crew with Gill and Keely becoming avid video fans of "Allo Allo" and "The Big Bang Theory" and watching every movie aboard which now amount to close on 3TB. Gill hopes that his friends from "OneWorld" catch up with us and I guess they will hit Tahiti while we are on the hard. Jo and I do all the night watches at present as Gill's teen hormones are in full swing but he is up for every sail and course change and avidly learning seamanship and manouvering under power at a fast rate. Life at sea here is pleasant besides the constant jybes if we try to keep a course and there are usually several small squalls to keep us on our toes every day. We just tend to alter course instead of jybing at night but this will be a no-no as we approach the northern end of the Tuamotus probably Sunday night and the extensive reef systems there. From there it is a SSW run of about 160nm to Papeete so need to start timing arrivals in a day or so to alert agriculture and other officials.

More French Bread.....mmmmmmmmmmmm

Be good.