As we now head out from the Leaward Islands and head west, we leave in our trail the Marquesas Archipelago; Tuamotu Archipelago; the Society Archipelago and the next stop will definitely be Suwarrow as the wind is taking us there. We have had big wind gusts and heavy bouts of rain in Bora Bora, so as it settles down we continue the �"job�" of getting Condesa safely home into Australian waters. If it weren�'t for the wonderful staff at Bora Bora Yacht Club who might I add, made it hard to sail away, we would have noticed that the weather was more horrid than it was good during our stay. We witnessed a huge front pounding the island for 4 -5 days straight and squalls of rain to keep us on our toes. The BBYC hospitality, friendship and beautifully situated bar/restaurant made our stay memorable and very hard to say goodbye to such lovely people. However, he who hums has plenty more tunes to go and Condesa is keen to get off the mooring ball that had her chained safely in the 40k nt winds right outside the Bora Bora yacht club.
So, farewell to the islands of love, memories will always be triggered when we hear the version of Bali Hai. Goodbye to the remote islands around with their smoke signals... goodbye to the little welcoming villages, we will miss the thunderous beat of the drums that echoed through the valleys and across the water. We have enjoyed the sensual dancing at each stop ....the abundance of flowers... and last but not least the beaming smiles. (Oh, and the French baguettes!!!). We will also miss the new friendships from the fleet, as we all sail further afield. Some boats are off to Tonga and New Zealand, others to Hawaii, and some heading along our same direction to the Cook Islands. We hope to meet up with some of you in Fiji. We still have many adventures that lie ahead, so as we leave Bora Bora waters we are excited about the remote Suwarrow Island 600nm away. This place is the tiny pin prick you see on google earth, right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, who hosts 2 park ranger living on the island just for the sailing season.
We know Condesa loves the blue water, so she is straight back into working the water. We, on the other hand are adjusting to the night shifts again, after 10 days socialising in beautiful Bora Bora.
From here on we are bound for the magic of Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia, all in the path as the crow flies. Now, I must get he who hums to brush up on �"Bali Hai�" ~ how perfect as we sail away.