We arrived in Aituaki in the Cook Islands last Thursday. Friday we rented scooters and have been bombing around the island ever since!!
The island is stunnningly beautiful. The gardens all look as if they have been professionally landscaped and the smell of gardinia is EVERYWHERE!! I have started walking in the morning not one person goes by on their scooter(which his the form of transport here) without smiling and saying hello.
The island is surrounded by reef which is teeming with fish, the water is crystal clear, the beaches have great shelling, so life is good.
The islanders are very religious people. I have seen churches I have never heard of and there are lots of them. I'm not sure how many attend each one considering there are only two thousand people on the island..maybe they rotate.
The other day we stopped in a grocery store to check out prices(which are MUCH HIGER THAN FRENCH POLYNESIA!!!!). First we check the beer price, then milk and then chicken..ANYWAY, the owners were sitting relaxing on a bench. I went over to ask the shop hours for Saturday and Sunday. They told me that they do not open until 6pm on Saturday. I asked why so late. They replied that they are Seventh Day Adventists and have church from 9-6 pm. Then in typical me fashion, I replied, " MY God, that's like a job!!". As soon as I said it I wanted to take it back but it was out there. The man replied "No, it is actually very relaxing". I stumbled and said "OH, of course, I just meant that I admire your dedication etc. and excused myself...when will I ever learn??
So, today is a National Holiday..Gospel Day. We are goingt o the GOspel festival on the other side of the island. Lots of singing, dancing bbq etc. It is suppose to be quite something.
Tomorrow we will leave for Palmerston.
I am at an internet cafe so have to run.

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It is two in the morning, the wind just died, I have the port engine running and I am on the dog watch. The sky is full of stars, there is no moon, it's a little chilly but it is quiet and peaceful. I actually like the evening watches because I enjoy the solitude which is a rare commodity onboard. We started this trip for more family time and I often laugh that it is babysitter time I need now!!

We left Bora Bora yesterday and are about 200 miles from the Cook Islands. We should make landfall in Aituaki in a few days. The highlight of Bora Bora for us was the Yacht Club, which is not saying a whole lot. It was a laid back atmosphere with a minute beach set up with BBQ and tables, a few small bungalows and a waterfront restaurant. It also had a new dock with lots of reef fish swimming around it. Ordinarily we would not stay on a mooring off a Yacht Club, however the boys LOVED it. They would finish school and immediately take off for shore with one of us. They would fish with bread or left over ham as bait, until they caught a fish, then Ben would (with his penknife) gut the poor little guy and slice it up into strips for bait. As Ben says, "When you get the real fresh bait on THAT is when the real fishing begins Mom!" Both Ben and Sam would keep themselves busy for hours every afternoon with fishing, snorkeling and running around the premises. They had two resident dogs which would follow the boys around knowing when the two kids arrive there is usually a chance to steal their bait! The boys would play chase and fetch with them. While Ben & Sam were busy exploring their surrounds, O would read a book, have a beer or fish with them and I would usually go for a swim off the boat or enjoy some peace and quiet.

We sailed from Raiatea with Snorri on Erialc. We met he and his wife Caroline (they have 2 kids Ben & Sam's age) in Moorea. Caroline flew with the kids to NZ and Snorri will sail Erialc there solo. He is Swiss but grew up on boats and lived in Martinique most of his life. He is a lot of fun. He and Otis hit it off very well from the beginning. Our last night there we had a BBQ on the beach with another American couple, Brad and Linda on Kattywompus. It was nice to sit under the stars and chat away the evening.
Overall, I must admit, I am relieved to be leaving the Society Islands. Don't get me wrong, if you went there on your honeymoon, I am sure it was wonderful, especially if you were not paying for it! The resorts are beautiful and Moorea in particular, has a special place in my heart. O asked me to marry him there, but from a cruising standpoint The Societies do not hold a whole lot of appeal for us.

Firstly, it is HELLISHLY expensive. I am talking 70.00USD for a case of beer! A dinner at a roadside van cannot be found for under $15.00 per person, a can of soda is $2.00, tomatoes $7.00 kilo (when you can find them). While we did do a lot of provisioning in Panama, I still had to buy fresh fruit, veggies, chicken etc. It just all adds up. The worst part was the price of the local fruit!!! Mangoes sold on the side of the road for $2.50 each!!! A pineapple (rather large) was $11.00. So, here you are in "paradise' with mango trees EVERYWHERE, yet you can't afford one. A hand of bananas was $6.50!!! Meanwhile, in the Marquesas they were giving these fruit away. It is a shame to see how much goes to waste because they simply price themselves out.

Secondly, there really are no great beaches in the Societies. The resorts have beaches which they trucked in sand to make. Many of the motus (small islands) that we saw were private and pretty protective of that fact. Other than a handful of locations, the snorkeling was below the Bahamas. Even the coral garden in Tahaa was pretty much dead, although it was a fun drift dive for Ben.

The locals are accustomed to cruise ships and tourists and therefore are not that friendly. We prefer the less developed islands like the Marquesas, where a smile comes quicker and hospitality is instinctual and heartfelt, rather than a burden.

The upside to these islands is they had great baguettes, tons of different cheeses and pates cheap and readily available. The downside is that I now have to start running to burn it all off!!! The problem with being in a place that is so expensive is you start to get used to the prices and lose perspective about how much things are actually costing you.
Surprisingly, the yard bill in Raiatea was very reasonable. We had the same things done to Indy in Grenada and it was half the price and much better service in Raitea.

I guess I was starting to feel like we were in a rut and I was bored and disinterested, which for me is bad because once I get bored it feeds on itself. I was more than happy to pull anchor in Bora and sail away. I am looking forward to the peace and solitude of the Cook Islands. I have heard that the fishing, water clarity and beaches are just fantastic, and the people are incredibly welcoming, hence why Captain Cook originally wanted to name them "The Friendly Islands". We will take our time exploring several of the islands before making our way to American Samoa where we hope to wait out hurricane season.

I was starting to get a little nervous that Halloween was going to be a bust for the kids this year, since I am unsure whether they celebrate it in the Cooks. If they don't celebrate it, I have been psyching them for a different type of Halloween. I told them we could build a fort on one of the atolls which we would decorate with carved squash and various other Halloween crafts, have a bonfire, roast hot dogs, marshmallows and tell spooky stories! I even promised that if it is a nice night, we can sleep in the fort. They seem to be excited. I have a feeling the kids will be literally sleeping on top of us that night!

"The Plan", as I have alluded to thus far, is to hole up in American Samoa for hurricane season. While it is still in the hurricane belt, it is acclaimed to be one of the safest harbors for hurricanes, apparently not for tsunamis though. While there it would be wonderful to put the kids in school and pick up some work. I would love to have a routine and be a part of a community for a little while.

However, if it truly is an active El Nino year, or Pago Pago turns out to be more undesirable than anticipated, we will head to the Line Islands which are above the equator and out of the hurricane belt a. They are VERY secluded but supposedly also beautiful. So, we have options.

Well, I will sign off for now...
Goodnight from the middle of nowhere...

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Indy has been hauled in the yard for some routine maintenance and is now safely back in the water and out of the yard. I never look forward to the boatyard. They are dirty, noisy and full of potential emergency room visits. Needless to say I am the only one in the family that shares this sentiment. The kids and O love the yard. O gets to pull things apart and the boys get dirty and look for 'treasure' , which in reality is them dumpster diving for discarded engine parts. I was constantly scrubbing legs, arms and faces covered in grease. Their signature scent was transmission oil which is a vile smell and hard to get out once it is in hair and under nails...ugh.
As far as yards go it was an overall good experience. The people were very helpful and followed thru with everything they said they would do, without us having to chase anyone down. Not even once.
In true Indy fashion it was not without our share of adventure. Sam and Ben were chasing each other around the interior of the boat when Sam jumped off the nav. station and hit his head on the battery charger box the yard supplied. After a trip to the ER and four stitches later he was good as new. I had to laugh because Sam & I took a cab to the hospital and after the doctor sewed him up, we hitchhiked back. I wonder how many people hitchhike back from the emergency room with their 3 yr old!!!
The yard is about a fifteen minute drive from the main town, a cab is $20.00 so I hitched with the kids everywhere. We would hitch into town for groceries or whatever. It was relatively easy and a great opportunity to meet some of the local people. On one ride the woman had her three kids in the car. She spoke no English so we had limited conversation, but when I told them I was American the kids all screamed about how they loved Michael Jackson...yikes...I didn't know he had such a fan base amongst little girls in French Polynesia. Scary.

It was quite a challenge finding things to do with the kids while we were in the yard. Obviously they had plenty of treasure hunting explorations, but as far as cultural activities the options were limited. There is no beach around and it rained most of the days we were on the hard. One day we hitched to a little hotel with a pool. The owners of the Inn told me I could swim if I bought lunch. I almost died when I saw the menu, but there was no way I was hitching back at that point. The kids each ordered chicken nuggets, fries and a coke for 2,000 French francs about 24.00USD each. I had a burger which was the same price, also from the kids menu. In total for two chix nugs and a burger the bill was 75.00USD. I seriously almost had a coronary.
It will be nice to get out of the Society Islands and back to some place where prices are a little more realistic.
So, Indy is back from the spa looking great. The main sail is fixed, the saildrives have new seals, the propellers are rebuilt and in good working order again and the bottom is freshly painted. We had 4 days on the dock after our haul out which was great for us, since we rarely go to a dock other than to fuel up. The kids still had the run of the yard and a dock to fish off. They spent many hours trying to land the elusive "mahi mahi". We had unlimited free fresh water to bath the kids each evening after their day in the dirt.

Yesterday we sailed to Bora Bora...more like motored to Bora Bora, as there was no wind at all. Bora Bora is 25 miles West of Raiatea. So here we sit in crystal blue waters waiting for the winds to fill in for our 4 day sail to the Cook Islands. According Otis and his weather files, there will not be any wind for a week, so we will explore Bora Bora and check out a few anchorages.

Currently we are on a mooring in front of the Bora Bora Yacht Club. The yacht club is typical Polynesian construction with the thatched grass roof and bamboo walls. It is tranquil and pretty here but there is not much to do other than the yacht club restaurant, so this afternoon we will head into Vaitape, the main town. We need to get some provisions and fuel and clear out of French Polynesia. Leaving Bora Bora is kind of nostalgic for us, as O and I have been this far once before when we worked on yachts as crew. We made it to Bora Bora then turned around and headed back to USA via Hawaii. Every mile from this point on will be completely new territory ! We will no longer be able to say, "Oh yeah, I remember this!" . Well it is 9:00 AM and my turn to do school with Ben today, so I shall sign off for now.

Pete S and crew: thanks for the well wishes!!! There is an email coming your way!!!!
Our friend Steve on Uliad contacted us to tell us that you guys had emailed him..as he said " I guess your village is bigger than you thought". Anyway, it meant a lot. Thank you !!!!

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