Isabelle
17/06/2010

Yesterday we motored over to the south pass of Fakarava to try to catch a glimpse of the Manta Rays feeding on the plankton as the currents were heading out of the lagoon. We snorkelled past the black tip reef sharks and into the deep. All we could see was plankton and blue water. Then, out of the blue we could see a shape, slowly becoming clearer, two large wings and a wide open mouth gliding gracefully towards us. What a creature. Apparently it is a rare sight to see a Manta Ray feeding, if it lets you watch it, it means that it trusts you.

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Is
06/06/2010

Hey Mum,

I just woke up to a beautiful sunrise here in Aratika, Tuamotus. Jamie is still in bed as it is only six o'clock. We are the only Yacht here and apparently this atoll has a population of only 50 people.

Yesterday we went to the one and only shop here on the island and asked if they knew where we could get some pearls. She (the shop keeper) told us to wait a few moments then came out with about five different zip-lock bags with pearls in them. We traded a bottle of rum, a finger puppet, a Koala key ring and a bag of small plastic toys for four big pearls, four medium and a whole bunch of small imperfect ones (which are groovier than the perfects).

After that, we took our dinghy to the beach where there were three huts. We asked if they had any fish. The man thought we wanted to eat and was offering us to come inside and eat with him. So generous. We declined as we didn't want to impose. He then asked his two daughters who had just turned up and they said, 'sure!' with bright smiles. They took us to a pen near the entrance to the lagoon and one of them got in and caught us what I think was a blue parrot fish (as it had a beak). It was a beautiful fish and I made poor Jamie kill it. Sad. It was delicious. The women were insisting that we give them nothing for the fish but I dug out two straw hats and two more Koala key rings, which the people seem to love.

I then put some of that fish (the guts and stuff) into our lobster net which Robert and Kelita lent to us. 15 mins later I pulled the net up with no lobster but four more fish! We weren't sure whether we could eat them or not because of fish poisoning that occurs in coral eating fish. The locals know which fish are ok and they seem only to fish just outside the lagoon so we let these fellas go.

Tomorrow morning bright and early we head for Kauehi.

We are enjoying a very serene anchorage after the rough seas we encountered getting here.

Love,

Is

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Isabelle
02/06/2010, Aratika

Torn, Tattered and a little soggy, we have just come through our first storm. Before we left Takaroa, we downloaded a weather file on our sat phone, which is meant to roughly predict the weather. With a clear from the weather report, we set off for Kauehi despite the fact that we could see dark clouds in the distance. Big mistake, we should have trusted our eyes and our instincts.

A few miles out some strong winds hit and the boat lurched over. We brought the genoa in and James reefed the main. Even so, we were still heeled over quite far and waves were breaking into the cockpit. At this stage I was on shift, and it was quite an experience being at the wheel. IÂ'm not sure who I was asking but I was definitely asking for our protection at some point there.

It was a while after that first big wind that the lightning began. In the literal sense of the word, it was an awe-some experience being out there on deck with waves coming in, the boat lurching and occasionally a flash so bright that all you could see for a second or two was white light. You were blinded in the darkness and suddenly you were blinded by the light.

On my second shift while James tried to get some rest (not easy). I managed to see some of the lightning from a distance. After the initial burst of light, I could see huge daggers of electricity cut across the sky as if they were splitting it open. The first time I saw it, I was stunned. It was the scale of it that shocked me and I found myself a few moments later with a dropped jaw and my eyes wide open.

When the winds got too strong, Jamie decided we should take down all the sail we had up and just try to keep the course without them. The winds dropped during my shift and I took a little of the genoa out. Just as I was downstairs waking Jamie for his shift, the winds started howling again and the boat lurched over. Jamie rushed out and began to bring in the genoa. I grabbed my raincoat, desperate to keep my t-shirt dryish as everything else was wet even inside the boat. Looking back, it could have been me that cost us our Genoa. I heard it flapping violently and came out, looked up and couldnÂ't believe my eyes.. Jamie was winding it in but it was too late, it had been torn to shreds by the force of the wind. Without our genoa and the main still down for safety, we were making about two knots.

The storm raged all night and the next morning the seas were still rough. We had decided to divert to a closer atoll, Aratika in want of some shelter. We managed to anchor in the lee of the atoll and we then realised how exhausted we were. It seemed we would have to put up with the dampness longer still as the rain wouldnÂ't let up and there was no sign of any sun. At least now we know where all of our leaks are. When the winds first hit, I was still feeling comfortable enough to be a little frightened. The rougher the weather got, the less I had time to be afraid and I kind of lost sense of self. You just had to do what you could when you could. Despite the fact that we tore our genoa, I think Jamie and I worked well and did what we needed to to get Dagmar and ourselves safely through he storm.

Now we are closer to understanding those lines from the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner Â'Rest after toil, Safe port after stormy seas.Â'

Comments [2]

Isabelle
31/05/2010, Takaroa

It took us three days and nights to get to Takaroa (Tuamotus) from Hiva Oa (Marquesas). At the beginning of the third night our auto pilot stopped working which means no reading, resting or watching documentaries during night-shift- only steering which is an extremely tiring pass-time.

The auto pilot stopped a few hours into my night shift and James and I agreed to change our shifts from six on six off to three hours on three off. I completed my first shift at 12am and James took my place by the wheel. Six hours later, I woke to find that James was still by the wheel and hadn't woken me for my shift.

He looked pretty ragged, exhausted and I felt bad that he had been out there all that time because he wanted to let me sleep.

We have heard (although not confirmed as we don't have access to internet) that the Tuamotus were formed by sunken volcanoes. The only land showing is a rim of motus which forms and protects an inner lagoon. They are some of the lowest lying islands in the world and with the rising of the oceans, these will be the first to go under.

With the protection of their outer rim, the lagoons are perfect for pearl oyster farming and the farming of black-lipped pearl oysters (black pearls) is a mainstay of a number of the Tuamotus islands.

We haven't been to land yet. We are not allowed to enter the lagoon here at Takaroa because of the pearl-farms inside but we are looking forward to lagoon exploration at some of the other atolls we visit.

Comments [2]

James
29/05/2010

We're constantly suprised by the generosity of fellow cruisers, and our friends on the little red boat Reflections, Alex and Leah provided yet another example of that spirit the other day.

We were just a day away from setting out on the four day sail to the Tuamotus archipelago when i started the engine up for it's daily charging of the batteries. Two seconds later it sputtered to a halt. It had done this once before and i knew it probably meant changing the filters and bleeding the fuel lines. No problem, i had done it before.

This time however it seemed particularly troublesome getting the diesel to pump through using the manual lift pump on the engine block. Because the fuel lines were old and had a few joins in it, I was suspecting leaking hoses, blocked hoses, failed pumps and wasn't too sure where to start. I went to the trouble of replacing the fuel pump with a spare i had but it didn't seem to help at all.

Earlier i'd bumped into Alex from the boat Reflections on my way back from town after a fruitless mission to get a better hand pump and casually mentioned what i was trying to do. Alex told me he knew a bit about engines and offered to help if i needed it.

A few hours later i was sitting contemplating what to do next after still making no progress, when Alex called on the radio to ask if i wanted him to come and take a look. 'Yes please!'

Alex and his fiancee Leah were just about to set off on the two hour sail to Tahuata but generously came out of their way to see if they could help. Alex told Leah, 'this will only take an hour'.

Alex turned out to be a professional marine engine mechanic and this sort of thing was easy for him. They rafted up to our boat and while Isabelle and Leah chatted, Alex came aboard and helped me go through the fuel system from go to whoa.

It was great to have the help of someone to whom this kind of thing was easy. We soon had the lines back together, checked each part of the system for blockages and leaks and started the diesel working it's way through. Three hours later we were still working away trying to find the last little problem that was preventing it all going to plan. Alex eventually located a line that i hadn't quite done up properly but by then our batteries were too low to get the engine to fire. It was getting dark so we called it quits for the day and enjoyed well deserved (and needed) showers and hamburgers Isabelle had made.

Alex was confident we could get it going next morning. Next morning came and Alex had some fresh ideas. There was just one more bleed screw to try, but that had been put back in rough fashion by someone else previously. No problem. Alex got it sorted. With batteries charged we tried to fire up. Lots of turning over but no kick. Tried again. We were almost about to turn it off when it gave one kick. Tried again and it fired. Sighs of relief and smiles of gratitude from me and Isabelle, but it was all just a day's work for Alex.

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Isabelle
28/05/2010

Kelita and I were walking along the road to town in search of some Pamplemousse. A car stopped (as often happens here on the 3 km road to town) and a young twenty something man with a Marquesan tattoo all the way up his right arm ushered for us to get in. His name was Kitu. We learned that he had lived on Hiva Oa his whole life and he had Â"A very large familyÂ" he told us with a big grin on his face. His English was better than our French and we understood that he was going to take us somewhere to get some pamplemousse.

He drove us to his cousinÂ's house first. We couldnÂ't see any pamplemousse but in front of the worn down bachelor pad was a big, magnificent mango tree. His cousin, or as Kitu called him Â"the short fat oneÂ" began to knock down mangos with a long bamboo pole and Kitu caught them, storing them away in a bag for us. After a while, a Â"tall skinnyÂ" cousin also showed up and looked quite impressed that Kitu had somehow scored two foreign chicks.

Little did we know, the bachelor pad was the first stop of many, I canÂ't quite remember how many cousins and uncles and sisters and nieces we met, it seemed his family was never-ending.

By far the most impressive housing of all was KituÂ's own home. After a long drive up a winding dirt road, we stepped out into the fresh air and the smell of Jasmine. We could hear birds singing. We walked over some soft green grass and came to a humble dwelling that he told us was his Â"local houseÂ". It was a basic tin roof perched on top of some upright tree trunks. I was rather moved by the simplicity of his home and also by his generosity.

While we were driving along, he looked into the back seat where Kelita and I were sitting and said Â"You are very beautifulÂ". We looked at each other and laughed but it was a laugh of pity as we knew we would have to break it to him soon that Kelita had a husband and I had a boyfriend. A few hours after Kelita and I had set out on our mission for pamplemousse, Kitu dropped us back at the anchorage with a big bag of mangos, a bag of pamplemousse, four large pumpkins, two papaya, a stalk of green bananas, another bag full of ripe ones and a coconut.

He didnÂ't seem to want anything in return for everything he had given us except to see our boat as he had never seen the inside of one of the cruising boats before. We took him back to Dagmar. It was a mess because James had been working on the engine all day but Kitu still seemed rather impressed. I offered him some fishing gear, which he refused to take but he couldnÂ't refuse a bottle of rum.

Kelita and I rowed him back to shore and gave him a hug (nothing more, nothing less) before watching him drive away. Thus ended the day of Kitu and the search for pamplemousse.

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