07/19/2007, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Bora Bora is truly as spectacular as any island I have yet seen anywhere. Sand Dollar is anchored within view of the picturesque and famous Mt. Otemanu which adorns the covers of many tourist brochures distributed by luxury hotels where guests pay $750 per night for an over-the-water bungalow with no better view than mine. The island is decidedly touristy with the usual t-shirt shops, cruise ships, and sightseeing buses, but there are no high rise hotels and it is not crowded and noisy like Papeete. This place is worth a stay for at least a few days and maybe longer.
Members of the Ocean Cruising Club, a mostly European group, held a beach barbecue tonight to which I was invited and was most grateful for. Boats representing England, Norway, Holland, Canada, Australia, and Japan were in attendance and there was one other American boat along with mine. It was a potluck affair with a million dollar view. Some of the cruisers I had already known while most were new acquaintances. All were very friendly with a wealth of information gathered from many years of sailing around the globe.
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07/19/2007, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Sand Dollar arrived at Bora Bora this afternoon at 5 PM, covering the 155 miles from Papeete in 30 hours. The passage was uneventful except for several rain squalls. The high winds experienced last night, 22- 28 knots, subsided to a more manageable 15 knots for the rest of the trip.
When I arrived at the anchorage my friend Dirk of the Dutch boat "Jade" came be to invite me to a potluck barbecue tomorrow evening on a small island nearby. Great, no dishes to do! I am going to sleep most of tomorrow.
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07/18/2007, enroute to Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Sand Dollar finally escaped the clutches of Papeete, Tahiti after weighing anchor at 10:30 this morning and setting sail for Bora Bora. Radio transmission is back to normal now that I am away from mountains and masts. A jury-rigged alternator regulator was fabricated using a handful of diodes, resistors, switches and bits and pieces of odds and ends. It isn't pretty but it works, sort of. I get interference with the autopilot but I'll try to work out the details as I go along. At least I can charge the batteries when necessary and keep the fridge running. Brother Jim will ship a new regulator which I will pick it up in Pago Pago, American Samoa in about six weeks.
All else is well onboard and I am glad to be making a passage after being land-bound for so long. The conditions are "boisterous". The wind is 24-28 knots from the east and the seas are a bit sloppy from bad weather to the south. I hope to make Bora Bora by dark tomorrow.
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07/13/2007, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Sand Dollar was supposed to leave for Bora Bora yesterday, Thursday, but I am still holding out for a possible repair to my voltage regulator. The backup unit was poorly chosen by me as it is rated at too high a voltage and will cook my gel-cell batteries. If I can't effect a repair or replacement in the next couple of days Sand Dollar will head out with only solar panels for power. That means no refrigeration and limited radio time until I get to American Samoa in about six weeks.
All else is well onboard. Tomorrow the 14th is Bastille Day. It's a big deal if you are French.
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07/10/2007, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
The battery charging system on Sand Dollar is malfunctioning and the cause is elusive. I have spent several days troubleshooting to no avail. The problem is intermittent, the worst kind. On top of that, the primary laptop computer is acting up making communication difficult. I will spend two more days working on these issues and then will leave for Bora Bora. There are no spare parts available here so there is no reason to hang out. Ordering parts from home would take too long as my visa expires August 2.
All else is well onboard and the weather is perfect.
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07/09/2007
It's my brother Don's birthday today!
My sons Troy, Derek and Sean along with Bobby Lewis and me have shared birthdays with uncle Don during summer adventures. Here's a couple pictures recalling birthdays '05 in Alaska and '03 in Quetico. You might notice he REALLY likes the party hats, so if you're ever with Don on his birthday, don't forget the hats!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON.
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