Finally, the weather broke somewhat on April 21, and we sailed/motor-sailed 260 miles to the Tuamotus; a 48-hour sail. The Tuamotus are one of the 5 French Polynesia archipelagos, consisting of 77 atoll islands, scattered over an area of 1,000 x 400 miles.
(See Photos with maps of the French Polynesia) An atoll is a barrier reef that surrounded an island, which sank millions of years ago. These atoll reefs are typically 20 x 7 miles in size, trending southeast - northwest. The total population in the Tuamotus is approximately 12,000 people. Less than half of the atolls are inhabited with small villages, located on motus (areas where the reef builds up to form land).
The Tuamotus are known as the "Dangerous Archipelago" for several reasons:
1. The atolls are so low lying, you can't see them until you are within at least 5-8 miles of the motus, or 1 mile from an area in the reef with no motus. (2 cruisers have ended up on reefs this year)
2. The Passes are tricky. You need to determine slack tide and enter then, or you could have a 6-8 knot current with 4-6 foot standing waves in the pass.
3. The wind shifts and mainly blows from the northwest when you are anchored in the southeast and from the southeast when you are anchored in the northwest. In either case, you have no protection from the wind, and it puts the coral "bommies" and reef right behind you when the wind shifts.
4. There are "bommies" everywhere inside the lagoons. Anchoring on coral is always scary and especially with weather changes as you can wrap around the coral leaving your anchor chain looking like spaghetti.
So, with all that potential for disaster, you might question our sanity in coming to the Tuamotus! But, there is a bright side. When we arrived in Tahanea, we were the only boat here, and the only people on the entire atoll island. That night, with a full moon, a gentle breeze, and a bottle of wine, we just sat on the foredeck and enjoyed a very magical moment. We continue to be amazed with the beauty of the South Pacific and so thankful to be here living this dream.
The next day we went exploring on shore. We found the indigenous Tahanea sandpipers and two other bird species. There was an abandoned fishing camp and we made use of their fire pit (drum) to burn our paper waste, and buried our compost waste. We also found a green coconut low enough to pick. Back on board, Tony drilled a hole in the coconut and poured out the fresh coconut water. I made a birthday cake and we celebrated Tony's birthday, complete with presents (sea shells).
(See Photos)
More Later - G&T