Hello all,
Alain and I caught two grouper this morning. The fishing was slow because we didn't get out there until 8:30. But we both caught a grouper using different swimming rapallas. They are not very big and the local knowledge is that there is no ciguatera here so we have decided that they are not going to poison us. (ciguatera is caused by highly local populations of benthic dinoflagellates. they are toxic and are most concentrated in bait eating predators like big groupers and amberjacks.) But I have heard from multiple sources that the fish here are OK. We are going to go out again this evening. The right time is right at dust.
Cheers
Eric
PS here is an outrigger made by a local Frenchman.
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Hello all,
Today I finally got the dingy in the water and used the engine for the first time since I put the boat away. Guess how many pulls.... 3. That is why it is important to properly winterize your engine. A little work in the fall helps to avoid a lot of work in the spring. Alain and I went for a tour of the lagoon. I did have a good fight with a fish (big bonito) but the camera was on video so no photos for the blog. The engine was running OK and we ran a tank and a half of Gas through it. Perhaps it could use a little maintenance but beyond the plugs and filters I don't know what to do and it is impossible to find a manual online that is not really expensive. My friend Hero is the engine man and we are supposed to go spear fishing next week so maybe he will hear how it is running and know what it needs. But over all I am very happy with the engine running and the boat not leaking. Here is another image from hiking last week.
Peace
Eric
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Hello all,
Here is another photo of Alain. For those of you just re-joining the blog Alain is a frenchman who lives two boats down here at Raiatea careenage. He has lived on the island for several years and knows his way around and has been an enormous help to me. So here is his shout out.
Peace Alain
Eric
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Good to see you out on the water again. If happen to see Liz Clark who is on the vessel Swell, say hello from Trim. She is a professional surfer from UCSB sailing around the South Pacific looking for the perfect breaks. We last saw her in Taaha.
Her blog is here: www.swellvoyage.com
Sunny greetings. Alain
Hello all,
On Sunday Alain and I climbed Mt Taptoi. The hike was fun and I learned french as always. It was very nice to hang out with Alain all day and speak French. I learned a lot. The reward on top is a panoramic view. You can see Taaha, Bora Bora, Huahine, and Otura and the lagoon that taaha and Raiatea share. The price that both Alain and I paid was a coup de soliel (sun burn) which we are still recovering from. The next mountain on the list of mountains to cap is Mt. Temehani. This mountain is where the Tiare Apetahi grows. It is a rare flower that grows no where else on earth except this mountain. If I see one I promise a photo. Not much else new. The rest of the week Ill be doing boat work and I hope to get the dingy in the water and do some fishing. This photo is of Taaha getting rained on with a little piece of Bora Bora visable in the distance.
Cheers,
Eric
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Nel blu, dipinto di blu,
Felice de stare lassł.
Squalls about to hit Taaha
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This is how they grow vanilla.
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Passe Teavapiti with a boat making landfall.
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This is the pass that I came through when I arrived here on Raiatea. Passe Teavapiti.
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Taaha
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This is Bora Bora from Raiatea with Taaha in the foreground.
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This is the northwest shore of Taaha from Mt Tapioi.
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Hello all,
Today is the birthday of my sister. I do not have any photos of her that she would like to see on the internet so here is one of our grandmother holding her first great grandchild. And it speaks for itself I think. I love you Allison.
Love Eric
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Hello all,
The quality of life on my boat just went up a lot with the addition of a fan (ventilateur). My friend Alain had an extra one and I got 220 volts to the boat with a big extension chord. It seems like the simplest thing but it makes an enormous difference with both the bugs and how hot the inside of the cabin is.
Thats it for now I was just really happy to get a fan working onboard.
Cheers,
Eric
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Hello all,
The internet rocks right now so I thought I must post even though there is not much to report. Today Alain had the use of the car that belongs to a boss at the Tahiti Yacht base. We went into town and I got some food at the store and went to the bank and got some CFP. (that is Polynesian francs). The mission was to do laundry at the Yacht basin. I also looked at scooters and bikes for some transportation. I dont know what Im going to do about this yet because on these islands everything is about 20-30% more expensive than in the states because of the shipping. It was really nice to wash some cloths that had been sitting my boat for 6 months and were very grody. The washing machine was very small though so Ill have to do my sleeping bags by hand. Alain has really gone out of his way to help me out and I want to give him a shout out and say "Thank you very much man" I know you will read this with the translation program so I hope it comes across en francais. Not much else new for now. I hope you all are well and will throw up some comments soon.
Cheers
Eric
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No need to thank me, it's natural.
We are at the end of the world and help is part of Polynesian culture.
So it will always be happy to accommodate you. Do not hesitate! Demand, there is always a solution ...
No stress, quiet life, Carpediem!
