Friday, our moving day from Ha'amene Bay to Tapuamu Bay, was nothing to write about. We did chores, prepared the boat, raised the dinghy and motor, and released from our mooring. Man, dumping a mooring pendant is SO much easier than pulling a hook! Even with 20+ knots of wind right on the bow, we motored steadily up the bay and out into the lagoon, Everything worked perfectly, the instruments, the boat, all of it. We were in and out of rain for most of the day, but had no other difficulties. We had to dodge a very discourteously-piloted supply boat, but had no problems. We peeked into every bay and enjoyed the scenery.

We finally arrived in Tapuamu Bay about 1530 and immediately found an unused mooring. Like the pro that she is, Conni piloted Wings so that I had no problems catching the mooring pendant and getting us settled. Home! By that time, it was cocktail hour and so we immediately shut down the boat for the night.

It rained all bloody night and was very hot below decks, so we were both up and down much of the night, opening and closing hatches and ports. No rain, ports and hatches open for the breeze. As soon as the rain started, we were up frantically closing the few hatches that we had opened.

Today, we got a few chores done and then prepared and splashed the dinghy. Although it's Saturday, there were still businesses open until noon. We walked a few miles along the bay's edge seeing what there was to see, but when we turned around and arrived back in the little dock area, we both realized that we had endured too much sun! We hid the rest of the day below decks.

As with all of Taha'a, Tapuamu Bay is quiet, quiet, quiet. Now and again the kids play French rock and roll, but for the most part, it's just dogs barking, roosters crowing, and the occasional sounds of family laughter. All of this sound imagery is framed by the astoundingly lush tropical vegetation. Flowers of every possible color are everywhere. I used to think that hot pink, electric yellow, and almost-UV purple were created by textile chemists, but there seems to be a flower of every one of those colors. I've never paid much attention to flower color, but the profligate growth and outrageous spectrum here will not be denied or ignored. Finally, I know what the phrase, "a riot of color" means. I wish that my terrible photos could show you the scale of the place with a beautiful scene in any direction that one looks. Conni and I just shake our heads and say, "Oh, look...another gorgeous tropical scene." It's not being blaisé, but a statement that we've simply exhausted our superlatives.

Of some interest to us, anyway, is that Conni found our old Wifi-provider WDG (Wave Data Guest), a Society Islands Wifi provider with whom we've dealt for the past three years. It ain't cheap but it is available and fast.

I rigged our Wifi enhancer and we were able to complete the on-line registration, pay our fees, and get on-line. Hurray! We've had several blogs and web site pages to upload and have been incommunicado. An American without Wifi is a pitiful being. I stared laughing when I was uploading photos to the site, knowing that I was sending data from a sailboat in a bay to a server in Florida. My, doesn't the Internet make the world smaller?

We're running the reliable Honda generator now, after a fine meal. It's too loud to be in the cockpit so we're below, running the bloody fan, I can tell you. We plan on visiting the motu (small island on the surrounding reef) tomorrow and enjoying some snorkeling around a world-renown coral garden. I dove on one in Fakarave (in the Tuamotus) last year and was amazed at the beauty and color of a healthy coral garden. I look forward to the same lush growth here.

Tonight was bath night, an event aboard Wings. We take turns under a "solar shower" rigged in the cockpit, wallowing in the warmish water washing away our aches, pains, and sweat. We sleep so much better without being covered in sweat!

Conni's brilliant solution for the fridge fuse has continued to work. What a difference.