06/22/2009, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
This week has had ups and downs. Tom was really ill. At first we thought it was Dengue Fever, a mosquito-borne disease that knocks you down for a week or more. But after consulting a couple of local friends, we learned his symptoms were not completely resembling Dengue. Kamala just survived Dengue a few weeks ago and remembers her pain oh too well. At the same time, a piece of the watermaker broke after putting up a valiant fight. The internet allowed us to order the new part and have it flown to us. But, nothing is fast, not even Fed Ex Priority. So, here we'll wait for the part and continue shuttling water in jerry jugs to Zen or do the rain dance and catch rainwater...we call it farming water. In the meantime, laundry is piling up and showers are quick. How some cruising boats do this journey without a watermaker is totally beyond my comprehension. I admire them for their creativity and water conservation.
Cammi and I were also suffering from something, a cold, flu, not Dengue. We were moving slow. Fortunately for us, the illness did not hit until after we took Kamala's yoga class and a kick-butt Polynesian dance class with a dynamo named, Titaua (teet-ew-aah). How we love sailing...but when do we return to our dance studios in Rhode Island??? What a terrific work-out and when it was over, it was sweaty hugs and smiles all around just like back home. Kamala and Tony, her husband, were the directors for the spa on the Queen Mary II for 2 years. Quite a story. Yes, CeCe's ears should be burning. As a couple they managed the spa from the moment she was christened about 5 years ago in England. A year into it, the CEO of the French Polynesian Pearl Resorts was a guest onboard. He was a very kind man and gave them his card, saying he'd love to offer them a job at one of his many resorts. Sure enough, 3 years ago, he did, and they moved to Bora Bora. We stayed in their sister-property in Taha'a when Zen was being painted a few weeks ago. They run the most amazing spa I have ever laid my eyes on (www.boraborapearlresort.com - it's called the Manea Spa). Since their arrival, Kamala and Tony, originally from Arizona and Ohio, have had 2 children, age 1 and 3. They are a terrific couple and we've definitely enjoyed their company and their many invitations to relax at their hotel, located only a dinghy ride away from our mooring at Bora Bora Yacht Club.
Beyond all that, what else is happening? Cole is working his butt off to finish his final 3 days of school. Cammi is doing 7th grade math, French and piano lessons. We've watched a couple movies: "Meet the Fockers" and "Duma". Me and the kids have walked 20 minutes, one-way, into town, dodging cars, dogs and motorscooters. Upon arrival, we did what the French do, provision what you can into backpacks, and then make impromptu sandwiches out of the fresh baguettes and pate you just bought while drinking hand squeezed mango juice on the walk back to Zen. We've made little friendships w/the lovely ladies at the vegetable and fruit stands. While unpacking the bags, we find gifts of hospitality they have snuck in: an extra bunch of bananas and more watermelon and papaya than you can consume. I have started freezing my fruits when they ripen too quickly for our appetites. And, since we are always within range of good grocery stores now, my freezer is not full to the brim w/meat and cheese, therefore allowing me to put the ice cube trays in there! Yes, for the first time in a year, we have ice with our drinks on Zen. Big upgrade! What else? We did a circumnavigation of Bora Bora, finding a number of postcard-perfect anchorages in just 9 feet of water and white sand. Father's Day was spent daysailing on Zen from one anchorage to another w/Margie and Drew from s/v Dosia. Upon arrival, we dropped our hook next to s/v Dosia and s/v Flashback. Geoff had the spinnaker ready and invited everyone to take a "ride". You can see from the photo it was well worth the admission price. That's me up there. Everyone from Zen and Dosia went up, up and away while Julie and Geoff drove the sail from the bow of Flashback. After that, our kids and Tommy each did solo sails in Geoff's handmade sailing dinghy. Dad's day ended w/a dinner of pad Thai at the Sunset Bar in the new Four Seasons Resort. Tom was a smilin' guy...he is every day...but I was so grateful to have such awesome friends w/such cool toys to make his day special.
And to wrap it all up, we held our 11th Potluck Dinner on Zen tonight. It averages out to around one a month. There's usually between 3 to 4 boats that join us, but it's gone as high as 8. Best part is watching the food arrive! The menu tonight was a steaming hot cheesy-onion dip w/baguette, tuna mixture spread over crackers, popcorn as a munchie, handmade spring rolls w/Thai dipping sauce, chicken and primavera veggie risotto, insalata mixta, fresh watermelon, finished with chocolate cake and apple cinnamon egg rolls with vanilla cream sauce. Richard from s/v Karma was even pulling out the stops with his magic tricks and x-ray vision! Margie was revealing her background as a bartender by filling the salon w/jokes. Our sides hurt from laughing so much. And Julie, from Alaska, hinted at her bad-girl history...we need to have a reunion bash to get the rest of the story out of her! Want to come??? Open invite! The next one, will be in Aitutaki, Cook Islands.
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06/15/2009, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Beep...beep...beep...beep. Every now and then, at exactly 2:00p, that soft sound emerged from somewhere on Zen. On a boat, any beeping sound is cause for concern. Is something overheating? Overflowing? Sinking? Everyone, adults and kids alike, always go in search of the beep. One such beep had all of us stumped. It wasn't daily and the beeps didn't last long, so to catch it we had to be up and scrambling quickly to find its origin. A couple weeks ago, a friend of ours (names will be changed to protect the innocent), Sam, asked if we knew the two "old guys" on s/v Oscar. Tommy and I nearly fell down laughing. Those "old guys" are barely 6 or 7 years older than Tommy. Of course there was lots of joking and kidding around and it became a favorite inside joke between Zen and s/v Oscar. Lo and behold, Tommy inducted himself into the "old guy" club a little early today. When the mysterious beeping started to chime, the scramble commenced, but quickly our 10-year-old "young guy" said, "Whoa, Dad, it's YOUR wristwatch!!!" Sit down, laugh yourself silly until the tears start. Only a few days ago I was complementing the intelligence and preparedness of my old salty dog of a husband, key words: "old" and "dog". After chasing his "beep" tail for a few months, what will he do next? Heck, we all chased it. Are we overcooked by the sun? Too much fish in our diet? I told the kids to remember the scene, because when I call them at university someday in the future, explaining that their dad is burying treasure in the backyard, they'll believe me.
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06/10/2009, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Marrying orchids and impregnating oysters. Sounds very Georgia O'Keefe, doesn't it? Alain Plantier (vanilla.tours@mail.pf or VHF 9) lives in, quite possibly, the most tranquil setting I've ever seen. His home, overlooking Bay Hurepiti on Taha'a, consists of multiple structures, each covered with hand-woven thatched roofs, one for living, another for sleeping, another for bathing, all surrounded by acres of beautiful mature landscaping, most of which you could consume. Twenty years ago, Alain, an avid sailor and botanist, opened his Vanilla Tour company, hosting between 4-10 guests at a time. His small round spectacles frame a gentle face and an encyclopedic mind, filled with facts he readily shares. Did you know that vanilla originated in Mexico, grows on vines, and in Polynesia, the vanilla orchids are pollinated by hand? True. One farm we visited hand pollinates 10,000 flowers per day. The French Polynesian vanilla has a unique scent...licorice. The aroma in the air as we toured the island, was intoxicating, not just with the vanilla, but the ylang-ylang, jasmine and of course, gardenias. It was a school field trip for all of us. Zen was the water shuttle for 6 other cruising friends from s/v Obsession and s/v Szel. The 10 of us tasted wild basil Alain picked from the side of the road that numbed our tongues and reminded us of the dentist's chair. We rubbed ourselves with lemongrass to keep the bugs away and discovered certain flowers in the hibiscus family, when used to clean our snorkel masks, will de-fog them like magic. It went on and on. Each bend in the road brought new facts and historical awareness. When I asked the kids, "What was the most interesting thing you learned today?", they responded with these answers: "It's so cool those flowers that are all over the place turn from yellow to red in one day and then fall from the tree." And..."I didn't know there are special bees in Mexico that automatically pollinate the vanilla orchids in that part of the world."
Did you know one pearl farmer could be cultivating and caring for over 100,000 oysters at a time? Monique and Bernard of Champon Perles (champonperles.com or champonb@mail.pf) opened our eyes to the extensive work, time and expertise needed to obtain the huge grade A black pearls they produce each year. The Champon family also did some global cruising with their family before settling on French Polynesia as their home on land. They ran a very successful boatyard in Ra'itea for many years and then, seeking less deadlines and stress, sold their business and opened a pearl farm on Taha'a. Monique showed us the grafting process from start to finish. Did you know the little round nucleus that is placed in each oyster comes from shells harvested in Mississippi? The Champon family sells wholesale and retail, but we had the pleasure of sitting in their living room, surrounded by art they collected from their global sailing adventures, to pick out a handful of beauties. Three special gifts arrived on Zen the next day from Monique and Bernard, 2 pearl necklaces for Cammi and Cole and a handcrafted pearl ring for one of our best friends who is battling childhood leukemia (and winning!). Yes, I cried.
More crying happened today while we sailed to Bora Bora. This is really private, but I gotta share. There were 3 big, dark rain squalls marching across the horizon as we cruised along under full main and jib . The wind was about 20 knots and coming from a better angle than we expected. I was relaxed and at the helm, my favorite place. Why the tears? Tommy turned on the radar and pulled out the binoculars while I was still having fun at the wheel. It's standard stuff, yes, but when the wind hit 35 knots and rain started pelting me sideways, Tom had already reefed the main and the jib. He was way ahead of the game and all that was left for us to do was to race Zen towards her paradise landfall at 11 knots and totally flat. I never give him random complements, today I did. I was very grateful for his foresight and preparedness, leaving me to have fun at the sport of sailing. He's always like that, but today, it seemed to hit me how lucky I am to have such a salty dog for a husband. We departed the Taravana Yacht Club, a sailor's haven, home to Cindy, possibly the best chef in French Polynesia, and run by Richard and his son, Maui (taravanayc@mail.pf or taravanayachtclub.com). It's a place we'd earmark as a "must return to" on our next cruise when the kids are in college. For now, we'll circumnavigate Bora Bora and start looking for weather windows for Aitutaki in the Cook Islands.
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