Candine is back at sea with the Gambier Islands astern. We stayed for ten days, anchored off of Rikitea, Mangareva, and it was such a treat to be in a calm, protected anchorage, where you could put your coffee mug (or beer) down without having to worry about it sliding off the table! After the roadstead anchorages at Easter Island and Pitcairn Island, this was a novelty we were all greatly looking forward to.

It was a short, three day passage from Pitcairn, and we had to really push ourselves on the third day to make it to the Gambiers before the sun set. The Gambier Islands are mostly high, volcanic islands with a few small islets surrounded by a barrier reef, at the southeastern end of the Tuamotu. Because of the surrounding reef and the fact that most of the navigational markers are not lit up, we did not want to sail in in the dark, nor did we want to stand off all night waiting for the sun to rise. So with full sail and an extra boost from our trusty engine, we made it to the pass in the early evening with just enough time to zig zag through the channel markers, avoiding coral heads and sand bars, and drop anchor among twelve other cruising boats. We even had time to celebrate with a nice, cold beer as the last remnants of daylight faded into dark. I think we can all agree that night was one of the best sleeps any of us had had in awhile. The water was glassy, and there was just enough of a breeze to keep the heat from being uncomfortable.

We dinghyed ashore the following morning with no breaking waves in sight. There was even a wharf for us to tie up to! Much less eventful then our last few dinghy adventures, but we welcomed the lack of excitement. On shore it took awhile for us to switch gears and speak in French rather than Spanish, so there were a few incidents of "hola" instead of "bonjour" and "gracias" instead of "merci."

Our first stop was to check-in with the local gendarme. Since the rules have recently changed and cruisers no longer have to sail to Tahiti to complete the check-in procedures (which is good for us, because we're not going anywhere near Tahiti), we were required to mail off our customs form to Papeete. Easy enough, the post office was right beside the gendarme, no problem, right? Four days later we finally managed to get the damn thing in the mail. The first problem was that there is only one woman working at the post office, and about 15 people waiting in line at any given time, making for less than speedy service. Secondly, since this was our first stop in French Polynesia, we didn't have any Polynesian Francs, and of course there is no bank on Rikitea. We were told by the gendarme to get our American dollars changed at the post office, and after a 45 minute wait were told by the post office to get our American dollars changed by the store. At the store, we were told to go to the post office, which by that point had closed for the day. After a few attempts at getting cash, we eventually rummaged through Tim's old coin collection from the last voyage to scrape together 75 Francs (about 75 cents) to pay for our stamp.

With our check-in procedures finally dealt with, we were able to explore the island. Rikitea is beautiful; dense with lush tropical vegetation and the peak from Mt Duff towering over the town. Everything is well cared for and tidy and the locals seem to take great pride in their properties resulting in some immaculate landscaping. And of course, the water is that perfect mix of deep blue and turquoise with pearl farms situated everywhere.

Our days mainly centered around baguette time. Fresh baked baguettes are ready at 5:45 am and 2:45 pm, and if you're even ten minutes late you might miss out. Not only are fresh baguettes absolutely delicious, but they're about the only thing in French Polynesia that is reasonably priced, so it became a mission to get them everyday. Although who are we kidding, we never made it for the morning run. So with baguettes being the only appointment we kept in the day, we took the rest of the time to relax and enjoy the tranquility. And just like that, ten days slipped by before we knew it.

While it felt like we did absolutely nothing during our time in Managareva, we did manage to get out between rainy days. Austen and I had read about the hike up Mt Duff, the highest point on the island which provides great views and opted to give it a try. As we wandered up the street we met some locals who advised us it probably wasn't a good idea as the trail would be muddy and slippery from the previous day's rain. Nevertheless, they sent us on our way with pamplemousse and sun-dried bananas so that we wouldn't get hungry. We hiked for nearly an hour, some points a little sketchier than others, and made it almost all the way, but the last part was straight up and the mud was so slippery we couldn't even make it if we wanted to. Adding to that was the low rumbling of thunder in the distance and grey clouds rolling over head, meaning turning back was the obvious choice. On our way back down the road, the locals we met had left us bags of papaya, pamplemousse, and limes to take back to the boat. Polynesians love to share the fruits of their labour!

Despite our failed attempt up Mt Duff, Austen and I also managed to get out on our stand-up paddleboards for a few excursions and do some snorkeling around some impressive coral. We also made some new cruising friends, as well as running into old ones, and when Pitcairn's supply ship, the Claymore, stopped in we go to see some more familiar faces.

We could have easily stayed in Mangareva much longer, but we do have a schedule to keep and there are many more miles to sail and many more islands to explore before we find ourselves back in Victoria in three months. So here we are, back at sea, dodging a few of the Tuamotu on our way north to the Marquesas, checking very carefully with both the paper charts and the electronic chart plotter so as not to have a repeat incident of the last voyage. The Tuamotu are called the Dangerous Archipelago for a reason!