Bora Bora to Rarotonga Day 4
12 July 2010 | Enroute to Rarotonga
Alison
We're getting into the swing of being at sea, just in time to arrive at the next port. I remember when we were planning this trip, getting ready to cruise for the first time, experienced cruisers we met would give us their perspective on the adaptation process each time you set out on a new leg of the journey. One couple told us the first day out was good because they were excited to be off again on another passage, going somewhere new. The second day was horrible because nothing felt right and they were out of sync with the boat, they were frustrated, short tempered, and wanted to divorce each other. By the third day everything was humming along, they had begun to catch up on their sleep, and could anticipate the movement of the boat on the sea, the marriage was secure, and everything was fine. They discouraged voyages of fewer than 3 days for these reasons.
For us, it seems to be this: the first day is awful. We don't have our sea legs, we both feel a mite queasy if the seas are big, and the multi- day journey seems to stretch endlessly and agonizingly before us. The second day is better, but we still wonder how we'll get past the upcoming long night, and by the third day we're fine, we've adapted as our salty friends did and all is well. Maybe like running a marathon -- although I've never, nor will I ever run a marathon -- but I've heard once you get you're second wind you feel you could go forever.
So we're geared up now for whatever tomorrow brings us, depending on the weather. Avatiu Harbor on Raraotonga is small and open to the north. We have very little accurate information on board about the harbor or it's procedures, but we've heard if the winds are out of the north it's not a safe place to be and we could be asked to leave, and there are no other safe anchorages around the island. Currently, the winds are light, but steady out of the northeast, so we'll see what tomorrow is like.
All in all it's been an easy crossing, we've been blessed with delightful weather and have really enjoyed our days in easy, relaxed comfort. Yesterday I made pancakes, today Allan made breakfast -- eggs and toast from homemade wholegrain bread with canned French butter and strawberry jam. He's now buried in Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" while I plow through back issues of Cruising World and Blue Water magazines, re-reading relevant articles.
Managing power and water use is much easier with just the two of us, in fact, we feel rather rich and gluttonous. We do have to run the generator for an hour or two per day to supplement the solar panels, largely because the autopilot is a huge consumer of electrical power steering the boat 24 hours a day on these passages. (Yes, we could hand steer, and sometimes we do, but it's exhausting, and frankly, Auto does a pretty good job.) (Our next boat will have a wind vane-type autopilot with the electric Auto as a backup.)
We have little daily chores that we assume to keep things generally manageable, but we are in some ways a bit sloppy on these passages. Must-do tasks include keeping the cockpit clean and picked up and the floor dry; washing, drying and putting away the dishes after meals so nothing goes flying; keeping the bathrooms (heads) picked up for the same reason; and maintaining some semblance of order in the cabin. But we're not so concerned with making the bed, since we nap all all hours of the day and night; putting our clothes away, since we tend to wear the same ones for several days -- they sort of pile up when not in use and we add layers as the evening draws near and the temperature cools; and stowing books and magazines we're still reading. They end up on the downwind side of the main cabin in messy piles, mixed in with other things. Woe is us if we have to tack to a new heading -- everything is askew if we don't remember to switch things to the new downwind side ...
Rarotonga sounds very fun, we're looking forward to a few things in particular: renting scooters and touring the island; going to the Cultural Center for their 4-hour presentation and lunch; having fish 'n' chips, and Indian food; drinking beer that ISN'T Tahitian Hinano; and seeing some of the Island Shows -- dance presentations that are supposed to be even more charged and exciting than the Tahitian dancing. And some diving, some windsurfing, some hiking -- it's all on the list.