Ia ora na. As you can see if you check out our position, we've sailed on to a new atoll - Toau. Fakarava was everything we'd hoped for and more. We did two great drift snorkels on the flood tide through the pass with friends. The color and clarity of the water was staggering - cobalt blue and crystal clear down to 60 feet. Many, many sharks and other beautiful fish along with corals of many colors. After a dingy expedition, we decided to check out the reef from our friends' boat with the intention of a night snorkel. David was on his way back to the dinghy when he ran into two very aggressive grey reef sharks, one on either side of him. One of the sharks came and bumped into David's leg and he kicked it away. THis was repeated three times when David finally made it back to the dinghy before he became part of the food chain. Needless to say, we scrubbed the night snorkel. After a leisurely sail up the east coast of the atoll, we anchored off the village of Roroava. Here our hopes of pearls were fulfilled - Gunther, husband of Hinano of Hinano Pearl Farms, gave us a complete tour, in English, of their farm including a demonstration of the very delicate process of grafting, which is done using sterile technique to minimize infection. AFter the tour, David and I spent 2 hours shopping for some very special pearls. We followed our pearl adventure with a delightful lunch at a lagoonside "snack" that is the epitome of a Polynesian restaurant. What a morning!

Upon leaving Fakarava to head toward Apataki, we decided to pull into a small, false pass on Toau to spend the night as we weren't going to be able to make Apataki while the sun was still high enough to navigate through the coral heads. What was expected to be an overnight stop turned into a pleasant surprise! As we entered the bay from the pass, two of the 5 residents were on the dock instructing us to take a mooring ball. For the price of dinners of lobster and fish, the mooring balls are free. This is a very little inhabited atoll with no supply ships coming in and bartering is the order of the day. Finally, we have plenty of what the locals want - my shopping for trading items paid off. Toilet paper, paper towels, nail polish and lipstick seem like a fair trade for some lovely pearls, lobster and fish. David spent the morning helping Gaston repair a fish trap while I conducted the business of bartering for pearls. Tomorrow, the plan is to head to Apataki and hopefull rendez vous with friends. Parahi and bien tot.

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