Outsider and Ooroo upped anchor from Ua Pou, leaving in our wake the majestic landscape of volcanic spires and craggy mountain tops that crown most islands in the Marquesas . Lush green turns to hazy blue as we sail at speed towards the Archipelago of Tuamotu, 450nm to our SW.
Our Marquesas anchorages have been challenging. Stern anchors, crowded anchorages, swells and fast moving water. It's all an education. We have been shadowed or have shadowed Outsider since we met on Australia day in San Blas four months and almost 6000nm ago. Its owners, Wendy and Ian organised that Australia day celebration and like us, hadn't socialised with many Aussie boats in the previous year or so. But from then onwards we have moved as a posse of about 10 boats. Some we haven't seen in a month. Others we seem to drop anchor abreast of, often...like Outsider.
We are in the heart of Polynesian heritage. The Marquesas were a launching pad for the discovery of Hawaii and Easter island...in canoes what's more. I can see how they had the strength to do it. We often watch as huge tattooed blokes scoot past us in their outrigger canoes sometimes yelling "Oro?" as they pass. They say it with a question mark that was explained when we discovered that our Ooroo evokes some confusion here. Their "Oro" is the "God of War".
Jules joined us here and Birthe left. Jeff and I have had a chance to do some diving.
But these relatively new islands lack the white sandy beaches we are now craving. The Tuamotu's are somewhat older volcanic islands that have sunk into the sea. Thus creating atolls of volcanic craters fringed by beaches and reefs. They have proved to be ideal for Black Pearl farming and atomic bomb testing. The craters are lagoons that are entered by narrow passages which must be entered and exited on the tidal change. We arrived at our first atoll, Takaroa 6 hours behind Outsider (and with a large Tuna onboard). By luck and not good management we hit the tide perfectly and so tied up behind Outsider on the town dock just as the tide started flowing at pace. Crystal clear water invited Jeff and I for a swim...one done by hanging on to Ooroo's swim steps to avoid being washed back out to sea. Four reef sharks effortlessly sat in the current right below us...a moray ell was hung with them.
Locals gathered to party this Sunday afternoon. Ian offered a few rum shots and before we knew it we had done some swift pearl for alcohol exchanges. Wendy and Jules were crowned with Pearl encrusted woven fascinators. Unfortunately the reward for all this frivolity was me catching a local trying to steal my fishing rods at one the next morning. I felt like a parent admonishing the thief by pointing to the dock like I would a kid to his bedroom , saying belligerently "off ".
That morning we waited for the tide to change so we could enter the lagoon. After a quick wonder around the small village, the purchase of fresh baguettes and a fortuitous meeting with pearl farmer Rick, we went in. We anchored stern to an awesome coral wall and swam and drank cold beer.
Who would have thought it, Rick invites us to come check out his farm. His instructions...follow the reef around the lagoon, avoid the bommies and pearl farms and drop your anchor when you see the Aussie flag?? Rick's girlfriend is from Byron Bay and she sells most of his pearls at the markets there. He has a daughter there, surfs there and if it wasn't for the Polynesian skin and slight French accent he would be as Aussie as Ian and I. His farm opens to the lagoon in front and the open ocean is his back yard. Apart from pearls he also cultivates figs, coconuts and a variety of exotic fruits that I had not heard of before. His office is a shack on the end of a jetty that also houses an aquarium stocked with shark, cod, remora etc.
Rick took Jeff, Ian and I spear fishing on a perfect reef, which is his equivalent to a trip to the shops. I shot 7 snapper and had a close encounters with three sharks looking for a free feed. I considered handing one of my fish to them as they were at arm's length....but figured that a lesson in taking food from the hands of a spearfisherman may be tempting fate somewhat.
Content with this new part of the world, we sail onwards, past some whales and dolphins to another atoll and another story.