Rapturous!

Vessel Name: Rapture
Vessel Make/Model: Caliber 40 LRC
Hailing Port: Berkeley, CA
Crew: Greg Newman, Susan Wells
Social:
07 March 2024 | Tasmania
27 January 2024 | Manley Beach
03 December 2023 | The Gold Coast, Jumpinpin
22 November 2023 | The Boatworks, QLD
15 November 2023 | Morton Bay
27 October 2023 | Bundaberg marina
15 October 2023 | Townsville Marina
04 October 2023 | Townsville, Queensland, Australia
28 July 2023
08 July 2023 | Keppel Bay Marina
30 June 2023 | Gladstone Marina
20 May 2023 | Bundaberg, Australia
23 March 2023 | Antarctic peninsula
10 March 2023 | Calafate and El Chaitén
21 February 2023 | Puerto Varas, Chiloe and Cochrane
05 February 2023 | Santiago, Chile
21 January 2023 | Santiago
12 January 2023 | USA
Recent Blog Posts
07 March 2024 | Tasmania

Tasmania

A misty, high alpine scene

27 January 2024 | Manley Beach

Sydney

Sydney Harbour Bridge

08 January 2024

Southport to Coff’s Harbour

Coffs Harbor from Muttonbird Island

03 December 2023 | The Gold Coast, Jumpinpin

The Gold Coast and Southport

Walking the beach at Southport

22 November 2023 | The Boatworks, QLD

Boatwork

The reason for stopping in the Brisbane area was to get a few boat projects done. Greg had been talking to contractors for weeks and more recently he has been calling suppliers to make sure that parts would be available. Our first stop was Scarborough Marina where Greg and I started with giving Rapture [...]

15 November 2023 | Morton Bay

Bundaberg to Morton Bay

The next part of our journey down to Brisbane lay to the inside of Frazier Island. This area, called the Great Sandy Strait is a vast network of channels and shoals that have to be navigated carefully. The navigation channel is clearly marked but there are areas where it can only be navigated at [...]

Tahiti

30 September 2019 | Papeete Marina
Susan
Tahiti
After being off the grid for three months, we are back in Papeete marina docked in a slip with shore power and potable water. Every device on the boat has been charged, even the toothbrushes. The boat
batteries are gratefully drinking their fill. Our main water tank has been filled to the brim with clean, tasty Tahitian water. The smaller tank we fill only with reverse osmosis water from the water maker so the
mineral/chlorine free water can be used to flush the water maker membrane.

The Papeete waterfront, including the marina, is in the process of major renovation. The marina renovation will be complete in January looking very spiffy with a new customs dock for arriving foreign vessels
and beautiful coral facade buildings abutting a shoreline park . The marina office has been moved to the ferry building some distance from the marina. There are no longer any ablution facilities or laundry
room. So we are showering aboard hence the excitement over shore power and a brimming full water tank. We can enjoy long, hot showers in the privacy of our own boat unlike our neighbor who has to
shower on the dock under a hose. One gets to appreciate the little 'luxuries' on an adventure like this. Unsurprisingly, there are many empty slips. The high season weekly rate has not been reduced. Instead,
we were offered one day extra, free that we eagerly accepted since we have a comfortable boat.

It is the end of high season, but except when the cruise ship arrives, Papeete is not particularly crowded. There is an Island Time atmosphere. It takes a while to get service and there's always time for a smile
and exchange of pleasantries. Tourists are significantly in the minority. The cruise ship comes once or twice a week and stays for 24 hours. As many as two thousand people hit the streets, fill the restaurants
and pack the bars. Yet, the locals are still friendly, putting out woven coconut leaf Bienvenue signs and performing impromptu music and dance shows on the sidewalks. Only the waitresses look stressed,
losing their laid back attitude in the face of multiple orders and confused customers.

We've been here a week now. Papeete is starting to feel familiar. We recognize and exchange greetings with waiters at our favorite restaurant and I've gotten to know the Chinese lady who sells the freshest
greens and vegetables at the market. She shared with me a recipe for spicy Polynesian chicken. "Spicy Polynesian" is an oxymoron here where the food is either deep fried and heavily sauced or raw fish and
salads (poisson cru, tuna Carpaccio, tuna tartare). It is difficult to find fresh chilies but she had a bag of bright, red habenero chilies that I snatched up, much to her surprise. She then pushed a bunch of large,
fuzzy leafed spinach into my hands and told me to go to the coconut stand for fresh coconut milk. The chicken is marinated in lime juice, soy and fish sauce before being sautéed. Scallions, chilies and the
spinach are added to the chicken before being finished with fresh coconut milk and cornstarch. It was delicious and very spicy.

Of course, we've been hiking. One day we went up to the Fautuau Valley just outside Papeete. We had to get an access permit from the Town Hall first ($12), then we took a taxi to the trail head ($25) and
back ($30). We had hiked up to the top of the waterfall last time we were in Papeete. This time we hiked to the base of the waterfall. It was quite challenging, clambering over great volcanic boulders and
fording the river several times. The trail was not well marked and there were few helpful fixed ropes along the precipitous canyon walls. Perhaps that's why you need a permit, so they know where to go
looking when someone reports you missing. They aren't spending the money on trail maintenance. It's a good thing we're paying almost nothing for housing because Polynesia is very expensive. It sure is
fun, though.
Comments
Rapture's Photos - Main
166 Photos
Created 16 March 2024
75 Photos
Created 26 January 2024
51 Photos
Created 6 December 2023
17 Photos
Created 17 August 2023
57 Photos
Created 20 July 2023
41 Photos
Created 24 May 2023
34 Photos
Created 2 May 2023
76 Photos
Created 6 April 2023
119 Photos
Created 26 February 2023
39 Photos
Created 28 January 2023
Nov 2022 to Jan 2023
20 Photos
Created 14 January 2023
68 Photos
Created 15 October 2022
81 Photos
Created 7 September 2022
146 Photos
Created 13 June 2022
21 Photos
Created 31 May 2022
16 Photos
Created 17 April 2022
21 Photos
Created 7 April 2022
74 Photos
Created 22 March 2022
32 Photos
Created 24 January 2022
61 Photos
Created 5 January 2022
80 Photos
Created 31 December 2021
26 Photos
Created 6 December 2021
89 Photos
Created 11 November 2021
7 Photos
Created 15 July 2021
187 Photos
Created 26 March 2021
80 Photos
Created 25 February 2021
8 Photos
Created 27 January 2021
8 Photos
Created 13 January 2021
66 Photos
Created 18 December 2020
39 Photos
Created 30 October 2020
29 Photos
Created 12 October 2020
15 Photos
Created 11 October 2020
54 Photos
Created 23 September 2020
18 Photos
Created 10 September 2020
56 Photos
Created 11 August 2020
40 Photos
Created 11 July 2020
11 Photos
Created 14 June 2020
6 Photos
Created 8 June 2020
21 Photos
Created 23 May 2020
12 Photos
Created 8 March 2020
33 Photos
Created 8 March 2020
57 Photos
Created 22 February 2020
58 Photos
Created 21 January 2020
19 Photos
Created 21 January 2020
34 Photos
Created 30 December 2019
Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora
83 Photos
Created 9 June 2019
14 Photos
Created 23 May 2019
15 Photos
Created 15 April 2019
7 Photos
Created 15 April 2019
2 Photos
Created 24 November 2018
50 Photos | 2 Sub-Albums
Created 30 May 2018
9 Photos
Created 8 August 2017
Photos of the boat, people and places in the Bay.
3 Photos
Created 24 June 2017
Memorial Weekend 2017 Greg, Susan, Mike and Toni Spicer, Nick Spycher
11 Photos
Created 23 June 2017
29 Photos
Created 21 May 2016
July 25 to August 15 San Franciso, Half Moon Bay, Monterey, Morro Bay, Cojo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Barbara Island, Catalina.
15 Photos
Created 23 August 2015
The Food Saver vacuum sealer is a really useful device. The aluminum packs contain a 2 person serving. They just need to be defrosted and thrown in the oven - no prep work required. We could bake all 3 at once, or the crew that is sleeping can bake theirs when they wake up.
6 Photos
Created 24 June 2014
Memorial day cruise from San Fran down to Monterey, but we turned West at Santa Cruz for about 50 miles before tacking North for a direct beam reach back to San Fran.
12 Photos
Created 18 June 2014
The second overnight cruise. San Fran North West to Pt. Reyes, then south cutting east to Pillar Point and back to San Fran.
21 Photos
Created 18 June 2014
2 Photos
Created 6 May 2014

About & Links

Photo Albums
16 March 2024
166 Photos
26 January 2024
75 Photos