Rapturous!

Midday snorkeling outfit

On April 29 the lockdown ended and some restrictions were lifted.Many businesses are open; we can travel on land freely and we are now able to indulge in watersports whenever we want. Although ferry service between Tahiti and Moorea has resumed, cruisers are still not allowed to sail between islands but we can exit the pass and sail within 2 nautical miles of the island where we are bases. We can also explore other anchorages on Tahiti so we are excitedly making PLANS! It's wonderful to make plans again, even if it just to spend a week or ten days motorimg (hopefully sailing) the 90 miles around Tahiti stopping in at remote, unfrequented lagoons behind the reef. They've just announced that, except in Tahiti and Moorea where all cases of Covid occurred, it is now permitted to sail between islands within an archipelago but not between archipelagos. If there are no further cases, by May 21 the next step will be lifting the ban on sailing to Moorea and by June we might still make it to the Tuamotos.

Long-term, we're still holding out for New Zealand who seem to have control over the spread of the virus. They went to a Level Two lockdown this week. They decided not to cancel the America's Cup competition next year so enormous million dollar yachts with their crews will be arriving there soon . Australia and New Zealand have agreed on a Trans-Tasmin Bubble allowing traffic between the two nations. There is talk of expanding this bubble to other South Pacific nations who have low or no cases of COVID-19. If they do that then we're hopeful that Tonga will not want to miss out on the passing, risk-free tourists, cruisers who have already been in quarantine and who can self isolate on their boats. It won't happen soon but there's progress in that direction. This may all be just rumor and wishful thinking. The best sailing window is in October so we have some time to see how things develop.

Meanwhile, what a change the end of lockdown has wrought! We are moored on the side of the main channel and it felt like a quiet bay during the lockdown. Now, speedboats, dive boats, fishing boats and jet skis roar past us starting a little after dawn and continuing long after sunset. The islands are still closed to tourists so it's just the locals enjoying their ocean. Of course, the current runs parallel to the channel so we are often broadside to the wake waves that threaten to tip anything in the cabin that is not secured. We're maintaining our sea legs at least.

The locals are not happy with the cruising boats. First of all, there are many more of us in the anchorage than usual since all arriving boats were ordered to assemble in Tahiti. We were also not permitted to move for almost 8 weeks so you can imagine that holding tanks became a moot point. In many areas the tidal surge is not sufficient to flush the lagoon. As well, unlike cruise ships and resorts, cruisers tend to spend money in small quantities except in boatyards and chandleries. It's difficult for locals outside the industry to quantify the contribution to the economy that cruisers make. From the locals' point of view, cruisers are all take and no benefit.

We've gone out of the lagoon twice now to empty the holding tank, make water and remind Rapture that she's actually a sail boat. We shook out the sails and we were relieved not to find nests of wasps or musty, mouldy lines. We even hauled out the Parasailor and raised the sock (there was no wind much to Greg's disappointment). It was great to be out on the ocean again.