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 [...]

We did it!

20 May 2020 | Opunohu Bay, Moorea
Susan Wells
Fishermen at dusk in Opunohu Bay

We escaped the mooring ball and Marina Taina. We are now anchored in the beautiful Opunohu Bay in Moorea. Our cruising life resumes.



Actually, it wasn't us that did it! It was the Polynesian people and their leadership who made it possible for French Polynesia to contain the spread and eradicate the virus. There have been plenty of complaints and the economy here has taken a beating. But today, May 20, the islands have gone two weeks without any new cases and the deconfinement has been declared. We are free to continue our voyage, in fact, encouraged to move out. Happy to oblige, we left.

This time when we slipped our mooring, we weren't planning on returning. Our plan was to circumnavigate the island of Tahiti over the next week stopping in at remote anchorages. The weather forecast was for wind building over the weekend and we wanted to be tucked in safe behind the reef before it came. For the first time, we decided to hoist the dinghy and strap it on the foredeck sparing us the task of breaking it down and reinflating it when we got there.

As we motored through the pass it was apparent that the wind and waves were already getting up. After about an hour of bashing into the wind making barely 3 knots with short steep waves slewing the dinghy in her straps we realized that we wouldn't get in to our first anchorage until after dark. You don't go through unfamiliar passes in the dark! No worries, we didn't have a schedule. We turned 180 degrees and headed for Moorea instead. What a relief! Apparent wind went from 26 knots to 15. We were running with the waves, not against them. What's more, our speed went from 3 knots to eight knots, with the engine off and only the main flying. We gave Otto a break from the flukey winds and unsettled seas and hand steered the whole way. It's a thrill to feel the boat with your feet and hands as you counter the kick of the wheel when a wave shoves the rudder and you guide her firmly back on course. This is what sailing is all about. By 15:00 hours we were safely anchored in the shelter of Opunohu Bay with the kettle on for tea.

Check out the photo gallery Rapa Nui-Tahiti-Moorea for some photos taken during and around the lockdown.

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

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