Passage to Huahine
17 June 2023 | 16 degrees 43 minutes South; 151 degrees 2 minutes West
Eric
Post time is 1530, 6/17/23
The passage to Huahine was a nice introduction to passage making on
Rover for the new crew members. We used a very conservative sail plan on
the way out of Moorea, staysâl and main with 2 reefs, no jib. We had
about 15 knots of breeze, so we made about 4 and a half knots. It was
plenty fast since the passage was too far to be done in 12 hours and we
planned to sail overnight for a morning arrival. Too fast and weâd
arrive before dawn. Seas were still stirred up from the previous few
days of strong winds, so we had about 4-foot seas, but from a
comfortable direction.
The crew learned some of the ropes as we set the sails and prepared for
night. Mark and Diane had the âHollywood watchâ 1800 to 2200 and 0200 to
0600. Itâs called the âHollywood watchâ because it includes sunset and
sunrise, great times for cinematography on the high seas. I took the
midnight watch, solo, and was on call for the other two watches. Ginger
(the windvane) steered the boat.
There was quite a bit of traffic; commercial, yachts and even a French
warship. The new crew got used to the chart-plotter, AIS and identifying
vessels at night. The wind decreased after midnight, so Ginger was
relieved, the engine and autopilot (Maryanne) were turned on and we
motor-sailed the rest of the way.
I took over again at 6 am, the sun came up soon after and Huahine
appeared in the dawn light. Itâs always a thrill to make landfall at
dawn. We were at the entrance to the pass through the reef by 11 am and
went inside. We looked for a mooring ball or anchorage near the main
village of Fare, but had to be content with anchoring a short distance
away, on the inside of the reef.
After putting the boat back in âharbor modeâ, we had a large late
breakfast, and rested the day away before heading in to the âHuahine
Yacht Clubâ in Fare for dinner. Itâs a grandiose name for a restaurant
and bar with a dinghy dock attached. A short after dinner stroll
featured an interisland freighter (the Taporo 9) unloading.
Today included some snorkeling within sight of Rover. On the agenda is
dinner and some grocery shopping in town. We can see Raiatea and Tahaa,
our next destination from the anchorage, Raiatea, about 20 miles away.
Light winds are projected for tomorrow, so itâs likely to be a motorboat
ride.
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