Rover

Quick stop in the Cook Islands

10 July 2023 | Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Eric
The last day of the passage from Raiatea passed pretty quickly. Wind
died down while seas persisted, so we tried wing on wing with full genoa
poled out. It worked well for a while, then as the wind died we turned
on the motor and reduced the main, still getting some drive from the
jib. In the morning we could see a faint outline of Rarotonga. We
arrived at the harbor around two, and were asked to circle outside until
customs, immigration and biosecurity were informed of our arrival. The
officials were prompt and friendly, and we were allowed to go ashore
around four.

The harbor is rolly and exposed, and the customs dock is a concrete
quay. Tides are 3’ here, so there’s a distinct possibility of the deck
or other parts of the boat being damaged by riding under the edge of the
quay. Luckily a neighbor on the dock gave us a couple of old truck tires
we could strategically position with halyards and lashings to hold the
boat off the dock. There is exactly one space available to med moor, but
the harbor is uncomfortable enough, and med mooring in this spot looks
challenging, so we resolved to leave as soon as possible.

We had a few chores to do before heading back out for the next passage.
The big task was to exchange the spare full propane tank we carry for
the empty one. There were no hot meals on the last passage since the gas
ran out the first day out of Raiatea. The first tank was full when we
left San Diego, so it lasted more than three months. Changing tanks
involves hanging over the stern with some wrenches trying not to drop
hardware overboard. Since most of the crew were seasick and surviving on
saltines anyway, I decided to wait for landfall to exchange the tanks.
The return of crew appetites and the ability to resume cooking were only
offset by a couple days, and cold canned chili filled the gap.

We also replenished provisions and topped off the diesel tanks. Dinner
and showers ashore were a nice bonus and improved crew morale. We hope
to depart tomorrow, 7/11.

--
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Comments
Vessel Name: Rover
Vessel Make/Model: Valiant 42
Hailing Port: Seattle. WA
Crew: Eric and Linda
About:
We're making a big change to a cruising lifestyle. Eric retired in 2012 after 32 years in R&D (mostly) at HP. Previous passions included flying and bicycling. Linda will retire in 2013 from Oregon State University. She's been active in Zonta, was a Scoutmaster, and is a champion baker. [...]
Extra: Linda was barrel master and Eric participated in the Jackson Street Vintners; a group of friends that made wine from 2000 to 2013
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