SailBlog

By the end of the delays, we were delighted to escape from the perfumed prison of Papeete and be again out on the blue. The ocean was flat, light-winded, and friendly as Geoff and I sailed toward Moorea, which had developed a Bali Hai theme for us, as it loomed, steep, shadowy and primeval across the strait from Tahiti. (We had planned to visit several times, and had set out for it once, but never got there.) Close up, it looked gorgeous, with its steep rock spires and turquoise lagoon. We rounded it in light winds but with the boat moving smoothly through the still water. It was a perfect introduction to blue water sailing for Geoff.
But, as always on the ocean, things changed. In the evening, the wind increased to 30 knots and the seas swelled. By the middle of the night, it was a full gale. Though seasick, Geoff insisted on keeping as much as he could of his watches as we labored through big seas for much of the next three days. The wind and swell came out of difficult, and different, directions. Instead of the usual southeast trades that would have taken us smoothly to our destination of Aitutaki, the wind turned until it came from close to the bow. In combinationwith the large rolling seas, this made our easiest route further south. When the wind changed again, it came from directly astern, a difficult, rolling angle for a shorthanded crew. So we changed our plan, deciding to head for Rarotonga, a hundred miles south of Aiutaki. This both made the voyage a lot easier, and worked well for the new crew, Marc and Ben, who could meet us in Rarotonga and save the flight north to Aitutaki.
So, five days after leaving Tahiti, we sailed into Rarotonga's tiny harbor. By then, Geoff was past his seasickness, and almost reluctant to leave the boat. He became the latest of the "one and done, but glad I did it" group, but was definitely up there for most entertaining crew, with his huge number of stories (only one repeated in five days), and our deconstructions of the many Wellington and Bay Area friends we share. In the frustrating days before we let Tahiti, he also displayed a Kiwi gift for fixing anything and everything on the boat.
The harbourmaster in Rarotongs insisted we moor the boat Mediterranean rtyle, something I'd never done. Fortunately, Marc and Ben turned up to help us, but we still needed the shouted advice of the crusty old Aussie in the next boat to complete it successfully. (He made me feel better by telling me later that it taken him years as a charter captain in the Med to perfect the technique.)
It turned out to be a great week to be in Rarotonga, as it was the big annual independence holiday. Of all the celebrations, we most enjoyed the evening feast and dance performance by troupes from the various islands. The men's dance is much like Maori haka, the women's like hula.
It is amazingly New Zealandish here: the foods of my youth, the accents, the way people interact with one another. We got to meet Geoff's cousin and some other intersting expats, including a whale researcher, and a guy who helped build the voyaging canoe that was that day reaching Bolinas. The island is gorgeous, steep and fertile, and the people charming and relaxed.
It's been a good stay, but we are again ready to leave, north for Aitutaki, then Tonga. We were planing to leave today but the weather turned stormy, so we delayed a day. First Aitutaki, then an 800 mile transit to Tonga. What a wonderful prospect.