After a great week in Maupiti, we hope to sail to Bora Bora tomorrow. It's only 24 miles or so. The key here is getting out of the pass when the swells and surf allow it. We are presently having a frontal passage so the wind is clocking around and tomorrow the swells are supposed to be around 1.5 meters, about the max you want here for entry or exit.

We won't have much wind for the sail which will probably take us around 4 1/2 to 5 hours. It is the first leg our our journey back to the east against the prevailing trade winds and currents. Then Raiatea, Huahini and finally back to Tahiti for cyclone season in a couple of months.

It seems the El Nino has certainly settled into the Pacific this year. The weather was last year was outstanding 95% of the time. This year maybe 50% with lots of squalls and unsettled, confused weather.

We enjoyed getting to snorkel with the huge manta rays here in Maupititi. We rented bikes and rode around the entire island...which took about 3 hours with Kim and Gail stopping at every artisan or shop they passed. It was good to spend some time with Tony and Gail on Cetacea. They just seem to be so happy getting out of their marina prison of the last year. They plan to follow us to Bora the day after tomorrow.

All is well onboard North Star. We have found no internet on this island although others reported it to be good here. Probably just a temporary thing. We will be going from a desolate, mostly undeveloped island to a very well known island of the stars with all it's excesses tomorrow. So it is with the changing of the islands here in the South Pacific.

Tomorrow.... real internet for the first time in over a week... Till then....