Footnotes from Water Music

Having spent a week in Cooks Bay in Moorea, it was clearly time for Grace & Stephen to move on. The forecast was increasingly clear that the weather was deteriorating, would get even worse and would stay unsettled for the following week. Cooks Bay was uncomfortable in any event in moderate winds and so we didnt want to stay there if it was to get much worse. With the next reef being 90Nm away, it would mean another overnight passage and so the depleted crew set off that afternoon at 1700 - which leaves about 45 minutes of daylight before darkness is everywhere. There is no dusk.

On leaving Moorea, we started with 30+knots of wind and so set minimal sail to ensure that we would not arrive at the next reef before dawn. Within 20 minutes the wind had disappeared completely and we were wallowing. We were just about to put the mainsail up, when the true wind came in. & then it came in a bit more. then it came in more. By 1830 we had a constant 30 knots of apparent wind and gusts up to 35 knots (apparent) - which meant we were 40 knots true and so we were out in a full gale. Visibility was not great, but at least we were going downwind and there were other yachts around. However, not ideal.

After a sleepless night we arrived in Huahine at 0700 and cast around this beautiful island for a good place to stop for some time. We are currently moored up in a very protected bay, with the reef a mile from us and beautiful coconuts palms all around. The mooring looks pretty solid - but we know we would have had some difficulties picking it up without some assistance from fellow puddle jumpers. Tomorrow we will explore the various villages and plan to stay here for a week or so.