Season's End
07 September 2023 | Apooiti Bay
William Ennis | Hot and rainy
Our last night aboard is spent in Apooiti, as fortune would have it: Apooiti bookends, as it were. It's a pleasant way to start and end.
Sunday, we sent an email to the Carenage, asking about getting the mast pulled, but heard nothing. We motored there yesterday, Wednesday, and no one had read the email, although they did confirm our pull on Friday. They said that they'd confirm via email. We didn't hear from them, so called and what did they ask? ""Do you want your mast pulled tomorrow?" Preparing for pulling a mast is not something one does in a few hours, something that they should have known. Hmmmmm...
It's been hot and humid today, very hot and humid. We did chores, read, and discussed our mast problem most of the day, and motored in for our second hot, standing showers. They were just as wonderful as our first! Earlier, we motored into the marina and delivered some parts that we want our sailmaker to repair or fabricate. We have a few other pieces, but they're still in use. Madame Regine Faux is a delightful person and she does superb work. Since her shop is in a major charter marina, she has a lot of work and a lot of visibility; she stays busy. Her daughter has begun working with her, so perhaps Madame Faux will retire and we'll work with her daughter. We haven't asked. Afterward, we strolled to Magazin Julien, the little store close by the marina. They don't have a lot and the owner, Julien we suppose, is a crusty old Asian guy. He never wear a shirt and sits at his counter most of the day. He does have baguettes, though, the reason for our journey. What's better than fresh baguette?
We sat outside in the cockpit for dinner, listening to the sounds of the island and smelling the odor of Raiatea. It smells like...what? I was in Kew Gardens outside London a few years ago and it smells like that. It smells like an old greenhouse. There's the smell of rich dirt, mildew, green plants, and perhaps a flower scent hidden in there. That's how it smells. We noted that we could smell the island from many miles at sea when we first approached French Poynesia many years ago. We were so surprised at that. Sitting here in the still air brought back all of those smells.
We're scheduled for the pull at 1000 tomorrow, so tomorrow we'll be in our little bungalow with Wifi, hot showers, and AC. How truly odd to be living on land again.