Voyages

These are the voyages of the sailing vessel, Wings.

31 August 2024 | Faa'a International Airport, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
29 August 2024 | Pension Tiare Nui
25 August 2024 | Pension Tiare Nui
22 August 2024 | Pension Tiare Nui
12 August 2024 | Anchorage
28 June 2024 | Anchorage, AK
19 September 2023 | Pension Tiare Nui
15 September 2023 | Pension Tiare Nui
13 September 2023 | Pension Tiare Nui
11 September 2023 | Pension Tiare Nui
07 September 2023 | Apooiti Bay
03 September 2023 | Tapuamu, Taha'a
02 September 2023 | Tapuamu, Taha'a
31 August 2023 | Haamene Bay, Taha'a
29 August 2023 | Relais Mehana Hotel, Huahine
26 August 2023 | Fare, Huahine
19 August 2023 | Aloe Cafe, Viatape
13 August 2023 | Aloe Cafe, Viatape
11 August 2023 | Apooiti Bay mooring field

Airport sitting...

31 August 2024 | Faa'a International Airport, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
William Ennis | Hot, muggy
Blog 31 August 2024

Airport sitting...
I departed Raiatea on time and with no particular issues. I had to drive back to the boat and ensure that the messenger lines that we use to replace our expensive mast halyards had survived the mast removal and replacement. It's an example of the total trust that I have in Conni's competence. Dealing with halyards is a "Conni job". I don't know how she does it and don't ever check that it's done correctly: it's Conni! They were fine but I ran some more tape on them anyway. I suppose that we'd have had to remove the mast again if they had been gone, so it was "mission critical" as they say.

I had (note verb tense) a flight last night from Papeete (Faa'a International Airport to LAX), but Air Tahiti Nui cancelled it: unscheduled maintenance, they said. I can hardly argue with that: Better on the ground than in the air someplace over the South Pacific! Still, they offered no help for any of the 200+ stranded customers. I texted Conni and she found a place nearby that was absolutely delightful. Great room, wonderful host, and reasonably priced. We were both concerned that I'd have another night on the damned airport floor. Been there, done that.

The short drive there was still US$20 each way, but cheaper than a taxi. We had a hotel for a layover here once and paid US$75 for a 3-minute ride! Ingrid, my host, brought me a Hinano beer, and a sliced papaya out of her yard as a greeting. How nice is that?

I was on the phone for several hours, trying to get a flight back to LAX, and from there back to Anchorage. I finally got an Air Tahiti Nui person who got me a flight tonight to LAX and a non-stop from there, to Anchorage. I've got to negotiate with Tahiti Nui about the room and transport costs, but it won't break us. For some reason, ATN couldn't provide a seat, but after a nice conversation with an Alaska Airlines peron, I've got something livable for that 5-hour flight.

Perhaps Air Tahiti Nui does things that way here, but I found them totally clueless about customer service. In my experience, they should have had a person here, ensuring passengers that they'd have a flight as soon as possible and that they'd help with missed connecting flights. Nope. Counters closed, and there were no staffers in sight.

I arrived at the airport here at 10AM and will depart tonight at 8:30, arrive in LAX at 7:10AM, the fly out at 9:30PM or something. Damn! If I can stow the gear someplace, I'll go to a museum or something. Long waits at airports are getting stale.

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Vessel Name: Wings
Vessel Make/Model: Passport 40
Hailing Port: Anchorage, Alaska
Crew: William Ennis and Constance Livsey
About: We've been married since 1991, and both retired from our respective jobs (teacher and attorney) after long careers. We live in the most exotic of the United States: Alaska. We cruise on Wings for half the year, enjoying our home state the other part of the year.
Extra:
We've sailed Wings Southward from Alaska since August, 2010. We joined the BajaHaha from SoCal to Mexico in 2012. We joined the Pacific Puddle Jump in 2013 and crossed the Pacific Ocean. Wings "over-summered" in French Polynesia. We continued our journey through western French Polynesia, [...]
Home Page: http://svwings.com
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