Stormy Paradise
04 June 2020 | Mangareva, Gambier Islands
Rolfo
Its not all about pink sunsets with a pina calada our sailing life. Yesterday and nasty wind blew thru this anchorage toping 41 knots. That's a white out. If ever another yacht drifts into you, you couldn't see
much and couldn't do much either. You just hope all sailors are as careful as they can be and that there are not too many green horns around you. Our holding is excellent, but you never know, shit happens:
the shackle, holding the anchor to the chain can fail with these big loads or you just pull out your favorite anchor. If this would happen, we have 10 meters and we are on the rocks. At night...kaboom and our
rudders would touch first and it could be tricky to get away, because the propellers are also on the rocks or very close.
Good to know that this thick heavy mud that our anchor dug in, held ok thru 1 hour of 35 to 41 knots ....yuaack
2 other yachts were not so lucky in the Fakarava, Tuamotus. They went onto the rocks. I don't know if they are lost or hurt. They had a forecast of North West wind, so the boats motored up to the North end
of the atoll to be protected. But it came strong from the South West. Then you have 15 miles of peaceful lagoon water that turns into a heavy sea with 2 meter waves and the reef looking at you, just a few
meters behind your rudder!! Tuamotus are a pain for this. The are often very long and you can easily get a 40 mile fetch and the waves get bigger inside than outside the lagoon, like Hao.
Yesterday friends damaged their hull on a Catana 47 inside Hao harbor. The full moon and high tide filled up the harbor and they could not push down the fenders anymore. Hao can get 5 meters more water
inside the lagoon in a very short time. The harbor becomes a trap.
2 more days of around 20 to 25 knots in Gambier, then it should calm down.
Daniela was just lucky when she was alone in Hao last year. She had strong South East winds but the Oteba harbor did not fill up as much as Darse Sud.
Its not a place to leave your boat alone. Only in the boatyard its 99% safe.
I finally recovered from my fishing ordeal. I tried a few times to fish in Taravai, but didn't get a bite. But when I took the dinghy to get to Herves Sunday BBQ, I got a big Trevalley. I had to stop the dinghy and
this powerful fish pulled me around for a while until I could land him. I was so exited to show this 6 kg fish to everybody and Valerie and Herve where happy for me and said it was ok to eat. In the evening I
went back to Eduards dock and started to clean the fish. He looked at it quickly and said " Ah, its a blue one...forget it. Throw it away! " "Yes, but Herve said it was ok...." Eduard looked at me and grinned. "
You can eat it alright, but its big and i guess you have a 50/50 chance to get Ciguaterra."
I don't need that kind of risk and gave the dead Trevalley to the other small fish waiting to eat their old enemy. I kept a few pieces for bait and was frustrated. There are tons more in this lagoon, but its stupid
to kill a fish for nothing. Only the Yellow, Golden and White Trevalley are safe in Gambier and its better not to eat the big ones.
We peel pumpkin and eat like Kings and Queens. I had French Toast with " Zwaetschgge-Kompot (Compote de Quetsch or prune) .The last glass from Aruba. The goodies from Panama, Martinique and ABC
islands are slowly fading away. No fishing offshore when its stormy in Gambier. Its mostly veggies now...Tonight its Uru schnitzel (breadfruit) we love it.
All yachts stay put and wait for better weather and the 3 that left earlier this week for Hao got a bad beating on arrival. Glad nobody got hurt, but many friends had no sleep for two days and its not over yet. I
guess we are lucky to pick a safe spot. Or Daniela is lucky. For 3 years now, i let her alone decide when its time to sail. She does it way better than me.