Huahine ticked, next two islands Raiatea and Tahaa are both behind the same reef. We start at the south east end and work our way north and around Tahaa. Our first trip ashore was to visit the most important Polynesian traditional temple area Marea Taputapuatea, this is where all their long sea voyage started. Voyages that started into the unknown with no GPS, no charts and no sextant, they steered by stars, wind and wave patterns. Brave sailors. [Read more →]

You know the rule that says when you are exasperated waiting for a bus, then three will come together.  Seems ships work to the same rule.  We are expecting our third any moment now!  We have gone for 4 days with nothing.  Today the Atlantic Crown on its way to Panama altered course to give us a mile of sea room and the Antonia Schulte on route to Auckland passed some 10 miles ahead.

We reached the halfway point at 11:00.  Excellent sailing for the last 24 hours in 15 to 20 knots of wind.

Be sure to read tomorrow’s “at sea”, we will announce the next competition there.

-15.481,-162.458
Position: 15°28’S 162°27’W [-15.481,-162.458] at local 16:00, GMT 02:00 September 15th
24hr run: 162.1 miles by GPS, 153.6 miles through water.
551 miles to Apia, Samoa. ETA at 6 knots: 12:00 18th September local time
Wind: ESE 18 knots Sea: ESE swell 1.5m
Sky:  100% cloud cover

Over night we had 25 knots which was bringing the occasional splash over into the cockpit so no dozing up on deck!

Wind has dropped now to 18 knots and its excellent trade wind sailing.

I have just finished Berth Leonards’s Blue Horizons which paints vivid pictures of what its like to cruise the higher latitudes – Scotland, Iceland, Chile, the South Island of New Zealand and Alaska.  Food for thought!  Will it ever get past the thought stage? Probably not!

Just about to start Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Hopefully we will get to see his house on Samoa.

Position: 15°35’S 159°39’W [-15.592,-159.653] at local 16:00, GMT 02:00 September 14th
24hr run:  172 miles by GPS,  166 miles through water.
713 miles to Apia, Samoa. ETA at 6 knots: 14:50 18th September local  time
Wind: ESE 18 knots Sea: ESE swell 1.8m
Sky:  60% cloud cover

From Moorea it was an overnight passage to Huahine, we anchor on the east side inside the reef. Huahine is a lovely place people are very friendly, giving us lots of bananas, coconuts, papaya and even lending us their dogs for our walks. [Read more →]

Quiet night with a couple of gybes as the wind chased us around.  Great hot sunny morning with 15 knots breeze – more of this please.  Now back in a convergence zone/front with 25 knots and some rain but making good speed and no need for engine.  Should make the 1/4 way mark at 17:00 local time.

Position: 15°58’S 156°42’W [ -15.969,-156.702] at local 16:00, GMT 02:00 September 13th
24hr run:  130 miles by GPS, 140 miles through water.
885 miles to Apia, Samoa. ETA at 6 knots:  19:36 18th September local  time
Wind: SE 23 knots Sea: SE swell 2.0m
Sky:  95% cloud cover recent rain

We are 20 miles north of Manuae (sometimes called Scilly).  This is the last of the French Polynesian islands.  Next island on our direct course is Rose Island at -14.542,-168.15 which is part of American Samoa.

Last night was excellent sailing in force 4 NE winds.  At 08:00 today we came into the front that changed the wind from NE to SE.  We motored for 3 hours until the wind was constant and now have had 25-30 knot winds from the SE for 5 hours.  Short spell of 30-35. Lots of rain.  Forecast has this settling down to 15-20 knot trade winds which would be excellent.

Position:16°11’S 154°27’W [-16.181,-154.450] at local 16:00, GMT 02:00 September 12th
24hr run:  138 miles by GPS,  138 miles through water.
1015 miles to Apia, Samoa. ETA at 6 knots:  17:27 18th September local  time
Wind: SE  25-30 knots Sea: SE swell 2.5m
Sky:  100% cloud cover heavy long showers

A quick hop and we were at Moorea, as the guide book says, with mountains leaping almost vertically out of the clear lagoon, lush vegetation, restaurants dripping with fresh fish etc etc this is the island paradise. It certainly is very beautiful, and a wonderful place to have Kirsty’s birthday BBQ in the company of other cruisers.
[Read more →]

Looking forward to a new culture.  Enjoyed the French influence but ready for something new.  Weather forecast is good.  A couple of days with lighter winds as a low passes to the south and then we should be able to get to Apia [-13.5,-172] before then next low.  The high below we will have for most of the time will accelerates the trades but the forecast is just for 15 to 20 knots which would be perfect.

Met up with Mudskipper in Bora Bora.  They came on board as line handlers for the Panama canal.  Last saw them as we left Balboa yacht club in Panama on 13th May.  Great to meet good friends.

Another boat left at the same time as us have turned back as their autopilot has failed.  Our wind generator failed in Bora Bora.  A friends trimaran caught a coral head and is awaiting materials to effect a repair.  The time from good repair centres is beginning to tell on many boats.  Everybody has a healthy to do in New Zealand list!

Position: [-16.404,-152.194] 16°24′ 152°11’at 16:00 local, GMT 02:00 Fri 11th September
1146 miles to Apia, Samoa. ETA at 6 knots: 15:16 local 18th September
Wind: North 10 knots Sea: 1m ESE swell
Sky:  80% cloud cover

We have finished putting lots more photos and stories from the Society Islands on this site and so are now free to leave. You can access the photos now but the story will come out in a series at two day intervals. We expect it to take about 10 days to get to Samoa. We could stop at Suwarrow in the Cook Islands [-13.25,-163.107]

Tahiti iti, the small south east part of Tahiti, has quiet deserted anchorages. The passes through the reef into the lagoons are straight forward as the French authorities have spent a lot of money putting lit buoys to mark the channels. Our first anchorage was in Cooks Bay which we had to ourselves. The little village had a shop and a petrol station close to the waters edge. We saw more people coming in dinghies to fill up than cars! [Read more →]