Baringo's Blog

We were delayed leaving by strong winds over Wallis and storms over Fiji to greet us ! So we used the time and went on a tour of the old fort used by the Tongan rulers of Wallis arranged by the Wallis cultural  centre. It was  just for us  so proved  very pleasant and interesting .It reminded us a little of the marae in other parts of Polynesia and was made of volcanic stones and  covered a large area . We also went again to Lalolalo lake  such a lovely place and completely unspoiled . Our guide told us that after the war the Americans had pushed all their armaments and tanks into  the lake but some enterprising divers had scaled the vertical lake walls to search but only found guns .The tanks had been pushed into the western part of the lagoon .

Fort de Kolonui

Fort de Kolonui-central meeting place

The 28^th and 29^th July was a festival in Wallis celebrating their change of status from a French Protectorate to a French overseas territory which took place in 1961 .This involved a big party with lots of music  dancing in front of the King .We enjoyed watching it and seeing all the decorated buildings .

stage decorated with leaves for show.

dancers in front of king

We decided to try and leave on Friday 29^th July but only go to Futuna about 150nm away and within the same territory but as Friday dawned the rain was heavy and visibility very poor and as we waited for it to clear the time to get through Honikulu pass came and went so we had to abandon departure  plans . We were advised then by Emmanuel our meteo  expert that Tuesday was the best day to go for a good journey and fine weather on arrival . By now we had the dinghy packed away which is quite a task as the new model is much larger with aluminium floor boards so has to be stowed below.  Having got this done we were reluctant to get it afloat again so we spent the next three days at anchor and said goodbye to the other two yachts anchored with us in the bay  .They were both going east so needed different weather . A squall hit us quite suddenly on the night they left , bringing  40 kts of wind with heavy rain but not for too long luckily . We hoped our departed neighbours had missed it .Then finally we had one calm day so we were able to swim at last .The only windless day  throughout all our time in Wallis and now it was time to go !

finally a calm night in Gahi bay

goodbye to Gahi

Wallis to Fiji  02.08.2016 – 05.08.2016

It was not a very early start as our exit time was decided by the tide in the Honikulu Pass which today was at a civilised 11.15 and we went through easily with only a 2kt push from the ebbing tide. Outside the sea was as flat as we had seen it outside a lagoon since we started this year and the wind a pleasant 15kts from the SE; we were reaching our way to Fiji. By 3.00am the next morning we had the usual 2 reefs in the main and jenny and were back to the heavy swell and the ceaseless rolling! We were sailing quite up wind so in addition we had more waves than usual over the cockpit but no rain despite a few black clouds. By the next night we decided on 2 hour watches as conditions were still hard and by this time we were heading straight for one of the many eastern islands of Fiji rather quickly. Emmanuel had forecast a change of wind direction in our favour and miraculously on cue the change arrived at about midnight and we were able to make course for the Nanuki passage through to the Koro Sea without altering the sails. It was a great relief. Once in the passage in the lee of some of the islands the sea calmed and we had a very pleasant day sailing across the Koro Sea  towards Savusavu bay . This took until dawn the next day, a perfect arrival time and we were greeted by a Copra Shed marina hand in his dinghy who tied us up to a mooring buoy at 07.30 Friday 5^th August . This was truly a memorably smooth arrival at the marina in Nakama Creek ,Savusavu .

Dawn arrival savusavu bay Fiji

The dilemma leaving Samoa was not leaving on a Friday and not wasting a day but we did not manage to solve this one so wasted a day waiting in the harbour for Friday to pass. We had difficulty extricating Baringo from the marina because of an awkward cross wind and a large steel boat next to us, we had to do this at 5.00am when the wind was calm and then anchored in the harbour for until Saturday 16^th July .We finally left at dawn and sailed north of Upolu and Savai’i slightly longer than going through the Apolima strait but it would be more sheltered and more scenic . We finally found a nice 15kt breeze so we had a pleasant sail in flat water until the eastern end of Savaii when it suddenly stopped ,we certainly had shelter now ! We continued under motor when the overheating alarm spoiled the tranquillity and found the fan belt broken . We were quite close to the shore drifting slowly towards it so there were a few anxious moments when we could not find the spare! Luckily this was short lived and John fitted the new fan belt easily and we were underway again . Once past the lee of Savai’i the usual 25 kts of wind and 2 meters of swell arrived so we sailed on into the sunset. The next day the rolling finally go the better of the oven which fell off its left had support and stopped gimballing. No more cooking now for the rest of the voyage but luckily it was not too many miles to Wallis but it was cold baked beans that night for supper. Our treat was a school of dolphins playing around the boat for a few hours the next morning but we were beginning to feel a little sceptical about the Friday rule!

We arrived at Wallis at 04.50 on Monday 18^th July, rather too early to get through the Honikulu pass at the southern end. We needed low tide to do this safely so we dollied around outside the reef and much to our surprise another yacht appeared also wanting to get through the pass. We talked on the radio and reassuringly we both had the same information so we waited until 11.00, had a look at the pass and seeing flat water in we went. It is quite narrow and there are dramatic waves breaking on the reefs either side so as always it is nice to get through it safely. Once in the lagoon the sea was a beautiful iridescent turquoise blue  and only small waves . The path through the lagoon to the capital Matu Utu on the NE side is well buoyed so we anchored off the deserted port and stayed on board for the rest of the day tidying up the boat and sleeping .

Honikulu pass into Wallis; the breakers either side at the entrance are just visible from this distance but bigger close up!

Wallis lagoon- smooth water!

going ashore with Davies’ rucksac (extremely useful! Thanks Simon and Jo)

busy port of Wallis!

Windy Windy Wallis  18^th July –

1. Yes it really is windy here and Matu Atu takes the full brunt of the SE trades so we only stayed for two nights in order to check in and  do the initial orientation . The first discovery is that everything is very spread out so offices, shops, cafes ( very few ) are far apart and there is no public transport except  school buses . Car hire is impossible because the visiting  French workers who service the island hire them all to do their work. We just managed to book one for the following weekend to drive around Uvea . We then moved to the very  slightly more sheltered anchorage  of Gahi behind a peninsula further south but still on the east side of  Uvea . The wind blew continuously never less than 18 knots but the reefs protected us from the swell although it was certainly not flat as the lagoon is very large so there were  usually a few ‘white horses’ . There is no dinghy landing here and the flat beach and reef  dries significantly with the tide so we found the best solution was to tie the dinghy  to the local pirogue support structure  while we went ashore . Timing was critical to avoid arriving or leaving in low tide so it was always a wet landing  at anything above low tide .

dinghy tied up low tide

Gahi anchorage

We had an interesting two days driving round  Uvea finding many unusual distinctively Wallisean churches and two crater lakes. The challenge was navigating without a single signpost , road sign or village name ! The churches are all huge and there do not seem to be that many people to fill them and some are fairly remote although the island is small and the Walliseans drive around  in Toyata  hiluxes or similar which all look very new so everywhere is actually accessible . Without any public transport it seems everyone has a vehicle. We walked along deserted jungle paths to the shore but unless the tide is high the drying reef precludes swimming . There are no resorts, beach hotels or sea side cafes here , in fact no concessions for visitors at all as there are none apart from a few yachties.  All the houses and gardens all well looked after and the vegetation is certainly lush .

Wallis cathedral

Gahi Church

Hihifo church

Another odd church

Another large Church

Lively interior decoration

Interior detail

yet another massive church

Interesting name for an airport; say Hihi or go Hi and then ..?

Crater lake major

crater lake minor

kite surfing wallis

We returned the car so it is now walking  or hitch hiking to get around  and into  Matu Utu which is about 5 mils away from Gahi . We are waiting for a  chance to get to Fiji but at the moment the weather  does not look very promising .

We let the Alofi mooring lines go at 15.30  Monday 27th June and headed north west to Samoa about 400 nm . So we are off the milk run now ! We started on a nice reach with a 25kt wind from ESE and made good speed towards our  target .The next day conditions became more difficult with an increased swell from the SE and a  stronger wind so the third reef in the main was required . The wind was 30kts gusting higher and the 4m swell rolled Baringo mercilessly . At each violent lurch our major concern was that Poppy the auto helm would give up and the thought of hand helming in these conditions all the way to Samoa filled our hearts with doom . The only upside was we were making good speed and indeed Samoa was sighted at 13.05 on Wednesday 29thJune . We were approaching  the SE corner of Upulo the main although not the largest island .

Approaching Samoa

Apia the port and capital city is on the north coast of Upulo and as dusk was approaching  when were   closing the coast we thought we would anchor in the  purportedly sheltered Fagiola bay  on the NE corner .As we entered the long bay hoping for some shelter from wind and swell they both seemed to follow us in ! Surely this would  improve as we got deeper into the bay so we continued but the next problem was the chart plotter putting us in 1.0 m depth when the depth meter read 50 m ! The charts appeared to be about 0.5 mile out from the reality.

Fagoloa bay from the land looking very benign

In dusk it is impossible to see the reefs so it was back out to sea in the failing light . Neither of us favoured a night entry into Apia  port with its reef strewn entry and uncertainty about the navigation lights so we opted for dollying up and down the leading line until dawn .At first this was rather daunting as the wind was still blowing 25kts and there was no moon and FADs ( fish aggregating devices )  were reported in the vicinity by the admiralty pilot book ! As the night progressed the wind settled and we saw no FADs and got used to the town lights and jibed up and down the line using only the little jib making a suitably slow 2-3kts .
Knowing dawn would come and we could enter the port made the strategy easier and indeed dawn arrived on cue and we easily entered Apia port thinking we might easily have done it in the dark! However we were safe even if a little tired . At 07.30 on Thursday 30th June we anchored near the commercial wharf and waited instructions for the port authority . As Samoa is on the other side of the dateline it was now Friday 1st July and judging by the time our instructions finally arrived from the port  authority  I think the weekend had already started ! We finally motored over to  the marina and tied up around 14.00 . The quarantine and customs visited us and we just got to the immigration office in town before it closed. We were here!

Something about Samoa
We thoroughly enjoyed the flat still waters of the marina after being thrown around during the voyage  and after a good nights sleep cleaned the boat from all the salt that had become encrusted everywhere . The marina is a little tired although the pontoons are in good condition .Indeed the second outer pontoon no longer exists after being blown away by a typhoon a few years ago but the back drop of the lush green mountains was scenic .

pontoon destroyed by previous typhoon

We walked to town about 20 minutes and found a well stocked supermarket “Lucky Foodtown “ and replenished our supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables as these had been scarce in Niue . We certainly appreciated the unlimited power and water of the marina as well as the lack of movement ! On  Sunday morning we went to church primarily to hear the singing which was very harmonious but we paid for it listening to a 45minute evangelical sermon! Everyone was dressed up in their Sunday best with wonderful hats so it was a colourful and cheerful scene.

Samoa cathedral. But we went to smaller protestant church near the marina

off to church

off to church in best clothes!

church choir

We had met “Junior” the self styled  marina tour guide and had a very pleasant island tour with him on Monday .There is lots to see : Villa Vailima where Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last 4 years of his life , a wonderfully  peaceful  Bahai temple , a clear waterfall pool  to swim in , To Sua trench a deep swimming pool in the larva and a delicious  lunch in the Seabreeze resort. The south west end of Upolu has wonderful long stretches of coral sand beaches with several beach fales to stay in. These are slightly flimsy structures with a wooden floor and roof but no walls.

Viallema home of Robert Louis Stevenson

RLS fireplace never used not surprisingly!

RLS tomb with requiem poem on side

typical samoan road-nicely kept

clock tower Apia town

Serene Baha’i temple

View over Somoa very lush countryside

Ocean trench

swimming in waterfall pool

South coast beach

 
We then decided to hire our own car having got the measure of the island with Junior and went around the other but less attractive way around western side of the  island . There is a lagoon in many parts but where there have been volcanic eruptions the larva flow has obliterated the lagoons and run out as far as the reef. The Samoan villages are all immaculately kept and a joy to drive through.
We booked a ferry to Savai’i the larger but less developed island and we left at 08.00 on Thursday  for an overnight stay  .It is a truly unspoilt paradise , so green and empty with many beautiful deserted beaches. The ferry journey was 1.15 hours to Saleologa across the Apolima strait  Our first stop was another delightful waterfall pool  under a 14m waterfall and quite enchanting . Next we saw the Alofa’aga blow holes which were pretty dramatic and very noisy .The power of the water forced through the holes in the larva  was amply demonstrated by  the warden throwing coconuts into the hole to be tossed several possibly about 100 feet into  the air  with the water. All quite exciting  and the coast line of larva looked very hostile. The peace and tranquillity of the island was palpable;  we had everywhere to ourselves and a great picnic overlooking a dramatically colourful wave beaten larva bay . We stayed the night in Stevensons Hotel on the north coast and slept in a beach fale whose sides are open to the sea breeze and the sound of lapping waves , we snorkelled in crystal  clear water  and although there were a few other guests we seemed to have the beach to ourselves . We had to go back to Upulo the next day but wishing we had decided to spend longer in Savai’i it has just the right amount of comfort  but remains unspoilt …for how long?

Ferry to Savaii

rough south coast of Savaii

blowhole with coconut in the air somewhere!

beach fale with sides down

Inside Beach Fale

typical ubiquitous meeting house

beach outside Stevensons “hotel”

picnic site for lunch stop

Julia swimming in waterfall pool Savaii

We kept the car as we wanted to do the walking trail to RLS’s tomb, he is buried on the hill above his beautiful home with his wife who died some year after him. He died prematurely at 44 years in Vailima. The rest of our time in Samoa was spent doing a few boat jobs ,shopping ,swimming and snorkelling at the nearby marine park and preparing for the next sail to Wallis.

Niue is the largest uplifted coral island in the world and it is surrounded by a reef which is steep to so anchoring is impossible. The Niue yacht club has  about 17 buoys to enable yachts to visit  the island. After a few welcome hours sleep we had to get ashore to check in. This was truly the Gibson lifts finest hour as  this can only be done by going along side the high wall of the commercial wharf and attaching a large hook to the dinghy’s lifting apparatus ,scrambling out of the dingy onto slippery steps then lifting the dinghy onto land with the electric crane ! The first morning there was a significant swell so the manoeuvre was tricky to say the least with the large crane hook swinging about threatening a head injury any moment and the dinghy bouncing up and down the wall! Once the dinghy is on the wharf there is a trolley to move the dinghy to the parking place. The hook must be detached and lowered down the wall for the next persons use. We managed the first morning with difficulty but during our stay became quite efficient.  Once again thankyou Malcolm. We had the usual check in procedure but the people are very helpful and friendly and drove us to the office and completed the formalities quite efficiently although this did take most of the morning!

reef around Niue

Niue coastline

Mooring field Alofi

leading lights into Niue

Dinghy crane

The hook!

landing the dinghy

dinghy park and trolley

The Niue yacht Club also housing Niue backpackers lodging has internet and very helpful staff with Commodore  Keith and his team welcoming us with fresh baguettes! After check in we orientated oursleves to the town of Alofi and enjoyed a delicious lunch of fish and chips .The food on board with the rough conditions had been sketchy so chips have never tasted so good. We were of course waiting for the referendum result with baited breath and were so disappointed and shocked to hear the result on New Zealand radio. We had cast our votes from Polynesia using Henry as our proxy but to no avail ….what now ??

We hired a car and drove around the island  and explored some of the seatracks  which are paths cut through the coral to the sea often leading to  beautiful pools protected by the reef which make for wonderful swimming and snorkelling .The water is  crystal clear but sadly not very much living coral but  the chasms cut through are quite striking .The east side of the island has many abandoned houses as so many Niueans have left the island for New Zealand . There is a hospital and a school and a smart resort as well as local cafes and restaurants but these are mainly on the west side of the island. We enjoyed a delicious Japanese meal one evening and an indian roti for lunch.

Limu pools

coral chasm with inland beach

Chasm entry

Inland beach

Vital services available

Sunday is a do nothing day here so we just did the last minute checks listening to  the church bells summoning the faithful .We hope to leave  for Apia , Samoa tomorrow Monday 27^th June .

Sunday 26^th June Niue island

We extricated oursleves from Polynesia  on Monday 13^th June with the minimal of bureacaracy and  no  exchange of money. I think this easy transition  will not persist as we travel westwards . We untied the mooring lines from the Bora Bora yacht club buoy at 15.15 and it was straight  through the Teavanui pass  into  the big ocean . We realised within the first few hours that we had definately become lagoon lizards and we were both quite unaccustomed to the  swell and the rolling  of the ocean ,nothing was still and we were thrown about the boat relentlessly . The wind picked up to force 6 quite quickly and the swell was southerly so going west this did not make for a comfortable ride . The first 24 hours were a struggle coming to terms with ocean sailing again but there was no going back and indeed we did find our sea legs again by the next day.

Bye bye Bora Bora

The wind was the prevailing east to east south east force 4-5 the next day and the swell calmed down and we had some pleasant sailing day and night with the waxing moon lighting our way . It became gradually more difficult to follow our course as the wind became more easterly so we had to jibe. John had rigged new Dashew style preventers on both sides of the boat, from the end of the boom to the foredeck and back to the cockpit . So with this we could change preventers to jibe without going outside the cockpit, a big improvement . In fact there were very few problems on this voyage that could not be helped or solved using the Dashew cruisers bible so thankyou Sam and Gilly for such a practical gift at the start of our circumnavigation.

downhill sailing- wake at 8 knots

J on watch poppy driving

We continued to roll as downwind as we could and decided that with 3 reefs in the main and varying the size of the big jenny we could manage the changing wind strengths quickly and easily only needing to reef the big jenny which can be done very rapidly on the electric winch if needed . The first squall hit on the evening of 15^th June bringing its usual gifts of 30+knots of wind and rain. The squalls continued intermittently the following day dodging them was impossible. By Friday the 17^th we had cleared the squalls and had a pleasant 24 hours as the swell calmed and the wind was a steady SE force 5. Another 24 hours and the squalls were around again and as the wind became easterly and light we motor sailed to keep up our speed and direction .We motored intermittently for the next 48 hours and then the wind changed to westerly,rather a surprise but it was light and we could motor into it to keep our course .

Rainbow rain squall

Finally the wind became SW force 4-5 so we sailed on a close reach towards Nuie having realised we were going to make a night landfall.  As we approached Nuie on the evening of Monday 20^th the wind strengthened and we had to decide whether to go north around the island or south,with a SW wind the latter meant a lee shore . Luckily the Commodore of the Nuie yacht Club was in touch with us on e- mail and advised rounding the southern end so we did. Nuie is only 68metres high and it was extremely difficult to see the island in the dark even with moonlight and we did not see the outline of the land until 4 miles off shore. We rounded the southern tip at about 21.00 with a strong southerly wind and by this time quite a big swell. The main town of Alofi is on the west coast and once round the tip conditions calmed in the lee of the island. We dumped the main and sailed up the west coast towards Alofi. The next hurdle was a night entry to pick up a yacht club mooring buoy  in front of the town. Commodore  Keith was reassuring and there were excellent leading marks to follow but as always in the dark things are never that simple . The main hazard is FADs (fish aggregating devices )  which are large fishing nets attached to the bottom but on very long ropes so they  move. Despite our best efforts we did collide with one of these but our rope cutter on the propeller worked brilliantly and were we free in seconds with great relief all round. So we proceeded along the leading  line towards the wharf then saw the other yachts  in the mooring field to the south.We  picked up a mooring easily as they are marked with fluorescent tape so easily identified with a head torch.Time 01.45 Tuesday 21^st June and the 1100 nm mile voyage was over.

So very easy to do ….always an excuse to stay within the calm and safety of the lagoons , but the work continued.
While waiting for the rigging repairs to be done we practiced managing the new oversized dinghy and the new possibly underpowered 2.5 suzuki 4 stroke but I am glad to say practice makes perfect and with the Gibson lift we are now much more adept at launching and raising it .This has to be done every night as dinghy theft is common and would be a cruising catastrophe. The outboard is quite adequate for our needs which do not include winning the round Raiatea dinghy race.
We decided to venture to the island of Taaha over the weekend, still within the Raiatea lagoon but we hoisted the new main sail on the way and it looked very glossy and clean with a much improved sail shape . We stayed for the weekend in Haamane Bay, Taaha which we knew very well from last year and is very beautiful and tranquil. There is an excellent restaurant with equally excellent internet and two reasonably stocked supermarkets including fresh daily baguettes . We serviced all the winches while there, a very satisfying job and enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Tahaa Matai.

tranquil Haamene bay

We then sailed around the north coast of Taaha to try out the foresails ,although 6 years old now they looked good so we hope they will be up to the passage . On Monday we planned to go to Uturoa the main city on Raiatea to provision and refuel before returning to the boatyard for the rigging repairs . As so often happens plans changed en route because a strong easterly wind was blowing making docking in the small easterly facing port of Uturoa rather tricky. We had been blown onto the dock last year during similar conditions so with discretion being the better part we went directly back to the moorings outside the boat yard and decided to refuel in Bora Bora by dinghy now we had one up to the job ! We took a taxi to the supermarket and came back with more food than we would need but overprovisioning is a good policy I think.
The 1st June was the day for the rigging so we went into the small basin in the yard but Fred the rigger had other ideas and postponed until the next day. Once in the basin which has a difficult entry between two reefs we had to stay. All went well with the rigging repairs the next day although the test will be the ocean winds and waves so we will reserve judgement for the moment.

Rainbow in Raiatea near Carenage

By Saturday 4th June we were ready for the short passage 26nm to Bora Bora which started with light winds, motor sailing and water making . Finally we sailed half the way on the big jenny alone so very pleasant.

Borabora from Taaha

Supply ship en route to Borabora

We returned to the Bora Bora yacht club and were happy to find it unchanged and many staff we knew still there, this is our fourth visit. The weather has been very mixed since we arrived here because of a large system passing to the south which produced westerly and southerly winds here so quite boisterous in the YC bay which is sheltered from the usual prevailing easterlies! We have had several squalls with up to 35 kts but so far the mooring has held us in position.

Borabora yacht club

Borabora yacht club in bad weather- a bit different!

We took advantage of the dry and less windy periods to provision (again ) start our exit procedures , John started rigging the boat with a new style preventer from the bow and manageable from the cockpit .We successfully transported several jerry cans of diesel in the dinghy which would not have been possible in the now departed Avon . We watched the weather which did not seem conducive to our route west, so our departure date was postponed several times and we are still here waiting .Rather frustrating but because of this delay we had to use the water maker again and after a few minutes of operation it stopped ! Just as we were thinking the list of jobs was ending another rather major one appeared . It seemed the pump had given up , we had a replacement which John masterfully fitted but it was a days work and so much easier in the Bora Bora lagoon than mid Pacific ocean. The additional bonus is that we are now producing much more water than before. Every cloud …….etc
The weather seems set fair for our departure on Monday 13th as the system has passed to the east, and the swell is settling from 3 meters from the south to 2 meters from the east , so lets hope we can manage to drag ourselves away from Polynesia which will be quite a wrench, we have had a wonderful time here and it is a real sailing paradise. I think we prefer au revoir rather than goodbye!

piroques race passing us by.

We arrived in Papeete on 7^th May to the usual warm Polynesian welcome not only the temperature but the music and flowers as well . We had flown from New Zealand after a 10 day tour there visiting my cousin John in Mount Maunganui  and Palmerston North and then Peter and Gayle Williams in Wellington.The last time we had been there was 20 years so a lot of catching up to do ! All great fun and we ended with a train journey from Wellington to Aukland which was very relaxing and interesting.

Now we had to focus on the watery side of our lives again and happily Baringo was still in Raiatea in the same place and undamaged.

flight to Raiatea passing over Moorea showing Cooks bay

Approach to the airport showing Raiatea carenage where we left Baringo

We had decided to stay in the wonderful Raiatea Lodge hotel again probably our last time but it was  as good as we remembered so we enjoyed it while we set to work on the boat .

Raiatea lodge hotel room

Where to start ? It takes time to change the mindset to a nautical one but we began by taking delivery of our new mainsail which was waiting for us in Raiatea . Preparing it for attachment to the mast and then attaching it was quite an operation done in the blazing heat, new mains are more like cardboard than cloth but eventually it was on the boom . The pool in Raiatea Lodge was a necessity that evening to say nothing of the delicious dinner accompanied by an excellent bottle of wine!

We had moused all the halyards so this all had to be reversed. Luckily all went smoothly apart from the Solent jib sheet which required a short ascent of the mast to encourage it through  but this was what had happened last year so not a surprise .

work in progress inside Baringo

John as usual spent time examining the bilge ( Manuel has left now Simon )  and he found a leak which came from the hot water tank again so this needed to be removed and repaired . The rain was very heavy at times so our work was frequently interrupted and because it was so wet we decided to move into the Sunset Beach Motel rather than onto the boat in the yard which turns rapidly into a mosquito infested quagmire with the rain. We had a lovely bungalow very well equipped and fresh baguette was delivered every morning. We hired a car to speed up the errands which were becoming quite frequent now and continued preparing the boat for launching.

Verandah sunset beach bungalow

The other new item this year was the dinghy ! It was a very sad farewell to the Avon rover which we had had for 20 years and had done wonderful service. Malcolm and Glynis had fine tuned the engineering systems to raise and lower it last year and it had worked so successfully .The new vessel was much bigger heavier and difficult to manoeuvre so tempers were frayed and regrets flew. There was no going back so we continued! Our outboard was completely seized so we though the new dingy deserved a new outboard so we bought a small 2.5 suzuki 4 stroke . We could not manage to put all the floor boards in the dingy on the deck but despite this once afloat with a slightly modified version of the Gibson lift she showed her charms and all was forgiven .We are now very pleased and we have a much sturdier work horse .

goodbye to the Rover

new Dinghy

We had one rather unpleasant set back in the Motel  when our bungalow was burgled while we were in the “library “ bungalow nearby on the  internet so we lost some money and two wallets which means another insurance claim and processing new Id cards and driving licenses .  Of course it could have been worse but it took time with the gendarmerie and was rather upsetting but Madame the owner of the motel was very kind and helpful beyond the call of duty.

We decided to get the rigging checked before setting off on quite a long voyage and Fred the rigger discovered two broken strands in the shrouds so those will need to be replaced before we leave.

Friday 20^th May: We were in the water! Luckily no problems but it is always tense watching Baringo suspended on the travel hoist with no back stay attached .

Launch

We stayed on a buoy just outside the yard for the next few days waiting for opportune moments of dry windlessness to raise the foresails. They finally came so we hoisted the sails but then there was more torrential rain, not perfect boating weather .

Baringo is now finally looking as if she might take on another ocean passage  so we are planning a test sail to Bora Bora after the rigging has been repaired and then hope to sail west to Nuie with the waxing new moon in early June .

cocktail view-sunset over Bora Bora from our mooring.

Belated Happy New Year to all. Baringo remains on the ‘hard’ in Riaitea in French Polynesia. We plan to return in May and set sail in June for Australia via Nuie, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Then up the Austrialian coast to Thursday island across to Indonesia and after stopping at several islands to Singapore.

Here is the latest OCC map of members boats showing Baringo lonely seemingly in the middle of the Pacific!

OCC Fleet Map 2016-02

Baringo OCC map

The journey from Fakarava to Papeete was again with a force 6 touching 7 wind and the accompanying rough sea which has been our lot this year. We had just finished supper on the second night when the autohelm suddenly switched off and as neither of us were at the helm the boat turned quickly downwind rather surprisingly and we had jibed before we realised what was going on. We had quite a shock with the bang but luckily we had a double reefed main and the mast remained in an upright position and on later inspection no damage had been done. We reached Tahiti at dawn with a spectacular view of Moorea which has a particularly dramatic silhouette but often invisible due to cloud cover. We went to the Marina Taina just south of Papeete rather than the main in town marina which as our crew from last year will remember well is right by the main road and quite noisy. The pontoons are all brand new now and a great improvement but still close to the road. We initially stayed on a buoy near the marina to tidy up and get ready for the arrival of Antony and Vanessa.

dawn arrival papeete

Moorea at dawn

We went into the Marina proper after a couple of days still in a strong wind so needed help to get tied up but we were badly positioned at the end of a pontoon with the wind blowing us onto the adjacent boat causing anxiety to the owners and to us. We had to have an extra mooring line rigged to a submarine concrete block which had to be attached  by a diver and this worked well until the wind changed direction after a couple of days and we were pulled half off the end of the pontoon ! Hardly an ideal spot and not what we had wanted for our arriving guests .In addition, being stern to rather than alongside we all had to walk a narrow uphill plank to get on and off the boat …tricky after a few Hinanos ! The final coup was a 30 euro charge for electricity for a 4 days stay so we will not be going back! Vanessa and Antony arrived at 05.15 on 30^th August and after welcome of walking the plank and breakfast we had a drive around the north of Tahiti to see Venus point where Captain Cook tried to time the passage of the planet across the earth to determine the distance of the earth from the sun ( he failed ) . The weather was changeable and the beaches black sand but Tahiti is certainly not the high spot of the Society Islands so better things were to come. We then started a slightly curtailed version of what is fondly known as the Davies Society island Cruise and left for Moorea the next day in strong winds but with beautiful views of Moorea .We anchored in “internet alley “ at the head of Oponhua Bay which Simon and Jo will remember and dined overlooking the sharks again at the crepes restaurant in the nearby Hilton and enjoyed the lively Polynesian music and dancing there the following evening.

internet alley anchorage

Next was the overnight sail to Huahine which started off in the usual way with force 6 which gradually calmed by the morning but not in time for us to be able make the pass under sail and as we did not want to miss the island altogether the motor took us the last few miles. We found a mooring buoy outside the main town of Fare, there were fewer boats here than on our pit stop en route to Tikihau. The water was too clear and the beach too close for our guests to resist so the days entertainment was an easy choice .We stayed and provisioned then the next day we went south through the lagoon to Avea where the water and the snorkelling are first class with an easily accessible coral reef just off the beach.

Fare beach huahine

Avea anchorage at sunset

Time pressed on and we had to leave for Raiatea, Vanessa and Antony were with us for only two weeks so no time to dally sadly .This day sail was pleasant and we had full sail up for a short while a first for this season! With only a one night stop here we chose the spectacular coral garden to visit .This is a narrow shallow channel between two motus ( coral islands )but full of fish of all colours and shapes .There is no need to swim as it is shallow enough to walk through but it is pleasant to float back with the current amongst the fish. Just after the snorkelling trip a big squall blew through so we had to wait to leave for Bora Bora. We had thought this would be a pleasant downwind sail so we spent the rest of the morning rigging the pole for the jenny only to find from the GRIB file on the weather when we checked the latest forecast that all had changed and we were to be upwind ! So it was all change again .It was a grey and wet crossing but we arrived at the welcoming Bora Bora yacht club in time for a delicious supper.

hotel near coral garden raiatea

small motu raiatea

church Tahaa

rainbow over Bora Bora

Henry arrived in Bora Bora the next morning in glorious sunshine and we took the airport catamaran to meet him, there is no land access to the airport as it is on a motu on the north side of the reef   . Meanwhile Vanessa and Antony rented a jeep to explore Bora Bora by land . Once all aboard again we moved the boat further south near to Matira Point and we celebrated Henry’s arrival with an excellent dinner at Bloody Marys that famous Bora Bora restaurant some of you will remember . We moved further out the next day to try and see rays but it became quite stormy night so we were unable to dinghy over to dine at the Japanese restaurant we had discovered last year quite by chance with Simon and Jo. We enjoyed an evening on board while the wind raged outside and we played card games .We have had excellent holding with the now not so new Rocna anchor which seems to have proved its worth and to be highly recommended for any sailors who have not already got one .

Antony and Vanessa had booked into a hotel on the large motu on the east of Bora Bora for their last few nights so despite the bad weather continuing the next day we motored round the lagoon which is quite tricky as the water gets very shallow (3.0m) and there is a tortuous path to follow through the reefs. It is well marked but requires some concentration and is best done in bright sunlight and light wind neither of which did we have that day ! We tried to get close to the hotel to minimise the dinghy ride but even though there was no reef directly in front if was too shallow and we touched the bottom in our attempt, always a fright but only sand so no damage done .We anchored further south and then there was the dinghy ride with Vanessa and Antony and bags to the hotel but our sturdy little Avon and tiny outboard made it in John’s skilful hands despite a 30kt blow .

We then found that it was easier to take a shorter dinghy ride to the shore and walk round along the beach to the Hotel Eden which was very pleasant in a perfect location and accommodation was in small bungalows but very tastefully decorated with shells and coral blending perfectly with the beautiful environment … No hint of any glass or chrome! We could use the kayaks from the hotel and had a delicious lunch washed down with cold Hinanos . Antony and Vanessa’s holiday came to an end but Henry was with us for a few more days so we stayed two more nights here as we wanted to find the rays that we had seen last year. We were successful and indeed there were many more they are such an eerie sight silently and slowly flapping their way through the water like outsize underwater birds. The next day we visited another coral garden, it was a beautiful sunny day so the water was brilliantly clear and there were lots of fish.

Eden hotel

nacre decoration eden hotel

hammock eden hotel

Julia and Dobby Eden hotel

motu pit au anchorage Bora

shades of blue at motu piti au

crater at borabora

Bora Bora anchorge; wonderful colours

wonderful clarity of the water- anchor chain clearly visible

We then headed back through the same circuitous route, there is no other, and anchored off Motu Topua on the west side of Bora Bora for the night before returning to the yacht club. We wanted to show Henry the island by land before he left and we had a nice day out although it does not take long to drive around the island, it is very small but by land there is a different perspective . We finished with cocktails at the Sofitel and supper by the sea at the Maitai Hotel . The next day was Henry’s last but we snatched a quick early morning swim from Matira beach as we still had the car,such a beautiful long stretch of golden coral sand with clear brilliant turquoise water so a fitting end for Henry ‘s short holiday .Later that day we all flew to Papeete and we saw Henry off on rather a long journey to London and we returned to the boat the next day . The short interisland flight gave a wonderful view of the geography of the islands .

We now have a month left here before our trip to Peru and Bolivia .

We left Hurepiti without incident and planned to provision for the voyage at Uturoa the capital of Raiatea and the second largest town in Polynesia second to Papeete. The harbour is quite small and having forgotten it was Saturday and changeover day for the charter fleet we could not get in so sailed on toward Farooa bay further south along the east coast of Raiatea. Yet another magnificent bay, large and empty and oh joy some government buoys as well . There is a river at the head of the bay so of course we had to gunk hole up and explore .It was trip that proved very fruitful in more ways than one as we met farmer Andre who showed us his farm on the river bank and taught us about the plants and then gave us a huge bunch of bananas.

gunkholing

Andre and gift of bananas

bananas ripening

The next day we prepared for the forthcoming departure from the tranquillity of the lagoon into the boisterous pacific ocean and after a days provisioning in Uturoa we finally made the exit through the pass into the Pacific . Of course the swell caused the usual rolling which we had to get used to again but soon after departure dark clouds gathered and the journey suddenly seemed much less attractive so we easily agreed to opt for plan B and pulled into Huahine for shelter. We needed three tries at anchoring despite going directly for our previous anchorage spot but this did not prove as good holding as last time … ?

The following morning the sky looked better so we left early before getting too used to the easy lagoon life again .We headed north east with a south easterly wind . It was quite rough and the wind gusted to 30 kts not so great when beating into it . The next day was continuous squalls with rain as well so decidedly unpleasant but at least we were making progress towards Tikehau By 2.00 am the next morning conditions had calmed and we tacked up and down waiting for dawn to make the approach to the pass into Tikehau lagoon . Luckily there is an anchorage just outside the pass and it was fascinating to watch the pattern in the water at the pass entrance as the outflow from the lagoon poured into the ocean. In rough seas and strong winds a lot of water enters the lagoons over the coral reef and can only get out through the pass , this results in a very strong outflow , often strong enough to oppose the incoming tide delaying low water slack and the incoming tide by one or two hours or in some atolls abolishing it completely .So although we had tide table data this does not exactly predict the true timing of the flow of water in and out of the passes . The currents can be very strong so it is vital to time entry and exit correctly and this indeed took up many ( happy ! ) hours of debate .This time we had the luxury of being able to watch from a safe anchorage exactly what was happening to the water and so we glided in smoothly and safely .

We stayed in Tikehau until 7^th august enjoying the extraordinarily relaxed life style of the atolls .We bought freshly baked hot baguettes and croissants from the boulangerie every afternoon and hired bikes from the supermarket and cycled as far as the motu ( coral island ) would allow . We found an excellent pension where we ate poisson cru au lait du coco ( raw fish in coconut milk ) a delicious polynesian dish and had some good chats with the owner .We did a day trip around the atoll with Gilles and four Italian honeymooners ,and picnicked on the famed sable rose, again poisson cru au lait du coco .We visited Ile des Oiseaux which lived up to its name ,and later saw giant manta rays . It was hard to drag ourselves away from such a delightful place just the right mix of basic necessities and pristine natural beauty .

Tikehau port

cycling tikehau

Bird island -bird-Noddy?
Jeremy please comment!

Baby gigi

Bird island

Sable rose beach picnic site

atoll residence

ladies lunching polynesian style

There was the usual anxiety about the pass and we waited until our calculated time watching the water and luckily we were safely through.We sailed along the north of Tikehau then Rangiroa the largest atoll and both gave us some shelter from the southerly swell . Once clear though the wind and swell picked up but we could make the course north east to Ahe our next destination.

Ahe is a small atoll and once inside we could see the coral rim all around us. The journey was uneventful but again we had to sail up and down waiting for dawn and the correct time to enter the pass. Ahe was much quieter than Tikehau but surprisingly the shop was open on Sunday morning but sadly no boulangerie on the atoll. On closer inspection it was rather more untidy and run down than other atolls, maybe because it had been hit by a cyclone a few years before and had not recovered. The beaches were less pleasant littered with lots of fishing debris and the inevitable plastic bottles. We had anchored quite far out as usual as we were always worried about getting the chain tied up around coral heads of which there are many in these waters and for the next few days the wind blew so hard we were unable to get ashore again . If we had perhaps we would have discovered more beautiful parts of Ahe but there were no restaurants or pensions to enjoy near the village . The generator impeller had broken during the journey and so we had time to replace it being boat bound.We left on the 12^th august and once again managed to time the pass safely .We headed to Fakarava the second largest atoll in the Tuamotos. We had been here last year with Malcolm and Glynis and really enjoyed it but we had missed the south pass so wanted to try and see that as the snorkelling and diving there is legendary.

We had a pleasant sail overnight towards Farakava passing Taou and Apataki atolls and reached the main pass into Fakarava slightly too early so tried heaving –to and waited for the inflow to begin at our calculated time . Heaving –to is rather tricky on Baringo with the slutter rig as the solent jib is not quite enough to balance a double reefed main but we managed to drift at about 1.5 kts which was preferable to sailing at 7.00kts . It was curious that Baringo seemed to sail fast when we wanted to go slowly ! We entered the pass (which is the widest in the Tuamotos )slightly earlier than we had calculated only to find the inflow was well underway and we were pushed in at 9kts.

Fakarava nice big wide pass into lagoon

We made our way over to the village of Rotoava and anchored very near our old spot from last year . The colours were spectacular and there are beautiful overhanging tress lining the lagoon a much softer look than the ubiquitous coconut palms.

Fakarava Baringo at anchor

We found our old friends Aldric and Stephanie at the very welcoming Fakarava yacht services and had the usual cups of delicious coffee while using their internet . We stayed put for a few days swimming off the boat which baby sharks soon adopt as their home living under the hull appearing only when scraps are thrown overboard .They are harmless black tipped sharks but still I prefer not to take the goggles while swimming around the boat . We hired bikes and found the wonderful PK9 beach totally unspoiled and deserted with wonderful coral and fish in clear turquoise water just a few meters off the beach . We saw the old lighthouse on the way back an easy landmark on the atoll in daylight but no longer functioning.

Fakarave beach at PK9

Fakarava coral near anchorage

Fakarava boat storage style

Fakarava restaurant for lunch

old light house Fakarava

Coral fakarava on route south

On Tuesday 18thAugust we motored to the south pass about 35 miles away .Luckily there is a well buoyed track but we still kept a good lookout for any shallow water with coral reefs .We followed the coast of the atoll passing one beautiful deserted beach after another each edged with brilliant turquoise water.We anchored off Motu Hirifi at the SE corner and much to our surprise found a restaurant on the beach there and met Liza and booked dinner the following night.

Hirifi beach at sunset

The next day we woke to a northerly wind which meant there was some swell in the lagoon but we could still swim and had a walk along the magical tropical beach before our delicious supper chez Liza .Sashimi followed by grilled parrot fish and frites and we had an interesting chat with Liza who is so hospitable and friendly .We discovered that her son in law who was there is a diver which was very reassuring as there is always the worry of getting the anchor chain around coral heads and there was certainly not much other help here.The next day brought black clouds and rain so we moved to anchor close to the south pass with the intention of leaving Fakarava through this to try and get to Tahanea an uninhabited atoll just to the south . The weather did not improve and the wind remained strong around 25 kts and our dinghy excursion to the pass did not inspire confidence as there water was chaotic with eddies and currents. We decided against the legendary drift snorkel but found some beautiful living coral and plenty of fish just off the beach and felt much safer . The timing of the south pass exit was taxing to say the least . We needed daylight, slack water and a light wind to avoid any wind over tide which would create large standing waves in the pass ! So in the end we decided discretion ….and headed for the wide north pass to exit. It was another pleasant sail through the lagoon and a quick anchorage in Rotoava to wait for the correct exit time but then the trouble started. After a pleasant and refreshing swim to set ourselves up for the night sail to Tahiti we could not get the anchor up, yes it was wrapped around a coral head and time was ticking by towards slack water for the exit.  Finally with some gentle coaxing  it came up and then almost immediately we were in less than 1.0 meter depth over a previously unseen coral reef, alarm bells all round but we miraculously just missed hitting it. Shaken and Stirred we motored to the pass and made the way through just before dusk still in slack water so it was out into the night and the ocean towards Tahiti to meet Vanessa and Antony for their holiday aboard Baringo .