Friday 25 July 2008

Fakarava to Tahiti

Toomuch to tell really, we are having a wonderful time.. the sailing is incredible.., helming at 20 knots with spinaker on 10 feet waves is a thrill. Today we went diving on the first atol we entered, a 35 meter driftdive with sharks. The atols are very flat coral/sand banks as opposed to the high mountaineous islands of the Marquises. One wave and that is it. Again we meet very friendly people, another language again, and of course the July parties continue and greet us at every island we anker sofar. Contrary to what I thought and you may think.. there is a lot of rain here.. it is the winter season after all.. but the steady 30 degrees make up for a lot >) Another dingy adventure last night when heavy rains almost sank the dingy on our way back to the ship from our visit to another cruisership with a friendly english couple and a crazy drunken crew scotsman.. Luckily we had brought our own wine because the offered wine from a plastic container and the very very bad local rum were not worthy of the freshly caught and prepared tuna cury. Jefrey the american has left us to join his family and girlfriend, in Papeete, Haiti we will be joined by Cedric's parents for a few weeks, after which we have to find another crewmember on the island of Moorea... we both have our preferences.. lets see who shows up!! In the mean time my favorite cousin Miho has given birth to Nina.. congratulations!!!!

Tuesday 15 July 2008

Marquises

We have arrived in the Marquises of French Polynesia. A journey and a half.. mostly at 30 degrees angle with steady winds and breeze up to 28 knots... The helming of the yacht is an absolute pleasure and one of the best things I have ever done.. The islands are beautiful.. the people serene and the life of a yachtie is something else!

Starry nights, sunrises, sunsets, meals and helming are the highlights as well as the cameraderie on board.. sofar we have had only two off days where once we dealt with a broken engine, finding out that we only have half a bottle of gas left for cooking with one month to go and bits and pieces started to break and malfunction.. and the other day we shipwrecked the dingly landing ashore where everybody else walked for half an hour.. maybe we should have listened.. turned over, wet, being the laughingstock on the townbeach and less funny, a wet computer, telephone and camera of Cedric, the captain. Luckily we did have our passports in a waterproofbox that floats.. and of course a waterlogged motor that took a day of maintenance..

On arrival we immediately got involved in various days of Bastille day celebration.. with traditional dancing and music.. on the way back after one night we seemed to fighting a strong current with the dingy, attempting to row to the yacht.. the motor being out of service.. after about 15 minutes we realised we had thrown the dingy anker on arrival at the dock...