Saturday, July 30, 2011

Big Day at Suwarrow Atoll

For the past two days, the wind has been blowing at a steady 20-25 knots and our weather reports shows the seas in excess of four meters. Several of the boats we know have been in transit from French Polynesia and we've been sympathizing with them over the single-sideband radio. It's been rough out there.

Yesterday our friends on Sudden Stops Necessary, a Beneteau 38.5, came in and anchored near us. Both Chet and Glenda (owner and crew, not a couple) seemed nonchalant about their crossing but they were very happy to be here. This morning on the VHF radio, I heard Songline calling Lardo and though they couldn't hear each other well, I could hear them both. They asked about the condition of the pass into the lagoon at Suwarrow (it was pretty good, despite the 25 knots of wind) and if they should get permission from the warden who lives here to enter (can't - they don't have a radio - come on in!). Lardo arrived first and anchored just off our starboard bow. Songline arrived about an hour later and proceed to motor around in circles, trying to find a placed they liked to drop their anchor ("You're making me dizzy!" I said to them). At the same time Songline was going around in circles, Periclees was trying to free their anchor chain from a coral head so they were going around in circles, too, except just off our starboard quarter. While all this was going on, Gigi arrived from their passage and started looking for a place to anchor as well. At first, they were standing by while Songline was making the decision but I guess they got tired of waiting and motored over to where we're anchored. I suggested that they go ahead of us to about 12' of water, drop their hook there and drop down on 60'-70' of chain - the only drawback would be if the wind clocked out of the west which is extremely unlikely to happen (these easterly Trade Winds are very persistent). They tried that but wound up too close to Sudden Stops Necessary so they pulled up their anchor and went searching elsewhere. Mean while, Periclees and Songline are still going around in circles. Angus from Periclees jumped in the water to see where his anchor chain was and swam over to us - "What's Songline doing?" he asked.

Gradually, we got everyone settled and yet still another boat enters the lagoon. This time it's Grommet, a large ketch that we've never seen before but several of the boats in the anchorage hail them on the radio and offer welcomes. There are now 18 boats in the anchorage - the most since we've been here. I kayaked over to Songline to shake their hands and welcome them. They talked of 20' seas that were steep and confused. On the other hand, they said, Jimmy Cornell says that it's always a rough passage to Suwarrow. Jimmy Cornell! We hadn't even thought of looking at his book before we left Bora Bora! He's the author of World Cruising Routes, kind of like a bible of when to go almost anywhere in the world on a small sailboat. Maybe it's a good thing we hadn't looked it up before we left - we might never have gone!

I finally got the battery equalization routine figured out (combination of a defective regulator and our battery bank being too large). Ruthie is in the middle of polishing all the stainless steel while Corie is putting a coat of wax in the deck and cabin top. I'm working on putting a coat of wax on the hull as after almost 5,000 miles it's looking pretty shabby. Our pace on our respective projects is relaxed, usually only for an hour or two each day. We're getting some negative feedback from some of the other boats in the anchorage as they now feel guilty for not doing the same thing. However, if we were to put it off much longer, the oxidation gets so bad that it takes twice as long to get the same results. It's easier to do it now plus this might be the most beautiful place in the world to wax a boat.

It looks like the winds might be decreasing around the middle of next week so we're thinking about leaving then for American Samoa - about 450 miles away. I think we'll all be ready to move on by then.

My very best to everyone.
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At 7/31/2011 12:52 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°14.88'S 163°06.48'W

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Friday, July 29, 2011

The Far-From-Normal Normal Routine

We have been extremely lucky with the systems we have on Rutea, of which there are many. We have a complex electrical system and buried in that is a complex electronic system which includes computers, navigation equipment, radar, etc. Our plumbing system is much simpler but a key component of that is our watermaker and although we have the simplest model available, it still has three different pumps and four different valves. Of course, we have a powerful propulsion system (the main engine) and a diesel-fueled generator (which is actually part of the electrical system). Our refrigeration system has two separate compressors and gets a real workout here in the tropics. In addition to that, we have the sails and rigging which are a system unto themselves. Some of the cruisers I know spend an inordinate amount of time trying to keep all of their systems running. We've been luckier than many.

Still, systems need to be maintained and things break. Sometimes it's as straightforward as changing the oil and sometimes it's a completely mystifying problem that keeps me awake at night. For example, we have a massive battery bank on Rutea that's comprised of eight batteries that are typically used in golf carts. If we were to draw one ampere per hour, our battery bank wouldn't be dead until 1,040 hours had passed. Granted, a one amp draw is nothing and between the refrigeration, radio, stereo and other components that might be in use at any given time we can easily be drawing 30 or more amperes per hour. However, for some reason that I have yet to figure out, our batteries are now draining at a much faster rate than they have been and it's got me preoccupied. Normally, I wouldn't post technical issues on our blog.

Life here at Suwarrow Atoll is pretty simple. A big event for the day is when a boat arrives or departs. This tiny community was tittering about the delivery skipper and his crew that arrived one morning, got incredibly drunk that night and was asked to leave by the warden the following morning. They left in pretty rough conditions with other cruisers reporting seeing the small boat roll from side to side as they made their way away from the atoll. That would not be fun with a bad hangover. Yesterday we walked at low tide out to a small islet that's a nesting area for thousands of birds (80,000 birds was the last count but we wondered - how do you count birds?). Last night a group went back out to the same reef hunting for lobster and we could see their flashlights beams bouncing in their search. Tonight there's a pot luck dinner and the eleven boats that are here will pitch in to feed all 29 people, including the wardens.

The winds are due to fill in to about 25 knots and the seas increase to 4 meters. There are several boats heading this way from Bora Bora and it sounds like they're going to have a rough passage. We're keeping in touch with them on the radio. Once the weather gets calmer, we'll probably jump off for American Samoa as our supplies are starting to get low (we're almost out of beer!) and there's some parts we're having shipped in that we'd like to get our hands on. Plus, it's just getting time to move. A big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to write us - it's great to hear about what's going on with you. We wish everyone good health and much happiness.
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At 7/28/2011 7:17 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°14.87'S 163°06.48'W

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

I probably shouldn't be writing right now . . .

. . as we just got back from having 'sundowners' on the beach on Anchor Island. Everyone brought their favorite beverage and some sort of snack to share. For the previous three hours we've sat in the shade of the palm trees, talking non-stop, playing a round of bocci ball and enjoying the company of other cruisers who are sharing this unique slice of paradise. My poor grasp of the English language prevents me from finding the adjectives to adequately describe Suwarrow Atoll and that's unfortunate. Please forgive me.
We walked around the southern end of the island this afternoon as yesterday we walked around the northern end (one could easily walk clear around the entire island in just a few hours). Parts of the shore are sandy with veins of broken coral while other parts the jungle grows right to the water's edge and you're forced to shuffle in clear, knee-deep water. Where the water is that shallow, it's not even refreshing - it's like tepid bath water. The air is thick with birds: boobies, terns and noddies are very common. The sky has been perfectly clear and the air temperature has been reaching the upper 80's daily. The humidity is very high - after all, we're only 13 degrees south of the equator.
But there's still something about this island, this atoll that's very hard to describe. The other cruisers know what I'm talking about when I bring up the subject. There's an easiness to being here. Time has no meaning other than the sun rising and setting. Keeping track of the date is difficult and it's absurd to try to remember what day it is. Sure, the water is teeming with sharks but they're mostly just black-tipped and not too aggressive (although Jake, the 5-year old on one of the other boats, did find a banded coral snake while playing in the shallows - very poisonous - but he wasn't bitten) but that's a minor detail. I almost feel like we've fallen down a rabbit hole and we're not even looking for a way out.
It appears as though we won't be picking up any crew when we're in American Samoa so that will give us more time here although by the Reserve's regulations we're limited to two weeks here. However, it begs the questions: When did we get here? When do we have to leave? What day is it?
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At 7/24/2011 7:08 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°14.86'S 163°06.47'W
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

An Atoll Unto The Seven of Us!

They say the Russians discovered it and named it Suvarov. James says that the Cook Islanders never lost it to begin with so they call it Suwarrow. Part of the northern Cooks, eleven miles across, uninhabited save for two "Park Rangers", a low-lying southern reef (dotted with shipwrecks) with scattered motus on the northern part of the reef, Suwarrow can be seen from at least seven miles away! Seven miles that is, if the seas are flat- which they usually are not because Suwarrow is located miles and miles away from any land mass out in the middle (it has been called The Dangerous Middle) of the south pacific trade winds! The one pass into the lagoon on the northwest side is dotted with coral heads. The tide is always ebbing out the atoll pass because the waves constantly come over the southern edge of the atoll. Even with the wind on our beam and running at high RPMs Rutea could only do between 3 and four knots. Interestingly enough, there were no large waves on either side of the pass because of the extended reef protection on the outside, so we could pretty much just concentrate on the tidal action, eddies and whirlpools (and oh, yes- the coral heads!)!


It's wild! A birder's paradise! A snorkeler's dream! A hermit's ideal island! A fisherman's haven! A beachcomber's park! The rangers have strung hammocks overlooking strategic places like Shark's Bay and Anchorage Island Bay that invite a good book and a snooze as soon as the sun puts them into the shade. All this to be shared with just six other boats- one Swiss, one New Zealand, one Australian, three American and us! So far I have identified Sooty Terns, Brown Noddys and Common Fairy Terns. I am still waiting to spot a Red Tailed Tropic Bird but James says he will take me out to Bird Island (where thousands of birds nest) for a bird walk. Corie went snorkeling yesterday with some other free divers to look for the four meter grouper that hangs out at the end of one of the motus. James told us of Parrot Bay where the Parrot Fish are so plentiful that you can stand in the water (knee deep) and spear one fish after another! The beaches are perfectly clean, unlike other atolls, because the rangers perform beach clean-ups regularly to pick up all plastic and tuna seiner trash that floats ashore. The shells are stunning but we can't pick them up because this is a reserve….


The next ten days are going to be really interesting and a lesson in the ecology of an atoll. We are taking our compost ashore to feed the compost pile for the making of soil for the garden. Since there is only sand on the atoll, the rangers make the soil for the garden from food scraps, rotting coconut palm tree trunks, and fish. In the mid 1900s a company that was going to grow copra and farm pearls here, imported by ship and spread tons of soil all over the island. They also planted 39,000 seedling pearl oysters in the bay. A couple of years later a major cyclone blew through covering the atoll in water which washed ALL of the soil into the lagoon which then killed ALL of the pearl oysters. To this day, the visibility in the lagoon is about ten meters because of that soil still suspended down deep in the water. In spite of the possible reoccurrence of a cyclone and the red ants which love to eat juicy sprouts and saplings and the land crabs which love to eat tender leaves and shoots, James and John persevere in their gardening efforts and have even eaten lettuce and bok choy this season! Then there is the story about the cruiser who started a palm tree forest fire on the atoll while burning trash…….


The other great thing about being in the Cook Islands is that the main language is English! I think we all should be multi lingual; however, it is wonderful to be able to listen to all of these fascinating facts and figures, great stories and understand the details! Of course we are trying to learn some words in Cook Island as it is the visitor's obligation 'to take up the local dialect as a mark of respect and an expression of I feel at home already"! What a concept! I feel at home already! On an atoll! Just the seven of us and our hosts! Kia orana! Hello! May life continue with you!


R of Rutea
7/20/11
Suwarrow
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At 7/20/2011 10:21 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°14.88'S 163°06.48'W

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James of Suwarrow Atoll

 James, Warden of Suwarrow Atoll

Now, safely at anchor and without the constant rolling, we were all able to finally get a decent night's sleep. Still, we were pretty sluggish the first part of the morning but after a leisurely breakfast we tackled the basic chores that come after a significant passage. We were visited by Lars, a young man (who we all agreed looked remarkably like my nephew, Simon) who is single-handing a 27' sloop called Twister. He lived for a while in Ocean Beach and left San Diego in April so we had much we could talk about. Corie and he swapped music.
Even though Suwarrow isn't an official port, it is a Nature Reserve and visiting yachts are required to check in with the park rangers. Since our dinghy outboard is in many pieces and I lost one of the oarlocks overboard (a long, sad story), we had to paddle into shore. I'm sure that we looked comical as we had Corie on the bow with a kayak paddle and Ruthie and I in the stern each paddling with an oar. Since we were bucking a pretty good head wind, our progress was slow. As we pulled up to the small, white sand beach, a large man in swim trunks, tank top and flip-flops was there to greet us. This would be James.

James is easily 6' tall and probably weighs in at 250 pounds. His skin is pretty dark and his long hair was pulled up into a cylinder shape on the back of his head. His beard is very long with the center of it - from his chin down - grey. I'm guessing he's in his mid-fifties. His two front teeth are missing and tattoos cover his body. He's an imposing figure but his attitude is immediately friendly. He sticks out is large hand to me, looks me in the eye and says with his New Zealand accent, "Hi. I'm James." He kisses Ruthie on each cheek.

We're invited up to his house where he lives with the other park ranger, John, who is off doing something. There are a couple of buildings, one a low concrete affair and the other a small, two-story building where the foundation is a 10,000 liter cistern and heavy telephone pole-type timbers hold up the second story. There are no walls on the first floor. Both building are in the middle of dense tropical jungle.

James strikes me as well-educated with a dry sense of humor. Though he is a Cook Islander, he was born in Wellington, New Zealand. Even though their communications systems are crude at best, he seems very current on world affairs and has what appear to be astute observations of the situation of Cook Islanders, who are given New Zealand passports. We easily talked for a couple of hours and then he gave us a tour of the island on which he and John live. They have a garden but the sandy soil makes it difficult to grow most vegetables so they're experimenting with different sources for mulch and ways to build up the soil. He shows us a spot where we can easily spear parrot fish though he warns us that there are places where we should stay out of the water because of the aggressive sharks. During our walk, we find John, stretched out in a hammock and introduce ourselves. He's younger than James, seems a little more reserved but still friendly.
Once back at the 'house', we go through the paper work that checks us in. Four different forms to fill out plus he needs copies of our passports, ship's documentation and exit papers from French Polynesia. There's a $50USD fee but James refuses it as we had brought a couple of bags of groceries as other cruisers had emailed us of their needs before we left Bora Bora. In his official capacity as Park Ranger, James was very efficient but remained friendly and cracked jokes. He promised that John and he would invite the people from the boats in for a Cook Island meal sometime this week. It was late in the afternoon by the time we left.

This is a fairly popular spot for cruising yachts to stop. Last year, 109 boats stopped here and that was down from the year before. We're the 30th boat this year. The atoll was made famous with Tom Neale's book, An Island to One's Self although James said that Tom Neale wasn't the hermit he claimed to be as there was a village with 60 people living right next to him.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite places (Corie says I'm losing credibility as I say that about almost every place we stop). The water isn't as clear as some of the places in the Tuamotus but this is so wild and remote that it just has a special attraction to me.
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At 7/20/2011 10:18 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°14.88'S 163°06.48'W
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Monday, July 18, 2011

Day Five: Arrival in Suwarrow!

At 1330 local time, we entered the pass at Suwarrow Island. Unlike the passes in the Tuamotus, this pass has no name. Nor does it have any navigational aids. It does have a bad reputation for poor cartography (meaning the charts for the area are often inaccurate) and Charlie's Charts, one of the most respected cruising guide books, says, "Many vessels have been lost here . . . ". Despite all that, Ruthie did a superb job of picking our way through a complex series of reefs that make up the pass. With the tidal current always flowing out, most of the time we were only making 2 knots even though our engine and prop were working overtime. Since this is a Nature Reserve established by the New Zealand government, there is only one anchorage even though the atoll is over 11 miles across. As it turns out, there were already five boats here, shrinking the available space to anchor down to some postage stamp-sized spots. Once again, Ruthie proved here prowess at boat handling and positioned us perfectly in the best spot in the anchorage.

We're right behind Anchorage Island which is where Tom Neale wrote "An Island to One's Self" after living here for 15 years alone. There's a couple of Cook Islanders living here as caretakers. We hadn't even got the anchor down and the black-tipped reef sharks were already swimming around the boat, checking us out. It certainly is beautiful here and reminds us of the Tuamotus.

In review, our passage was pretty easy but that was largely due to the quality of Rutea's build. According to the Nadi reports (the Fijian weather service) the area we just crossed was considered to be 'rough'. Rutea continuously gobbled up 160+ miles a day despite the big seas and often squally weather. Our sails took quite a beating so now there's a substantial amount of repair work to be done. On top of that, our single side band radio isn't working too well and that's kind of our life line to the rest of the cruising community. Luckily, we can send and receive emails using our satellite phone - so no excuse for not writing us!

I'm exhausted. I bet I could count the hours of sleep I've had in the last four days on one hand. All I need now is a cold beer (or two), a shower, a hot meal and some rest. Then I'll be able to get to work on the projects that need to be completed before we leave here, probably in about a week. Next stop, American Samoa.
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At 7/19/2011 2:42 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°14.86'S 163°06.47'W

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Sunday, July 17, 2011

Day Four: No Squalls So Far!

Yesterday morning we had a line of dark squalls bearing down on us that looked pretty mean. Ruthie turned off the autopilot and using the radar as a guide, expertly hand-steered Rutea through a narrow slot between two huge cells. It still rained like hell and the wind was up to 30 knots but at least we cleared the really rough stuff. The day mellowed out after that and even though it remained pretty lumpy, we made good time covering over 160 miles in a twenty-four hour period.
The evening was clear with only a few clouds (unusual!) and we kept the genoa out on the pole. By 0400 the wind had backed so Ruthie and I dropped the pole - we didn't even need to turn on the deck lights the moon was so bright. Since I was unable to sleep (not unusual!), I finished up Ruthie's watch.
The wind had gotten lighter by mid-morning so we put up the asymmetrical spinnaker but it didn't increase our speed by as much as I had hoped. Reluctantly, we stowed it just a few minutes ago and put the engine on because we want to make the pass at Suwarrow during daylight. We should arrive there tomorrow at about this time.
We've crossed into yet another time zone - we're now four hours ahead of San Diego and 3,744 miles away.
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At 7/17/2011 11:01 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 14°05.16'S 160°18.71'W
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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Day 3 of Our Passage to Suwarrow

We had spent a significant amount of time yesterday dodging squalls - the wind and rain storms that pop up out of nowhere that can be either a few hundred meters across or several kilometers across. The really bad ones have lightning in them and those we run from. The others can be anywhere from refreshing annoyances to hair-raising. It seemed like we were getting one almost every half hour yesterday and I sensed that the morale amongst the Rutea crew wasn't as high as it usually is. So, in between squalls, I raced down below and made a batch of banana-nut muffins in record-breaking time. To get an idea of what that's like, imagine your kitchen is bolted to a roller coaster and you're trying to bake. Anyway, the muffins came out great and I was able to present to Ruthie and Corie some hot, sweet, buttery muffins just after we'd been through yet another downpour. Morale is an important issue on a cruising yacht and one easy way to bolster it is through food.

The passage last night was pretty good with a beautiful full moon and only a couple of squalls. We made good time with the genoa poled out to starboard and the main double reefed. The wind was from the ENE between 15 and 20 knots and the seas were only about 2 meters.

I had a scare with the genset raw water pump (the one I replaced - at great expense - in Tahiti) but I think we had just got some air in the intake and the pump lost it's prime. It appears to be working OK now but I'll scream if I have to replace that pump again!

We've got about 48 hours to go before we get to Suwarrow. I'm really hoping we can make it in during daylight hours as the pass would be difficult/scary to try to negotiate in the dark. The thought of heaving to for twelve or so hours is unappealing to me. Besides, the wind forecast for Monday is 25+ knots and seas over 3 meters. Yuk!

Please remember that your emails are a highlight in our day. Even if it's only one or two lines; even if it's only about what the dog did today; we still enjoy hearing from you. Our best wishes to all.
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At 7/16/2011 9:27 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 14°54.84'S 157°32.25'W

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Friday, July 15, 2011

2nd Day of Our Passage to Suwarrow

The first night of a passage is always the toughest. For me, it takes several days before I get used to the routine of watches, meals, chores, etc. Last night was no exception. It started out normal enough but the wind continued to build so I tucked a second reef into the main - then, of course, the wind lightened almost immediately. Ruthie admonished me that you never untuck a reef at 0400 and, as usual, she's right. It turned out to be good advice as a large squall bore down on us just a few minutes later with much rain and wind.

But what really pissed me off was the damned brown-footed boobies which decided to get a free ride on our solar panels. Under normal circumstances, I would chase them off with much shouting and arm waving. However, last night I was feeling rather magnanimous (and a little sea sick) so I let the critters ride. Had I known that my free-loading feathered friends would deposit enormous calling cards all over my solar panels, I wouldn't have been so generous. This time, though, they didn't appear to be too concerned with my shouting and arm waving and it wasn't until I smacked one of them with a flip-flop that they left.

We're finally in a more calm place and it makes writing possible, but, man, is it ever the middle of nowhere! According to our chart plotter, we should arrive in Suwarrow on Monday morning. There's no civilization there, just two park rangers as it's a nature preserve. It's gotten rave reviews from other cruisers as a great spot for snorkeling.
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At 7/15/2011 9:05 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 15°40.17'S 154°46.42'W

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Underray Again

We left Bora Bora this morning just before dawn and we're sad to say good-bye to French Polynesia. This time our destination is the Suwarrow Atoll, named after the Russian ship that discovered it (the 'w's' are pronounced like 'v's'). It's almost 700 miles due west of Bora Bora and is our first multi-night passage since we left the Tuamotus. The wind is filling in at about 18 knots, the genoa is poled off to windward (starboard) and we have a single reef tucked in the main. The swells are building a little and sometimes we're rolling pretty hard. Frankly, I'm not feeling great despite my usual dose of Stugeron, our preferred anti-nausea medication, so I'm going to keep this post a little on the short side.

The skies are blue, the weather is warm, the watermaker is filling our tanks and all is well.
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At 7/14/2011 7:27 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 16°25.49'S 152°02.39'W

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Friday, July 8, 2011

Dancing

 Moorea, French Polynesia

The art of Polynesian dancing is alive and well.  It seems that almost any celebration, regards of how small, warrants a troupe of at least three dancers and their accompanying musicians.   Right now, early July, is the ‘heiva’, a period of a few weeks where villages compete for top honors in dancing, singing – even volleyball.  Last night we attended one of Bora Bora's local village’s presentation where probably over a hundred dancers performed.

I find the dancing mesmerizing.  Of course, they’re supposed to tell stories of the past but just the fact that they still practice and teach this part of their culture I think is a huge victory over the damage caused by the European’s arrival almost three hundred years ago.  The intensity at which they perform, the lack of inhibition – their pride is almost palpable.  Besides, the stunning beauty of it nearly brings tears to my eyes.

Is it any wonder that I find the women’s dancing more attractive?  Whether their costume is a grass skirt and a coconut shell top or a more demure dress, they always have a beautiful crown of bright flowers.  Their graceful hands will sweep away, come back to their lips, rise over their heads and point out again, their fingers almost beckoning.  Often they’ll look down but then they’ll look skyward as if beaming to the heavens.  All done in perfect timing to the music – sometimes just drums but often accompanied by ukulele and guitar.  And then there’s their hips.

How they do that with their hips is a mystery to me.  Sometimes it’s slow with their bottoms doing perfectly round orbits.  Sometimes it’s fast with their hips like two pistons going up and down on a high speed engine.  When they’re in this mode, their upper body is almost stationary but the grass skirt is being tossed as if it was connected to a paint shaker.  I can only imagine that this is terrific aerobic exercise but their faces always remain very serene.

The men’s dancing is typically much more aggressive and sometimes involves slapping of the thighs and chest.  Often the men will shout and it’s easier to assume what the dance is about - perhaps a warrior’s victory or a battle long ago.  Most of the male dancers have physiques that men like me can’t imagine ever having; their large tattoos of beautiful Polynesian graphics notwithstanding, their massive arms and legs are fiercely powerful – their stomachs look like those in the advertisements for the miracle workout machine that never gets used.

A wide range of music accompanies the dancing.  From almost plaintive songs to a staccato beat on drums that must take incredible strength to keep up as long as they do.  We’ve been fortunate to hear some very accomplished musicians whose timing seems to be flawless.  Sometimes it’s almost surreal to hear the drumming coming from some unknown part of the jungle, wafting over the anchorage where we happen to be.  We’re looking forward to see how the dancing and music differs in other parts of the South Pacific.  Our plan is to leave French Polynesia this weekend or early next week.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Toamaro Islet

 Rutea Anchored Just NE of Toamaro Islet
Raiatea in the Background

 We have generally had good success using the Guide to Navigation and Tourism in French Polynesia, which is now out of print but still available if you persist. However, their description of the anchorage off of Toamaro Islet we found to be incorrect. They describe it as an 'excellent anchorage' but advise that you arrive in the daytime to select your spot (duh). The islet itself is a narrow strip of land, about half a kilometer long and completely covered with coconut palms. The water shoals gradually closer to the islet and closer to the outer reef, which is almost a kilometer away. We did select a spot to drop our 30-kilo Bruce anchor that was free from coral in about four meters of water and about 300 meters from the islet - I paid out about twenty meters of chain, backed down at about three-quarters throttle for a solid four minutes, making sure we had a good set as we always do. Corie snorkeled over the anchor and reported that it was well-set. The wind was fairly light out of the east at about ten knots but the current was strong enough from the west that Rutea's bow was pointed that direction despite the wind. As the wind increased to fifteen to eighteen knots, Rutea's attitude didn't change. Since we hadn't moved since we dropped anchor in the early afternoon, I went to bed confident that we were secure for the night. At about 0100 hours, I woke and was watching the depth read out that we have in our cabin (which reports depth of water under the keel): eight feet, nine feet (okay with me), twelve feet (huh?), eighty feet! Yes, the sand shelf drops off that fast. I can't remember the last time we had our anchor drag - it's been years - but we got ourselves organized quickly and attempted to reanchor in the pitch-black morning. Even with radar and first-class depth sounders, anchoring in the dark in a strange place with large coral heads all around is tricky at best, disastrous at worst. At one point I asked from the bow of the boat how deep it was and Corie reported back that there was six feet under the keel - which was perfect so I lowered the anchor. In fact, she had said it was sixty feet deep but I had misunderstood her. This meant that I had to retrieve the anchor, move the boat into still shallower water and try again. After several intense minutes we had the anchor down and secure. We maintained an anchor watch until dawn. It was 0700 when I got up and heard the sound of the boat hitting coral hard. I flew into the cockpit where I found the shock cord I use to secure the steering wheel had it's sturdy stainless steel ends bent around backwards as easily as if it were a paper clip. We immediately pulled up our anchor and left through the Toamaro Pass where we faced huge breakers on either side of us. Once we got to our current anchorage off the island of Taha'a, I dove in the water to inspect the damage to the rudder. Even though the paint on the rudder is badly scratched, nothing is broken which is a solid testimony to Rutea's construction. In retrospect, I don't know what I'd do differently nor can I understand why our anchor didn't hold in the first place but I think it's safe to say that it had something to do with the unusually strong current. I would recommend that cruisers avoid using this as an overnight anchorage.
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At 7/4/2011 4:08 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 16°36.98'S 151°32.72'W
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An Afternoon with James

 East Side of Raiatea - Inside the Lagoon

Our trip from Moorea to Raiatea was uneventful and due to the very light winds (which are unusual), we had to motor almost the entire 100 or so miles. We entered through the Iriru Pass which is also know as the 'Sacred Pass' and dropped anchor in Hotopuu Bay. Just immediately north of us is the Marae Taputaputea, the most important religious and historical site in all of Polynesia. There are actually several marae there. Marae are ancient ceremonial or gathering areas made of coral.

 Pearl Farm

The following day we stayed inside the lagoon, motored north about five miles and anchored just off Iriru Island. It's right by the Iriru Pass and Corie was able to get some surfing in. Our friends on Songline were on their way to Bora Bora but we not-so-subtly twisted their arms over the radio and convinced them to turn around and spend a couple of days with us. When our other friends on Libis heard that Songline was heading our way, they decided to head over, too. We had a great happy hour on board Rutea with much laughing and teasing. Libis is a Dutch boat and both Gela and Fluer speak several languages fluently.

 River Photo by Corie

Our guide book told of a dinghy ride to the end of a long bay and then up a river. Our friends on Mystic said that they had done the same trip and they'd meet a man named James who showed them botanical gardens and gave them fresh fruit. With Fred and Cinda from Songline in our dinghy and Gela and Fluer in their dinghy, we headed up Faaro Bay, which is more than a kilometer long. At the head, we found the river mouth and with wisecracks about the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland or, worse, the movie Deliverance, continued to motor into the jungle.

 James and his sidekick, Bruno

The river was slow-moving, very narrow in parts, mostly deep enough for the dinghies and both sides heavy with dense jungle. Every so often we'd come across a ramshackle house but for the most part it seemed as though we were far from any civilization. Sometimes the growth over the river was so thick that it blocked out the sky. As the river got narrower and more shallow, we tilted up the outboards and paddled - eventually we wound up using the paddles as poles to move us along. We reached a point where it was too shallow to go further and just as we were to turn around, a man in a Tahitian canoe and a much younger man on a sailboard (with no rig or sail) appeared. "Are you James?" Ruthie asked.

 Banana Score!

The man, who appeared to be about 40, said he was. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, no shoes. The most remarkable thing about him was his speech. He spoke rapid-fire English with a heavy accent but he was almost impossible to understand. "Can you show us the gardens?" someone asked. "GoodformegoodforyougoodforPolynesia," said James. We looked at each other stupidly. "Can you get us some bananas?" someone else asked. "Notgoodformegoodforyou," said James, making a motion with his had in front of his stomach resembling that of a pregnant woman. He started to paddle away and motioned for us to follow him back down the river. He stopped at one point and we pulled over as well and asked something about bananas. I did my pantomime of a large stalk of bananas and James climbed into the jungle. With a few whacks with his machete, down came the entire banana tree, just missing us in the dinghy and he chopped off a stalk of bananas that was over four feet long. Granted, I had motioned that I wanted a big stalk of bananas but this was huge! Quickly, I asked Fluer to tell him, in French, that one stalk would be enough for all three boats but we were too late. Whack! Whack! Another banana tree fell and Libis, too, had an impressive banana stalk. Still another tree fell but this stalk he gave to the young man on the sailboard (who's name turned out to be Bruno).

 Fast-Talkin' James

We continued down the river and turned up a small creek and anchored the dinghies. James almost never stopped talking, hardly even taking a breath, in his unintelligible monologue. One exotic plant or flower after another, James would prattle on: "Plantationsmartpoisonousnotgoodformenotgoodforyou." Slowly, we started to catch on as we walked through the 'botanical garden' which was nothing more than a few paths through the jungle. We ate fruits that looked like the stickers on the sweet gum tree except that they were bright red. We ate star fruit and sucked the nectar out of flowers. James showed us how to climb a coconut palm. I didn't even try but Gela was able to scamper to the top as if he'd been doing it all his life. The whole time Bruno kept the rear guard but never spoke. With the garden tour over, we got back in the dinghies, James into his canoe and Bruno back onto the sailboard. We went further downstream and pulled over at small dock. James went back up a coconut tree and soon returned with with an armload of coconuts of which he chopped the tops off and gave to us to drink the sweet milk. I gave James some money, thanked him profusely and we headed back to our boats. That evening we had a potluck dinner aboard Rutea and had a great time trying to imitate James or just figure out what he was saying. Another great adventure.
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At 7/3/2011 4:47 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 16°50.73'S 151°29.15'W
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