Just got to Aitutaki this morning after nearly six days of sailing from Tahiti. The passage was alright, except for the fact that we're getting a little tired of passages altogether...
We'll stay here only for a couple of nights before we head off to Niue, another 580 miles to the west. The reason for this mad rush: We've got to be in Fiji in less than a month for a blissful event: Amelia arrives there by plane to join Barracuda once again - this time for good! - and comlete Team Barry, finally!!!
We'll make the very best of our brief stay and rent some scooters tomorrow for the more efficient way of exploring. And the best thing about it: We'll do it with our best cruiser friends ever, Henrik and Kiki from 'Birka', 'cause since this morning we're finally re-united! Guys, it's been far too long a time without you since Galapagos!
PS: The Photos will have to wait, the net's just too slow here, I'm afraid.
Freitag, 31. August 2012
Sonntag, 12. August 2012
Papeete, Tahiti
We made it to Papeete, Tahiti, in French Polynesia!
But let's pick it up from where documentation stopped. That is, as for as I'm aware, Galapagos. From there we had to cross a big, big gap of three thousand miles to the Marquesas Islands/ Iles Marquises in French Polynesia. It took us twenty-six days, a quite good time for a boat of Barracuda's size and design - compare, it took us twenty-three for the Atlantic, which was a just two thousand, and where we used the engine. We had a pretty good time considering it was a nearly four weeklong imprisonment on a confined space of about 20 sqm, at times moving like a rollercoaster. We did the usual things you do when you're bored and there's no telly around: Sleep, read, fish, cook and bake. It must be said that we were exceptionally lucky with the weather, no squalls - that's when a dark cloud first tries to rip off your sails, then seemingly discharges bucketloads of water onto you - until the last five days, where we got plenty...
We made our landfall in Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas, which is an incredible place, without comparison to anything we had ever seen before. Scenic, monumental, beatiful. We spend 'Bastille Day' there, a big celebration with traditional dancing, clothing and partying; we know that part!
After a good week, we made our way up north to Hiva Oa, one of the two main islands, to get some provisions for a couple days, then headed to the considerably smaller and nicer island of Tahuata. We spent a few days in a little bay with a nice white beach and loads of manta rays, that we had the exceptional pleasure to repeatedly swim with. We met our friends from 'Kira' again and they made us realize how much we needed this break from sailing and hurrying from place to place and just doing nothing much at all.
Only after a few more days anchored by the village and socializing with the locals we headed off again for our next destination, the Tuamotu archipel, French Polynesia too. The 500 mile sail took us six days, a long time you may say, but peanuts to us after a month out. We adapted the plan of landing in the Kauehi Atoll to the Toau Atoll according to wind and tides - the tidal currents through the entrances of the barrier reefs get STRONG, as we had to find out the hard way later on, when we left this very remote place and headed for our second atoll, Fakarava. When the current goes the opposite way of the wind you get standing waves - seen this before in Holland, but on a VERY different scale. We got washed and tumbled, not dried.
Fakarava was like all atolls once an island - this a huge one as a matter of fact, comparable in size to Tahiti - that after time sunk back into the sea and just left it's barrier reef and a relatively shallow lagoon in the middle. As a result there's a large area, well sheltered from waves, that you can in most cases enter through gaps in the reef, and most importantly sail through and hang out in. We entered Fakarava through the north pass, checked out Roroava, the village, then made our way down through, and to an anchorage close by the south pass, where there's some stunning snorchelling - and scuba- diving for people with money - with loads of exotic fish and tons of different reef-shark. This is also where we exited and headed to Tahiti from. The 250 miles took us three days and nights, as expected. This morning early we arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. We are here not really to see the island but mainly to stock up on some provisions, parts and to sort things out - I forgot to mention that we have got some engine problems since leaving the Galapagos islands, we're losing oil into the bilge and gotta find the leak... That's it 'till now, if I get a good connection I'll upload some pics one of these days.
But let's pick it up from where documentation stopped. That is, as for as I'm aware, Galapagos. From there we had to cross a big, big gap of three thousand miles to the Marquesas Islands/ Iles Marquises in French Polynesia. It took us twenty-six days, a quite good time for a boat of Barracuda's size and design - compare, it took us twenty-three for the Atlantic, which was a just two thousand, and where we used the engine. We had a pretty good time considering it was a nearly four weeklong imprisonment on a confined space of about 20 sqm, at times moving like a rollercoaster. We did the usual things you do when you're bored and there's no telly around: Sleep, read, fish, cook and bake. It must be said that we were exceptionally lucky with the weather, no squalls - that's when a dark cloud first tries to rip off your sails, then seemingly discharges bucketloads of water onto you - until the last five days, where we got plenty...
We made our landfall in Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas, which is an incredible place, without comparison to anything we had ever seen before. Scenic, monumental, beatiful. We spend 'Bastille Day' there, a big celebration with traditional dancing, clothing and partying; we know that part!
After a good week, we made our way up north to Hiva Oa, one of the two main islands, to get some provisions for a couple days, then headed to the considerably smaller and nicer island of Tahuata. We spent a few days in a little bay with a nice white beach and loads of manta rays, that we had the exceptional pleasure to repeatedly swim with. We met our friends from 'Kira' again and they made us realize how much we needed this break from sailing and hurrying from place to place and just doing nothing much at all.
Only after a few more days anchored by the village and socializing with the locals we headed off again for our next destination, the Tuamotu archipel, French Polynesia too. The 500 mile sail took us six days, a long time you may say, but peanuts to us after a month out. We adapted the plan of landing in the Kauehi Atoll to the Toau Atoll according to wind and tides - the tidal currents through the entrances of the barrier reefs get STRONG, as we had to find out the hard way later on, when we left this very remote place and headed for our second atoll, Fakarava. When the current goes the opposite way of the wind you get standing waves - seen this before in Holland, but on a VERY different scale. We got washed and tumbled, not dried.
Fakarava was like all atolls once an island - this a huge one as a matter of fact, comparable in size to Tahiti - that after time sunk back into the sea and just left it's barrier reef and a relatively shallow lagoon in the middle. As a result there's a large area, well sheltered from waves, that you can in most cases enter through gaps in the reef, and most importantly sail through and hang out in. We entered Fakarava through the north pass, checked out Roroava, the village, then made our way down through, and to an anchorage close by the south pass, where there's some stunning snorchelling - and scuba- diving for people with money - with loads of exotic fish and tons of different reef-shark. This is also where we exited and headed to Tahiti from. The 250 miles took us three days and nights, as expected. This morning early we arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. We are here not really to see the island but mainly to stock up on some provisions, parts and to sort things out - I forgot to mention that we have got some engine problems since leaving the Galapagos islands, we're losing oil into the bilge and gotta find the leak... That's it 'till now, if I get a good connection I'll upload some pics one of these days.
Dienstag, 7. August 2012
Alive and well
Just to let you know: We're still out there, in the Fakarava atoll, Tuamotus, French Polynesia, to be precise. There'll be more posted from Tahiti in about a weeks time. Promise!
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