A plan to sail to Tahuata for a change did not work, no favourable winds. So are still in Ua Pou at Hakahetau bay with a new plan to anchor in the port of Hakahau on the windy east side as the trade wind has dropped significantly. Hakahau has a good supermarket to stock up for the upcoming passage.
But lets go up the hill first to get some more of Manfreds pepper chocolate. BEST chocolate I ever ate!
This nice waterfall waterfall is next door to Manfred.
The passage from Ua Pou to Bora Bora was unremarkable down wind sailing, broad reach most of the time except on the 13th: day 5 was a very grey day. The wind became weak and confused flitting in circles Stefan was running round trying every point of sail to keep us moving. He also fixed the regulator on the gas bottle which is giving us grief, very annoyingly before coffee in the morning. The trying conditions lasted all day. The heavy tool box dangerously snapped closed and shot across the cockpit. It was like that. We hoist the pole on the opposite side, tack and curse again. Despite all our efforts the speed drops to under 2 knots with a lot of movement. Out of choices, switch the engine on. It became even greyer, softer and noticeably cooler. After an hour the wind is back so engine off again.
We ate Manfred’s fabulous chocolate and enjoyed two cooked meals. I beat Stefan at Chinese Checkers as his game is not as sharp as usual after three or four nights at sea. All is at peace on the Malaka Queen. The big blow south east of us over the Tuamotus is still brooding dark grey, we think of our friends Valentina and Mikko on SY Victoria sitting out that bad weather on one of the atolls. Later while I try to sleep in the early evening there are distant lightning flashes. But in all our week at sea was lovely!
After that experience we leave Bora Bora for a nice holiday in welcoming Tahaa. It seemed like that at least with idyllic calm water green and blue in stripes with the white froth of the surf breaking on the reef. Palm trees decorate the background Robinson Cruisoe style.
Stella tells from her perspective as a sailing greeny. We leave Bora Bora in the early light negotiating markers green and red out of the lagoon and through the short pass. You have to keep to the right track so you don’t run aground. The pass is dynamited out and is not very deep or wide. It is an intense experience. The process is made easier by our following a track on the computer that Stefan made last time he was here. Modern technology helps.
Once out side the reef in the sea we hoist the sails and turn into the wind to sail close haul to Tahaa 30 nm away. Stefan is casual about the next small issue which is the faulty readings on the wind speed and direction indicators. For me this is rather disconcerting, but he only curses the reliability of his instruments which are regularly faulty. Later in calm Tahaa we will get a chance to go up the mast to try to fix it. The short passage from Bora Bora to Tahaa is beautiful with brisk 17 to 23 knots or so, its hard to tell..
But when arriving near Tahaa there is another pass to negotiate so more of that critical navigation…
Succes. The wind has gone anyway. We turn to port to motor clockwise through the lagoon round Tahaa and anchor on the second attempt near Love Island and the Coral Garden.
While Stefan works like a dog scrubbing the hull, fixing electronics and doing all the practical stuff Stella rests a twisted ankle, researching future ancorages and countries or invents wonderful new dishes for the future with dwindling supplies. The sea is calmer for longer than we can ever remember here in the Society Islands. The Marquesas may be paradise but we were rocked there relentlessly by the trade winds and kathabatic treats. This kind of flat lagoon life is new to us. Bring it on!