Business in Tahiti

by Andrew and Clare on 28 Jun 2017 We came back to Tahiti mainly to shop for the boat, but at the same time we have enjoyed good company, lovely sunsets, snorkeling on the reef and secluded anchorages. We watched from our boat a thousand Polynesians participate in a canoe race which took a number of hours to complete. A thousand canoeists coming towards us look like ants on the water. But close up we could see the muscles in their arms, shoulders and back working hard; very fit people and lovely to watch.

One of our recent highlights was the arrival of Dutch friends Martin an Ellen on Acapella. We spent six months with them in 2014 cruising the Caribbean and diving in Bonaire. They, like us haven’t aged one bit over the last three years:) We will spend the next few weeks together before they return to the Netherlands. Our Aussie mates Roger and Sasha on Ednbal are here also, it makes all the difference having fun play mates. Also there has been no shortage of drinks and dinners out, giving us the opportunity to met the other cruisers in the anchorage.

And then there is work
We had a busy time boat shopping in Tahiti but now we have full supplies of cooking gas, diesel and petrol for the dinghy. We had our life raft serviced and bought spare parts for the fridge motor and a length of spectra to make a new backstay.

Andrew is currently running a larger wire from the battery bank to the fridge - more grunting:) I have done quite a few loads of washing at the Tahiti Yacht Club as it is the first public washing machine I have found since we came here in May. We also went to the Polynesia Trading Company and stocked up on bulk nuts and breakfast cereal. More trips to the Supermarket carrying heavy loads – my turn to grunt:)

Freedom at last
Yesterday we had a lovely twenty miles sail with a fifteen knot wind behind us, from Tahiti to Cook’s Bay on the island of Moorea. The Pacific Puddle Jump Rendezvous is being held here with some forty boats attending. These are the boats that came from the west coast of the USA and through the Panama Canal earlier this year and have now arrived in Tahiti.

This is an annual event but we missed the rendezvous the year we came through as we went home for nine months and left the boat in the Marquesas. Martin and Ellen on Acapella have been having a ball participating in the Rendezvous and yesterday we went into the Bali Hi Resort and joined them for the last of the celebrations. We met a number of people we have spoken to on the Radio Net and so now we have the beginning of new friendships.

Cook’s Bay is a lovely calm anchorage and things a fairly quiet here today. I think all the cruisers are recovering from two days of partying. Stephanie, the French lady organising the Puddle Jump Rendezvous, we met in 2000 when we competed in the Tahiti Off-Shore Cup. She hasn’t changed a bit and she immediately mentioned Trevor Joyce the Australian co organizer of the event back then. To our Aussie friends back home Colin and Denise you will be pleased to hear that baguettes and croissants are still being delivered to the boats early each morning. This was one of the highlights of our experience back in 2000 and yesterday Stephanie commented “It works, why change it”. Who can disagree!

So what's next
We will stay here in Moorea for a few days enjoying all that this wonderful island has to offer. Stingray City, Belvedere Look Out, the Agricultural College with its home-made ice cream, the Tropical Garden, ancient Mares, fresh prawns from the prawn farm on Wednesday morning and just gorgeous sunshine and sparkling water.

This article has been provided courtesy of the Freedom and Adventure.