Cruising in French Polynesia
by Andrew and Clare 4 May 2018 11:42 UTC
Avea Bay, Huahine © Andrew and Clare
So here we are back in French Polynesia ready for another season of sailing. The weather is perfect, bright sunny days, balmy nights and 29.6 degrees sea water. Swimming is almost like taking a bath.
Most of the tropical rain has gone but occasionally we get a deluge, just to keep us on our toes. The heavy downpours come quickly, mostly in short bursts and saturates everything. We even have to drain the mainsail bag before we reopen hatches or we are likely, when the boat rolls, to end up with a bucket load of water on the dinning table. So it's a case of 'stay awake'.
We're getting good at this
Upon our return we found Eye Candy in good condition. The inside of the boat was perfect and the de humidifier did a good job at keeping any mould at bay. We also had a Yacht Services business checking on our batteries, and for any unwanted infestations. The deck was stained and grubby and the outside ropes were black. Fortunately we used the boat yards pressure house and cleaned this up in no time. So after painting the bottom, polishing the hull, deck and re establishing Eye Candy we launched in early April.
Lap it up
After the launch we sailed 20 miles east to Huahine and enjoyed a well earned rest in the peace and quiet. It was bliss sleeping with a gentle sea breeze flowing over us. Especially after weeks of working in a hot, dusty and very noisy boat yard. We enjoyed some walks, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing breaks on shore, having morning coffee in the shade listening to the water lapping the shore and looking out to a vast expanse of aqua sparkling water.
Catch up
We sailed back to Raiatea to catch up with some of our cruising friends returning to their boats for the season. It was back to the boat yard but this time it was much cooler as we could anchor off.
We had dinner out with Tom and Sylvia from Cinnabar and Rob and Sue from Athanor. The girls sat at one end of the table and boys at the other. Everyone was happy and clearly we had our own conversations and catching up to do.
Where else would you rather be
We are now on the island of Tahaa enjoying more peaceful walks and perfect anchoring conditions in very calm bays within the reef. Rob and Sue are with us and together we have snorkelled the Coral Garden. This is a lovely shallow spot between two atolls with a gentle current running through. It is a great drift snorkel with many colourful fish and lovely coral. Probably one of the best places to snorkel around here. The water is so warm you can hardly feel it on your skin. We sat in the shallows under the shade of a tree and chatted about the snorkel until our skin wrinkled up. It is easy to take these experiences for granted, but they are truly magnificent and something we will always remember.
So what's next
So tomorrow we will have to tear ourselves away from this paradise and go to Raiatea for shopping. We are running out of fresh food. Just think if we didn't have to eat we could stay here for ever; what a pity.
We have to leave French Polynesia by the end of May so we will provision the boat over the remaining weeks and plan out trip west. We have booked to leave the boat in Fiji by the end of the season.
So until next time stay safe and our love to all.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of freedomandadventure.blogspot.com