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| Makes the first seven days of this passage worth it |
We know L'ORIENTals everywhere are absolutely buzzing with anticipation for THIS installment. Where are they ? How did it go ? Or as Gregor McGregor asked in his native tongue (Scots Gaelic), "cait a bheil iad?" Well, Gregor and all you other randos speaking those never used Google translate options, here we go.
Our still sponsor-less heroes (PS- that's for you Coke and Pepsi) Tom and Kirstin readied L'ORIENT for a challenging sail. No fewer than 4 of our Echo Dock neighbors in Hawaii had done the Honolulu to French Polynesia passage.........we tracked all of them.........and each one got what is charitably described in nautical technical terms as an ass-beating. Boat damage, bead sores from extended exposure to sea water, etc. We were definitely wary of this passage. We estimated it would take 20 days and be about 2500 miles in sea miles.
L'ORIENT is a big blue water cruiser and has a few advantages over smaller boats, an important one being that we can carry a lot of fuel if we choose to..........and we chose to because this route crosses the equator, the ITCZ -a sometimes windless, sometimes stormy stretch of ocean separating the hemispheres, weather wise. Our plan was to not linger in dead air waiting for the next thunder storm, but to motor sail out of any extended gap in the wind. So, off we went........1250 liters of fuel and 3 months of food.
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| Drowned rat - wave through the top bimini window (prob 14 ft) |
We all know that man plans and God laughs. Neptune is just kind of mean, with no sense of humor. Our first 7 days out of Honolulu were the roughest sailing we've ever done. We were battered non-stop by 12 ft waves from all directions, squalls, 30-35 knot winds 24/7. We were making good time, but the physical beating was really difficult to handle. Neither of us slept more than 2 fitful hours in a day......after a week of this you really start to lose it. You begin to ache all over from being tired. There was also the constant wave impact against the boat. Each big wave would stop the boat and cause a shudder; all the rigging would groan and slam.......we were quite worried. You'd look at the boat's speed instrument and see that pre-wave you're moving 7 knots.........wham, wave impact.......and you're moving 3.4 knots. Not good for the boat or for your nerves. Each morning at 5:45 we'd embrace sunrise. At least you could see what was happening.
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| Sleep - we'll take it anytime, anywhere |
And then, it eased up. Slowly, but progressively. The irony of the situation was through the first 7 days, with our mizzen deck loaded with 300 liters of our spare fuel in fragile looking bladders......we had used not a drop. Our main worry was one of them bursting from the rough ride. The old sailing adage "buy it and you won't need it" was never so apt. But the vision of 300 liters of diesel leaking everywhere was near the top of our very stuffed nightmare scenario list.
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| Full morning rainbow- the sky saying a belated "sorry about last night" |
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| Better seas- looking down at wave tops (vs. up) |
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| Early morning routine - check the forecast |
Truth be told, the rest of the trip.......10 days.......was pretty routine. We had a few scary squalls; one so intense we actually took down all our sails (for the first time). We saw lightning but not close by. We ended up needing to motor through two extended periods of calm.......literally no wind. And best of all we got here way, way, sooner than we anticipated......17 days 16 hours.
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| Land Ho - First view of Tahiti |
Tahiti is stunning and although we haven't seen much at all, we sampled the pastries we fell in love with in the Caribbean French islands and the $5 Bordeaux. As I write this we are alone in a dreamy bay formed by a protective reef. The roar of the breaking waves and the gentle rocking of the boat lulled us to sleep last night.
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| Home for at least the next week, Maraa - anchorage perfection |
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| Tahiti coastline |
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| Puffy clouds, perfect weather, and another escort of dolphins |
So day 1 on shore was checking in and paperwork. On day 2, a nice surprise........we got the Pfizer vaccine from the local health clinic. It involved a dark dinghy ride and a 6am queue but was worth every moment. No hassle as to where we are from (like Hawaii not reacting well to a Florida driver's license). Just gracious, caring medical service that reminds you that healthcare isn't a business everywhere. Enough editorializing. Our second appointment is booked and we now carry a snappy French vaccination booklet. Ooh la la!
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| Our vaccine brethren - Get us out of this circus tent |
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| Not exactly the Mayo clinic, but vaxed is vaxed |
So, L'ORIENTals- here's the deal. We LIVE in French Polynesia now. We have a renewable long term visa; kind of like a green card. And based on what we've seen so far, we're staying here a long, long time. So if you are a relative (close, not distant- meaning we know your name), a direct descendent, appear in our will, are a friend of longer than 15 years, or have other reasons to believe you have that coveted "inner circle status"..........Tom and Kirstin are expecting some visits. This pandemic is coming to a close in the coming months (fingers crossed) and although the quip "our house is your house" obviously doesn't apply because we pay for all the repairs and bills..........we're willing to tolerate you for a time. The hassle of getting here is worth it. Trust us.
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| Kirstin never ages; Tom getting comments like "nice of you to sail with your daughter" |
