We enjoyed another few peaceful days in the South Vai’are anchorage. So special to watch the occasional eagle ray or reef shark saunter past, their markings very easily discernable in the clear water. The nearby reef offered a kaleidoscope of colour with a huge variety of reef fish darting about amongst the soft & hard corals.
Bill, (with my valuable assistance eg holding the spanner), ticked off some big items off his ‘to do’ list, including essential things like getting the water maker up & running again and re-erecting the wind generator which he essentially rebuilt. Clever man.
Feeling reinvigorated after these days of slow-paced pleasure, we had a delightful sail to Cook’s Bay, one of the well known deep inlets on the north side of Moorea. The seas remained confused & bouncy, but with a double reefed main & partially unfurled genoa, we had a quick trip around the NE tip of the island & anchored in 8m at the head of the bay.
Again, another stunning vista of dramatic peaks & valleys smothered in lush tropical foliage. The small village of Paopao lies at the apex of the bay, with a well stocked supermarket, a few fruit & veggie stalls and a small café which make a mean chocolate cake! We only stayed 1 night, then moved around to the Maharepa anchorage on the East side of the entrance to the bay. The anchorage was a little more exposed to the wind but with good holding, (later to be severely tested), in sand at a depth of 3m.
It was a squally night, with frequent rain showers & associated strong winds, together with multiple episodes of thunder & lightning. Although it was spectacular sight watching the fork lightning strike the high peaks, it was also rather unsettling been very conscious of the fact, that on a boat the mast is very admirably suited to the role of lightning conductor, (with disastrous consequences).
Just after 7am, the squalls became intense with torrential rain & squalls up to 48knots. Even within the lagoon, the seas were whipped up into a frenzy with spray being blown off the top of the waves by the howling wind. We were surrounded on 3 sides by reef, so we hoped that our anchor would do its job, although we started our engines just in case. Well – it eventually all settled down, our Rocna anchor did what it should very admirably, and we were grateful that we were not out at sea when all this mayhem unfolded. So, its not always fair winds & calm anchorages!!
Later that day, another challenge.
Bill had got the water maker going again, but inadvertently forgot to close one of the valves. The result? One of our water tanks filled with sea water! On a boat where fresh water is a precious resource & water preservation critically important, it was a nightmare to empty out about 200L of fresh, (but now contaminated), water into the ocean. Followed by the laborious process of repeatedly washing out the tank to remove the taint of seawater.
Anyway, enough of that. Typically after the unstable weather, a beautifully tranquil day & we motored the short distance to Opunuho Bay – yet another magnificent location on the beautiful island of Moorea. It’s a busy place, even before peak cruising season which is June to August. We counted 35 boats in the anchorage although, being in a catamaran with shallow draft, we have been able to position ourselves at the quieter end. There is also a massive cruiser ship in the bay: Ovation of the Seas which arrived this morning & has been spilling out its passengers ever since. The French Polynesian government is encouraging these massive vessels into their waters, no doubt as it is an easy way of injecting cash into their economy. The mind does boggle however, at the environmental fallout of encouraging this type if tourism.
So, the routine is slowly being established, although there does seem to be a bit of a trend of ‘something breaks, then fix it’. They do say blue water cruising is just repairing your boat in exotic locations! Regardless of that, I feel I am easing back into the cruising lifestyle & the sense of freedom, self-reliance & opportunity is thrilling.