On the 18th August 2021, it was a 17nm motor sail, from Cairns to Fitzroy Island where we picked up a Parks Board mooring in Welcome Bay. We spent two nights here and had Mike and Anita McMahon from “Curried Oats” over for drinks. We got some exercise by doing the walks to Nudey Beach, Secret Garden and the lighthouse. We left Fitzroy at 1:00am on the second night as the weather forecast indicated relatively light South-easterly winds.
Here’s the map, now let’s do the walks.
The path to Nudey Beach and Secret Garden.
View from the top of the hill near the lighthouse.
Route Cairns to Airlie Beach.
Mourilyan harbour with its sugar loading wharf was a welcome anchorage at 11:30 after working against the wind and current for 37nm. We set off again at 17:30 for the next leg to Cardwell at the North entrance to the Hinchinbrook Island channel. We anchored opposite Cardwell at Hecate Point at 02:30 the next morning. You may well ask, why these odd hours of sailing?
Anchored off Mourilyan Harbour sugar loading wharf.
Hecate Point anchorage opposite Cardwell.
At this time of the year, the prevailing South-easterly winds off the North Queensland coast is on the nose, so going south is hard work and you have to try and take advantage of any change in wind direction or lessening of the wind strength. We motored South through the Hinchinbrook channel that separates the big Hinchinbrook Island from the mainland in the wind and rain. Fortunately we had seen the magnificent scenery before, in sunny conditions.
Lucinda sugar conveyor.
The town of Lucinda is at the Southern end of the channel, with its sugar loading conveyor stretching 5km into the bay. We anchored off the derelict molasses wharf which was damaged by a freighter years ago and afterwards hammered by Cyclone Yasi. The bay has a shifting sand bottom and you have to navigate the shallows carefully. We got stuck here on a sandbar for 3 hours waiting for a rising tide, 5 years ago. Very embarrassing!
Sugar loading jetty 5km out in the bay.
It was a 62nm, 12 hour motor sail to Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island the following day, where we anchored in the bay at 8:15pm. There were about 30 other boats of all descriptions at anchor, most of which had just completed the “Beyond the Barrier” rally. The following day we had a great beach walk followed by beers at the Great Northern Brewery Pub.
Annie at the wheel to Magnetic Island.
Beating towards Magnetic Island late afternoon.
Next day – looking out over Horseshoe bay.
Walk around the bay.
As expected in Australia – shiny clean free gas BBQ’s along the beachfront.
Lovely old converted fishing boat in the bay.
Also, this metallic brown gin palace with mini-me tender in matching glittershit paint.
Aargh! Why you should appoint a naval architect to design your boat.
After the second night in this lovely bay, we woke up to a thick browny red layer of dead plankton on the water, so we set off at 8:30am to motor sail the 37nm past Cape Cleveland, to Cape Bowling Green. Our going was so good though, with flat seas and constant 10 knot winds, we decided to carry on to Cape Upstart, a further 38nm away, where we anchored at 8:15 pm.
Sailing past Cape Bowling Green lighthouse.
Leaving Cape Upstart early.
After a bumpy night due to an unforeseen southerly, which left us exposed to the swells, we left Cape Upstart early, for a 38nm crossing of Abbott Bay to Queens Bay, north of Bowen. For the first time, just off the Abbott Point coal loader, we heard a Mayday call on VHF 16. Kaylene, a 31ft yacht with a solo sailor onboard, had hit a reef and she was taking on water and was sinking.
Abbott Point coal loader.
Our position, 25nm away to the South, was too far away to assist. On VHF 16 wefollowed the impeccable management of the emergency by Abbott Point Coastal Rescue as they contacted two cargo vessels in the coal loader roadstead to assist the sailor, which they reluctantly couldn’t, as their RIBS were too small for the weather conditions. Abbott Point then dispatched the Bowen Rescue vessel and a helicopter from Townsville to the position recorded by the sailor’s EPIRB – they were on the scene in 40 minutes.
The outcome was good, as the sailor didn’t have to abandon ship – the Bowen Rescue vessel had pumps aboard to stem the water inflow to the vessel and took Kaylene in tow, back to Townsville. We had often thought of this scenario in the middle of an ocean, with no land closer than two weeks away and it was comforting to know that we were back in a part of the world where help was within a reasonable distance.
Queens Bay anchorage north of Bowen.
Queens Bay was a pretty and sheltered anchorage for the night and it was a short 12nm or 2 hour motor sail across the bay to the Shag Islet anchorage, which we had been working towards for the last week, for a good party. We anchored off the beach with about 60 yachts, after a 300nm journey from Cairns to Shag Islet. A gin and tonic at lunchtime was in order, before we joined the Shaggers at the Cape Gloucester Resort for a meet and greet.
Shag Islet in Gloucester passage.
The first people we bumped into were David and Kay Norman on AFRICA (Another F*cking Race I Can’t Afford), who said: “You were here five years ago and told us of the new 2 litre wine casks!” That set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, which was spent meeting a bunch of new cruisers.
A well deserved Gin and Tonic.
For the record, David’s card reads:” Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW! WHAT A RIDE!” We concur.
Shag Islet anchorage.
The next day was the Shaggers get together on Shag Islet. Again, a pleasant time was had meeting more people, who had one thing in common – their love of cruising the oceans. Saturday was a lay day as the reggae party on Saturday evening had been cancelled due to a double booking for a wedding at the resort. Ironically, the wedding reception had to be cancelled due to the Covid lockdown, so the Shaggers carried on partying at the resort.
Coconut Radio blasting forth from under the little gazebo.
Part of the crowd on Shag Islet.
Back in Tahiti, our friends the Bellamy’s had told us about the Oldfield’s from their yacht club in Western Australia who were cruising in NSW. Saturday morning on our way to the beach for our morning walk: Voila! A Jeanneau 42 called Zofia, with Brian and Eva Oldfield aboard, inviting us in for a coffee. We returned the compliment by inviting them for sundowners in the evening.
Morning beach walks.
View out into the bay.
Annie catching some sun between events.
It had been a long and liquid evening with much laughter due to the Oldfield’s sparkling repartee, so late Sunday morning, after a handful of Panadol’s, we set off to the final party and charity auction for prostate cancer, the SICYC Pirate’s Party. The reason for the existence of the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club and its more than 7,500 members in 14 countries, is to raise awareness of and raise funds for prostate cancer research, for which more than $650,000 had been raised over the last 9 years. (And to have fun while doing this!)
Pirate party crowd.
Well dressed pirates.
Dirk & Annie with Jan and Richard McCarthy, Shaggers from London.
Monday morning the 30th August at 11:00 we said our goodbyes and motored through the Gloucester Passage on our way to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, on which we will report later. Cheers for now!
Celebrating our Pacific crossing with a bottle of bubbly in our hotel room.
Fourteen days quarantine in the Pacific Hotel in Cairns was compulsory for us after our arrival in Far Northern Queensland. We enjoyed the stay and the meals from the 28th July to the 10th August 2021, but not the cost of $4,130 plus $1,894 for a marina berth while we were in quarantine.
Catching up with emails.
The hotel deserves compliments for their meals which were excellent, albeit a tad too much, considering that we could not exercise to shake off the results. We had fast internet access and a balcony that we could go out on, with a view of the city and the sea. The hotel arranged live music by Craig Phelps on the pool deck with free pizzas delivered to our rooms on Friday nights, which we enjoyed on our balconies.
Music on the pool deck.
Craig Phelps playing Jack Johnson.
Pizzas with Craig singing in the background.
Lunch – salads and chicken mayonnaise sangers.
During our stay we had three PCR swab tests with negative results during the 14 days, before we could leave the hotel. Upon discharge, we met with a Department of Agriculture Biosecurity official to have our boat checked for timber bug infestations. For this we had to pay a charge of $310.
Annie’s morning exercise routine.
Another curved ball was a Customs law dating back to 1901, which required us to re-import our boat after more than a year abroad. We didn’t know that we actually exported the boat in the first instance. The cost of a Customs broker was another $480, to have the boat released from Customs.
Cairns Marina with our neighbours, John and Raewyn Lemberg.
We were haemorrhaging money, as there were also numerous repairs to be done after the long ocean crossing: torn jib sail, torn spray dodger, the forward toilet mounting screws stripped, requiring the replacement of the toilet, etc. We set about doing this as soon as we got back to the boat.
Cairns foreshore.
Two days before our release from 14 days quarantine in the Pacific Hotel and after our third negative Covid PCR test, we were advised that Cairns will go into lockdown for three days because of a new Covid-19 case in Cairns. This meant getting back to our boat, but not being able to go anywhere for a day.
Walk along the foreshore.
We then spent a pleasant week in beautiful Cairns enjoying the tropical Far North Queensland parks and gardens. The council goes to great lengths to make the town tourist friendly with well planned and clean facilities. The tropical trees were different to the ubiquitous eucalyptus trees of NSW.
Tropical trees, not seen in Sydney.
Excellent BBQ facilities in the parks.
Our mobile SIM cards for Australia expired during our absence, so we had to get new ones and I had to get my iPhone repaired due to water ingress. We hired a car and stocked up with food, booze and gas before we departed on the 18th August, after filling Esprit up with diesel.
Statue in front of the RSL.
Waterfront art.
Shallow pool for the kids.
More tropical trees.
We will now motor sail the 17 nm to Fitzroy Island south-east of Cairns, to tie up to a Parks Board mooring and will report on our journey south, as we progress. Cheers for now!
We set sail from Maupiti, French Polynesia on Monday 28 th June 2021, to sail directly to Cairns, Australia. We had almost three months in this lovely Pacific nation which gave us the opportunity to explore all the major places. Some cruisers hang around here much longer, because they love the culture, or, because of Covid-19, they cannot continue west to the other Pacific nations. These boats sail up and down French Polynesia like the mythical Flying Dutchman. Australia and New Zealand are also closed to international sailors and only allow their citizens back.
Our last view of land for 28 days.
In a previous post I referred to some problems with officialdom and now that we have left French Polynesia, we can tell you more about this: Despite us hoping to spend a year cruising the numerous Pacific Islands, between Panama and Australia, only French Polynesia and Fiji were open in terms of Covid-19 protocols. Back in December 2020, Annie submitted an application to the French Polynesian authorities for a standard 3 month visa to cruise these islands. By the end of January 2021 she had not had a reply, despite cruising friends who had applied during January, receiving their approvals.
She again emailed them for the visa, but some official had filed and forgotten our application. In the first week of February a new case of Covid had arrived in FP by plane from the USA, so the authorities immediately closed the FP borders. On further enquiry from Annie we were advised that our application to enter FP had been refused. We now had to leave Panama for Australia, facing a hell of a long passage going home, with nowhere to stop but in Fiji!
Annie contacted an agent in Nuku Hiva, FP who said: “For US150 I will sort this out”. A week later we were advised that we could enter FP for 4 days to rest and replenish our water, fuel and provisions! Arriving in Nuku Hiva, the agent took us to the Gendarmerie to have our passports stamped and other French documents signed. It turns out the Gendarmerie passport stamp is valid for the standard 90 day stay in FP.
In five years of cruising, we found that the more layers of bureaucracy (and the French have many), the easier it is to find a solution to these ad hoc bureaucratic decisions. There is a vast difference between arrivals by plane from Covid hotspots and sailors who are effectively in quarantine for 27 days, sailing from Panama to FP, without a living soul in sight.
After four days, we set sail for the Tuamotus. Bad luck provided the solution, when a stay in Esprit’s mast rigging started unwinding. We were now forced to stop in Tahiti for repairs and time marched on – four days turned into four weeks. Not a sign of patrol boats or officials – only friendly locals happy to welcome us. We kept a low profile and had the balance of our 90 day visas to see the rest of the Society Islands, which was a wonderful experience.
Esprit’s track from Maupiti to Cairns.
Now, we are back to take two: Pacific crossing from Maupiti, FP to Cairns, Straya. As the crow flies, it is 3,600 nm (6,667 km) for this leg, but in reality it will be longer, as the boat sails. For example, in take one: Panama to Nuku Hiva, FP is 3,800 nm (7,038 km) as the crow flies, but as the boat sails, it was 4,028 nm (7,460 km).
Bob in Auckland advises us that this leg of the Pacific crossing may be more challenging due to the shifting SPCZ (South Pacific Convergence Zone). Also, as a result of high westerlies down in the roaring forties, a huge low (no wind) has settled below Samoa, directly on our route to Cairns. He suggests we take a northerly route above Samoa to avoid the low.
Low, south of Samoa.
This will be longer, but at least we won’t have to motor (or so we thought). To summarise: Days 1 to 5, we have wind from the North-east, but, with lots of wind and rain squalls and lightning around us. We know that lightning is not our friend, as one lightning strike to a yacht mast can toast the electronics. At the moment, there isn’t another yacht mast for hundreds of miles around us.
The clouds marching by.
The weather gods have also decided they will only send these squalls at night, as it delivers amusing mayhem, with lots of shouty shouties (to quote circumnavigators Wayne and Barry on SV Nauty Buoy). Say no more. Despite this, we clock up 710 nm, average 142 nm/day for the 5 days. Once we reach latitude 12 south, the rain abates and we continue west slowly from day 6, due to light winds. We started motoring on Sunday arvo day 6, as the low has now moved further north into our intended route. We take the sails down as they are slapping uselessly in the little wind that there is.
Sun rising in the east.
We end up motoring for 40 hours until Tuesday the 6 th July (Day 8), burning 80 litres of diesel. At 07:00 on day 8, a light 10 knot S-E kicks in, we hoist the sails and cut the engine – hallelujah! We are now directly north of American Samoa and the American navy and air force spot us on AIS. We get visited by both a warship and a plane, not once, but two days in a row – good on them!
Samoa with wind to the south, but zilch where we are.
We re-set our course to the south-west to head for the French Islands of Wallis and Futuna, 510 nm away. Short lived excitement – we sail for 95 nm and then have to motor again for 21 hours. Getting a bit worried about our diesel.
On Day 11 we get into the easterly wind and set the pole up to run downwind. With winds between 18 – 24 knots, we are flying with 3 reefs in the main and 30% of the jib. We sail 164 nm in the next 24 hours and pass Wallis Island.
At 03:00 am on Day 13, we cross the International Dateline at 180 degrees of longitude and miss one day as we sail into the Eastern longitudes. At 07:00a 40 knot rainstorm hits us for an hour and everything on the boat is wet. We have 1,954 nm to go to Cairns. Days 14 to 17 have repetitive 18 – 22 knot SE winds with very unsettled 3 – 4 m seas and occasional rain squalls.
Vanuatu (previously New Hebrides) is ahead of us and on Day 18 we round this large group of islands to the North. We drop the sails behind the small uninhabited cluster of Rowa Islands for an hour, to run our water maker and fill the aft tank. The Coral Sea is ahead and we set our final course to Grafton Passage in the Great Barrier Reef and on to Cairns – still 1,150nm away.
The weather around Vanuatu.
The wind, rain and wave conditions are variable over the next 5 days, as we slowly reduced the distance to the North Queensland coast. At longitude 163E we encountered a squall line which stuffed us around and had us on our toes for 12 hours.
The bird life out at sea is fascinating – from big gulls to small pigeon sized birds, they manage to survive miles from nowhere, on what they can get from the waves. The night of Day 23 saw 7 blue face boobies settle on our solar panels for a rest and a free ride. I only discover them at 06:00 in the morning and managed to chase them away. They left a huge mess which took me nearly an hour to scrub off, so that we can harvest solar power again.
Day 28: Our last sunrise on this crossing.
Waypoint 2 came up outside the Great Barrier Reef on Day 28, Tuesday 27 July at 10:00 and from here we motored through the Grafton Passage in the reef for the long dredged approach channel into Cairns.
Approaching Cairns – Annie getting the fenders ready.
April 2017: Dirk’s 70th at the Prawn Star, just before we left Cairns on this trip.
We tied up at Cairns Marlin Marina on Tuesday the 27 July 2021 at 15:00, to complete our circumnavigation of the world – 5 years and 2 months since departing Sydney in 2016, having sailed 37,321 nautical miles x 1.852 = 69,118 km.
Esprit’s route around the world.
It may now be appropriate to quote the Chuck Berry song: “C’est la vie said the old folks, because you know, you never can tell”
Our second leg across the Pacific from Maupiti in French Polynesia to Cairns in Australia took us 28 days over a distance of 3,874 nm, (7,175 km), and was more difficult than the first leg from Panama to the Marquesas. You may ask why we made our landfall in Cairns instead of Brisbane which is a shorter distance? As we can’t visit the other Pacific nations due to Covid-19, we decided to again cruise in the Whitsunday Islands off northern Queensland and slowly make our way back to Sydney for the rest of the year.
The complete Pacific crossing.
Most importantly, The SICYC (Shag Island Cruising Yacht Club) annual rendezvous is on again at Gloucester Passage north of the Whitsundays, from the 26 to the 29 August 2021. This is party central for yachties, which we enjoyed 5 years ago. We made a lot of new friends then, who we hope to catch up with again. Watch our blog!
SICYC Rendezvous 2016.
Annie enjoying the SICYC Pirates party.
But first, we have to spend 14 days in quarantine in the Pacific hotel in Cairns at a cost of $4,130 for the two of us and leave our boat in the Marlin marina for that period at a cost of $1,895. A nice welcome home for Aussies due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At least we could come back, as other nationalities can’t get in.
Cairns – view from our hotel room.
We will keep you posted on Australia’s beautiful east coast as we sail back to Sydney, so stay with us. Cheers for now!
We arrived in Bora Bora around 5pm on the 19 th June 2021 after a pleasant sail from Tahaa Island. We picked up a mooring next to Andrew and Carolyn on Askari and joined them for drinks aboard. The next day wet tied up our dinghy at the Bora Bora Yacht Club and walked the 2km to Vaitape, the main town on the island. Being a Sunday, the town was quiet, so we walked back to BBYC for happy hourat the club.
On Monday morning Annie cycled back into town to start the check out process at the Gendarmerie and was told our zarpe document will be ready by Wednesday morning. Bob McDavitt our weather router, indicated that a low over Maupiti will delay our departure until the next Monday. The upmarket timber and grass roofed bungalows had us gawking.
Blue water and pools above it!
Bungalows on the water
The reefs don’t allow a passage around the south of the island, so we sailed down the west side of the island, picking up a mooring and visiting the famous Bloody Mary’s bar and restaurant, dating back to the 1950’s. There are numerous rolls of names at the entrance to the restaurant of the rich and famous who had been to Bloody Mary’s.
Bloody Mary’s jetty.
Roll call of the rich and famous.
On the Thursday we took the dinghy in to Vaitape to complete our check out. We also bought last minute provisions for the trip to Cairns, Australia. The documents hadn’t come through from Tahiti yet, so we anchored in a lovely spot behind Motu Toopua for another night.
Fruit and veg from sidewalk stall.
How to recycle tyres
Proud gardeners
Farmer’s market
Background music.
Friday morning proved successful at the Gendarmerie and we were issued with our exit papers and our passports were stamped. We set sail for Maupiti at 10:00 in a 15 knot NE wind and 1m sea. Arriving at the Onoiau pass, Maupiti at 14:30, we were confrontedwith big breaking waves on both sides of the narrow pass. The water was like a washing machine and we had to gun the motor flatout to make 2 knots through the fast out flowing current.
Leaving Bora Bora.
Approaching the pass
Where do we go in?
Maupiti.
Once inside the lagoon the water was flat and we motored up the channel to anchor close to three other boats. We had Andrew and Carolyn Bellamy from Fremantle, on Askari over for drinks. Saturday morning, we walked through the village of Vaiea to a row of low key eateries next to the sports field, where we enjoyed coffees and excellent chocolate cake.
Anchored in Maupiti
Coffee and cake queen
Chewing the fat with Andrew and Carolyn.
Sunday was a big day for Maupiti – the FP government had a new ship built in Spain to service the Society Islands as a freighter and ferry – a real lifeline for Maupiti to the rest of the islands. The celebrations started with music and dancing as soon as the ship entered the pass at 08:00. Everybody was dressed up and the welcoming committee stood ready with flower garlands for all the tourists that got off the ship. Really moving to see this event.
The new ship approaching
The music section.
Welcoming with flowers.
Ship docking
After the welcoming, Annie and I decided to climb the mountain above Vaiea to see the island from the highest point. A tough climb but very rewarding in terms of the view. We got back on board for cold beers and had a swim. The water maker was started and we filled the water tanks for the trip home.
At the top
Cairns is over the horizon.
Afterwards we went ashore to donate all our surplus clothes and linen, kitchenware, books etc. to the islanders, who are doing it tough due to the downturn in tourism. We had farewell drinks on Askari and to post this blog. Wish us luck as we do another long leg to finish our circumnavigation. We should arrive in Cairns in 3-4 weeks and as before, you will be able to follow us on our Predictwind tracking page. Cheers for now!
Raiatea and Tahaa Islands are two separate islands, surrounded by vast coral reefs. We arrived here on the 9th June and after entering the lagoon through a northeast pass off Tahaa, we motored into a few bays in Tahaa to find that the bays are all exceptionally deep. We decided to head for Raiatea a short distance away, to look for shallower water, which we found off the Carenage on the north west corner of the island.
Raiatea & Tahaa.
Raiatea is home to three large charter fleets of mostly catamarans of the Sunsail, Moorings and Dream Charter companies. They occupy all the marinas and the surrounding anchorages, forcing us cruisers to anchor further out. Due to Covid-19 their boats are largely unused at the moment.
Anchored outside the Carenage – our neighbour aptly named “Patchwork”
We were anchored just outside the Raiatea Carenage which is the oldest and shabbiest marina on the island. We dropped our big gas cylinder for a refill and took our bikes ashore for the 5 km trip into Uturoa, the main town. We had a successful morning by getting Covid-19 vaccinations. We opted for the Janssen single shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, rather than the Pfizer two shot option, which would tie us down here for three weeks.
Raiatea hospital where we got vaccinated.
We also established from the national police that checking out and getting the all important exit papers for the boat (zarpe) would take two days. Not wanting to brave the traffic and cycle to and fro, we motored Esprit to Uturoa and tied up at the wharf behind the Shell service station. Annie stocked up with food at a brand new Super U supermarket in Uturoa. She also found Nicola, a French Canadian who was happy to do our laundry in his washing machine on board his boat for a small fee – amazing.
I like the simplicity of the churches
On the 15th June we set off to sail around Raiatea Island, but the weather was a bit ordinary with rain squalls every now and then. Unusual, the locals told us, as we were now supposed to be in the dry season. Our route down the West coast took us outside the reef for a few miles, as the inside passage was too shallow for our 2.2 m draft. The first night we tied up to a buoy in Tuatau bay, where we sheltered from the easterly wind in a lovely setting.
The rugged West coast of Raiatea.
Our anchorage at Tuatau.
Motoring up the Southeast coast.
The next day was a wet affair with rain squalls and narrow passages between the island and the reef on the South eastern side of the island. We picked up another buoy in Opoa bay as the sun was coming out and went ashore to visit a UNESCO world heritage site called Taputapuatea. This archaeological site is at the heart of the Polynesian cultural landscape. Inhabited by the ancient Ma’ohi civilisation, it is believed to be the last region to have been settled by human societies in 1000 AD. I have now seen enough Marae old stones.
Anchorage at Opoa Bay.
The ancient site layout.
Old stones 1.
Old stones 2.
Old stones 3.
Where the hell are the buildings?
Our third night was in the lee of a small island Tipaemau, in the entrance of the Iriru pass on the East coast, where we met up with Neill and Heidi on Artemis. They invited us over for a fabulous lasagne dinner and dessert.
Anchored off Islet Tipaemau.
Heidi & Neill with their tasty lasagna.
We left early the following morning as a big squall from the East was heading our way. We outran it, motoring north to Uturoa where we tied up at the Total wharf to fuel up for our second Pacific crossing to Australia. We took on 325 l of diesel in the main tank and back up jerry cans and 30 l of petrol.
Squall from the East.
Then we sailed up to the North coast of Tahaa to visit the coral gardens off the Tautau and Maharare Islands and did a snorkel in the afternoon. The coral was average, as some green weed had started growing on it, but there were plenty of colourful reef fish.
The hamlet of Tiva on the West coast of Tahaa.
Anchored off the coral gardens.
The holiday resort next to the gardens.
Annie going for a snorkel sticky beak.
We were all set to leave this anchorage to sail to Bora Bora the next morning, but a huge northerly weather system set in with a deluge of rain lasting from 7:30 until 12:30. We motored down to the Paipai pass to exit the lagoon and set sail for Bora Bora at 1 pm. Next report from Bora Bora.
On Monday morning 31st May, we anchored at Fare village on Huahine Nui Island, 90 nm northwest from Moorea. Picture pretty, but without the dramatic mountains of Moorea. Huahine is known for the vanilla bean pods it produces and visiting a vanilla farm, plus cycling around the island was on our to do list.
Huahine Nui and Iti islands.
A model showing the topography with the surrounding reefs.
But first I had to research the Covid-19 entry protocols for ports of entry into Australia, as we had given up on Fiji. The latter would have cost us over $2,600 in tests and entry costs into Fiji and limit us to disembarking at only one of the 300 islands of Fiji. Both New South Wales and Queensland on the Australian eastern seaboard, have compulsory 14 day quarantine in place for international arrivals. The cost of quarantine in an approved hotel plus the cost of leaving our boat in a marina, to be paid by us, is around $4,000.
Happy hour at the Huahine Yacht Club.
Having registered our sailing plan from FP to Cairns in QLD with the Australian Border Force, we set about enjoying Huahine, which consists of two islands joined by a bridge, Nui (big island) and Iti (small island). We cycled the 23 km route around Nui visiting the original settlement of Fare Pote’e near Maeva on the north-east corner of the island.
The locals are proud of their sidewalks.
Fare Pote’e museum.
Inside the more than 200 year old museum.
The little daughter of the supervisor, showing Annie the fish.
This was the original capital in ancient times. There is an interesting legend of the Princess Hotu Hiva who escaped an arranged marriage on the nearby island of Raiatea by hiding in a barrel and floating across to Huahine.
The legend of Hotu Hiva – click to enlarge.
Hotu Hiva arrives by barrel.
The spot where she reputedly landed.
There are numerous Maraes (sacred sites) here and the original fish traps of the ancients in the river –still in use today. We also stopped at a stream which teemed with 2-3m long eels. The hills from Faie to the Bay of Maroe were quite steep, so we had to push the bikes.
A nearby Marae.
Ancient fish traps.
Public toilets near the sites – note the timber shingles and woven palm frond walls.
Push Annie, push!
At the top – totes sweaty.
We met Daniel from Berlin at the Huahine Yacht Club, who told us about Avea Bay at the southern tip of Iti, the small island. The next day I met four lovely ladies having lunch at the yacht club, wearing their traditional Tahitian flower crowns called “Hei Upo’o” which are worn to celebrate the beauty of everyday life in these islands of paradise. The embodiment of “The Happy Life”
Lovely ladies at the yacht club.
Tara, one of the ladies has a restaurant “Chez Tara” at Avea Bay and she invited us to lunch on the Sunday. We motored the 8 nm down some narrow channels to Avea Bay on the Friday, which has the clearest water we have seen – anchored in 10 metres depth, we could see every link of the anchor chain on the white sand. It was a 50m swim to the kilometre wide reef, only 1.5m deep.
Esprit anchored in the clear blue water.
A traditional house boat anchored near to us.
Me, celebrating the achievement of having swum the 50m to the reef and back.
On Saturday we cycled the 16km up the east coast to Tehoro in the north and back, followed by a short 10hm cycle up the west coast to Ha’apu Bay and back on Sunday morning, finding the vanilla farm closed. Spruced up after a swim and a beer on the reef, we settled down at Chez Tara at 12:00 for lunch.
Time to assemble the bikes again.
So that Ms Armstrong can take off again.
Palm trees along the road.
Bananas growing wild along the road.
So, this is how they keep the verges trimmed.
Some parts of the island have been inundated by these creepers taking over the trees.
A pity the vanilla farm was closed on a Sunday – we will try another farm on Tahaa island.
Marea near Avea Bay – how did the ancients move these stones?
At the top of a hill – no Sweaty Betty, this one.
Back at Avea Bay before lunch.
We were welcomed like old friends with hugs and Annie was presented with a fresh “Hei Upo’o” and a bunch of bananas, as I had mentioned earlier she wanted to bake a banana bread. The freshly grilled Mahi Mahi fish, chips and salads washed down with the local beer, went down a treat, resulting in a long Sunday afternoon Nanna nap.
Two lovely ladies.
Well fed and lubricated.
I begged Annie to take off her “Hei Opo’ou before she went to bed.
On the Monday we motored back to Fare in the rain, anchored and at 5pm joined a bunch of German, Dutch, Swedish and British sailors for a convivial happy hour, half price, drinks session at the yacht club. Tuesday was perfect for recovery as it was raining most of the day.
Next stop Raiatea island.
Wednesday morning the 9th June, we set sail for the short 22 nm sail to Raiatea and Tahaa Islands.
