THE KINGDOM OF TONGA

En route to Tonga we had to cross the International date line as at some point in the past they had decided that they wanted to be in the same time zone as New Zealand and Australia. However there are no fixed co-ordinates at which to do this so it is was up to us to chose when we would change our clocks. On day two we decided we had had enough of Thursday so we binned it and moved onto Friday, which was surprisingly satisfying. We were making good progress, so not wishing to arrive in the dark, we reefed our sails to slow us down. After I had had an additional kip, the less said about that the better, we hoved too outside the entrance  to the Northern Vava’a group of Islands in Tonga to await day break. As the sun rose we lowered our sails and motored into the islands and were greeted by three whales who were swimming past, one waving a flipper to welcome us to the Kingdom of Tonga. As we weaved through the islands we were very taken by the beauty of the place, large undercut rock faces, lots of lush green South Pacific vegetation and beautiful crystal blue waters.

It was a Sunday and in Tonga this is very much a day of rest with nothing open, so we were not able to check in. Luckily for us Zig Zag were in residence and offering dinner so we had a lovely evening catching up with them before heading into the town of Neiafu the next morning. We tied up to the customs pontoon and awaited the arrival of the customs officials. When the three different parties arrived we were thrilled to see that they were all in traditional dress. The men wear the same skirts as the ladies, adorned with what looked like door mats wrapped around their waists. We had thought the French Polynesians were large but Tongans are even bigger. I could defiantly take up a career in modelling there! They asked for fizzy drinks and one official tried to take all our chewy bars home with him. We had to pay quite a bit of money as well to enter the country and were also hassled by a local on the dock asking for rope for his cow and things for his children. We later learnt he didn’t have any of the above.

Picking up a mooring ball for a couple of days we busied ourselves with the usual domestic chores necessary after a voyage. Tonga has never been colonised by a western civilisation and has a King as its leader, so we were very interested to see how different things would be. Wandering around the town in search of provisions it quickly became apparent that these people were really very poor. There was a vegetable market but the produce was limited and expensive and the choice in the shops was very limited as well. The locals were definitely not very friendly either, unless they wanted something from you when they became quite animated. The one remarkable difference though was that the Internet was cheap and very good so that made a delightful change. For the first time in months we could easily download a newspaper and catch up on all the news from home. However we  quickly realised, with all the Brexit nightmares, we probably had been better off without it.

As we have sailed across the Pacific we have been amazed at what a wonderful sailing community there is as we all turn up in the same places together again and again. In Vava’a there was a daily radio net run by locals the most enthusiastic of which was a great character called Bear. He and his fellow Canadian wife Char run a great delicatessen and an excellent floating bar called The Hideaway. Situated in the harbour they serve great Margaritas and cook a mean fish and chips! It was fascinating hearing them talk about their experiences trying to make a living in Tonga as an outsider.  We got the impression that the locals were not very focused on making money and certainly don’t make it easy for foreigners to set up a business in their country. However things have improved since the new king came to power in 2012, the internet being one of his massive improvements.

The various anchorages throughout the Islands are all given numbers, rather than names, to aid us sailors who might otherwise struggle with the local pronunciations. It doesn’t add to the ambiance. However the entire area is extremely sheltered from the sea and we quickly got use to drifting from one anchorage to another, usually just under Yankee, making it a very relaxing place to be. The weather was not great with a lot of grey clouds and rain and we even, horror of horrors, had to get a jumper out on occasion. We were told it was very unusual and we certainly have not had the usual weather or winds across the Pacific, a slight El Niño year.

Arriving in anchorage no 7 we found our friends from Aghavni, Sevan and Keri with their four gorgeous kids Van, Siroon, Noone and Mane. We went with them to visit the beautiful Swallows cave, and its equally pretty neighbour, together with Kota from Ponjo and his two very young kids. We marvelled at the coloured  stalactites, tried not to notice the graffiti, and swam around in the intense blue water watching the tropical fish swimming below in the beams of sunlight which made them look  fluorescent. It was lovely to spend time with youngsters for a change and see the world though their eyes. Then we set off across the bay and the older members of the party dived into Mariners Cove. The story goes that a young Tongan chief hid his lover there for two weeks until it was safe to whisk her away to Fiji and marry her. In order to enter the cave you have to dive down about two and half meters and swim  four meters under the rock. Well if a wisp of a girl with no fins could do it I felt I should be able to and using my newly acquired free diving skills, and my lovely modern fins, I managed to complete the dive emerging gasping in the cave. It was well worth the effort, every-time a wave surged in the cave was filled with a blue mist which gradually cleared until the next wave. That evening we had drinks onboard Ponjo with several other boats, with all the kids eating popcorn and having a movie night making it a lovely end to a very special day.

For Andrew’s birthday we decided to try a Traditional Tongan feast and duly headed to mooring no 15 where we met up with Zig Zag and Burmese Breeze. Arriving at the site we were not overly optimistic about our evenings entertainment. We found the two young daughters of our host dressed in traditional costumes wiggling around to the music slightly unpalatable, the scene only improved by their two year old brother copying them in his night clothes. We were given a two minute demonstration of traditional basket weaving and then were told we were going to try Cava. This is the local grog, produced from a root and mixed with water and it is supposed to have a drug like effect which ultimately, if you have enough over time, is supposed to give you a high and then result in you sleeping most of the next day. The ritual however is very much part of Polynesian culture where the locals and /or visitors sit with the chief in a circle on the ground each partaking of a cup in turn and then everyone would clap three times before passing the cup back to the chief. This can go on all night but on this occasion we were just given some to try. It was not at all nice, in-fact it tastes like mud, and the only effect for me was a slight tingling on my tongue. Can’t see it catching on in the UK. Dinner, which had been brought in a boat, was then served on a table and we sampled lots of local dishes including Andrew’s favourite Poisson Crue which is basically raw fish cooked in lime and coconut cream. Not our best traditional experience but a good night was had.

The wind picked up over night and we all motored across the bay to anchorage no 16 where there was good shelter.  Meeting up with Zig Zag and Burmese Breeze the next morning we set off for a walk and as usual got very lost! Andrew got his hand bitten by a spider trying to thrash his way through the foliage and luckily Rosemary had some anti histamine with her and saved the day as his hand was beginning to swell up.  A pig roast was organised that night on shore with the locals by Colin who promised us a much more authentic and tasty local experience. Most of the bay were going and a good evening beckoned. After lunch Andrew started to feel very unwell and it looked like I was going on my own. By four O’clock I had to admit defeat as well. Not to go into too much detail but we had the worse case of food poisoning I have ever experienced. Lying shivering and then sweating in my bunk I listened to all our mates having a lovely evening but for once had no desire to partake in the festivities. We were going no where for a couple of days. We worked out  that it was the Poison Crue that did us in, silly of us really to have eaten it in such dubious conditions.

Our lazy days continued and with lots of mates in town we had a very sociable time. A coffee date with Bill & Zoe turned into an all day affair that needed another day to recover from. Water Music arrived and we went to meet them in anchorage no 7. They had their son Charlie and his friend Fergus onboard and we took them to Swallows cave and Mariners cove. Every Friday afternoon in Neiafu there is local racing and Stephen and Grace invited us to join them to crew Water Music which is after all a racing boat. There is not a huge amount of room in the harbour and the runs were not that long but we managed to hoist the kite twice, no room for error on the downwind turning mark, get it wrong and you hit the reef but luckily we had youth on board. We were thrilled to win and I thought the hobby cat was very gracious in his congratulations. It was a real thrill and we returned to the bar for drinks to celebrate and then later for dinner where we were joined by the crew of Love Child. A few drinks in we retired to the tapas restaurant where they had live music and we threw a few shapes around the dance floor and had a jolly good giggle.

We met up with Zig Zag and spent a few days in company with them enjoying different anchorages and some fantastic snorkelling. There were lots of beautiful fish and we found Nemo! 

There was talk of some breeze so Andrew and I took ourselves of to Hunga Haven for some shelter. A large lagoon surrounded by land it afforded us good protection but the entrance between the rocks and reefs is very tight and we definitely held our breath as we entered. We went for a couple of walks in our time there and walking through the main village we were quite shocked to see the poor conditions that the locals lived in. Wandering through the woodlands in search of the sea view that was supposed to be amazing we came across a youth with red eyes, too much cava, and a machete. Surprisingly we didn’t feel threatened and asked him if we were on the correct path to which he replied yes. I had forgotten that the Tongans don’t like to ever say no to you, we never did find that view.

An elderly man had rowed out that morning to try and barter some goods with me and I am a bit of a soft touch when asked for help. I exchanged corn beef and tinned sardines for a  bread fruit and was very happy with my purchase.  Meeting him on one of our walks I agreed to buy some of his local spinach and a date was made to meet the next morning on the key side. I exchanged burgers, chewy bars and milk and was given my organic greens. On getting them back to the boat though it became apparent they were crawling in ants and other insects, we tried drowning them in a bucket on the bathing platform but they just started crawling around the deck. So my lovely veg ended up in the sea and my crew mate was less than happy with me and my soft heart. Good thing I didn’t barter any of his beer for the veg!

At the this time of year the hump back whales migrate to Tonga to have their babies and it is a great tourist attraction. It is possible to go swimming with the whales but it is expensive and we felt a little intrusive. However on venturing out of the pass in Hunga to go snorkelling we saw a mother and its baby swimming by. They quickly dived down and we have since learned that once you see their tails you wont see them again, the technical term for this is sounding. We set off in pursuit to see if they would surface, I for one feeling this could be a little foolhardy. We didn’t see them again so had to console ourselves with the excellent snorkelling on offer, not just pretty fish but beautiful corral as well.

We had only been given a visa for a month, with an option to extend at additional cost, so we decided it was time to go and check out the middle group of  Ha’Apai islands. Returning to town to check out and refuel, we found ourselves in a lengthy queue for the fuel and were told if we wanted to leave on a Sunday/Monday morning we had to come back to check out on Saturday and surprise surprise we had to pay them overtime!  We had a last shop in the vegetable market where a priest was giving a roaring sermon, none of which we could understand but we clearly were all in peril of our immortal souls. Popping into the craft market we finally bought ourselves a piece of Tapas. The traditional cloth made from the barks of trees, in this case the Mulberry which is supposed to be the best. It has a beautiful painting of whales on it which seemed very fitting for Tonga.

We caught up with some other boats that had just arrived from the Samoan Islands. The lovely Nancy sharing her eggs with me as I couldn’t find any in town. Before we left we gathered in anchorage no 15 for a pot luck on Hullabaloo with Zig Zag, Water Music and Love Child and had a riotous evening resulting in a very slow last day in the Vava’a Group. We retired for an early evening to anchorage no 8 with Zig Zag ready for any early departure the next morning for the Ha’Apai islands.

Leaving at the crack of dawn we had a great sail down and arrived in the bay of Ha’ano in time for a snorkel. The next morning after breakfast I was standing on the back deck emptying the coffee pot when about fifty meters behind the boat a Hump back whale breached. I screamed and luckily Andrew made it on deck in time to witness this magnificent sight, no photo graphic recording sadly but the image of his big white tummy rearing out of the water is seared onto my retina for ever. He then proceeded to flop around and wave his flippers at us before the inevitable tail appeared and off he went. AWESOME!

We proceeded with Zig Zag to check in in the town. The boys went to customs and I went in search of a wine shop as we were pretty much a dry ship since the Pot luck. I managed to find a couple of bottles of red but again no eggs. This was not a wealthy town. The wind picked up and we moved up the bay and hid behind the reef for the night. Our next stop was the Island of Valera where we anchored next to a beautiful long sandy beach and had some great snorkelling with Rosemary on the outer reef. She is such an expert on all the different fish and is the source of all my lovely fish pictures, which will be posted once I get back to the UK and can upload them all.

On day two in this beautiful anchorage we went for a walk along the beach and ended up walking around the entire island. It is about six miles which on damp sand was quite tiring and we all launched ourselves first into the sea and then into the small bar on the beach for liquid refreshment. For the next few nights we took it in turn to host dinner and then play cards. However rather annoyingly Francoise proved to be a mean card player so we had to knock that  on the head pretty sharpish!

We sailed out to Oua island together passing on our way a pod of seven whales swimming in convoy in the opposite direction, waving their fins at us as if in greeting. The reef pass into the anchorage was beautiful but you wouldn’t want to do it in the dark. We went ashore for a couple of walks, on the first one Andrew bartered some pencils for a few coconuts that Rosemary wanted to make Coconut cream. On our second we wandered around the little village which was extremely poor, but there were the usual pigs and chickens in residence.  The mud paths between the houses must make it pretty miserable to live in when it rains. As if on queue the heavens opened. The vicars wife invited Rosemary and myself into her house for some shelter and we spent a very enjoyable half an hour hearing all about the village antics. She sat on the floor but was insistent that we sat on her plastic white chairs. She told us she was also the headmistress of the local school where she had sixteen local pupils. For senior school the children then went to boarding school as is normal in all these islands. She had two daughters on the main land and was finding life without them quite hard. As we wandered back to the slipway Rosemary pointed out that although there was very little money around no-one looked liked they lacked food or were badly nourished as is often the case in her native South Africa.

The wind was due to pick up so we headed back to Tanaka for some shelter and were soon joined by most of our mates in the area. A busy day was had full of visitors, firstly from Triple Shot Yvonne bringing us some lovely cookies. Then Into the Blue and lastly Achavni who arrived early evening bringing popcorn and cards. Andrew and I had a lovely time playing cards with all the children, they are such a lovely family. I take my hat of to all these mums who home school their kids and manage all the washing and cooking and keep smiling!

A weather window was opening up for our trip down to Fiji so we headed back to town to check out and then back to Valera for our final night in Tonga. We had farewell drinks in the little bar on the beach with Zig Zag and Into the Blue and were very sad to say goodbye to Francoise and Rosemary as they were going straight to New Zealand  and not coming with us. Waking early the next morning and creeping out of the harbour at first light Zig Zag sounded her horn in farewell which rather brought a lump to our throats. Of all our expectations of cruising we never dreamed we would make so many good and life long friends.

Into the Blue followed in our path, Water Music left the Vava’a group at the same time. We really liked Tonga and had enjoyed our time and having so many of our friends around us, though in retrospect we should have spent more time in the more remote Ha’Apai group. And the many whales we saw were the icing on the cake. A proper holiday Geoffrey! It was time however to get back to the grindstone of another new adventure so we set our sails destination Fiji.....

A COOK ISLAND AND A NIGHT IN BEVERIDGE REEF

On leaving French Polynesia you have to make a choice as to which way you go to get to Tonga. Some boats go North to the Samoa islands (US and West) and some via a variety of the Cook Islands. We were very undecided until the last minute but in the end headed for Rarotonga so that we could at least experience one of the Cook Islands. In retrospect it was the wrong decision but you can’t get it all right and you can’t see everything.

For the first two days of our crossing we had very light winds which is always a little frustrating, and George our auto helm does not like sailing in these conditions. Our biggest fear is that he will go on strike and then god forbid we would have to helm the boat! On our second night there was no wind at all so we had to motor. The sea was as flat as a mill pond and you could see all the stars reflected in it, it was truly beautiful. Day three brought us some decent breeze and we were soon trundling along at six and a half knots, finally making land in Rarotonga, our chosen Cook island, after four nights at sea.

We motored into Avatiu Harbour and moored up stern to the land. It is not a nice harbour at all as it is open to the swell and in order to get ashore you need to launch the dinghy and risk life and limb clinging to a rickety ladder on the wall, avoiding landing in the large puddles at the top.  Before we could do this though we had to wait for the Customs to arrive and go through the usual checking in process, which was all relatively easy. However the local currency is New Zealand dollars, of which we had none, so a quick trip into town was needed to pay our dues. They also bought us tired sailors a very good fish and chip supper before we retired to bed for an early night.

The next day brought with it torrential rain. It seemed a waste of money to hire a car but there is a bus that circumnavigates the Island so for five dollars each we hopped on it and did the circuit. The weather didn’t help but we weren’t hugely taken with the place. It appears to be a holiday destination for a certain type of Kiwi and has lots of take out fast food joints and not a lot else.

So we decided the next day to walk across the island and experience the more scenic part of the place. Whilst we had been on the bus the day before a family had got on covered in mud from their trek and had not been allowed to sit down, so himself hit upon the idea of catching the bus first to the other side of the Island whilst we were all clean and walking back towards the boat. We should have realised our mistake when I read a notice at the start of the Trek suggesting that it was advisable to start from the other side. However we were on Dallas tours and so we ventured past the Waterfalls and on into the jungle.

I mentioned that it had been raining the day before and we were expecting some mud. We were also expecting some sign posts. To begin with all went well but it became harder and harder to find the painted blue arrows showing the way. I wasn’t very happy when I came face to face with a rat who then proceeded to run over my head on a branch. I soon got tired of taking off my shoes every time we had to cross a river and greatly enjoyed watching the efforts my guide went to avoiding getting his feet wet, some of them quite athletic as he crossed streams by going through the branches. 

We eventually got completely lost, no mobile phone, no GPS, no food and little water, what muppets! We climbed a hillside/mountain in the hope of finding our way, clinging on to the tree roots we some how made some progress. The tour guide thankfully, and correctly, decided to descend which he did quite quickly but I am frightened of heights and was not easily letting go of my new found friends the tree roots. Once back down the hillside he was happy to find a young Czechoslovakian couple with Google maps on their phone. They kindly waited for the old dear to descend and tried not to look too shocked at the state I was in when I arrived. Think yeti covered head to toe in mud, steam coming out of ears and generally not a happy bunny. But we found the path and then waved them on, much to their relief. We had another very steep hillside to climb, Andrew was in much better shape than me at this point and I was reminded of learning to ski when you are the worst in the party and finally catch up with everyone, only for them to set off again before you have had a moment to catch your breath.

We met a couple going the other way who told us that they had been going to walk both ways but had just had a terrifying experience at the top traversing across a sheer drop with only a rope to hold onto and were therefore going to get the bus back to their car. Blood pressure now at boiling point we continued onwards. On reaching the sheer drop, hyperventilating I hung onto the rope and didn’t look down, breathing a huge sigh of relief I  made it to the top. There was a lovely view and a magnificent cockerel, but we were too exhausted to walk to the view point so  commenced our descent. It wasn’t easy but at least we had sign posts and finally we were at the bottom. 

We were however unbelievably hot and covered from head to toe in mud! The tour guide spotted a river, clinging to another rope we descended down a slope through some bushes and there was clear cold water and not a soul around. We had the best skinny dip ever, and emerged in a more presentable state. Our journey was far from over however as we had quite an walk still to get back to the boat. We travelled past lots of local houses marvelling at how many pigs there were, some piglets foot loose and fancy free and some large pigs tied up. Together with lots of dogs of the loud barking variety.

Finally we were at the harbour and we fell upon the nearest burger joint. We devoured our very late lunch surrounded by the inevitable chickens that roam all these islands, just a shame no one collects the eggs. We had intended to go out to dinner that evening toTrader Vics but we were so tired we could hardly move so we had baked beans on toast and a very early night.

The wind turned direction in the night and the conditions in the harbour became even more uncomfortable so the decision was made to leave that day.  Taking our life into our hands we clambered ashore to start the checking out process, purchased a few vegetables and were happily on our way back out to sea after lunch. Rarotonga probably our least favourite place so far in the Pacific.

We had another four nights at sea and quickly fell back into life onboard. With the Yankee poled out we made great headway romping along, Hullabaloo at her very best.  Our disastrous fishing record in the Pacific continued however. We caught a Tuna and Andrew gallantly reeled it in, I could taste the Sashimi, and then just as he leant over the side to bring it onto the boat the lure broke and it dropped back into the sea. A couple of hours later we had another bite but that jumped off, so sadly no fish supper for us. The weather and sea state were good enough to play cards so at least the skipper could console himself with thrashing me, the score was not looking too good!

We arranged to meet Bill and Zoe for dinner in Beveridge Reef which is in the middle of the Ocean. Surrounded by reef with a single pass into the lagoon it is like an Atoll but with no surrounding land.  The only solid object that can be seen even at low tide is the wreck of an old fishing boat.  There is no land above water anywhere.  On our approach we could see Into the Blue anchored in the middle and we motored though the pass into calm waters and anchored next to them. They cooked us a delicious dinner and sitting around their cockpit table it was all very surreal. It really felt like we were anchored in the middle of the Ocean and the only indication that we were surrounded by reef was when the odd wave crashed over it.

The next morning Bill wanted to take us shark fishing in the pass.  We motored to the South of the lagoon and anchored but the wind was starting to pick up and he decided it was too dangerous. As they had told stories the night before of the sharks in a feeding frenzy bashing their dinghy two days previously I was secretly happy to have been saved by the weather, even if it meant we cut our stay there short and left that afternoon.

We headed out together into the swell and we set course for Tonga. Zoe and Bill decided to head for Niue but we didn’t like the sound of the weather forecast. As it turned out they had a great few days there and we probably missed out but such is life. There were lots of squirrels around and consequently quite a lot of rain. We were told when we left Panama we would not see any rain but that has not proved to be the case. Sheltering below we began our sail to The Kingdom of Tonga....

THE SOCIETY ISLANDS

We sailed overnight in lumpy seas with lots of squirrels and arrived in Tahiti in the rain and dark, neither of which were ideal. As we didn’t fancy entering Papeete harbour at night we anchored in a bay around the corner. It was slightly nerve wracking going through a reef in the dark but we could see the leading lights and it was a relief to be in calm water and get a good nights sleep.

In the morning we made our way into the harbour and found a spot on the waiting pontoon in Papeete marina. They work on a first come first served basis and there were lots of boats in town. We busied ourselves using the in-house washing machines, had pizza for lunch with great Wi-fi and went shopping in our first decent supermarket for a while, which was a joy! French cheeses, decent meat, sushi, lots of vegetables and wine at a sensible price! It was actually really nice to be in a bustling town for a change.

They moved us into the marina the next day and then we finally could plug into the mains for the first since we left Panama. Our poor batteries were very happy and it was such a relief not to have to switch on the smokey old generator, or have to apologise to anyone near us for the terrible pollution emanating from our vessel. We had made the decision in the Tuamotu’s to order a new generator and with the help of Emma we had found an old model in Australia the same size as the one we had. It actually was more powerful, 9.3 kw as opposed to 7.5 kw, but had all the same fittings so in theory it should be easy to install. It was expensive to ship but life had become intolerable with our failing generator,  entirely our fault we should have replaced it in America. Our agent Vincent informed us of its arrival, the lovely Dominic, who sounded just like inspector  Clouseau, came to spec the job and arrangements were made to fit it the following week.

Before that though we had the Tahiti Rendezvous to enjoy. An annual event that is organised by Stephanie whom we had first met at the Puddle Jump seminar in Panama. We signed up on the Friday afternoon and then went to the opening drinks party. There were some great Tahitian dancers who put on a show for us, the boys jumping around the stage beating their ample breasts as entertaining as the girls with their wiggling bottoms, thus providing excitement for both sides of the audience! We retired to dinner with our new friends from Water Music and enjoyed a fairly boozy evening in a local restaurant and then later on the good ship Hullabaloo.

In the morning we picked up our crew mate for the weekend Geoff from Nawi.  Sadly Sandra, his wife, had had to return home to Australia with some health issues that morning, the upside of which was that we got to enjoy his company for a couple of days. Having said we would never race no 9 we found ourselves on a start line vying for position. We even hoisted the kite but then sailed into a hole and  retired. Of course the wind then filled in but our race was over. We all anchored in Cooks Bay in Moorea and went ashore for a very jolly evening and dinner in the hotel.

We were woken the next morning by Geoff calling Andrew on deck as he didn’t recognise any of the boats that were around us. It was very windy and we had dragged past four boats in our sleep, we were so lucky that we didn’t hit one of them. One owner later told us that he saw us float past in the middle of the night, extraordinary that he didn’t try to wake us!! We motored around for a little while trying to get our anchor down in different spots but ended back where we had started and a close eye was kept on our position from the shore all day. 

We took part in the Va’a racing, these being the traditional local canoes with an outrigger. There were three heats and we had a team of four yachties with two locals at either end. We were in need of a fourth team mate and Timmo from Vuda marine in Fiji not only found us an engine, in the form of 6.4 foot power house Daniel from South America, but also proclaimed himself our coach. An excitable Italian he had us in stitches as he got more and more enthusiastic with our progress as we made it into the final with last years winners. Sadly they just beat us but we were pretty thrilled with our second place and at least we didn’t tip over rounding the course mark as many did. 

After an excellent lunch there followed more onshore activities during the day, I learnt how to open a coconut, was on the winning ladies tug of war team but declined to get involved in the stone lifting. There were some amazing local dancers that were even better than Friday nights and Bryan and I set ourselves up in chairs to watch, moving closer and closer to the front each time any one moved until to our delight we had front row seats! 

We left early the next morning and headed back to Papeete and our new generator. Marina Taina found us a spot on a hammerhead which enabled a fork lift to get near enough to winch the old generator out and the new one in. I left Andrew to deal with the boys and headed off to Carrefour and what a joy that was, suddenly I had a limitless choice of foods! I spent most of the afternoon in there restocking our supplies and then had to wheel the laden trolley along a gravel footpath back to the marina.  Not easy but worth the effort; although I almost lost the lot down a steep driveway.

I got back to discover that the fitting had gone very smoothly but the voltage output wasn’t high enough. Glum faces all round but an electrician promised to come the next morning and on reading the manual it became apparent that this was normal. Sure enough the electrician fiddled about and BOOM we had power!!!! In fact so much power we didn’t know what to do with it all. We could suddenly run a washing machine, power the batteries, run the domestic circuit, heat water, boil a kettle, make toast, recharge all our devices at the same time. In addition to this the machine was quiet and there was no smoke coming out the back. Suddenly life onboard took on a whole new dimension. I never thought I would become the type of girl that could be in love with a shiny new red engine!

We headed back over to Moorea for a few days to enjoy these luxuries, big smiles on our faces, gradually learning not to hold our breath each time we fired the generator up. We bumped into Into the Blue and had a nice lunch onboard their boat and also went further up the bay and swam with the manta rays and grey tip sharks. Some people were feeding the rays with bits of fish and they could get them to climb up their bodies. Amazing as this was we didn’t fancy it and didn’t feel totally comfortable with the sharks swimming around our feet with all this fish in the water. 

We returned to Papeete Marina one last time as we had tickets to see the Hiva. This is a traditional singing and dancing contest with participants from lots of different islands and villages. We got there ahead of time, as there were big winds forecast, and found ourselves on the waiting pontoon as everyone had had the same idea. On our first evening Colin from Burmese Breeze, who was tied up in front of us,  came on board for a chat and before we knew it we had most of the pontoon on our boat for drinks. Around eleven o’clock I decided to make dinner for our remaining guests and was very proud of my efforts considering the amount of rum I had drunk. It became apparent the next morning that I hadn’t been as together as I thought as the chicken carcass that I had thrown out the galley window, thinking I was at anchor, was in fact strewn all over the pontoon. I was however in a much better state than Andrew who had stayed up to four am with his new mate Colin and could hardly talk.

The upside of this was that I managed to take him clothes shopping and purchase some trousers and a couple of shirts for him as he was so malleable.  The following day I took myself off shopping and even got a haircut and professional hair dye, the first one since we left England in October nine months previously. That evening we attended a surprise 60th birthday party for Lydia on Cheglia. Martin had done her proud and their must have been at least thirty of us onboard. All this time it is blowing forty plus knots outside the marina and we were oblivious to it all.

On our last night in Tahiti we attended the Hiva in the local stadium. It was the opening night and we had to sit through some rather long speeches and presentations. Then there was a singing group which I have to admit was not to our taste. However the dancing performance that followed was out of this world. A least a hundred dancers performing a love story which lasted at least forty five minutes and was truly memorable! After that there was another singing group and most of the audience got up and left. So thinking the dancing must be over we went of in search of the Tuk Tuks and bought ourselves some dinner. Imagine our horror when we got back to the boat and could hear music and drums from the stadium. We had missed another dance spectacular, that will teach us to listen to our stomachs!!

We escaped the marina and spent a last night in Moorea, the only excitement being a visit from the Gendarmerie to inspect our paperwork. We then set off for an overnighter to Huahine in pretty average weather and a lumpy sea. Arriving in the morning we set off inside the reef motoring along the bottom of the island in crystal blue waters admiring the beauty of our new island. We found Stephen and Grace in the anchorage and they suggested that we had lunch in Chez Tara which they had done the previous Sunday. And an excellent recommendation it was with a fantastic pig roast that had been cooked in the ground and a great local buffet. They also did a mean rum punch. Stopping by Water Music on our way back for a quick catch up we arranged to go snorkelling the next day.

We duly picked them up mid morning and dinghied around the reef to the recommended snorkelling spot. There were quite a few pretty fish and a very ugly moray eel. We stopped at an historical Marae site which was interesting and then retired for lunch on the table on Hullabaloo before waving them off. The weather was lovely so we decided to spend a few quiet days  enjoying the island. We moved a few miles West and dropped our anchor just by the outer reef which was  idyllic.  Going ashore to drop off our rubbish we came upon some villagers practising for their local Hiva which was to take place that weekend and they were very friendly and happy to let us watch their dress rehearsal. Amazing as the show had been in Papeete this felt a much more authentic experience. In addition to the dancing Andrew and I both loved the beat and rhythm of the drums.

The following morning a little local boat approached us with a smiling Bryan at the helm and a young french lady who he was giving a lift to. They stayed for lunch and we had a good catch up on his antics since he had left Water Music a couple of weeks before. Our final stop in Huahine was the town. On dropping our anchor we were hailed by our new friend Colin inviting us to join him and his crew mate Tamsin for dinner in the local yacht club, how could we say no. A fun evening was had with some excellent french steak and lots of french wine. Arriving back at the boat and keen to check for news from home I took my iPhone on deck. Sadly I then dropped it down the companionway and now the screen no longer works. All a-bit of a disaster, not least as I have lots of pictures on there that are not backed up to the cloud. Hopefully some young whizz kid at Apple will be able to retrieve them when we get back to the UK.

The next day was our thirty second wedding anniversary and we decided to celebrate by hiring a moped to drive around the island. Determined to have my own steed we set off with Andrew miles ahead and me nervously trundling along behind, as usual pissing off all the car drivers who wanted to overtake me.  We had a lovely day visiting another Marae site and drinking in the scenery of our favourite Polynesian island to date. I thought I had relaxed by the end of the drive, my hands told another tale as they wouldn’t stop tingling. I had been gripping too hard on the handles, and there was me thinking I was some kind of biker chick!

We had managed to book dinner in the smart hotel on the front. We got dressed up to the nines, I even blow dried my hair not that you would have known as by the time we got there I was doing my usual impersonation of Crystal Tips. Dinner was exceptional and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. We were both agreed that the Society Islands were our favourite part of French Polynesia. They combined the ruggedness of the Marquesas, with the tropical paradise of the Tuamotu’s and they have some life with decent restaurants, bars and good supermarkets.

We were due in Bora Bora to celebrate Rosemary’s sixtieth birthday. We sailed to Tahaa, stopping for the night in a bay where we encountered our first, and as it turned out, only rude Polynesian. That in itself says something about the friendliness of the locals. Then on to Bora Bora, it’s iconic central mountain visible for miles, in stark contrast to the blue sky and fluffy white clouds. We picked up a Mooring ball outside the Yacht club, paying our weekly mooring sub to Frances who had just bought the business. A couple of weeks before a Catamaran had ended up on the reef when the mooring broke in forty knots whilst the owners were ashore. They don’t like you to anchor in Bora Bora so we just hoped the winds stayed calm. 

After an excellent, although pricey, lunch at the Yacht club we set off across the lagoon and found Zig Zag on a mooring ball just inside the reef. After a little disagreement with a Bommie we picked up a mooring ball alongside them and rushed over to say hello to Rosemary and Francois. We had last seen them heading out of Frustration Bay, but had kept in regular contact on the Iridium Go and they already felt like old friends. Rum was produced and the promised barbecued lamb chops and we had a jolly good catch up.

The next day their friends arrived from South Africa and New Zealand. Godfrey, Sheila, Chris and Sharon all old friends and the three girls had all been at school together. We felt very privileged to be included in the festivities. They had arrived on Bastille day, for which we had dressed Hullabaloo overall. We went into town in two dinghies to watch the parade, every club and local organisation represented but to be honest it wasn’t much of a spectacle. So we retired back to Hullabaloo for tea which led straight into drinks and the curry I had made for them all earlier. We had a lovely evening and it was obvious we were in for a good few days!

At ten to eight the next morning we found Godfrey and Chris loitering in the water behind our boat keen to aid in the dressing overall of Hullabaloo in celebration of Rosemary’s birthday. Promptly at eight am the flags went up and then, just in case the rest of the anchorage weren’t already awake,  we sang her Happy Birthday over the loud speaker. 

Later that day we moved around to the town as Francois was taking us all out to dinner at the beautiful St. James restaurant on the front. A truly excellent evening followed with fine wine and even finer food. Foie gras to die for, I was in heaven and we all had another great evening. 

The following day we all hired bikes and cycled around the island, stopping for lunch on the beach. As we draw too much to take the boat to the other side of the island it was great for us to be able to see it. I had been told I wouldn’t like Bora Bora, as it was so built up with hotels, but I loved the place and the hotels are very tasteful and blend into the landscape. It is no costa del sol! 

We met everyone for drinks at Bloody Marys and had a couple of them. Then Andrew and I had dinner there which was excellent. A last lunch on Zig Zag and then we waved our new friends off as they headed for the airport their four day stay over. We rather felt like we had had a mini Cowes week without the racing.  It is also probably one of the reasons we have such a fondness for Bora Bora.

Returning to pick up a mooring back at the yacht club we decided to first fill up with some fuel. My lovely husband had a blonde moment, of which it is true I have many more than him, and put a litre of diesel into the water tank before he realised that he was on the wrong side of the boat. An afternoon of trying to pump this slick off the top of the tank and out the port hole ensued and I have to admit he did an impressive job of setting up an effective pumping system. However the long and the short of it is having breathed in diesel fumes for the last few months we were now washing in and drinking the stuff! Now when asked how much diesel we carry I tell people that we can carry one thousand litres in our fuel tank and a little extra in our water tank for emergencies.

Shopping ashore I finally managed to buy an unlocked phone into which I could put my O2 SIM card. Unfortunately the only one available is pretty identical to the one I had when the girls were born. It takes me half an hour to type a simple message, as not only do I have to use the buttons in the old fashion way but the screen is so small I can’t see what I am typing! At least I won’t be running up any big data bills on it, I am sure it must be able to access the internet but god knows how!

We had a last dinner with Rosemary and Francois on Hullabaloo, together with Gregory & Susan  from Rapture with whom we had had a dragging contest with on the Tahiti Rendezvous. Then we waved goodbye to Zig Zag whose time was up in French Polynesia. We were going to double back to visit Raita & Tahaa which we had missed in our haste to get to Bora Bora. Sailing up wind we passed Water Music heading in the opposite direction. Whilst putting our mainsail away the foot tape which had been looking iffy finally ripped, time to find a sailmaker.

We headed to the Coral Gardens on Tahaa where we had arranged to meet Into the Blue. Somewhat the worse for wear we had Bill, Zoe & their crew-mate Roger onboard for dinner. We drank too much rum again, and ended up dancing on the aft deck into the early hours. All great fun but I woke the next morning and thought Enough!! Godfrey had laughed at me when I tried to persuade him that we weren’t on a permeant holiday and it was time to prove the point, for a few days at least, if not for the liver then for the waist line.....

We snorkelled the Coral Gardens which was a very different experience. A drift snorkel where the fish are literally in your face as you weave your way between the coral in very shallow water, trying to avoid a grounding. We then upped anchor and headed round the island and anchored off the reef where we remained for several days as we both went down with a bad cold, cant imagine why that might have been!

We found ourselves a sail maker in Raiatea who turned out to be a very tiny french woman. We manhandled the sail off the boat and left it with her and headed back to Tahaa. We had yet to successfully visit a pearl farm and there was rumoured to be one in Bay Apu and they provided mooring balls. We duly went ashore for the tour and learnt all about the process of cultivating the black pearls which are a major business in Polynesia. This particular farm purchased its oysters from the Tuamotu’s and its base pearls from the Chesapeake in the US. One oyster must be sacrificed as part of the process. It is selected on the colour inside its shell and its mantle is cut into 1mm pieces. These are then inserted into other oysters along with the seed pearls and then the grafted oysters go back into the ocean for eighteen months whilst the pearls develop. It is placed in nets to protect then from predators such as turtles and triggerfish. If the Oyster produces a good pearl it will be used again, but it is a pretty hit and miss affair.

We went back to the boat with a few purchases and then signed up for dinner in the local restaurant where they were having a traditional evening with food cooked in a fire pit. We were entertained with local dancing and a couple of fire eaters. Perhaps not the most authentic experience but fun nevertheless.

The winds were getting up so we headed back over to Raiatea with the intention of visiting the bottom of the island and in particular the Marae that was supposed to be the best in Polynesia. Long story short, I felt it was too windy to anchor outside the Marae and leave the boat, skipper not too happy with me. We motored for hours to find some shelter, got a phone call to say the Main sail was ready, turned around and motored back so that we could pick it up first thing the next morning, so all in all a bit of a waste of time. Mainsail retrieved with remarkably little money exchanging hands we went back to Tahaa to try and find some shelter from the winds to put our mainsail back up. We waited until almost sunset and then found a little respite and hauled it up much to the surprise to a couple of locals who got out a pair of deck chairs to watch the unfolding disaster. Thankfully there wasn’t one.

We headed back to Bora Bora to reprovision for our trip and check out. As we spend time in each place it all becomes very familiar as you work out the best shops to visit. Fully stocked we treated ourselves to one more dinner at the St James restaurant as it would be a while before we would find such fine dining again. 

We motored out of Bora Bora and set our sails ready for a few days at sea. We loved French Polynesia with its many different islands and vistas. The people made us feel so welcome and we experienced a very different culture, albeit one influenced by the French. It had also been a delight not to have to check in and out of every island as you have to in the Caribbean. But now it was time to travel further West, new places to visit, new cultures to learn.....