South Pacific « Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

Fire Dancing

by KC2RIY, on August 20th, 2010 (Dilan, Southern Cooks)

Yesterday was another day when our prior plans were superseded by other activities. Yesterday we needed to spend some time focusing on family matters. In the morning I went ashore to pick up SIM card and some minutes for my mobile phone. It’s amazing that we’re in the middle of nowhere practically and we can have a working mobile phone and our own number in minutes. I had also hoped to pick up some pies for breakfast but it turned out I was already too late. The pies are available at 7am and it looks like if we snooze we lose.

Back on the boat I was able to talk to family and sort a few things out – hopefully. CatCo/Lagoon had already come back with some assistance regarding the charger problem. I had a few more tests to do and the result is they’ll be shipping a replacement charger out to Tonga on warranty. It’s all 2-4 day hops from here to there so we should be able to pick our weather windows and mostly sail. Even if we have to motor we’re not severely impacted at the moment as the top 1/6 of our energy supply doesn’t make that much extra boat speed. And we’d save fuel too if we had to motor.

By mid afternoon all the calls and tests were done. We needed some internet time to try and find a contact in Tonga to which we could ship the charger and water maker part. We also still wanted to visit the Tamanu Beach Hotel that evening to watch the fire dancing. The best answer seemed to be to go and hire the bikes for 24 hours so we could do everything that afternoon/evening and have them to tour the island the following day.

We managed to obtain the bikes just before the place closed. It took us a while to find the Internet Lounge listed on our map. We had brought our laptop but were soon frustrated as we were not allowed to use it. They had their own PCs and insisted we use them. All my bookmarks, etc. were on my laptop so it made a few things quite tricky. In the end, after asking again if I could use my laptop there, they suggested I go to the Tamanu Beach Hotel as they had a hot spot. So off we went. It was good to see a little more of the island. One thing that is very apparent is the damage left over from a major hurricane that came through in February.

It was good to visit the hotel in daylight so we knew what to expect later. Using my own laptop was much better and soon I was banging away. I obtained a contact via a very quick response from one of the organizers of the Tonga Rendezvous we’ve signed up for. I’ve reached out to them to make sure it’s ok but the signs are good. I also managed to upload a few but by no means all of our outstanding pictures.

We all cycled back to the dock (Helen and Ben having left ahead of me) and we went back to the boat to kill some time. We noticed a boat having difficulties in the pass. It was high tide but now past 5pm so the light was poor. When we entered we needed the light to avoid the really shallow patches and no doubt this boat had run aground. I was soon off in the dinghy to assist. It turned out to be the boat Dilan which we’d first met in Huahine in the Societies. He was surprised at the grounding as he’d been through the pass a few years before in the same boat and had no issue. I pointed out there had been a hurricane year and that with 1ft less draft than he we had bumped a couple of times. Perhaps the channel had silted up a little. I helped him off the sandbar he was on by nudging him around and waited until he’d safely anchored in the channel. With fading light that was his best option until he could assess his options the following day. I let him know the island was expecting a supply ship in very soon and that he may have to move out of the channel if it arrives.

Around 6:30 we went back ashore to eat out. We went to one of the fish/chip/burger bars on the side of the road and again had our fill. Now completely dark and with no lights we cycled to the hotel. We had to wait 3/4 an hour for the dancing so we walked the beach, chatted and had a couple of beers to fill the time. The dancing ended up being very similar to that in French Polynesia. It was longer than the show in the Intercontinental that Ben saw so that was good.

Cycling back we were assisted by someone on a moped who chose to ride along just behind us providing some excellent visibility and protection from traffic in the dark. Whoever it was peeled off at the fish and chip shack we ate at earlier without a word. I waved and thanked them for their consideration. We chained the bikes up at the nearby petrol station and went back to the boat feeling very, very tired from the days activities.

Aitutaki, Southern Cooks

by KC2RIY, on August 18th, 2010 (At Sea, Southern Cooks)

The weather on our last days passage to Aitutaki was not kind to us. For most of the day the wind dropped to around 9-10 knots from practically behind us. Having had the Code Zero up all the night before we left it up all day. We managed to make between 4 and 5 knots but this was not enough to make Aitutaki by dusk.

Night fell and we were still making our way slowly to Aitutaki. We made it until about 10 miles out when the wind fell further and went a little confused on us. We fired up the genny and began motoring. We furled the Code Zero but left it up just in case.

I noticed we weren’t quite getting the power output from the 72V chargers that we should. It didn’t really affect top speed but it did affect the spare output I normally like to use to top up the drive battery bank charge. We have two banks of three chargers and the drop was consistent with the loss of one of the six chargers from the equation. Another problem to contend with. On the problem side I did receive responses back from Spectra regarding the water maker problem and they have agreed to send a replacement part on warranty. I now have to find a shipping address in Tonga.

Knowing my charts were at least 200ft off I gave the reef to the north of Aitutaki 3/4 mile clearance. Even in the dark, we could take sightings of hilltops and some lights to verify the island was where it should be. We approached the anchorage outside the pass through the reef very carefully. We could see there was another couple of boats already anchored there about a quarter of a mile apart and we parked ourselves between them.

Once we knew the anchor was settled we popped a beer each and celebrated our arrival.

In the morning, after the usual net stuff we put away the Code Zero and a few other things we’d left out. We then dinghied in through the pass to the main dock where we tied up the dinghy and went ashore. We said hello to the port captain who had no formalities for us. After over 10 months it was great to speak to an official in native English. We were soon at the end of the ‘boulevard’ where we drew out some NZ$s and visited customs/immigration and the agricultural inspector. The paperwork progressed smoothly and with a lot of friendliness – a great change from some of the other places we have been to. We then went for a little walk around, looked at a few shops then sat down to fish and chips for lunch – huge portions which bloated us out.

Back on the boat we prepped to come in. The tide was rising but it was only just after low tide. We’d taken soundings on the way out and knew we just had enough room. We did bump bottom once and ran into a shallow sand bank obliquely which we had to back off from. But nothing major. We soon had our bow and stern anchors out and settled in for the afternoon to relax after the passage.

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Tomorrow we plan to hire bikes and cycle around the island. In the evening we hope to go and see some local dancing at one of the nearby vacation spots. We heard from a couple of people that tomorrow nights dancing is the best on the island/atoll.

Incidentally – we are now the furthest south of our trip to date.

En Route to Aitutaki

by KC2RIY, on August 14th, 2010 (At Sea, Society Islands, Tyee)

A small highlight for Friday was when John from Tyee popped over and offer to take Ben wake boarding. This is a bit like water skiing but on a single small board. Ben took to it very quickly and was soon circling the boat weaving from side to side.

This morning, at 7am, we were off. We retrieved the anchor/chain from amongst the coral heads it had wrapped up in and headed out into the channel. There was about 2 knots of current heading out into an opposing sea swell which made for a very bumpy exit. We didn’t reach stable water until about half a mile out where we hoisted sails and have been sailing ever since.

The waters seem quite active. It didn’t take long before we’d lost two more lures. I was beginning to wonder if we’ll ever catch another fish when we snagged a mahi mahi which we not only landed but kept. It weighed in at 20lb making it the largest mahi mahi we’ve landed. It’s size made it quite awkward to handle on the back step. By the time we had it bled out there was blood everywhere from it’s thrashings. We had to use some rum to quieten it down which I don’t really like to do as it slows the heart down and lessens the bleeding out.

We’ve made good time today with the strong winds. They’ve recently clocked round more to the east and slackened off. We have an opportunity to arrive by the 17th if we don’t lose any more wind. One less overnight passage will please all aboard.

Waiting for the weather window / Swimming with the mantas

by KC2RIY, on August 13th, 2010 (Kamaya, Society Islands, Tyee)

Thursday morning we saw dive/tour boats come to the pass to let folks snorkel with the mantas. We hung back hoping to have less of a crowd later on. When we did go Helen decided to pass on it as the waves had picked up and it was a bit choppy. Ben and I headed out and managed to find one large manta ray but couldn’t keep up for long.

In the afternoon we all went out to the nearby motu to walk all the way around. As we approached the outer reef Ben and I were assessing the place for possible places to go lobster hunting after dark. We made it all the way around the motu and back to the dinghy. We next went to the pass to let Helen swim around looking for the mantas but she had no luck. Final stop was to head out to near of the mouth of the pass to look at the reef opposite to were we had been walking. Ben and I thought this was more promising and waypointed the cut through the reef using the hand held GPS.

After dinner and movie that evening Ben and I headed out in the dark. Finding our way through the reef in the dinghy was a little trickier than we’d anticipated but we made it. We had no luck hunting for lobsters though and thoughts of a banquet gave way to hopes for perhaps just an aperitif. But that was not to be.

This morning our fortune turned. We woke to find almost no wind and almost flat waters. We first attacked our much postponed project to tart up the ragged bits of our head sail. Once this was done and the net was over we headed out to the pass to look for mantas. And mantas we found. The were a few circling a particular rock seemingly unconcerned with snorklers around them. At times we were able to swim down to the bottom at 25ft or so and just hang out while they swam over us with their mouths gaping wide. The largest was about 8ft across which makes for a big beastie – all the more impressive when they appear to be all mouth.

Just before lunch Ben spent an hour giving some of the boat kids from Kamaya, Tyee and the nearby French boat a maths lesson. All about Pi. I think they enjoyed it – particularly having a change from their parents as teachers.

This afternoon we’ve been cleaning the hull ready for our departure. The key thing is waiting for the right weather window. Oddly the downloadable GRIB weather forecasts have been remaining remarkably consistent and tomorrow (Saturday) looks to be the right day to go. We’ll start with southerly winds which may make exiting the pass tricky. This will allow us to push west before the trade winds reestablish themselves giving us a better line to Aitutaki. That’s the plan. We’ll see how it plays out. If all goes well, next blog will be at sea.

Hike / Motu Pitiahe

by KC2RIY, on August 12th, 2010 (Endless Summer, Kamaya, Sea Mist, Society Islands, Tyee)

After the morning net we dinghied ashore with a view to walking around the island. It’s about 6 miles all told and a paved road all the way. Despite the previous days disruption to the well being of my big toe I figured I was up for it. I’m glad we went as it was a very pleasant hike. At point point we crested a low saddle where we had great views to the south and north. There we bumped into John, Lucy and the kids from Tyee who were bicycling around the island. They’ve been here for two weeks enjoying being off the beaten path and the safety of the lagoon where they’ve been kite boarding practically every day.

Back aboard we made final use of the internet before grabbing a bite to eat and then moving south to the anchorage behind the motu by the pass. Tyee were anchored there with a couple of other boats. Sea Mist and Kamaya were just arriving. Endless Summer had also arrived but were coming up to the town. We waved and chatted as we passed each other.

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Lucy from Tyee had organised a beach party – mainly for the kids – but also for the adults. At 5:30pm we all started heading ashore. The folks on the French catamaran had gathered firewood and had already started a fire – an essential part of any beach party. We brought beers to quaff. Costa Rican beers. Although we’re still in French Polynesia we feel reasonably safe breaking into one of our bonded lockers to access our treasured supplies there.

We ended up staying quite late on the beach chewing the cud as usual. The stars were out and it was supposed to be a good night for watching the Perseid meteors. When we returned to the boat Ben and I spent some time stargazing but saw very little sign of increased meteor activity.

Today we plan to swim with the manta rays that are supposed to be easy to spot here.

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Fire Dancing

Aitutaki, Southern Cooks

En Route to Aitutaki

Waiting for the weather window / Swimming with the mantas

Hike / Motu Pitiahe