The Tuamotus Islands

Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Wed 12 May 2010 09:36
As promised in the last blog here are some photos' which will go with what I had described.  We are now in Tahiti in Papeete on a pontoon with the other Blue Water Rally yachts.  We have had a fantastic welcome with dancing and a talk on the islands near here we should visit.  Tomorrow morning Donald Huges arrives and Mary Dobson (Allan's wife) so looking forward to having them on board.  Donald plans to sail with us as far as Australia and Mary is staying with us for a couple of weeks.  Mary and Allan are joining us for the tour of the island organised by BWR but Donald has opted to rest after taking two days to get here.  They arrive 5.30 am at the airport nearby from Los Angeles.  It was amazing arriving in Tahiti last night at 9pm, after a 30 hour motor in a lumpy sea and the little wind there was was right aft slamming the sail so not fun, you could smell the land the land so strongly, frangipani, the trees and then sweet coconut (maybe a factory nearby) the leading lights were easy to follow and we did a picture book mooring to the pontoon stern on, with all the other BWRs watching!  As usual we were the last yacht to arrive as we spent longer in the Marquasas Islands and visited an extra island in the Tuamotus.  We plan to return, we hope, from New Zealand, the only way to get there against wind and current.  These islands are very green, tropical with high mountains.


Reef dodging as we sail inside reef

 



Gabbie on reef lookout

 



Reef spotted 500' ahead

 



Another hidden reef

 



Reef in lagoon

 



Coral from the dock

 



South end of Fakarava

 



Fakarava

 



Black Tipped Reef Shark

 



Fakarava

 



Looking down on coral through the water

 



Anse Amyot at Toau

 



The dock of Gaston & Valentina at Toau

 



Jonathan, Gabbie, Valentina and Gaston

 



Lobsters cooking!

 



Valentina and Gaston with Tunas he caught within half an hour of setting out to sea.

 



Gaston filliting Tuna

 



Just another little Motu on another reef with a coconut plantation