15:49.55S
145:07.10W
Wednesday 18th July – Anchored in Kauehi
Good. Well, that all
worked. We had to heave to at
around 1600 yesterday and got underway again at 0100 this morning. The next 9 or so hours were spent
rolling in and out various portions of the yankee to ensure that we arrived on
time and weren’t left faffing about off the entrance to the atoll awaiting the
magic moment of slack water. At one
stage we had 17 rolls in the yankee.
Seventeen! Arnamentia’s just
not very good at dawdling. It
sometimes feels a bit like being taken for a walk by an ill-disciplined
dog.
Anyway, we arrived off the entrance at slack water (around 1030),
shot through there and then sailed the 8 miles across the atoll to the anchorage
off Tearavero village, fine reaching at 6 or 7 knots under yankee alone. Anyone expecting some miraculous
abatement of the wind on entry would have been pretty disappointed. Still 20+ knots. However we are now tucked up behind the
village opposite the very attractive church and whilst we still have 15-20 knots
of breeze, there is no rolling and the water is clear. Not quite sure how we get ashore – we
have to cross a very shallow reef in the dinghy to do so but all will become
clear in due course no doubt.
Yes, Sirree . .
slack(ish) water to port . . .
and starboard;
that’s how we like our entrances to look!
Tearavero Church from our anchorage
