Astra Blog: Tuamotus (Part 5) 20.07.08 - 23.07.08

Astra Blog: Tuamotus (Part 5) 20.07.08 –
23.07.08 Tikehau Sunday
20.07.08 Our last stop before leaving the Tuamotus and heading for
the sophisticated There were a number of factors to consider in choosing
our departure time: the time for slack water when exiting the pass at Rangiroa;
the probable conditions in the pass upon arrival at Tikehau; and the ability to
spot coral heads in the lagoon (governed in part by the relative position of the
sun, and hence the time of day). After careful deliberation we decided to set
off at 0500. We were pottering out of the anchorage at 0515 when Adventure radioed to say that they were
having problems with their anchor. It was decided that Astra should come to the rescue so we
promptly made an about turn. With both tenders onboard, it was decided that, far
easier than swimming the short distance between the two yachts, Ash would leap
from Astra onto Adventure as the former passed alongside
the latter in a busy anchorage. It was a perfectly executed manoeuvre – it is
just a shame that more people were not awake to witness it. Jeremy, concerned
that time was ticking on, donned his swimming shorts and went for a swim to see
if he could see the problem. Ash unable to solve the problem from the deck,
joined Jeremy in the water. It soon became apparent that both chain and anchor
were firmly lodged and were not going to budge without some effort. Realising
that it would require dive gear to disentangle the chain from the coral head it
had ensnared, Ash swam back to Astra
and got the “Mini-B” (a compact diving apparatus designed for such
missions). Shortly afterwards Adventure were able to up-anchor and Astra’s rescue divers were back onboard.
By 0630 we had made our way through the pass (with Adventure following closely behind) and
were sailing conservatively, just using the mainsail, so as not to leave Adventure in our wake. We were lucky
enough to sail in glorious conditions once more, with sufficient wind to make an
effortless 7 knots and more than enough sunshine to bring about a colour change
in Astra’s less swarthy crew members.
Indeed, luck really was on our side as we landed a 3.5ft, 13lb bull mahi mahi.
Probably our largest mahi mahi to date, he was nearly ‘the one that got away’ as
he somehow slipped off the gaff onto the teak; George had to jump on the fish
and try and hold him down until Ash could perform the execution. The books say
that mahi mahi can jump up to 18ft out of the water when chasing prey, so they
are certainly capable of putting up a good fight – particularly when they have a
knife glinting at them! At 1500, with the sun high in the sky behind us (well
placed for spotting coral heads), we entered the narrow and shallow pass into
Tikehau and anchored off the main village. We all went for a wander around the village but were
unable to enjoy any liquid refreshment as the one restaurant was closed for the
afternoon. Undeterred, we followed the sound of some music playing and found a
band rehearsing outside one of the band member’s house. They were very friendly
and let us sit on their lawn while they worked their way through their
repertoire. With light fading, and fatigue from the early start kicking in, we
returned to Astra for a meal of steak, caramelized onions, tomato salad,
jacket potatoes and, of course, the catch of the day. Just when we thought we
could manage no more the girls from Adventure popped over with some
scrumptious homemade cookies to finish us off! Monday
21.07.08 We set off reasonably early for an islet inside the atoll
called Motu Puarua (also known as We had not gone too far before we were tempted to drop
anchor (just off the Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort) and stop for a spot of
snorkeling. Having enjoyed a very nice lunch stop we got back underway and
motored onwards through the unchartered water of the lagoon, arriving at
Going ashore we found an abundance of terns (both the
sooty and white fairy varieties), frigate birds, and (the reason for coming) red
footed boobies! Both Sally and Adventure’s Kathy have been obsessed
with the pursuit of these birds since meeting their blue footed cousins in the
The motu might have been as aptly named In the evening we had Adventure on board to watch a film
together – they even arrived with some freshly popped corn, quite a treat in the
middle of an atoll, in the middle of the Tuesday
22.07.08 Sally, Oli and Kathy set off early in T/T Adventure to look for a pearl farm.
Unfortunately the guide book sent them on a wild goose chase as the pearl farm
was not where it was supposed to be so they returned empty
handed. At 1000 we upped anchor and headed a short distance to
Motuohina, also known as Eden Isle. Here there is a pearl farm, run by a
religious community. The idea of another pearl farm was not to everyone’s fancy
so the initial shore party consisted of Sally (of course!), Oli (who had not yet
seen a pearl farm), and George (curious as to what sort of religious community
one would find on a tiny coral island in the Pacific). Fortunately, we had a
radio with us to let the others know that there was more of interest to be seen
than pearls: the pearl farm itself was on stilts over the water, enclosing a
large aquarium in which resided, amongst other creatures, several enormous nurse
sharks. George was first in to get a closer look; on seeing that he didn’t get
munched he was soon joined by Charlie, Oli, and Ash. Satisfied that none of the
above was being eaten, Adventure’s
Tera also popped in for a few seconds to stroke one of the friendly 9ft beasts
before getting out rather quickly! After our swim with the docile sharks we were given a
tour of Isle d’Eden. It is very rare
for the Tuamotus, but here they not only grow their own fruit and vegetables but
also produce a small surplus to sell to passing yachts. After a walk around the
perfectly manicured gardens, nibbling on figs and berries as we went, we
returned to Astra where we hosted the
children of the community for a look around the yacht. It was a perfect
opportunity to off-load several presents purchased in In the afternoon we motored to an area sheltered by a
reef just north of Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort. Missing the sound of leather on
willow, Oli, Charlie, Ash and George improvised a game of beach cricket using
driftwood as bats and baby coconuts as balls. After a few exhausting overs we
sat down to enjoy a cool beer next to a raging fire and watched the sunset. It
was the dusk we were waiting for as we were told that then we would be able to
find lobsters on the reef. Once it was getting pretty dark, all 10 of us (six
from Astra and four from Adventure) set off across the reef in
pursuit of dinner. Apparently it was the wrong time of the month because there
were none to be found but there were enough moray eels to provide a feast should
we have been so inclined! Wednesday 23.07.08 The early birds, on this occasion Jeremy, Ash and George
were up at 0600 to up anchor. We then motored to Teonai, a small sheltered pool
beside the pass, with Adventure
following closely. Before leaving the Tuamotus behind and heading on to
One of the recurring themes of our time in the Tuamotus
was fouled anchors. It was only fitting, therefore, that as we went to up anchor
for the last time we found ourselves snagged on a large coral head. Ash, who has
been honing his free-diving skills, was able to swim down ten metres and free
us. At 1030, after a fantastic month in the Tuamotu Archipelago we motored
through the pass and turned towards |