Vessels have to take a funny dog leg in to the anchorage to avoid the reefs. The buoys were hit and miss as they had been tied together, no problems as we had thirty feet of water below us.

Of course there was. Soundo.

The anchorage ahead with just a dozen boats.

As we got closer we could see hundreds of blue-footed boobies hunting and.................

.......diving as a flock. These birds work together, incredibly closely. The flock circles and you hear one of them make a noise that sounds like the old fashioned Lilo airbed pump after you’ve stepped on it – the high-ish pitched sound of the air rushing through the one-way valve, a sort of breathy squeak. They begin to dive, then another bird lets out a honk and the rest flip over in the air and drop in amongst those already coming up from the first plunge, how they miss each other beggars belief.

At a quarter to four we found a nice space with six feet below us, anchor set in water so crystal clear water we could see the ridges on the sand below.

Bear did his arrival chores and gathered Beez paperwork, head ashore in the water taxi to find the port captains office and log us in. I stayed behind to do my jobs. Turn the sat phone off and on which puts a position ping on the blog, clear the route we have just done and put the next one on. Well that kept me quiet until just before Bear got back at sunset. The maximum waypoints we can add is fifty, sort the positions out and admire my work. A simple straight line to Rikitea in the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia – our smallest hop yet.......of two thousand, eight hundred and ninety six miles as the crow flies. Mmm.

Whilst I was button pressing, Bear was exploring the town.

A first. A ‘one carefully owned’ fire engine.

Bear liked this house with a shed at the top, the dusty main road.

A carefully owned lady.

and another

Bear’s favourite, an outboard finds a new resting place. 

Bear made his way home as the sun was setting. Beez sits quietly second from left.

A pretty sunset.