New Anchorage

Luceyblue
Ina&Buc&Simon&Amanda
Wed 1 Jul 2009 23:54
15:48.168S 146:09.068W
 
Another anchorage, but a first for us. We managed to sail from Fakarava to here, with just Ina & I aboard!! I must say thay it was a very pleasant sail! Sunny skies, 20?25 kts of breeze, unfortunately from directly astern, and no spinaker aboard (that works!) but we did our best, and managed to keep up with VAgabond Heart, and their much larger sail.
 
Ina did a fantastic job of holding down the cushions in the cockpit for almost the entire way, I did manage to wake her to jibe once, and again as we sailed down the side of the reef, with the surf breaking about 100 mtrs away, azure blue seas. Quite stunning really.
 
So after a sundowner aboard Pegasus the Vagabond crew kindly offered Simon diner and a bed, so Ina & I were fed an excelent meal aboard Pegasus, and forced to sit and have adult conversation until, late in the evening. Altogether very pleasant.
 
This morning was a slow starter, Pegasus decided to leave for Tahiti, so as to arrive with some wind, the forecast is for it to drop from the current 25kts. The VH crew, Simon & I wnet sahore to scout out a suitable location for an afternoon bonfire, leaveing the ladies of leisure to lie abed for a while longer.
 
There are a couple of very picturesque motus, not much sand, but laods of fish and coral, we headed over to the "main" settlement, where the three famlies live. As you step ashore there is a large ice box full of water, with a 4 month old sea turtle in, found on the beach heading inshore just after hatching. The kids have just spent an hour changing the water, and letting the small turtle swim in the shallow water, feeding a tame/wild frigate bird, watching manta rays swim past under their feet as they sit on the wooden dock, playing with the two dogs, pigs, or just climbing on the coconut trees.
 
Not a bad life!
Rain squall arriving, got to go!