18:49S 155:59W

Meryon.bridges
Fri 4 Jun 2010 02:24
After a gentle sail from Raiatea we rounded the Bora Bora light which is on the south west corner of the reef and appears to be in the middle of nowhere, such is the extent of some of these reefs. Four more miles and we entered the lagoon through the only pass and made our way to the Bora Bora Yacht Club where we picked up a mooring buoy. A quick run ashore to check out the yacht club confirmed that it is not nearly as up to speed as Charlies Charts and various ads had suggested although this is in part because they have yet to repair the damage caused by the February hurricane. The bar is good the cookhouse non-existent. On the plus side though the owners are a very friendly lass from California and her husband. Typically for a small business they did not have cyclone insurance so are stuggling to rebuild.

On Sunday Peter went off on foot whilst the others went snorkelling. The small town is pretty run down and it is obvious that little if any of the money spent in the flash hotels reaches local businesses which include the inevitable pearl shops. It appears though that five of these hotels have closed in the last two years, hardly a surprise at the price. One nights B&B at Le Meridien costs $1300! Although Bora Bora is certainly very beautiful it seems that it is losing its allure. The hotels are apparently half empty and those who are there are mostly Japanese honeymoon couples. I can certainly think of more convivial fellow guests. It being the Ims (Tim and Pim) last night we had hoped to eat on shore. Two restaurants, seemingly the only two open, would provide a free pick up but the price was so outrageous (remember that Leo had already turned us over in the Hibiscus!) that we opted for a Munro special on board.

Monday morning and having cleaned up the boat we all went to the ferry dock to put the Ims on board the ferry to the airport and to sort out Philippe's clearance to leave with the local fuzz. Perhaps unsurprisingly we found that we had to clear Ares out yet again. Bureaucracy gone mad.

We are now three men in a boat and decided to leave Bora Bora for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands on Tuesday morning which gave us time for a couple of un'urried beers at the yacht club.

Our latest crew member, picked up as described in our last blog in Raiatea, is a 54 year old French Canadian from Montreal. E is a forestry engineer which is apparently a lumbrtjack with a tie! E started in, how you say, Ha Y Ee on a 142ft ketch, Infinity (which we had seen in the Tuamotus) which took him to the Marquesas from where he made is way by various means until he washed up on Raiatea where we by chance found him. E as sailing experience and can cook so e is a bonus. Is plan, at ze moment, is to come with us all the way to Australia, less than 3000 miles in a straight line.

On Monday evening we met a Swede with a swedish Jack Russell who also has a Sea-me with which he is very pleased. He is also going to Rarotonga but said that he was waiting for a week because there is no wind. Well, we have been going for over two days now and have sailed very appily with ze exception of 6 hours when we ad to ave ze engine on. A couple of ships ave been seen and, great excitement, we were buzzed today, Thursday, by a New Zealand Air Force plane which wanted to know where we had come from and whence we are going. All very polite though. Apart from the heaviest rain we have yet had on Tuesday night this passage is so far very easy going.

Rarotonga in about 3 days, although we may stop at Atui en route weather permitting. Watch for the next thrilling instalment.

Very best to all from the crew of Ares.

Bora Bora, Society Islands