Port Bourayne - Huahine - French Polynesia.
Nina
Steve and Lynda Cooke
Sat 4 Jun 2016 01:48
Port Bourayne - Huahine - French Polynesia.
We Upped anchor early, 07.30 saw us preparing for our trip of some 2 miles down inside the reef to the middle of the island, where Hahine Nui is separated from Huahine Iti by a large bay called Port Bourayne, and a bridge, on stilts, joining the two.
Port Bourayne is a perfect Cyclone hole in the middle of Huahine, 20 meters deep throughout, entrance protected by an island, surrounded by mountains. We found a large buoy, just as described on the previous Pacific sailing blogs, and after a round trip around the bay, we picked up the rope and passed our bridle through each bow fair-lead, and secured ourselves in the southern side of the bay, with reef at our front and sides. Great shelter.
Paw Paw followed us around, but instead of anchoring, chose to pick up a buoy outside the southern entrance on the beautiful beach there.
Lynda took control of the dinghy, and we waited for Elaine and Roy to join us. They came with us to explore the bay and the pass, going under the road bridge in a convoy of two dinghies, to the Eastern side of the island, where Pass Fareara gives exit through the eastern side of the island to the Pacific.
Returning to the external anchorage, we found Do Over coming down to join us, and we all made it across to the beach.
The beach has a Local Postman patrolling it called Siki (Black in Polynesian). The beach and area behind was a big American hotel which was destroyed by a hurricane some 10 years ago. He is Polynesian, and an ex French paratrooper, and is paid by the French government to keep the area nice and the moorings safe for the yachts. A great character, he gave us bananas and grapefruit that are growing on the local trees, and told us all about his history and wife back in France, who he sends his pension to.
Ryan and his mum Paula found some old rusty nails with their metal detector. We were suggesting they might have come out of an old Pirate chest when Ryan proved us all possibly right by discovering a small lump of silver…..
“15 men on a dead man’s chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!”
We retired to our boats well tanned and tired, for the most absolutely peaceful night we have ever spent on Nina, on the buoy in port Bourayne. No wind whatsoever, as we were so protected by the surrounding mountains. Paw Paw and Do Over both reported a really gusty night, but we had no wind at all, just three torrential downpours of the most torrential tropical rain (as only it can in the tropics).
Port Bourayne really would make a first class hurricane hole in the Pacific.