Fakarava
Pacific Bliss
Colin Price
Mon 28 Nov 2011 05:51
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Fakarava North - the Village
A short hop from Anse Amyot into the
wind a bit on a blustery day. Arrive at the right time and shoot the pass
at 11kn.
Beautiful village with supplies of
veg that cosmo and I are able to cycle, to find the market gardener.
Test: for those of you following the blog carefully you will laugh that the
gardener is called Dexter!
  Cosmo and Zinnias time on the
superyacht has started to go a little to far as they set up their own
sundeck.... guess who the super slaves are!
Fakarave South
Pass
It is about 30nm through the atoll
from North to South, but the channel is marked, so we sail under jib alone and
get there in a day. Thought by many to be the best bit of the Tuamoto's,
the South Pass is pretty lovely and the beach is no-no free which is
remarkable. There is not a lot here, just a dive shop and a little pension
- we are told that people travel from far and wide to dive here. The only
issue is this is the most shark infested pass of all the Tuamotos, this is
proved immediatley right as we put our anchor to rest we're being circled by 7
of the things. Kids and I are feeling that nip in the air, mmmm, too cold
for a swim me thinks.
The kids are totally devoted and in
love with Dalph and Vries. Cosmo spent an entire evening on Dalphs knee, suspect
Colin might have liked to swap places...
      The highlight and much awaited
adventure of this pass is granted. We've met a lovely american couple on
s/v Namaste who have kit and toys galore on board so Colin gets to dive the pass
twice and me just the once but with about 200 eye-ballable sharks swimming
around you once is good enough. It's amazingly excillerating and with
about the same number of moorish idols also gliding about it's a rather
beautiful specticle too. 'corr some of those grey brucies look
flipping mean.'
 We wait for a weather slot to get up
to the Marquesas about 500nm direct into the prevailing wind. We are
looking for some NE to get us as far East as possible before turning up to the
North. Will make the trip longer, but we expect to do it in about 5-6
days. In the meantime the kids swim and we spend time on the
beach.
 "Cawallon Bob !" |