Bora Bora & Bloody Mary's 16:27.47S 152:15.00W
Seaflute
Wed 27 Sep 2017 22:53
The passage from Tahaa to Bora Bora was only 28 Nmls and for the first time
in ages we were leaving and entering passes that could be navigated at
virtually any state of the tide, a leisurely 0900 start would see us arrive
at the only pass into Bora Bora for early afternoon. Several of our Oyster
group had left slightly before us so an element of competition entered the
task. To add to the interest the desired track was to the North West and
guess what? The wind was blowing from the North West.
Everyone knows that real sailors draw a straight line between two points,
but NEVER go that way. Despite this knowledge there is always a "healthy"
discussion amongst certain members of the crew as to "why are we not going
that way" as they point towards the desired destination. My response to this
query can range from a detailed explanation of Bernouli's principle, to a
curt "because we aren't" dependant on my mood and how many times that day I
have already been asked the same question. On this occasion there were also
three other yachts zigzagging towards Bora Bora so the heat was off me. We
didn't actually overtake any of the other "competitors" but we substantially
closed the gap on them which I declared a victory certainly worthy of a cold
beer on arrival.and my crew agreed wholeheartedly.
Bora Bora had formed the backdrop to our vista for most of the last week
since we had arrived in Raiatea. It's distinctly shaped towering peak
visible from fifty miles away and silhouetted each night as the sun set
behind it. Everyone who has ever viewed a holiday brochure will have seen
the sublime image of this island surrounded by a huge reef encapsulating its
surrounding azure lagoon. The passes into these Polynesian lagoons are
formed by a flow of fresh water from rivers on the islands. Coral cannot
grow in fresh or brackish water. The number of passes that exist are
directly relative to the number of rivers on any island. In Bora Bora's
case, there's one river and so only one pass. Fortunately it's a big one.
The other unique feature of Bora Bora is the fact it is possible to navigate
all around the island staying inside the reef. Unfortunately In our case,
because of our two point five metre draft, we were a little restricted as to
where in the lagoon we could navigate. An obvious choice for us to anchor
was a very sheltered area between a large motu on the eastern side and the
outer reef. The whole area was shallow sand which provided excellent holding
and a wonderful place to swim and snorkel from the yacht. We stayed here
for three days whilst we explored the island. A short dinghy ride took us to
the main town of Vaitape which is also where the cruise ships dock. I've
never been on a cruise and haven't previously had any inclination to do so,
but if I had I would probably have been put off the idea having now
witnessed first-hand the indignity of the disembarkation and embarkation
process at a number of different locations. The areas surrounding these
docks also seem to accumulate the worst tat the place has to offer.
Unfortunately for the cruisers themselves, they never seem to have enough
time to appreciate the culture of a place or visit anything other than the
major commercial landmarks within easy striking distance of the port. An
example of this in Bora Bora we observed at a lovely famous bar and
restaurant called Bloody Marys. The cruisers were ferried here in coaches
but not even given enough time to buy a meal. They were however encouraged
to visit the "We've been to Bloody Marys" tee shirt shop on their way back
to the coach.
Bloody Marys became one of the favourite haunts of the Oyster gang and many
raucous nights were had there. One of the best nights was certainly enhanced
by the presence of Jacek's crew from Shanties who were a Polish Sea shanty
singing choir. Amazingly most of the tunes were original British shanties
sung in Polish, but we could all sing along in our own language. It was
decided on that night the Oyster Rally signature tune should be: What should
we do with the drunken sailor?..it seemed strangely appropriate for some
reason.
All of French Polynesia had been expensive to eat and drink and Bora Bora
took this to another level. A very average meal with a few drinks would
routinely cost 100 euros per head, certainly a destination for the wealthy.
Whilst we were there, Silvester Stallone was visiting on his yacht and was
spotted dining in Bloody Marys.
We had a luxurious interlude at a very swanky resort called St Regis which
is located on one of the Motus surrounding the main Island. James Nathan was
celebrating a birthday and his wife Tiggy had treated them to a stay at the
resort. We had been invited to supper with them and so had to take a water
taxi out to the resort. We arrived at the resort dock on the mainland and
then underwent an extensive interview to establish our credentials to allow
us to visit the esteemed establishment. Despite this, we had a wonderful
evening with James,Tiggy and also Rury and Suzie who were coincidentally
staying there with their son Matt and daughter in law Rachael. Hugh, Janice,
Andy and Debbie from Meteorite were also there so a great night was had by
all.
There is a lot of marine traffic in Bora Bora. A constant stream of resort
ferries, dive boats, sightseeing boats and shuttles toing and froing to the
cruise liners anchored in the lagoon. This obviously takes its toll on the
marine life and affects their behaviour. Lindy experienced this to her
dismay whilst snorkelling on a notable snorkelling sight where visitors
regularly feed the fish. A very large Moray Eel came up to see what snacks
she had for him and then pursued her nipping at her fins as she dashed back
to the tender at a rate of knots.
There is a noticeable lack of marine life in the lagoon and without careful
management and restrictions on the amount of marine traffic, they will lose
the magic that has historically made this place special.
As nice as it was to enjoy some level of civilisation, I was glad when the
time came to move on. The fleet were very split on their preferred routes to
Tonga, with some skippers opting to sail direct to Vava'U. There is little
information easily available about the Cook Islands that sit between here
and Tonga and so there was a reluctance to commit to stopping on the twelve
hundred mile passage.
Although we had to clear out of French Polynesia in Bora Bora and officially
leave within twenty four hours of doing so, we felt compelled to visit a
very un-commercialised atoll called Maupiti. I had read about a Manta Ray
cleaning station just inside the reef where Mantas visit constantly to be
cleaned by cleaner wrasse. The advice from Oyster had been that it was a
difficult reef to enter and that officially we shouldn't be there. We were
confident that with care we would be safe to enter the reef and we would
keep a low profile to avoid attracting the attention of the local Gendarme.
On both counts we need not have worried. The pass was very straightforward
even if it did look a little intimidating from seaward. The locals were very
welcoming and could not have been more pleased to see us there. Once again
we were anchored in white sand in a beautiful lagoon, this time however
there was not a tour boat in sight, in fact there were no other boats in
sight aside from Miss Tiggy, a fellow Oyster who had accompanied us here and
a few other hardy cruisers. The following morning an early dive saw us sat
on the sandy bottom just inside the pass, watching groups of Mantas circle
majestically above us. So close we could have reached out and touched them.
This is the gold dust that makes this trip so special.
The next day, we trekked up the small mountain in the centre of the Island.
The five of us, our good friends James and Tiggy off Miss Tiggy, Roberto and
Celise off Oyster Reach and their crew set off on what is one of the most
scenically rewarding short climbs I've ever done. The climb was quite steep
with fixed ropes in some places and I'm glad we set off early before it
became really hot. An hour and a half saw us on the summit with the prize of
a near three hundred and sixty degree view of the whole island.
We had tried in vain to find somewhere we could all eat together that night
and in the absence of anything beyond a takeaway on the opposite side of the
island we elected to have a group BBQ on the beach. As always it was amazing
what a feast we collectively rustled up. The well-rehearsed process of
gathering wood and building a fire, makeshift tables and chairs kicked into
action. We had invited a lone sailor called Julius who was on a neighbouring
yacht to join us who gratefully accepted. He was Brazilian like Roberto and
Celise and was glad of the opportunity to converse in his own language.
Ironically whilst I was chatting with him (in English) he said he was
familiar with the area in which we lived as he had worked in Devizes for six
months installing a corrugator in a packaging factory! He obviously
understood the provenance of the name Sea Flute.
All too soon the time came for us to move on with an impending period of
light airs. I'm very glad we visited Maupiti, which was by far my favourite
Island in French Polynesia.
Next stop Palmerston in the Cook Islands.
By for now Skipper Peds and the Fluters.
