17:50.145 S
140:51.124 W
28/6/08 13:30
In between rain showers, we go ashore for some
fresh provisions. The local French
bread is fantastic. I run out of
local currency. On the way in I saw
a spot I thought would be good to anchor and swim, so we motor over but when we
get there it looks too exposed, so rather than motor back 7 miles into the wind
we decide to head for Amanu 20 odd miles to the NNE. Exiting the pass there is 5-6 knots of
current with us and an amazing tidal rip.
Soon we are sailing at 8 ½ knots.
21:00
We arrived around 4pm but
there was 25 knots of wind blowing against us through the pass and a massive
tidal flow also against so it wasn’t safe to try to enter. After discussions with someone shore via
VHF we anchored very close to the atoll on the ocean side but being held off by
the wind. He guided us to a good anchorage position. It would have been okay to
go through at 7 this evening but by then it was dark and there are no lights
here, so we will enter at 7:30 tomorrow morning when there
will be slack water.
29/6/08
12:00
At 6 AM the voice of
Amanu started calling to tell us slack water wouldn’t be until 9:30 or
so. A French Cat arrived around
8:30 and went through at
9:00. We had a Dinghy recce and found that the
sea on the inside of the lagoon was anything but “Mer Belle,” so it makes sense
to stay where we are. Once inside
we would have to cross the lagoon with no detailed chart to hopefully find
shelter on the Eastern edge.
And then we’d have to time our exit to coincide
with slack water. With this wind,
the water doesn’t really ever go slack.
Being on the outside of the reef, the snorkelling is great, there are
lots of fish and a few small sharks plus we can leave when we
like.
We went ashore via dinghy and met Etienne, the man
on the radio. He is just a local
whose house commands a view of the arriving boats and takes great pleasure in
talking to visitors. Amanu is much
smaller than the village on Hao which is a metropolis by comparison. There are only a few hundred
locals. The only work here is
making copra. It’s a bit downmarket but has a delightful charm. Hao by
comparison has a population of 1500 which swells to 2000 during school term as
all the neighbouring islands sent their kids to school in Hao.
Almost everyone here keeps a few pigs. There are a few chickens and lots of
dogs running about.
While walking around three locals offer us fresh
cocoanut. First they cut off a bit
of the top so you can drink the milk which is surprisingly cool and
refreshing. Then they slice it up
with two quick strikes of the machete and give you a spoon made from the husk to
eat the fresh insides. Absolutely
delicious.
When we get back to the boat, Lucy the Crepe Lady
goes into action and we have Sunday Brunch. Tough life.
In the following pictures, the only rough water is either in the entrance to the lagoon or in the lagoon
itself, so it’s pretty obvious why we stayed
out.
