01 Mixed emotions
Starcharger
Tue 4 Oct 2016 00:32
Yesterday evening we left.....still without the watermaker. UPS Auckland say it was on the plane, UPS Papeete say it didn't arrive. We waited an extra day while Tahiti did a final check. Then decided we had to leave. Having wasted three weeks that we could have spent in Cook Islands and Tonga, catching up with friends who are ahead of us.
But if we had we wouldn't have seen one of the most spectacular sunsets ever. We wouldn't have spent a lazy Sunday on an idyllic motu. Watched a six man outrigger canoe race.
And we wouldn't have eaten at Mimosa, a delightful restaurant... Four meals and a couple of beers for under £50. But do please bring the right money they will not have change, but bring the correct money in tomorrow, or come back and collect your change! One night they gave us the menu, then when they came to take our order....there was only chicken, tuna steak and a couple of tuna kebabs. OK a couple of chicken and a couple of tuna steaks.....wrong, they had four meals so really we just had to decide who was having what.... But the food is great and the people lovely and excellent vàlue. Not to mention the white puppy with one ear up and one down, or the very fluffy white dog that Gill wanted to keep.
And we don't have to store a watermaker till we can get a chance to fit it. But also we have to go through the aggravation of having it redelivered.
However, decision made we set off on the mile and a half sail to the pass, before we were out we had seen flying fish and a real treat, spinner dolphins. We saw one jump straight up, clear of the water do a 360 and dive back in. Apparently they are the only dolphins that do that (hence the name..).
Once outside, twin poled heads'ls and we are flying at 6 knots... Move forward till 5pm it is raining, the wind has gone round and we are sailing 50 degrees off course. All hands for a major sail change...Bimini down, big pole in, genoa stowed main up and we are off again. The wind continued to be fickle until about 9pm when it stabilised, the rain and lightning continued on and off till 3am. But down came the main and out went the poled genoa...
6am this morning, tidied up put the cover on the main and the bimini back up....now bowling along at 5 knots with Hillary the Hydrovane steering. I could trim the sails better but that would involve moving the girls who are sunbathing so...... Oh and a boy just flew over
Fair winds
Alasdair, Gill, Oscar and Mia
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+447710 197949
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