Landfall Tuamotos               16:22S, 144:21W

With the sound of generators fading behind us we set sail for the Tuamotos on the 18^th April, eager to get to the clear waters and away from the madding crowd so to speak. We were sad at having to rush through the Marquesas as other yachts in our group were reporting wonderful anchorages and spectacular scenery. Most of them are finishing their season in NZ so they are not as time pressured as us to get further west. We also had to be in Tahiti by the 3^rd to take delivery of the new windlass and not miss our booking.

It was a good passage. The seas were pretty flat and winds generally good and from the right direction so we sailed with the Genoa only and Huey the hydrovane did most of the steering, luckily for us, as the electric self steering decided to go on strike! Fortunately we found it to be an electrical connection which was easily fixed once we stopped.

The big challenge for us was to work out the time of slack water as we approached our first landfall Katiu Atoll. It is a narrow entrance and the tide rushes out at up to 6 kts and unless you get it right it can be tricky in standing waves and quite dangerous. We poured over the tide tables we had down loaded, read up on all our notes and we reckoned that slack water was around 0900 local time. We were close, but forgot to adjust our watches from Marquesas time which was half an hour different. However we rode the turbulent waters into the pass and tied up against the quay – the only yacht there, and as it turned out, the first of the season.

        On the quay at Katiu

The quay has been built for the supply ship which comes in once a fortnight and the waters next to it are calm, yet 50 metres away on the other side of the channel the tide rushes out of the lagoon at 6 knots in full flood.

Toini, the village on Katiu is neat, well kept, and very welcoming. We soon had a number of local children on the dock and wanting to come aboard but we said no and Suzie spoke with them all in French. That evening she gave out some trinkets we had bought with us and of course word spread like wildfire and soon we had 20 or so kids all eager and expectant for some trinkets. We realised our mistake and tried to make up for the lack of trinkets with popcorn. It was a great hit and three big bowls later the kids had to go off to bed.

The first locals we met were Cecelia and Billy and Suzie was able to communicate quite well. When we showed them some pictures in our cruising guide of Katiu which had the picture of a young woman called Florentina playing her guitar in 1998, and explained why we had chosen Katiu, there was much excitement as Florentina was still there, and was Cecelia’s cousin (we found everyone was related to everyone else in some form or other).

That evening Florentina and her brother Boris, together with Billy and Cecelia and Boris’ girlfriend came to the boat and played music till all hours. We were given a special present, leis made of shells found only one island in the Tuamotos, and made to look like frangipani. We were quite touched.

  Florentina and Boris singing and playing on board

Earlier that day, Robin had befriended a local fisherman and gave him a present of some beer as the store had run out. Later the fisherman presented us with some fish and organised to take robin fishing with him next day. But alas it was too windy, so he gave us more fish instead. So Robin and Louis sat on the dock like two old crones, drinking beer and conversing in a combination of pigeon French and pigeon English- Mates for life.

              Fishermen three

We then discovered our unwanted guest! Mickey the mouse/rat had arrived on board and was chomping into our stores – disaster. Off to the Store to try to by a mouse trap – no luck  but a lady there said she had some” souries (mouse poison)” tablets and would we like to come to her house and get them. Yes please. Then she said as it was some way off would we like to bring our swimmers and have a swim and stay for lunch.  Yes please say us, so away we go in her old 4 wheel drive. Suzie and Caroline in front and husband Norris and Robin in the tray back, eventually turning off the rough track into their house and coconut plantation.

The house was upmarket compared to the general run of village homes, powered by solar panels subsidised by the French government; we were given the grand tour. Then down to the beach in front of the house for a swim in the warm waters in preparation for lunch.

         Carolyn and Norris’ back garden

Lunch was an amazing affair. Robin and Norris armed with screwdrivers, masks and snorkels waded into the shallow reef area off the beach and Norris showed Robin how to gather the clams that were everywhere. These were thrown ashore to Caroline and Suzie who opened them and cleaned out the meat and placed it in a leaf basket. This meat was covered in lime juice and allowed to sit whilst the 8 fish were on the Bar B Q (a hole in the ground where the fire had burnt to hot embers), and Caroline squeezed the meat of young coconuts through a cloth to make coconut cream to put on the fish. We were then shown how to select sprouting coconuts (male or female) split them open and eat the heart of palm like a vegetable. Our plates were large leaves and our utensils our fingers; washing up was nil. It was both an enjoyable event and a learning experience as we were told that this is how they eat every day.

     Lunch for 4

Declining the offer to stay for a siesta, we went back to the boat armed with our" sourie" tablets determined to catch the varmint raiding our stores. Baits were put out and fingers were crossed but no luck.

That evening we went up to the church to listen to Florentina and Boris play their guitars and sing with some other ladies, but had to leave early as Caroline and Norris were coming for the evening to see the yacht.

                 Inside the church with the shell chandeliers

 It was a jolly social event and we learnt more about their family and organized to visit some of them when we get to Tahiti.

 Suzie, Norris and Carolyn on board True Blue

The following day we decided to leave but got the tide wrong again. We should have waited but half the town came to say goodbye so we cast off (out rat stowaway still somewhere on board) and headed out into the surf. Bad decision, we hit 4 metre standing waves and found later to our chagrin a port had been left open and we took a lot of water on board – the first time in 10 years of cruising. True Blue lived up to her name and took us safely through and we set sail for our next stop, whilst Robin mopped the water and took out the carpets.

  Some of the kids who came to say goodbye