17 35.107s 149 36.936w

Yep, ran aground again - but fortunately it was another minor affair! I'd just slowed down to get permission to cross the flight path off the end of Papeete airport, and bumbty bump bump. No worries, reversed off, checked no-one was watching/laughing, and continued on my way.

And that wasn't even the most exciting bit of the journey. I'd been worrying yesterday about being able to arrive at Tahiti before dark, and had pushed all sail into air. During the night - ahhh - going too fast. At 05:00 in the pitchy pitch, I had to completely drop the  already 2nd reefed main, to slow down. Then I had to half roll the Gib an hour later, as still too fast.

When Tahiti loomed at dawn, it didn't do much looming - too gray, too much low cloud, too much water descending. Then the rain started to hit x86.

Unlike big squals, this was manageable wind, seldom above 30 knots, but a LORRA LORRA rain (still thinking about ya Cilla Black!), Visibility  was single digits meters, like a snow season white out. It passed and the next one hit, and the next, and ... I was locked down inside with zero visibility, and only 5 miles off the coast, where there is usually traffic. I had to heave-to and drifty drift for most of the next two hours, waiting for a visibility window - and very happy that I'd doused the main a good bit earlier. Every once in a while there would be a brief break in which I'd pop out, see the next one inbound, and scurry back in. In one 60 second break, I sprinted forward to remove the sun blinds off the main windows as they were so saturated, I couldn't see through them at all.

That the sky can hold so much liquid in such a localized area is ridiculous. In the end it passed and I was able to venture out of my hole.

Thanks to Chance providing me with all the data I needed, to make an otherwise successful landing in Tahiti, I be here, in Marina Taina, Tahiti. It's still very cloudy and gray, but I think that this place may in fact, be rather nice :-)

Now I'm having a few earned beers, and then I shall resty. Tomorrow I start the round of the Chandler's, to hopefully get bits to fix the broken bits. Lots, but nothing drastic - will keep me busy for a week or so.

It sure is good to be back in a Marina, where getting ashore is luxuriously easy!

All's good on x86, bottom only slightly abused!