Wet Wet Wet
X86
Rich Carey
Tue 3 Jul 2018 21:16
17 30.265S, 152 2.356W
It's like there's as much water over us as under us - man o man it rainin good. We were all up at 05:00 this morning as a patch of wet and wild gripped us and the 8 boats around us. Manic rain and wind pulled boats all over, so people were all ondecks with spotlights and anxious fizzogs. We should have been laughing on our mooring ball, but we swing mighty close to the Cat next door, several times, so no laughter. Definitely too much scope on these moorings, so we're not going to be quite as mentally comfortable here, as we expected.
However, you can't be scared of everything, so with today's forecast of a major wind lull, we headed off on a day tour of Huahine Island.
Good call. We booked a private tour, which turned out to be just 1/3 private in an open backed Rover, and then with 4 Frenchies on a boat for the rest. But that was fine as the boat could hold 30, so we had more than half a boat.
The land tour was great, weird. We visited private individuals houses, set-up as micro cottage industries: vanilla production (we only saw one tree!); canoe paddle making (in their garage); and a very prolific American woman painter. All were surprisingly good visits especially the painter, to whom I described why I didn't like her type of work! When I described what I did like, she said "ah, you like a painting with a narrative". I'd never thought of it like that, but she was spot on. I see no point in a portrait, or a view, or an object - I like things like a street scene, where ever time I look at it I'm thinking "what's around that corner; what's in that nook; where are those people going".
Next we went higher, to a viewpoint - nice view but it was the canopy trees that fascinated. Then it got bizarre - 'the feeding of the sacred eels'. A lady was feeding raw fish to about 20 one and a half meter long eels, in a small mountain water run off river. These things we're harmless, but you sure wouldn't want to be cooling your feet in some innocent looking river and spot one cruising over to you!
On the boat (a big canoe with outrigger and 140hp outboard), we went to a pearl farm, and found out about the less than glamerous process - we didn't buy any. Then we did some 'drift snorkeling' - what a hoot. The stormy night had stirred up the sea, so the visibility was crap, but it was uniquely fun. We jumped in and the current between the reef island and the mainland propelled us for a kilometer. It was like hanging in space, and flying over the lunar surface. Effortlessly zooming along - brilliant.
Then it was lunch on a beach, with park benches setup in the water just over ankle deep - small fish all around you, Rum punch, tuna, and chicken all in you.
Then we zoomed off for a long ride back inside the reef (from the south to the north of the Island in about an hour). Half way we went conventional snorkeling with heaps of fish - heaps and heaps of fishy wishies.
Today is rainy, so just boat hanging.
All's well on x86, smiles all around.
It's like there's as much water over us as under us - man o man it rainin good. We were all up at 05:00 this morning as a patch of wet and wild gripped us and the 8 boats around us. Manic rain and wind pulled boats all over, so people were all ondecks with spotlights and anxious fizzogs. We should have been laughing on our mooring ball, but we swing mighty close to the Cat next door, several times, so no laughter. Definitely too much scope on these moorings, so we're not going to be quite as mentally comfortable here, as we expected.
However, you can't be scared of everything, so with today's forecast of a major wind lull, we headed off on a day tour of Huahine Island.
Good call. We booked a private tour, which turned out to be just 1/3 private in an open backed Rover, and then with 4 Frenchies on a boat for the rest. But that was fine as the boat could hold 30, so we had more than half a boat.
The land tour was great, weird. We visited private individuals houses, set-up as micro cottage industries: vanilla production (we only saw one tree!); canoe paddle making (in their garage); and a very prolific American woman painter. All were surprisingly good visits especially the painter, to whom I described why I didn't like her type of work! When I described what I did like, she said "ah, you like a painting with a narrative". I'd never thought of it like that, but she was spot on. I see no point in a portrait, or a view, or an object - I like things like a street scene, where ever time I look at it I'm thinking "what's around that corner; what's in that nook; where are those people going".
Next we went higher, to a viewpoint - nice view but it was the canopy trees that fascinated. Then it got bizarre - 'the feeding of the sacred eels'. A lady was feeding raw fish to about 20 one and a half meter long eels, in a small mountain water run off river. These things we're harmless, but you sure wouldn't want to be cooling your feet in some innocent looking river and spot one cruising over to you!
On the boat (a big canoe with outrigger and 140hp outboard), we went to a pearl farm, and found out about the less than glamerous process - we didn't buy any. Then we did some 'drift snorkeling' - what a hoot. The stormy night had stirred up the sea, so the visibility was crap, but it was uniquely fun. We jumped in and the current between the reef island and the mainland propelled us for a kilometer. It was like hanging in space, and flying over the lunar surface. Effortlessly zooming along - brilliant.
Then it was lunch on a beach, with park benches setup in the water just over ankle deep - small fish all around you, Rum punch, tuna, and chicken all in you.
Then we zoomed off for a long ride back inside the reef (from the south to the north of the Island in about an hour). Half way we went conventional snorkeling with heaps of fish - heaps and heaps of fishy wishies.
Today is rainy, so just boat hanging.
All's well on x86, smiles all around.
