Manihi to Tuao
Boundless 1
Richard Clennett
Mon 23 May 2011 12:00
15.48.S 146.09 W
We spent 5 very enjoyable days at Manihi. Every day was busy and there was a lot of socialising between boats which was fun. We learnt a lot about the Tuamotus in particular and the Pacific in general. Several boats had already done a circuit to NZ and AUS and were doing the same trip again but a different route. The pirate issue heading towards Suez, has many making alternative plans to sail via South Africa or considering shipping their boats from the Maldives to Suez, which is now an option.
We spent 5 very enjoyable days at Manihi. Every day was busy and there was a lot of socialising between boats which was fun. We learnt a lot about the Tuamotus in particular and the Pacific in general. Several boats had already done a circuit to NZ and AUS and were doing the same trip again but a different route. The pirate issue heading towards Suez, has many making alternative plans to sail via South Africa or considering shipping their boats from the Maldives to Suez, which is now an option.
10 of us had a great dinner at the
resort, transported across the lagoon by Fernando (baker, pearl farmer,
fisherman and head of the Mormon church) in his fast workboat. The
following night we went again to the resort, this time with Roger and
Marion from Marionette IV, both in our own dinghies (so we had back up if
needed) - a much slower process weaving our way through the markers across
the lagoon in the dark than travelling with Fernando! Roger and Marion are
on their way home to Adelaide to complete a 10 year
circumnavigation. We met them briefly in Grenada last year as we were
heading home and we have several Aus cruising friends in common. They are
great company! We had a delicious smorgasboard and watched some local
dancing, with the four of us joining in for some added
hilarity!
One afternoon on an
incoming tide we went out in the dinghy with a few of our
neighbours in their dinghies and learnt about snorkeling in through
the pass (holding the dinghy ropes and bringing it with us) - quite
exhilirating! Many fish, some dull coral, sharks asleep on the sand on the
bottom, and us travelling at about 5 knots over the top of it all! The
water was not very clear and we are told other passes are much
better - we hope to test a few! We went through twice and then
rescued three people who had somehow washed into a disused pearl farm and
were quite frightened - hauled the two women on board our dinghy
while Mark got his dinghy free.......a little scratched and but all
ok, so clearly steering as you go and clambering back into the dinghy
before shallow water is reached and the current increases
are important!
Fernando delivered 200 litres of diesel
to the boat and helped transfer it - no duty free fuel out here, but
necessary to ensure we get to Papeete under any conditions! Another
afternoon we went with Fernando, one of his family and Roger and Marion to
his pearl farm. With Fernando, Roger and Richard snorkeled down about a
metre or so to untie a string of oysters each (Fernando free dives easily
to 80 feet!) and brought them back to the boat. After we had a selection
of different aged oysters, we went in to Fernando's motu (island) and the
boys opened five oysters each - which Marion and I had chosen. From
the five oysters, we retrieved 4 black pearls (reasonable size
but with some "character" - ie not perfect!) which we were
able to keep. A demonstration of how the pearls are seeded followed, while
a shell full of oyster sashimi was prepared for us to take back to our
boats. The photo shows Fernando sharing an octopus tentacle (just out of
the water) with Roger - don't know that he wants to try that
again!
On friday, a lunch ashore with the group
was organised at Fernando's bakery (a BBQ being vetoed due to the
ferocious mosquitos ashore) several boats were ready to move on,
and two others had joined us! Listening to all the stories,
places visited, miles sailed and years away we again came away feeling
like "babes in the woods" comparatively but realising that we
were really now out here among them!
We have found the people thus far in
French Polynesia to be delightful - friendly, always happy, very
willing to help, proud and respectful. The island people all seem to be
comparatively (and I'm thinking of the Caribbean islands here...) well off
and prosperous, I suppose infrastructure, fishing and tourism keep them
going - their houses and gardens are all tidy, no rubbish anywhere (except
for dog poo..).The children are all well educated and go off to school in
Papeete from the islands for high school. Fernando has five
children, three with degrees!
Before leaving Mahini on saturday we visited the motu of Xavier Michel - he is retired from the French Navy, his last post to command the French Pacific Navy and Air forces. Xavier is a great help to cruisers and on request emails tide times and any other information. He also runs an HF Sailamail base and is first response to any distress calls in this area. He has built a lovely home, separate radio station and an open air chapel on the motu. His aim is to become totally ecological and self sufficient. He runs his enormous gel battery bank with energy from the sun, sea and wind and has many varieties of fruit and vegetables growing. A charming man whose wife continues to work as a lawyer in Papeete and they share time between the two places.
Before leaving Mahini on saturday we visited the motu of Xavier Michel - he is retired from the French Navy, his last post to command the French Pacific Navy and Air forces. Xavier is a great help to cruisers and on request emails tide times and any other information. He also runs an HF Sailamail base and is first response to any distress calls in this area. He has built a lovely home, separate radio station and an open air chapel on the motu. His aim is to become totally ecological and self sufficient. He runs his enormous gel battery bank with energy from the sun, sea and wind and has many varieties of fruit and vegetables growing. A charming man whose wife continues to work as a lawyer in Papeete and they share time between the two places.
We departed Manihi after waiting
for low water slack tide and sailed south overnight, 80 miles to
Toau - trying to keep our boatspeed down so we would arrive at
daybreak. Tricky as there were several squalls overnight with associated
stronger breeze!
Gaston and Valentine own a motu on
the NW rim of this atoll and have laid several moorings in a "blind
pass" - one that is not a true pass into the lagoon as there is
a coral rim preventing this.The anchorage is well marked and tides do
not influence arrival and departure here. Gaston saw us dropping
sail outside at 6.30am and guided us in to a mooring. We joined he and
Valentine, a Finnish couple and an Austrian couple from the two other
boats here for a delicious home cooked meal ashore last night. Snorkeling
is on the agenda for this afternoon and then another meal ashore tonight.
There is no mobile phone or internet here.Tomorrow we will head to
Fakarava for our last atoll visit before sailing 200 odd
miles to Papeete. We can
understand why cruisers spend an extended time in this area.