8:55.05S 140:06.06W
Farr Gone Blog
Stuart Cannon
Fri 22 Apr 2011 19:03
The voyage here is almost a distant memory and the 21 days at sea have blurred into the distant past. I have been here 6 days and it is time to move on. I have taken on two crew which gives me the ability to negotiate the Tuamoto atolls also known as the Dangerous Isles. These are low lying coral atolls that are invisible until you are almost on them and single handing through this area is so dangerous as to be nearly impossible. It is essential to have a coral watch on the bow at all times through this area so the extra hands make the journey possible. I had intended to completely avoid the area by sailing around it but would have missed out on the beauty of the atolls and its not a repeatable visit as they are so remote.
My new crew are very highly qualified and experienced and already have made my life easier with refuelling and reprovisioning, a chore that is very difficult here as everything has to be ferried on the dinghy.
Last night, sitting on the deck, the sounds of warrior drums from the shore drifted across the water as they were rehearsing for a cultural event. The deep bass notes were quite awesome and gave a picture of how terrifying it would be to arrive here in days gone by and not be welcome. They did have a history of putting missionaries in large pots and cooking them so I am glad to be living in this century rather than a previous one. The harbour we are in is an old volcanic crater with cliffs rising out of the water into the clouds with waterfalls streaming down so it is very beautiful.
With luck I will have the sat phone link working shortly and normal blogs will resume.
Bonjour.