Graptolite - Fully Automatic Autopilot
Graptolite's Sailing Log
Martyn Pickup & Heike Richter
Fri 9 May 2008 08:00
We just had two days of excellent diving outside the reef off Moorea. On
Tuesday we had a Blacktip sharks and turtles experience. OK and not so very
frightening. On Wednesday we upgraded to an enormous gang of huge Lemon
sharks circling around us looking hungry. What me worry? You will have to
wait for the photos and video to see how big and menacing they were. They
actually smile at you when they about to bite.
We had lunch in the Sheraton Beach Resort. It was nothing special except for
the price. They had a power cut in the kitchen half way through cooking
which didn't help. When we got back to the anchorage about an hour and a
half later, Graptolite had GONE. After a quiet panic and motoring the dinghy
around in circles for a while we spotted her in the distance. The naughty
girl had gone and sailed off by herself half a mile across Opunohu Bay and
was busy getting cosy with the big cruise ship 'Tahitian Princess'.
There is no explaining how an anchor comes loose after two days and drags so
far and so quickly without getting snagged but there you are. It could have
been very nasty but it wasn't. With as much nonchalance as we could muster
we climbed back onboard and sailed out of Opunohu Bay towards Cook's Bay
like that's what we had planned all along.
In Cook's Bay (stunning scenery blah blah) we met up with Gerry and Isolde
from 'Northern Sky' and Petra, Peter, Heike and Bill from 'Viva'. Some of us
went to see yet another Polynesian show at the Bali Hi Club and then we all
went for dinner at an Italian place.
Back to Opunohu Bay now and then an overnight sail to Huahine.
M