17:13.17S 149:49.17W

A four hour sail from Tahiti is the attractive island of Moorea. Its reef extends completely round its shore with only two well marked passes into the shallow lagoon. We anchored in brilliant turquoise water and spent a peaceful night within two hundred metres of the crashing surf. In the morning we took the dinghy out to the reef and snorkeled in a coral garden surrounded by a myriad of colourful fish. When we returned to Moonshadow we found that our anchor was caught around a coral head and an hour later we were still trying to lift it. Fortunately one of the young men on the Rally has a scuba kit and he was able to untangle us. We finally anchored in Cook's Bay which is a dramatically beautiful location enclosed by towering mountains. We hired a car and explored the interior; a stunning landscape of pineapple fields and volcanic peaks.