10.9.2009

Tahaa-Bora

It is time to move on. We profit from the calmer weather situation to sail over to Bora-Bora. With mainsail and headsail hoisted we sail through the pass. We have 15 knots of wind to start with and are enjoying a good first part of the trip. In the middle we get caught by a squall. The wind pipes up to 30 knots and we get a heavy rain shower. Everything in the cockpit is wet again. It is cold and the rain freezing. We have to put on our bad weather gear. Luckily it doesn’t last long. The wind even dies after the squall so that we have to motor for half an hour. Then it is back again. We have a great sail around the lagoon of Bora-Bora. The lagoon is very  blue and the most colourful we have seen till now. The shores are covered with hotels and over water bungalows. The peak of Mount Otemanu is spectacular but for me it is not the nicest island we have seen till now. We sail in 17 knots winds through the pass. The pass is narrow on the starboard side so we keep as close as possible to the port side. The depth goes down to 8 meters but we manage the passage without major problems. Inside the lagoon we realise now that Bora-Bora is busy. The lagoon is wide but there are plenty of boats inside. Shuttle boats, dive boats, sight seeing boats, scooters, outrigger canoes. It is almost like being on a highway. We have to take the sail down in this heavy traffic. The restaurant called Bora-Bora Yacht Club has a number of moorings available quite close to the entrance of the lagoon. We don’t want to move further south today and pick one up. Barry gives LAIKA a short visit I have to sleep an hour.

We have diner on board and are looking forward to tomorrow