151:43.855W
Robert’s family cruise started in
Papeete on 24th March, and took in the islands of
Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa and Bora Bora.
Katharine, Tom and Janey spent a lot of time snorkelling around the coral
heads, with beautiful fish as well as the occasional shark and ray swimming
around them. Much fun was also had
with a fake shark’s fin Tom found on the seabed.
In Bora Bora, Rumpelteazer met up from time to
time with the motley crew, Andy and Pippa, who were spending a week or two
enjoying the pleasures of unmoving beds, clean linen and restaurant meals. Tom and Robert spent an enjoyable
morning scuba diving with Pippa and Andy along the coral reef at the entrance
pass of Bora
Bora. They saw lemon sharks, black-tipped
sharks, turtles, manta rays and spotted eagle rays in addition to brilliantly
coloured fish of all sizes and brightly coloured clams and molluscs fixed to the
coral heads.
There had also been much romance ashore, with
Anne-Marie flying out to join Andy for an exotic two week holiday, and Peter
proposing to Pippa in Rangiroa and exploring Moorea with her before flying home,
an engaged man.
Andy and Pippa rejoined Robert on Rumpelteazer
yesterday in Bora
Bora and motored the 20
miles to Raiatea for a big provisioning and refuelling stop. The veg and fruit market was delightful
– the slightly toothless old lady serving us seemed to give us far more fruit
‘as a gratuity’ than the stuff we had actually paid for. We are now laden
with papayas, pineapples and huge bunches of green bananas as well as great
quantities of fresh vegetables.
Early this morning when still anchored off
Raiatea, we were hit by a very nasty rain storm and set off
in the rain (shades of the Solent!) through the narrow passage in the lagoon and
through the Pai Pai pass out into the ocean. We motor-sailed back to Bora Bora to
pick up Charles and Susie Hay who will be with us for the rest of our voyage to
Queensland. In Vaitape, the main
(only) town on Bora
Bora, we visited the
Gendamerie to sign out of the French Polynesians and will shortly set sail from
Bora
Bora. Our plan is now to head south west in
the direction of the Cook
Islands.
