17:35.191S 149:36.965W Rangiroa to Tahiti
Shaya Moya
Don & Susan Smyth
Wed 20 Jul 2011 22:44
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Dear Diary... I know I haven't written in a while
and I'm sorry. I will try to make it up to you now.
We've been very busy since the last blog entry and
there's so much to write. So here we go...
  We arrived in Rangiroa on the 11th after
559nm 79 hours of sailing. Unfortunately we couldn't sail all the way because
there was just not enough wind but we made good time and were in Rangiroa by
midday. The atoll is absolutely amazing. A picture-perfect paradise. We had
already read that the diving in Rangi was really good so we decided to visit a
dive centre and book two dives. After the first dive with Paradive Dive Club,
two dives became four dives became five dives.
  How the big boys roll
Pacific slime and barnacles
The diving in Rangi was very different to anything
we've done before. They've got a fantastic drift dive which allows you to cover
a huge distance and explore small gullies and caves, all while surrounded by
hundreds of black-tip, white-tip and Grey sharks. The dives were alot of fun and
a great experience. The dives were very long some upto almost 70 minutes and on
one dive we were down around 40m. Rangiroa is famous for their Dolphin. We were
told that it was the first time in four years that the dive masters had done
more then four dives without seeing the local dolphins. So we broke a record,
but we're not celebrating. 5 dives 0 Dolphins. Oliver the dive-master felt so
bad about the dolphins after the first four dives that he organized a chum dive
for us, he then grabbed a rather large white-tip shark by the tail and
flipped it over onto it's back for a snooze. IT was an amazing thing to see
especially so close-up.
  Paradive Club
Cyril "French" aka
Dolphinater on a rainy day for a dive
The people at the dive club were really very
friendly and we got along great with them so on our last night in Rangi they
invited us out to their local restaurant for drinks and dinner. It was and
absolute blast and Cyril, one of the divemasters, entertained us all evening.
He's the best type of Frenchman, loves to laugh at himself and his country. He
also looks a little like inspector Clueso. They showed us dolphin videos, just
to rub it in, and invited us to return as soon as possible.
  The Last Supper in Rangi with the Paradive
crew
Early Morning departure Rangiroa
We stayed in Rangi for three days and it was
certainly our favourite stop so far. Highly recommended for divers and
honeymooners.
Then it was off to Tahiti, just over 200 miles.
Getting out of Rangiroa was the most exciting part of the whole trip so far. We
thought to time our departure as the tide was going out through the pass, which
we did. We didn't however expect the wind to be howling in through the pass, so
as a result we found ourselves bashing through 6ft breaking waves in a narrow
pass with Captain Courageous behind the wheel and The Boss shouting directions
from below the spray dodger so as not to get wet. Well that didn't work... a
wave literally broke in the cockpit soaking the two of us and forcing us to
close the companion-way. It was wet n' wild for a whole 8min and then we
settled back down into the usual routine.
  Paradise : Rangiroa
Trying to leave paradise... As if even the
sea wanted us to stay.
Just over 24 hours of really good sailing and we
arrived in Tahiti. We cruised through the channel entry and across the lagoon to
find Shaya Moya's Marina berth well prepared and the staff here waiting for us.
It's probably the most professional outfit we've seen since leaving Rodney Bay
in St Lucia. Once we'd tied up and had just settled down to a landing drink, two
South Africans popped up on the jetty and we got to chatting. We eventually
invited some folks for drinks onboard which then turned into a fantastic
evening. We even managed to get rid of some of our freezer food so we could
switch it off when we leave the boat.
  Sunrise on the morning we arrived in
Tahiti...
Sunset over Taina Bay
Marina Tahiti, taken from the top of our mast
On that first evening we met John and Mary-Andre
from a catamaran called Sete Mares, they're also doing the same trip so Dad's
got a new mate to chat to about weather and tidal charts. They'll all be here
for a while still cruising up and down the islands so we'll probably see them
when we get back. We've also met crew from a charter boat called Concerto that
will be based in Tahiti until October when they leave for New Zealand. It seems
that a lot of the boats here are headed for New Zealand and it's nice to think
that we'll see some of our new friends again soon.
  The first night in Tahiti... With John and
Mary-Andre from Sete
Mares Gordon
and Paul from "Concerto" in their matching outfits on our 3rd night in
Tahiti
As for the two of us we've been chin-deep in chores
for the last three days. The jobs list has been steadily worked away at, and now
on the third day just hours before we head for the airport there's light at the
end of the tunnel. The boat's looking brand-new and has all her covers on for
the months rest here in Tahiti. I'm off to Switzerland till the 11th, then Lea
and I go to Las Vegas for a few days and on to LA for a few more before we both
fly to Tahiti for two weeks. Unfortunately Lea then has to go back to work, and
the lonely days start again. Dad's not sure of his plans yet. He's definatly
going to Switzerland where Ryan will join him for a week. After that he's not
sure how long he's going to SA for but he'll probably be back in Tahiti by the
end of August.
This will be the last boat blog until the 28th
August when we should be back onboard, provisioning and getting ready for the
next and final leg of our amazing journey. New Zealand here we
come!!
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