16:29.352 S  151:45.604 W

26/07/09  We Escape to Bora Bora

Driving around the island confirms that the little port  we are stuck in has the worst weather conditions of the entire island.  I was determined to get off and when the wind dropped  to just under 20 knots this morning, we were able to power spring off. This is done by having a line on the dock near the bow, fixed to the stern and powering in reverse which forces the bow out .  It requires careful fendering on the stern and I’m glad t say we got off  without a scratch. One stern line snapped in the night and one of the new 10,000 Franc fenders collapsed as we sprung off, but it had done its job.

We stopped for a swim near the Pass by Tahaa.  A few minutes after leaving for Bora Bora, Steve started to put out the two fishing lines. 15 seconds after the first one went out as he was setting the second a big fish struck.  It turned out to be a Wahoo measuring 1500 mm from nose to tail and weighing about 16 kilos.  The freezer is really full.

We carried on sailing on a beam reach doing 8 ½ knots and were overhauled by ADELE a modern build of a classic design, some  194 feet long and  30 feet in the beam and making just over  13 knots   Needless to say she beat us the to anchorage.  But then we don’t have a white uniformed crew of 8 or how many there actually were.  ADELE is a ketch, the owner wanted a sloop  but it wouldn’t pass under the Panama Bridge so he had to have the shorter masted ketch version.  Tough call.