We have had over a week of fine weather, giving us a clear "go" signal to visit Maupiti. We left Bora at 2AM Friday under a full moon, and arrived outside Onoiau Pass at 8AM ("Oh no, ee, ow!" is the sound I imagine a skipper would make if his boat ran into trouble here). We had sailed conservatively under genoa alone. Even with this smaller sail plan, we had to reduce sail a couple of times due to squalls overtaking us from astern.
After all the warnings we had received about Onoiau Pass, we were wary but prepared. It was a matter of lining up the range markers and going for it, with breakers close by on either side and against the outflowing current. Fortunately, after 4 days of diminishing swells, the current was only about 2 knots - we have faced far stronger current before, so this did not deter us. Before we knew it, we had made the dogleg turn and were inside the lagoon, where all was tranquility and peace. And there was only one other sailboat in the lagoon, adding to the feeling of accomplishing something special. The steep rock cliffs made for a dramatic backdrop to the village.
We found easy anchorage just off the mairie (town hall), and dinghied ashore to check things out. This was the first time we used the dinghy wheels since Mexico, as we were landing on a lee shore lined with rock walls. We rolled the dink up a concrete launch ramp and left it in the shade of a breadfruit tree.
Although we were still a bit tired from the night passage, we rented bikes and set off to explore the island. The tour books lied - there are lots of cars on this little island, and quite a few of them passed by in a wedding celebration, the happy couple facing backwards from the open bed of a pickup. After that, it was pretty peaceful the rest of the way,
until we had to push the bikes up a steep hill. We were rewarded by a spectacular view of the lagoon and the southern end of the island.
Far out to sea, we could see sails - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, EIGHT! So much for feeling special!
By the time we finished our ride and dinghied back to the boat, the first of the charter catamaran fleet was anchored nearby. Soon we were surrounded by a boisterous group of German sailors.
We're not antisocial, but we didn't want to be in the midst of someone else's party. We upped anchor and moved back down by the motus guarding the lagoon entrance.
The next morning, we took a long beach walk on the eastern motu. It was beautiful, but we forgot the camera, so you'll have to take my word for it. Next, we went snorkeling with the resident manta rays, only about 200m E of our anchorage. When we arrived, there were 3 giant mantas and 2 eagle rays, but the eagle rays are shy and soon disappeared. The mantas didn't seem to mind our presence, and soon several boatloads of snorkelers joined us in appreciation of these unusual creatures. The mantas spent a lot of time hovering over a rock, letting the current fill their gaping maws with plankton-rich water.
In the afternoon the German charter fleet joined us, but after the morning's adventures, we didn't mind a bit. We had our own party, inviting a French couple out to the boat for drinks. Jean-Pierre and Josephine had met us on the island the day before, and surprised us by saying that they had visited Oregon.
During the night, the wind amped up a bit and clocked around to SSE. We still had excellent protection from the nearby motus, and our anchor was deeply dug into sand with no coral bommies nearby, so we slept well.
In the morning, the German fleet raised anchor and headed back to Bora Bora, bucking steep seas and a 20-25kt headwind. I dinghied out to the pass to watch them ride the 5kt ebb into a wall of steep waves. Glad we are not on a tight schedule - we will wait for better weather to leave this protected lagoon.
We walked the other motu, and this time brought our camera.
We tried snorkeling with the mantas again, but the visibility was poor due to the increased wind and wave action. On the other side of the lagoon, we could see about 6 kiteboarders. They are loving this wind!
(2 days later) It's now Tuesday, and we are getting a bit tired of being pinned down by the wind, which has remained in the 25-30 knot range for the past two days. We'd like to return to the village, but it's a bit too far by dinghy, and it has been a bit rough for pulling up the anchor and moving the boat. So we've done a lot of reading, a bit of swimming, and a few boat projects.
Anchored nearby is a truly amazing yacht - a French aluminum 50-foot cutter named Alioth, owned by two brothers and their wives. Yesterday they invited us over for coffee and a tour of the boat, which is purpose-built (by Alliage of France) for world cruising at any latitude. They took it around Cape Horn, and arrived in Polynesia via Patagonia and Easter Island. Our boat is like a Sabot by comparison!
Yesterday we were surprised to see another boat enter the lagoon. It appeared to be a charter catamaran, and its headsail was in tatters! I'm amazed they made it safely through the pass in these conditions, and even more amazed that the charter companies allow their clients to come here.
We've now re-anchored near the village, and are headed to the island to visit a French couple we met a few days ago. They have lived here 14 years, since the last major hurricane struck. They are going to give us some information about Mopelia, our next intended stop.
After all the warnings we had received about Onoiau Pass, we were wary but prepared. It was a matter of lining up the range markers and going for it, with breakers close by on either side and against the outflowing current. Fortunately, after 4 days of diminishing swells, the current was only about 2 knots - we have faced far stronger current before, so this did not deter us. Before we knew it, we had made the dogleg turn and were inside the lagoon, where all was tranquility and peace. And there was only one other sailboat in the lagoon, adding to the feeling of accomplishing something special. The steep rock cliffs made for a dramatic backdrop to the village.
We found easy anchorage just off the mairie (town hall), and dinghied ashore to check things out. This was the first time we used the dinghy wheels since Mexico, as we were landing on a lee shore lined with rock walls. We rolled the dink up a concrete launch ramp and left it in the shade of a breadfruit tree.
Although we were still a bit tired from the night passage, we rented bikes and set off to explore the island. The tour books lied - there are lots of cars on this little island, and quite a few of them passed by in a wedding celebration, the happy couple facing backwards from the open bed of a pickup. After that, it was pretty peaceful the rest of the way,
until we had to push the bikes up a steep hill. We were rewarded by a spectacular view of the lagoon and the southern end of the island.
Far out to sea, we could see sails - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, EIGHT! So much for feeling special!
By the time we finished our ride and dinghied back to the boat, the first of the charter catamaran fleet was anchored nearby. Soon we were surrounded by a boisterous group of German sailors.
We're not antisocial, but we didn't want to be in the midst of someone else's party. We upped anchor and moved back down by the motus guarding the lagoon entrance.
The next morning, we took a long beach walk on the eastern motu. It was beautiful, but we forgot the camera, so you'll have to take my word for it. Next, we went snorkeling with the resident manta rays, only about 200m E of our anchorage. When we arrived, there were 3 giant mantas and 2 eagle rays, but the eagle rays are shy and soon disappeared. The mantas didn't seem to mind our presence, and soon several boatloads of snorkelers joined us in appreciation of these unusual creatures. The mantas spent a lot of time hovering over a rock, letting the current fill their gaping maws with plankton-rich water.
In the afternoon the German charter fleet joined us, but after the morning's adventures, we didn't mind a bit. We had our own party, inviting a French couple out to the boat for drinks. Jean-Pierre and Josephine had met us on the island the day before, and surprised us by saying that they had visited Oregon.
During the night, the wind amped up a bit and clocked around to SSE. We still had excellent protection from the nearby motus, and our anchor was deeply dug into sand with no coral bommies nearby, so we slept well.
In the morning, the German fleet raised anchor and headed back to Bora Bora, bucking steep seas and a 20-25kt headwind. I dinghied out to the pass to watch them ride the 5kt ebb into a wall of steep waves. Glad we are not on a tight schedule - we will wait for better weather to leave this protected lagoon.
We walked the other motu, and this time brought our camera.
We tried snorkeling with the mantas again, but the visibility was poor due to the increased wind and wave action. On the other side of the lagoon, we could see about 6 kiteboarders. They are loving this wind!
(2 days later) It's now Tuesday, and we are getting a bit tired of being pinned down by the wind, which has remained in the 25-30 knot range for the past two days. We'd like to return to the village, but it's a bit too far by dinghy, and it has been a bit rough for pulling up the anchor and moving the boat. So we've done a lot of reading, a bit of swimming, and a few boat projects.
Anchored nearby is a truly amazing yacht - a French aluminum 50-foot cutter named Alioth, owned by two brothers and their wives. Yesterday they invited us over for coffee and a tour of the boat, which is purpose-built (by Alliage of France) for world cruising at any latitude. They took it around Cape Horn, and arrived in Polynesia via Patagonia and Easter Island. Our boat is like a Sabot by comparison!
Yesterday we were surprised to see another boat enter the lagoon. It appeared to be a charter catamaran, and its headsail was in tatters! I'm amazed they made it safely through the pass in these conditions, and even more amazed that the charter companies allow their clients to come here.
We've now re-anchored near the village, and are headed to the island to visit a French couple we met a few days ago. They have lived here 14 years, since the last major hurricane struck. They are going to give us some information about Mopelia, our next intended stop.
2 comments:
the best place for enjoyement in Dubai with your best buddies in Dubai is Yacht Charter Dubai. Don't miss it in this summer. Must join us.
YES! .... journey on........
happy sails, love Cathy
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