Friday morning at first light we raised the anchor and motored north to the pass. When we got there we found another boat waiting to come in. A couple we had met in Nuka Hiva. We went out first and then they came in.
The winds were in the 6-8 knot range and the seas were up some but conditions were fairly good for the first day. We were making 4-5 knots most of the day. In the afternoon the clouds began building and it was obvious that we were going to be in for a rainy squally night.
Throughout the night we had one squall after another blow through. None of them had serious winds - mainly rain. After each squall we would have clear skys for an hour or so and then in the east we would see the dark shape of another line of clouds. This was when we were thankful for radar. With that we could get a sense of the extent of the rain and and idea of how strong the squall might be. Finally by morning the weather had settled down
- Approaching Raiatea - June 24 - 25
As forecast, the winds began to lay down on Saturday and Sunday. In addition they began to veer around out of the north as a low pressure system moved south of us. Even in the lighter winds we were able to make over four knots. That pace would put us into Raiatea first thing Monday morning.
By Sunday evening, however, the winds had dropped below five knots and our pace slowed to a crawl. If we were going to make Raiatea Monday morning it was going to be under motor. We hate to motor but sometimes you do what you have to do. Kyle pulled down the sails and started the engine and we were soon cruising along again at over four knots.
The night was wonderfully clear with no rain or squalls. Radar showed the outline of Huahine ahead and we set our course to pass by it on the north. Since the winds had by now vanished altogether we were having to hand steer the boat. Kathy took the first turn while Kyle tried to get some sleep. He woke up in a couple hours to see the lights of Huahine off the port. Then Kathy slept while Kyle steared towards Raiatea, about 25 miles further west.
- Tied up in Raiatea - June 26 - July 1
The sun arose to reveal the lush green of Raiatea about 10 miles off. The islands of Raiatea and Taaha are within the same barrier reef. The pass into Raiatea was large and well marked (the French do a wonderful job with their navigational aids.) At 10 AM we made our way through the pass and turned north towards the main center of Uturoa.
One concern we had was finding a place to anchor. Most of the anchorages at Raiatea were too deep for the amount of anchor chain we had. One is supposed to put out five times the depth in anchor chain so our 270 feet of chain would allow us a maximum depth of 55 feet. There were few anchorages in Raiatea that shallow.
As we came by Uturoa we saw the fuel dock and decided to go ahead and refuel. It is always a good idea to get fuel, water, and provisions as soon as possible so that if the weather changes for the worse where you are at you are ready to head out again quickly. While we were topping up the tanks and jerry jugs we noticed a number of sailboats tied up to the dock adjacent to the fuel dock. We asked one of the owners about tying up there and he said that it was supposed to be limited to one day but that no one seemed to be enforcing it. We liked the idea of tying to a dock for a change where we could just step off the boat and walk to town. So we pulled ahead and found a place on the dock and tied up, free of the worry of finding a place to anchor.
Raiatea was the largest town we had been in in French Polynesia. It is home to two different charter sailboat companies so supplies and boat parts are readily available. Three large supermarkets made available the best selection of fresh produce we had seen since Panama. The first day we had a blast reprovisioning for the next leg of the trip. We found apples, oranges, potatoes, onions, cheese, chips, and the ubiquitous french bread.
By Thursday it was time to prepare to leave again. The weather forecast was for light but sail-able winds on Saturday so we set that as our departure day. But first we needed to deal with the officials.
When we entered French Polynesia we were supposed to have posted a bond equivalent to the cost of the airfare home to the US for each of us. This is supposed to guarantee that we actually left again. When checking out of the country we would get that bond back. The problem was that when we arrived we did not have enough money for the bond so when we checked in at Nuku Hiva we sort of ignored the whole bond thing. But now that it was time to check out, we kept wondering it this was going to cause us problems when it came time to check out.
Normally we might have just sailed off without bothering to check out at all but at our next port of call, Pago Pago in American Samoa, the authorities are adamant that arriving boats have the appropriate clearance paperwork from their last port. No paperwork - ta ta. So Kyle put on his nicest "deal-with-the-authorities" clothes and a big smile, we said a prayer, and he toddled off to the Gendarmerie (like the police station) to check out.
We have discovered that the French have a wonderfully anarchistic approach to rules and regulations. They make volumes of rules and regulations which everyone then simply ignores. Since I tend to ignore most rules myself, I am finding the French very easy to work with. The check out process was a case in point.
The Gendarme was very friendly and invited me in to his office. He sat at the computer and asked me the various questions on the departure form. When he got to the part about the bond he asked me if I had paid it. I said "no;" he said "OK," and it was on to the next question. Just like that. A few pages out of the printer, a couple stamps in the passports, and I toddled back to the boat, departure clearance in hand.