A slow start to our exploring was necessary so Stephen could recover from bruised ribs (yes he managed to fall over again), an infected toe and the removal of a broken wisdom tooth together with his increasing personal commitments in the bay.
Debbie, with her close friends leaving the bay and negative news from Canada regarding the borders being closed to us, she got very itchy feet to move out of the bay before we grew roots.
Fewer boats in the bay gave us chance to spend time with cruisers that we hadn't got to know during the confinement and some new faces. We engaged in a busy social scene and the weeks passed by very pleasantly.
Chez Henri put on a cruisers barbecue with fifty cruisers attending. Socially it was a great success unfortunately the food was quite disgusting and after two years of being in the islands, we thought we could identify most local dishes. That night we hadn't got a clue what we were eating, mistaking chicken for pork, which didn't taste like either and suspect kebabs together with a lot of slop. Hungry we retired to Bubbles for dessert. Frequently we discover that Chez Amelie, Maluhia, Shorleave, Flipflops, Bubbles, Saorsa, Sapphire II and others are the best eating establishments in town. Fortunately Chez Henri does brew reasonable coffee and one morning after hitting the fresh market very early with Anna from S/V Vista, we had a ladies coffee morning and witnessed some of the cruisers intently taking a ukulele lesson from a local guy. Luckily they were experienced so the sound was melodic rather than twangy.
On the 14th of July, Bastille Day, we spent in the festival hall with cruisers and local families, eating excellent home cooked food and being entertained by the local dance troupe and drummers.
Huge Manta Rays frequently entered the bay and on one occasion a fever of rays danced around Amelie, so close that for once the iPhonecamera picked up clear visions of these marine creatures.
“M” decided she needed some attention and she got it quickly as rowing that vessel is a bitch. We were semi confined to Amelie for a few days, with Stephan from S/V Olena helping Stephen to discover and fix the issue. The hum of “M’s” elderly, healthy engine was a relief and a delight. Another afternoon was spent replacing the throttle cable, a simple job turned out to be a lengthy one, all because of one stubborn bolt. “M” is twelve and a half years old, so the odd running issue is inevitable. Laure, also from Olena, is one of the net controllers but one of her hidden talents is baking. Her lemon drizzle cake is probably the best we've ever tasted. We all moan about our boat ovens but Laure has a magic touch. Stephen ate cake after supper, before breakfast and then he received another supply several days later, which he polished off, including Debbie’s slice, leaving ”crumb” evidence behind. Poor Dobby got blamed for the mess.
The freezer decided to give up but with constant attention and a few calls to Mike Campbell in Tahiti, Stephen and Kevin managed to get it working, better than before. Luckily we didn't lose too much produce from the freezer, offering a bulk of the chicken to our friends on Olena and eating regally over a period of a few days, inviting Stephan, Arno and Marion from S/V Fox, to help us finish up the rest.
We had reoccurring issues with the fresh water pump, which was irritating as we replaced the old with new and still the problems persisted. Various spare parts were attached and then removed and in true Stephen speaking style, after “kissing many frogs you eventually find a prince”. The filter was replaced again, primed itself and now we have a well behaved fresh water pump. During this long winded process, we checked the water tank, disconnected hoses, cleaned them up and as the floorboards were up, Debbie gave the boards and the cavity underneath a spring clean. Stephen and Paul redesigned the carbon filter housing under the galley sink, getting rid of the troublesome Jabsco system. This robust addition to our fresh water delivery has stopped the leaking of precious drinking water into the engine compartment, also it has proven to be a cheaper alternative to our hated Jabsco contraption.
Pizza evenings became a weekly event either at Moana Nui (looked after by the lovely Jean Luc, resplendent in Bette Lynch style earrings) or at Kevin and Annabella’s home.
New boats arrived in the bay almost daily whilst the borders were closed but the maritime bigwigs in Papeete accepted their presence (but the gendarme refused to check them in despite Nuku Hiva being a port of entry) following various form filling and self health declarations. Mid July the borders to paradise were opened up to all tourists, including the floating Petri dishes (cruise liners) and the rest of the cruising fraternity. Flights have resumed to the outer islands, with some reductions of service but overall life has returned to normal, with the exception of “tourists” and cruisers wearing masks at all times on land. We are living in a bubble witnessing what is going on throughout the world, speaking to our family and friends about their continued restrictions, it still feels surreal. Our fears of a surge of infection mainly in the Society Islands was correct. The number of people testing positive for Covid 19 has surpassed the number during the confinement at a much faster rate. We now appreciate the fears of our local friends, some of whose ancestors were wiped out by disease that was brought in by European and American settlers, whalers and missionaries, a few centuries ago.
Daniel, Carola and Fritz on S/V Beluga were proactive during the confinement, organising bread collection several times a week. Since that time with Fritz’s return to school in the village, he befriended a young girl whose father is chronically sick, awaiting a lung transplant in France. Meanwhile this young parent is separated from his family so he can be close to the hospital in Papeete and be ready to get on a flight at a moments notice. This obviously has made a serious impact on the family and their finances. It is too easy to place money in a collecting box but Carola had the brilliant idea of baking a cake and selling slices to the cruising community. Fritz and his Marquesan friend flitted around the anchorage in the family dinghy, delivering and collecting money. The duo collected $70 in a short time and they managed to take some of the cake back to Beluga. Carola said the look on the little girl’s face was heart warming when she handed over the money to her Mum. The following week the Mum made some Polynesian cream delicacies, which she sold on the shore with the help of the youngsters, raising a similar amount.
During this period we had the pleasure to meet Eve from S/V Auntie (a classic Gallant, sister ship to Naomi James’ boat, who was the first British female to sail around the world), a single hander with a zest for life. We spent many lunches, cocktail hours and suppers together over the months, including Stephen teaching Eve how to cook a perfect roast.
Each time we tried to leave the bay, something would crop up to prevent us from departing. One pleasurable reason for staying was to welcome Paul, Miriam and Hana from El Mundo back from Slovenia. Whenever Paul and Stephen get together, many boat projects on both boats get ticked off the never ending list. We enjoyed a wonderful month with this lovely family, flitting to Anaho Bay to do some hiking, lunch at Chez Yvonne and trekking over to the farmer, for fresh vegetables. Here we caught up with Stephan from S/V Fox, enjoying his wisdom and infectious chuckle. Ashore we had a disappointing “al fresco” supper of tough Lobster so the crews of Amelie, El Mundo and Auntie decided to have a BBQ with excellent food and wines together with a warm dip in the shallows and many games of frisbee with the energetic three year old Hana. The hike over the hill from Anaho to Hatiheu is not for the unfit. Hana managed several of these hikes without complaint but homeward bound on one occasion we befriended a young man on a pony who happily scooped Hana up on the sack “saddle” and trotted up the steep incline. The adults were puffed out at the top, keeping up with the pony’s pace. One evening was spent on Auntie, listening to Paul and Eve play their ukuleles. We both had a quick lesson from the maestros but the outcome was grim.
All too soon, with our various commitments, it was time to return to unsettled Taiohae Bay. We bid El Mundo goodbye sadly as they sailed to Tahiti for flights home.
Sadly we received the devastating news that our young friend, Eddie from S/V September am had been killed in Moorea. Eddie was an extremely talented, intelligent fourteen year old who had achieved a music scholarship to a UK school in September. Tragically he was killed by a speeding boat in Opunohu Bay, just off Ta’ahiamanu beach, whilst snorkelling within a few metres from his boat. The cruising community throughout FPI and beyond reached out to Harry, Barbara and Amelie, raising money for a music scholarship in Eddie’s name for disadvantaged talented children and six days after Eddie’s death, many people gathered in bays throughout the world to perform a “surfers’ paddle out” ceremony, throwing flowers into the water, splashing, playing music, eulogies and silent reflection. A sad but beautiful send off for Eddie, he will never be forgotten.
Many of the boats that we befriended had a pet Gecko on board and we also had a resident lizard, nicknamed Gordon. He is a healthy specimen and a welcome member of the family with the sole purpose of keeping insects at bay. Gordon mainly kept to the cockpit, scampering around near the sprayhood windows. If he is our only Gecko, then he has a good diet as he is growing fast. A handsome chap with beautiful markings, although painfully shy.
Auntie and Amelie made plans to spend some time in calm Daniel’s Bay, once again to get boat projects done. We have been in this bay several times in the last seven years and it has a fierce reputation of “No-see'm City”. Consequently we didn't go ashore to be bitten alive but concentrated on various chores and enjoying the company of the various cruisers in the bay. Several times during our extended stay in the bay, the backdrop noises of bleating goats and bird calls were silenced by gunshot. We assumed these were the local hunters after wild pig or goat. The wifi and telephone coverage is non existent there and Debbie realised how much time we normally spend connected to the outside world. Instead we played board games, crossed off a few more chores and generally chilled.
Our plans to return to the UK for Christmas have sadly disappeared over the horizon (obviously we are not alone in this) and this visit has been put on hold until next year. Canada did not open their borders during our weather window of escape and despite our Canadian OCC friends putting our case forward, the news was unsatisfactory. We have no choice but to leave in late March as our three years is up here and we have no plans to import the boat into French Polynesia. Where will we go…….we will keep you posted?
Meanwhile, life is not shabby here and what a place for Debbie to celebrate her big birthday! Still, she will miss sharing this occasion with her family. We have missed quite a few celebrations in 2020 plus we haven't met Oscar yet. Next year, what with a wedding too, will be a year of celebrating with our family and close friends, making up for lost time and having fun.