The Tuamotu Islands are the oldest of the French Polynesian Islands; almost all of them are atolls with lagoons and motus (coral outcrops). Navigation through the passes and into the anchorages are by "eyeball" with the backup of electronics. The atolls are low lying, some are rarely seen until 10 nm (by Radar picking up the coconut palms on the islands), or submerged reefs and around 2 nm, if there is the presence of white water ( breaking waves) - hence they were called the dangerous archipelago.
The soil is stony coral and very little is grown on the Tuamotu except coconuts and the farming of black pearls. We had stocked up Amelie with fresh produce in Nuku Hiva before we had left.
Makemo (Philipps Island) is 40 miles long and 10 miles across the lagoon, there is nothing but water in the centre of these atolls, the Island proper has disappeared long ago. Its like having an ocean within an ocean - outside the reef is the Pacific with its normal waves and currents, inside is a quiet ocean teaming with fish. We entered the lagoon at slack water low by Passe Arikitamiro on the North East side, with the village of Pouheva on the West of the pass, the channel is divided into three by a coral reef ,Rikiri, and a coral shoal, Ekoedo. The passes can be turbulent with fast flowing currents - good visibility and slack water is essential. Amelie entered just after low water with 2 knots of current against us, according to the pilot book this would strengthen to 9 knots by mid tide.
The first thing that struck us was the clarity of the water, in 20 metres we could see all the details on the seabed. Having anchored in 17 metres we were able to snorkel and see all 70 metres of chain and the anchor. On our first step on land we met the friendly Gendarme who welcomed us without any entry formalities , the only thing we exchanged were broad smiles. We wandered around the village and stumbled upon a Boulangerie with fresh bagettes warm out of the oven. Further along the path we were surprised to find a decent supermarket, a superb french restaurant owned by chef Moana and a pizza parlour. Over our stay we had two excellent meals at Moanas, a mixture of French and local cuisine, with some of the other OWR boats.
Stephen discovered a Post Office and bought some more stamps for the logbook. The gift shop on the jetty sold handmade crafts, with the ladies actively engaged in shell sculptures, jewelry making , weaving and basket making. Some of the traditional costumes and headdresses were for sale.
Snorkeling and diving around the reef was fun. Unfortunately some of the coral was dead or dying but there were areas that were abundant with marine life. A huge Moray Eel and several small black tipped sharks were spotted amongst the colourful variety of fish.
Makemo is a busy place with singing and drumming heard throughout the day. As we walked to the Restaurant ion the evenings we passed the church where the angelic voices of the children filtered out into the evening air. A magical moment. The shrine outside the church is decorated with abalone shells and black pearls. Unfortunately it was observed that some of the black pearls had been prised off.
Amelie's tender was subjected to some violation as we returned to find her battery had been stolen and the pods were deflated. We reported the crime to the police who promised that if they found the offenders they would get them to clean Amelie on our return next year.
We left Makemo on Monday and had a fantastic sail to Fakarava, a beautiful atoll with thatched huts on the beach (as you can see on the attached photo). The diving here is reported to be magnificent but alas time has whizzed by. We snorkeled on the reefs close to Amelie and went swimming with the Black Tipped Sharks - awesome.
We left the Tuamotus today for Tahiti - looking forward to greeting Jaz when she arrives on Monday. We knew the Tuamotus would be beautiful from the photos in the Pilot Books however the real thing was totally breathtaking and beckons us for a longer stay next time.
Still sailing - Still smiling
Amelie and Crew