The Fakarava week

A week spent around the Fakarava atoll.

Sunday: Guest blogging by Suss. Having an appointment at Fakarava airstrip Anastasia and crew did not stay long enough on Makemo for the post office (where wifi acces could be paid for) to open on Monday. Suss, unable to access her own blog by Iridium, posts her vivid description of Captain and Captainess navigating the witch kettle of the atoll pass. The summarizer thinks she's pretty impressed, though she is working hard at coming across as super cool, "what's all the fuss about?"

Monday: On the way from Makemo to Fakarava. Hans, who lost TWO fishing lines to a couple of BIG tuna fish the other day, got an ugly fella on the hook. Looked like a barracuda, but the barracuda pages were missing in the book, fish identified as possibly a wahoo instead. Pictures on Suss' blog.


Tuesday: Fakarava. A the K posting over the post office wifi - sitting 20 meters away from the office because of the very limited range. Anyway: we get a picture of the captains and the turqoise water of the lagoon. Another couple of guests have arrived, Anastasia now accommodates six persons.

Thursday: Still in the Fakarava lagoon, anchored away from the populated parts, diving, snorkling, exploring the reef.

Friday: Going to leave Fakarava through the south pass. Taking pictures of Anastasia under sail, from the dinghy - the summarizer does hope the pix turned out, that the plan wasn't cut short because of the autopilot alarm - which, after all, was only caused by one of the passengers having chosen the wrong spot to read his Åke Edwardsson.

Saturday: On the way to Tahiti. Hans gets his revenge on tuna-dom by catching a 7kg specimen. Supper for the whole crew for a couple of days at least. Report from the reef days: plenty of sharks, mostly on the parts of the reef too shallow for snorkling. Shark watching by wading - hard to tell who was most afraid of whom.

Towards Tuamoto

Friday: On the way to Fatu Hiva, to see the least visited of the Marquesas islands (on request). Sighting a huge ray, cruising with it's scary mouth open. (We are still waiting for the pictures, internet connection (apart from the Iridium) is a scarce commodity in French Polynesia).

Sunday: The rain turned into a deluge. The planned anchorage at Fatu Hiva would have been too exposed to the westerly wind - anchoring in the bay of Hiva Oa instead, which in the circumstances was like anchoring in a mud pool. Holed up, enjoying food and board games.

Monday: Reporting the second dorado - a big one.

Later on Monday: Making fairly good speed from Marquesas towards Tuamoto (Raroia).

Tuesday: Deliberately slowing down, in order to arrive at Raroia at dawn. Question of the day: Fresh fish for supper or fish from the freezer?

Wednesday: Raroia. Entrance through the pass went fine, in spite of the strong countercurrent. Anastasia the only visiting yacht at the anchorage. Everyone very friendly.

Thursday: Snorkelling at a coral reef in the lagoon of Raroia. A living reef with fantastic colours.

Friday: Up early in order to reach the next atoll before sunset. Anchor stuck. Enrolled three young local free-divers, who could confirm that the chain had tangled around a couple of coral heads and give directions for disentengling. All in French.

Saturday: Makemo. Arrived yesterday at sundown. The water in the atoll pass roiling like a witch kettle. Amazing countercurrents in these passes. Still no internet access: you can only buy it in the local post office, which is open on weekdays = Monday.

Catching up with the summaries

The English summaries have suffered badly from the internet connection problems the Gothenburg Editorial Office of this blog has had for the past month, since moving. Things should be back to normal now.

Last day previously summarized was Day 15 out from San Diego - nearing French Polynesia.

Monday, Day 16: Crossed the equator. More rig damage - inner forestay broken. Provisionally replaced by an arrangement with the storm-sail (the summarizer as a landlubber obviously has no idea how to express these things, even when consulting a dictionary).

Monday extra: Having a good time in spite of rigging repairs and shifting weather. Steak suppers, seawater baths in the cockpit.

Tuesday, Day 17: Steady sailing, easterly wind.

Wednesday, Day 18: A tsunami warning beep from the Inmarsat: Samoa = as far away from Anastasia's position as San Diego. The wave imperceptible: a 0.1 m wave should have passed at around 22h, U.T.C.

Thursday, Day 19: Arrival at Nuku Hiva, Marquesas: green and mountainous. Anchorage in Taiohae Bay.

More on Thursday: Housecleaning on Anastasia, buying fresh fruit in Taiohae. Land sickness - heads, adapted to constant motion, spinning as AK an Th walk along the village street. Champagne celebration in the evening.

Friday: Clearing in at the gendarmerie, which is only open in the mornings. No problem that the clearance out from San Diego was not in paper form. No deposit for EU citizens!

Sunday: The green, green mountains are explained by a more or less constant rain. Well, better rainwater than saltwater permeating everything.

Monday: Visiting Yacht Service, where the tempo is s l o w. It has taken three days to convince them to take the laundry. Too much rain, not good enough water. Refilling the bottled gas... well it'll hopefully get done before departure.

Tuesday: Got the bottled gas. Laundry drying in the rain. Leaving for Tuamotoas soon as S&H arrive.

Wednesday: No rain. A big cruiser visiting the bay - Yacht Service doing business with the passengers, forgetting all about the laundry. Well, got it back in the afternoon, with a discount.

Thursday: The guests have arrived. Sailing tomorrow.