Lydia - Rain and a gremlin

We didn't see as much of Huahine as we would have liked, but the rain was unrelenting. On Thursay morning we had a swim, did some shopping, had coffee at the"yacht club", and headed off for Raiatea. Not much wind, but dark clouds andlots of rain about. Five miles out, twenty miles from lay-up andmaintenance, the engine alarm burst ino life. That could mean oil pressureor engine temperature. The oil level has never given cause for concern, andwas last checked a few engine hours ago in Moorea. The temperature looked okon the guage. Inlet strainer checked, ok. The water pump felt hot despitethe guage. Impeller? Nothing for it but to return to Huahine, using sail asmuch as possible. Once there, I decided to change the impeller, which is apig of a job on this boat because of difficult. read more...

Lydia - Damp paradise

Fare is a nice little town. We picked up a visitors' mooring, secure andconvenient for the dinghy dock. There are a couple of restaurants, a goodsupermarket, various shops, fruit stalls, rubbish facilities, goodpay-as-you go wifi.But the weather is terrible! On our first night it blew hard. The wind wasfrom the NE, from which the bay is well sheltered, but with repeated galewarnings from Papeete MRCC predicting a shift to the NW, which would bestraight up the pass through the reef and at best uncomfortable. And therain has been continuous, we haven't seen the sun since Moorea.As I write, on our fourth day, the wind has dropped to nothing and Papeetehave ceased their gale warnings, which is arelief, there is a scend from the NW which is an irritant but not a problem,and the rain. read more...

Lydia - Society Islands

There's not a whole heap to write about Tahiti. We spent two days at the marina in Papeete. The latter is a bustling but not especially interesting town. Everything seems to close down from about 4pm. The area around the market, which is lively during the day with several bars and restaurants, appears to be all locked up by nightfall. We had dinner on our first evening at the "roulottes", mobile restaurants on wheels which establish themselves on a square by the waterfront and offer mainly seafood; and at an indifferent bar/cafe on the second evening. So, having completed the various chores which drew us to Papeete in the first place, we left the marina and motored 13 miles in calm weather across to Cook's Bay in Moorea.It's a deep and spectacular bay, approached along a well-marked pass. read more...

Lydia - Lydia at Rangiroa and on to Tahiti

Well, Nigel has left the ship after 3 months and 6000 miles, our thanks tohim for all his help and entertaining company.We spent a thoroughly agreeable 3 days in Rangiroa, a charming and colourfullittle community which effectively lives along a 6 mile strip of road. Thecircumference of the reef encompasses an area bigger than that of Tahiti,but it'smostly a string of atolls, or motus, separated by unbridged channels, onlytwo of which are navigable. The people are partly French, partly Chinese, mostlyPolynesian, all charming. Almost all the girls and ladies wear a flower intheir hair, over the starboard ear to indicate unattached, port ear toindicate married or commited. We swam and snorkelled in a pool of clear bluewater by the reef known as the aquarium . It's what its name. read more...

Lydia - Lydia's Blog 4-8 April 2016

Tuesday 4 April 16Another perfect day with the wind on our beam, gentle seas with a 10 knot ESE breeze wafting us to our destination on a course of 220 degrees. At 8.30 we furled the yankee and staysail and hoisted the big Crusing Shute which immediately increased our speed by over a knot. In mid morning we were called up by a friendly Chinese cargo ship (S.S. Hangjing Express) who passed some 8 miles astern and was just surprised to see a little yacht so far from home.Later we came across a Tuna boat but did not pass close enough to disturb his fishing. At noon our position was Lat 20'S Long 142d 20'W with a day's run of only 126 miles owing to light winds earlier. Before sunset at 17.30 we took down the Cruising shute and unfurled the yankee and staysail ready for night sailing. Once. read more...