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16/04/2023
Mistral of Portsmouth - Rangiroa
Wow … we have loved this Atoll. When we arrived we had a day of continuous rain and cloud but from there on, aside from passing tropical showers, the sun was shining, the sky was true blue and the sea a myriad of greens, aquamarine, turquoise and a deep blue. I joined up with Fiona from S/Y Matilda and we did 2 dives through the pass … drifting through the coral with the current we saw shoals of barracuda, a hammerhead, a massive Napoleon Wrasse, glorious reef fish and dolphins ‘holding hands’ - completely magical. We found Relais de Josephine … a small local bar and restaurant looking out over the pass where we could watch sharks and dolphins whilst having coffee or cocktails - my favourite place. We biked our way around the atoll and discovered ‘Pearly’ - a little hut owned by a.
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07/04/2023
Mistral of Portsmouth - The passage from Ua Pou, Marquesas to Ahe, Tuamotu
We are here! First passage for just the two of us and we are alive, still friends and the boat is in one piece. We had fairly light winds, a few small squalls (the wind and rain appear very rapidly) when the sails generally need to be reefed in so the boat is not battered by the sudden big gusts, and lots of big skies, perfect sunsets and a full moon to guide us through the nights. With 3 hours on and 3 hours off, most of the time is taken either sailing or sleeping. We’ve generally caught up on sleep in time to have a meal together at 6pm and then on we go for another night. My sailing confidence has definitely improved over the months … I’m happy taking the sails in and out by myself; dealing with boats that come too close; managing squalls and keeping the sails filled ….
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06/04/2023
Mistral of Portsmouth - Nuka Hiva
I forgot to mention the welcome committee as we sailed into Nuka Hiva - a pod of dolphins showing us the way swimming and jumping on our bow … what a treat!Chris and I had a jobs day after Janie and Patrick left - provisioning, cleaning, laundry and generally getting ready for the next leg of the journey. We decided to stay a couple more days in the Marquesas - the islands are unique and we wanted to make the most of them. We sailed around to Daniel’s Bay - only 5 miles west from our anchorage … another beautiful and secluded bay with towering lush green mountains - it could be a fantasy island. Any moment, I am expecting to see creatures from Lord of the Rings! I joined up with some of the fleet to do a 10k hike up to a dry waterfall - simply beautiful landscape although I was bitten a.
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06/04/2023
Mistral of Portsmouth - Ua Pou
What a name for an island and what an island! Nicknamed by travellers ‘the Cathedral Island’, as we approached, it was easy to see why. Amazing geology - at least 12 spires in basalt rock emerging from the volcanic mountainous land. We all sat spell bound as we got closer and closer to the land. Our anchorage was a little rolly (aren’t they all??) but in our excitement, we didn’t care. We anchored at 4pm and by 4.30pm we were in the tender and off to hike up the hill to a large crucifix to see the sun going down behind the stunning pinnacles. The view was definitely worth the 40 minute hike up and we were rewarded with a cheeky beer at a perfectly placed guesthouse on the way down. The next morning we had a trip into the village - I was super keen to find the culture centre.
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