Voyageur - Log day 77 - Two nights to Tahiti
22 April 2010
The wind had been blowing for the last four days, barely noticeable in the quiet shelter of the lagoon but outside the sea was rough. A two metre swell met the outgoing current at the exit to the Passé Avatoru and fortunately for us David had timed our exit at 3pm, almost slack water. The current, 2.5knots in our favour, met the force four wind outside. Voyageur faced the oncoming over falls and ploughed her way through. I did not know whether to look left or right. To the right local children were surfing down the steep waves in outriggers. On the right was a shipwrecked yacht lying over on its side on the reef. It was on this island that Gipsy Moth 1V foundered on the reef during our last round the world rally. She was salvaged at great cost and shipped to New Zealand for repairs. I decided to concentrate hard looking right. The children were having a whale of a time.
The sea was lumpy all right but once we turned the corner at the north western tip of Avatika, and came in the lee of the land, they flattened a little. It was not to last however. When we finally cleared the island around 10pm, the night became grungy with rain squalls, the wind gusting to 25knots true, and a beam on sea to go with it. We both slept fitfully in the sea berth below.
By the afternoon of the next day the winds and seas died down and we caught up on our sleep. Our second night was marked by squally winds once more but the seas were less lumpy. Before dawn the lights of Tahiti came into view, the most prominent being the light at Point Venus, made famous by Captain Cook, and seen from 28nm away. We came through the Passe de Papeete at 6am and requested permission at the south cardinal from port control, to proceed west past the airport runway. This was granted and one hour later we were tucked up into an alongside berth in Marina Taina.
It was the first time we had had access to shore power and water since Flamenco Marina in Panama. Voyageur was given an all over shampoo. David did his routine maintenance check of all the rigging and mast fittings. The washing machine and dishwasher worked on overtime. The chest freezer was defrosted and restocked from Carrefour, our first hypermarket shop since Panama. What heaven, what luxury, but what a price! The leaking accumulator tank was dispatched for welding. All that remains is for the Dessalator agent to look at our watermaker. The bow thruster seal David will replace during the lift out which is booked for the 4th May on Raiatea.
Susan Mackay
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