SATURDAY 22nd MAY 2010
04.00hrs The skipper was at the end of his watch and Jonh was about to take over untill 08.00hrs... The wind had died way down, so we started the engine and left it heat up for a while before we ran it at 1500 rpm which drove the boat along nicely at 6.8 knots..
08.00hrs, we could see the Island of Rarotonga, and it was just a mere 21 miles away,, It was one of those beautifull mornings, Flat deep blue sea, light air, ( mind you, not great for sailing ) not a cloud in the sky, and the sun shining down on us and the Island we are heading for.... We put out the fishing line again, in one last desperate attempt to catch a fish before reaching our destination.( however, we did discover a big flying fish in the rib, dead as a door nail )
Donal ( We should call him, Sinbad the Sailor, ) set about replacing the flags,, Firstly, the World ARC flag looked so tired and worn out that it gave the impression of a boat with a bunch of " gobshits " on board , who just dident give a continantal. Second, we had to change our courtsey flags, and raise /hoist a Q flag. He ( Fats ) is such a usefull tool to have on board,
We made radio contact with " Jeannius" , who was already after arriving at Rarotonga, but then she left Bora Bora 2 days before us. They indicated that we would have to reverse onto the harbour wall with long lines and use the rib for going ashore, and that they would stand by and take our lines... great stuff..
11.00hrs, we motered into the very small harbour, and sure enough, there was " Mike " from Jeannius, standing on the quay wall, we turned A Lady around, dopped anchor in a suitable spot and reversed onto the Quay, and Mike fastened our lines to the bollards. Job well executed and we then set about and washed " A Lady " down with her powerfull freshwater power hose, We polished the SS work and windows, and she looked great when Rory Quirke arrived with his young son, " Finn "
This place began to look better and better with each passing minute,
* They speak English / American,
* They drive on the left,
* The climate, fantastic,
* The people , so friendly,
* The ATM works
WOW
Rory, then took us in the jeep to " Sails " restaurant and Yacht Club. Sarah, had already given me all the details of Rory and Sails a long time ago, but never did much about it, as " Rarotonga " was never on our agenda, thats untill we were leaving Bora Bora, and switched the course to here. It was a good decision.
" Sails" A yacht club and restaurant, leased from the locals by John Tierney ( thats the way things are here, the locals own everything) and run by his family, as in one of his sons is a chef, and daughter " Erin " is the Manager,, Rory works in the Banking system, Sails, is located in a Fantastic Lagoon on the eastern side of the Island, with 3 Motu's in the lagoon. and the best beaches we have seen yet. There were lots of dingies sailing around when we arrived at around 2pm for lunch, plus hundreds of swimmers.
Paradise X 6
Skipper, still tired from the flue (or whatever it is ) had a little nap in the seat , while the others nattered away in the background, later , we all had a swim in Paradise X 6 and it was just wonderfull....... we are definatly after dying and have gone to Paradise in the sky. except I dont remember hitting anything and sinking................................
19.00hrs We had dinner in Sails with our host's, John & Anne Tierney, Rory, The French woman, married to one of the Tierney's. Donal, ( sinbad the sailor ) John ( Scotty ) and Myself.. Sinbad and Myself had a " Shank of Lamb" NZ and it was sinfully delicious. Later , we walked along the beach to the Tierney House, where we watched the " Heieneken Cup " final on the telly.At the end of the night, we got a Taxi back to the Boat.
We had just a fantastic Day on a fantastic Island.The others had a few more scoops, and then we hit the scratchers,,, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thats all for now, enough is enough.
Signed :- Stephen Hyde ( Skipper )