June 4, 2012
We weighed anchor a 1236 hrs in Daniel's Bay and set sail for Takaroa, Tuamotu. The wind was fresh out of the ESE so we had broad reach on the port tack. I had a reef in the mainsail and we averaged about 6 kts.
The Tuamotu atolls lie between the Marquesas and Tahiti. They are low and difficult to see under restricted visibility. In the days before modern electronic navigation they were called the "Dangerous Archipelago" or Low Islands. With view to making a safe voyage, Takaroa is chosen as a landfall because it is in the northern part with no land between. We had a good voyage but the winds went light and we were becalmed for several hours. We ended up poling out a jib and ghosting along. We made landfall in Takaroa on June 9th at 0830 hrs. Instead of trying to negotiate the tidal pass at Takaroa, I chose to lie ahull off the entrance and rest. The reason for this is that the currents in these atolls can be very swift and produce standing waves at the entrance. Additionally, one has to anchor in sand and coral. I didn't want to take a chance of getting the anchor chain wrapped around a coral head. Our goal was to get to Apataki, Tuamotu where we were planning to haul out the boat for anti-fouling and new anodes. We were travelling with another yacht called "Libertad" that were heading to Apataki. They anchored outside the pass but I was more cautious. Later they reported problems in getting the anchor up. Takaroa is another one of the beautiful atolls with white sandy beaches and coconut trees.
We sailed for Apataki on June 10th. The distance was about 95 nm so it was an easy sail.
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