August 13-18, 2012
We cast off our mooring lines at 1045 hrs this morning and sailed for Niue about 400 nm distant. The winds were out of the SE at 10 kts and the sail was pleasant for the first 8 hrs or so then the wind died so we dropped sail and lay ahull until the following morning. This pattern repeated itself over the next few days until on the last day the wind picked up to 20-25 kts and blew like stink. We picked up a mooring in Alofi, Niue on Saturday morning August 18th.
Geologically, Niue is an interesting place. It is a coral outcropping on top of a sea mount surrounded by very deep water. It rises 220 feet out of the water and is the largest coral island in the world. The waters are crystalline clear because there is no run off from the island. All rain water is filtered down through the coral and exits in caves and caverns. This produces an unbelievable coloring in the surrounding sea. The island is dotted with caves and caverns. It is, probably, one of the most beautiful snorkeling places in the world. Whales are seen here and come into the mooring field. We can hear them at night when we are below the water line in the yacht. On several occasions we have heard them sounding just off the the yacht.
As a town, Alofi, is unremarkable. There is nothing special to recommend it. Supplies are limited and vegetables difficult to find. There is fuel and water available. We rented a motorcycle for two days and toured the island. Phyllis will post the pictures. There are about 1200 inhabitants living in fourteen villages scattered around the island. We have seen no outstanding architectural buildings or homes. Everything is pretty simple and utilitarian. The rich and famous do not come to Niue!
The central and most important establishment for yachties is the Niue Yacht Club. Advertised as the "The biggest little yacht club in the world", it maintains 20 moorings for visiting yachts. These mooring are professionally maintained and very secure. As a matter of fact, the best we have been on. What makes this so remarkable is that there are twenty members in the yacht club and no one has a yacht or any sailing experience!! The members enjoy hosting yachties from all over the world. There is a nominal charge of $15 NZ per night but this hardly pays for the upkeep of these excellent moorings. As elsewhere, the Niueans are very friendly to visitors. The yacht club members will do everything in their power to help solve any problem. It's a great place to visit.
Tomorrow, August 25th, we sail for Neiafu, Vava'u in the northern Tonga group. It's about 285 nm and the wind is forcasted to be SE at 20 kts. If this holds to be true, we can make it in three days. We will have WiFi there. Also, we are hoping to receive a shipment of "meds" that we had sent from the States.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
BORA BORA TO PALMERSTON ATOLL IN THE COOK ISLANDS
On August 1, 2012 Wednesday
We sailed from Bora Bora this morning at 1030 hrs local. The wind was out of the SE at 12-15 kts which allowed us to set a direct course of 262 deg to Palmerston: distance 662 nm. It took us seven days to make Palmerston. Our experience has been that the SE Trades are not as constant as the NE ones. During the evening the winds can go calm or squally. On this particular trip the "Mara'amu" (strong SE Trade Wind) piped up to 20-25 kts with 8-10' seas after a period of calms. During these strong winds we can manage quite well with a double reefed main and small staysail. The Valiant is an amazingly dry boat. Rarely does a wave break over it and get us wet in the cockpit.
We picked up a mooring in Palmerston Atoll on August 8th at 1030 hrs. Palmerston has six mooring buoys that are maintained by the three families living there. The history of Palmerston is unique and interesting. It was settled by an eccentric Englishman in the early 1800's who brought with him three Polynesian wives from Penrhyn, Cook Is. His name was William Marsters and he sired seventeen children between the three wives. Additionally, he divided all the property evenly between the wives. This ended up with the island of Palmerston having a middle family, eastern family and western family. All the population are Marsters. The Patriarch may have been an oversexed man but he wasn't stupid. He setup very strict rules against intermarriage amongst the children. Each male or female child had to seek a mate from other islands. This has kept the population healthy with a diverse gene pool while still being Marsters.
Palmerston is a remote and infrequently visited island but very much in touch with the modern world. Prensently, there are 73 inhabitants living on the island. There is a schoolhouse, church, internet, telephone and electrical generating plant. The town is all dirt roads but kept very clean. The streets are wide and lined with coconuts. One can see the boundaries between the families by the long straight roads running in a very straight line. The community is well organized with each person in charge of some affair. Someone is the policeman, communications officer, pastor, etc, etc.
These Palmerstonians have been the most friendly, open, generous people we have met anywhere in our travels. Yachts have been their main contact with the outside world and bring them cargo and mail from relatives living on other islands. On this island one still finds that Polynesian tradition of welcoming the stranger. There is a small inter island trading ship that calls on Palmerston about every five months. Supplies have to ordered a year in advance so good planning is necessary. The main export is parrot fish. This particular species of fish in Palmerston do not have ciguatera and are safe to eat- delicious too!! The island is abundant with coconuts but there is no longer a market for copra because the island is so remote and off the beaten path.
Palmerston will remain remote and isolated because it doesn't have a harbor or pier where boats can find a secure and safe mooring. The depth going into the lagoon is only 3 ft. The outgoing flow of water can exceed 11 kts!!! It is unprotected from the North through the South so a watchful weather eye has to be kept for any wind change brought about by some frontal system coming through. As long as the Trade Winds are blowing from the SE to NE the moorings or anchoring are safe.
Most of the Palmerstonions are living on other islands or in New Zealand. There they can earn money and send some back to their families who have chosen to stay on the island. When these relatives come to visit, they have to stay for five or six months until a boat arrives to take them to Raratonga where they can get a flight back to New Zealand. Also, the children that seek a higher education after completing the course work on the island have to go to Rarotonga or New Zealand. There are no specific grades that students complete. Each one works at his own pace and then takes the required inter-island exams. The present teacher is from England and the principal is a New Zealander that married one of the Marsters and made a life on Palmerston.
The life style and general ease of living have resulted is a longevity that is remarkable. Most of the senior population are well into their eighties and still going strong. One of the matriarchs has given birth to fourteen children and is eighty-two. She is bright, talkative and has a remarkable memory. Church forms a large part of the Palmerstonions life. On Sunday they have three services: 0600 hrs, 1000 hrs, 1600 hrs. It is a day of rest and relaxation: no work or other activity is done.
Phyllis and I believe that we could spend a year or so in Palmerston. There is so much that can be learned from the self sufficiency of the population as well as the fishing, snorkeling and general beauty of the other "motus" (small atolls) within the lagoon. It harkens back to our days on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands when we had less than the Palmerstonions.
Next stop Alofi, Niue
We sailed from Bora Bora this morning at 1030 hrs local. The wind was out of the SE at 12-15 kts which allowed us to set a direct course of 262 deg to Palmerston: distance 662 nm. It took us seven days to make Palmerston. Our experience has been that the SE Trades are not as constant as the NE ones. During the evening the winds can go calm or squally. On this particular trip the "Mara'amu" (strong SE Trade Wind) piped up to 20-25 kts with 8-10' seas after a period of calms. During these strong winds we can manage quite well with a double reefed main and small staysail. The Valiant is an amazingly dry boat. Rarely does a wave break over it and get us wet in the cockpit.
We picked up a mooring in Palmerston Atoll on August 8th at 1030 hrs. Palmerston has six mooring buoys that are maintained by the three families living there. The history of Palmerston is unique and interesting. It was settled by an eccentric Englishman in the early 1800's who brought with him three Polynesian wives from Penrhyn, Cook Is. His name was William Marsters and he sired seventeen children between the three wives. Additionally, he divided all the property evenly between the wives. This ended up with the island of Palmerston having a middle family, eastern family and western family. All the population are Marsters. The Patriarch may have been an oversexed man but he wasn't stupid. He setup very strict rules against intermarriage amongst the children. Each male or female child had to seek a mate from other islands. This has kept the population healthy with a diverse gene pool while still being Marsters.
Palmerston is a remote and infrequently visited island but very much in touch with the modern world. Prensently, there are 73 inhabitants living on the island. There is a schoolhouse, church, internet, telephone and electrical generating plant. The town is all dirt roads but kept very clean. The streets are wide and lined with coconuts. One can see the boundaries between the families by the long straight roads running in a very straight line. The community is well organized with each person in charge of some affair. Someone is the policeman, communications officer, pastor, etc, etc.
These Palmerstonians have been the most friendly, open, generous people we have met anywhere in our travels. Yachts have been their main contact with the outside world and bring them cargo and mail from relatives living on other islands. On this island one still finds that Polynesian tradition of welcoming the stranger. There is a small inter island trading ship that calls on Palmerston about every five months. Supplies have to ordered a year in advance so good planning is necessary. The main export is parrot fish. This particular species of fish in Palmerston do not have ciguatera and are safe to eat- delicious too!! The island is abundant with coconuts but there is no longer a market for copra because the island is so remote and off the beaten path.
Palmerston will remain remote and isolated because it doesn't have a harbor or pier where boats can find a secure and safe mooring. The depth going into the lagoon is only 3 ft. The outgoing flow of water can exceed 11 kts!!! It is unprotected from the North through the South so a watchful weather eye has to be kept for any wind change brought about by some frontal system coming through. As long as the Trade Winds are blowing from the SE to NE the moorings or anchoring are safe.
Most of the Palmerstonions are living on other islands or in New Zealand. There they can earn money and send some back to their families who have chosen to stay on the island. When these relatives come to visit, they have to stay for five or six months until a boat arrives to take them to Raratonga where they can get a flight back to New Zealand. Also, the children that seek a higher education after completing the course work on the island have to go to Rarotonga or New Zealand. There are no specific grades that students complete. Each one works at his own pace and then takes the required inter-island exams. The present teacher is from England and the principal is a New Zealander that married one of the Marsters and made a life on Palmerston.
The life style and general ease of living have resulted is a longevity that is remarkable. Most of the senior population are well into their eighties and still going strong. One of the matriarchs has given birth to fourteen children and is eighty-two. She is bright, talkative and has a remarkable memory. Church forms a large part of the Palmerstonions life. On Sunday they have three services: 0600 hrs, 1000 hrs, 1600 hrs. It is a day of rest and relaxation: no work or other activity is done.
Phyllis and I believe that we could spend a year or so in Palmerston. There is so much that can be learned from the self sufficiency of the population as well as the fishing, snorkeling and general beauty of the other "motus" (small atolls) within the lagoon. It harkens back to our days on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands when we had less than the Palmerstonions.
Next stop Alofi, Niue
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA
July 21, 2012
We sailed over to Bora Bora from Raiatea. It's only 34 miles and the winds were blowing out of the NE at 15 kts so it was a fast passage. We left Raiatea at 0800 and took a mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht club at 1418 hrs.
I have been waiting to post my comments on Bora Bora until we had the chance to take the dinghy all the way around the island. The wind has been fresh and gusty so this wasn't possible until today: 30 July 2012.
Upon entering the island through Teavanui Pass one is immediately aware of the beautiful mountain that graces the western side of the island: Mount Pa'hia 2200 ft. On the eastern side is Mount 'Ote-manu which is 2400' ft. Both mountains are extinct volcanoes with colapsed craters in some places but beautiful peaks in others. I think that what makes them so majestic are the wonderful violet, mauve, and purple hues that grace them throughout the day as the sunlight dances around. The beautiful lush green that grows on the mountains are another fabulous sight to behold. Then one has the coconut palms and white sand to set it all off. Next is line beauty are the waters inside the lagoon. These change color form indigo blue to aquamarine, brown, black and purple and finally white. It just depends upon the make-up of the bottom: sand, coral, rock and seaweed. Bora Bora is hyped as one of the most beautiful islands in the South Pacific. Personally, I don't agree but it is awe inspiring in its colors.
The island has the best developed tourism and a very good international marketing team. It is an ideal place for the affluent tourist or honeymoon couple since it has all the water activities, hiking, diving with manta rays, bicycling, etc, etc. There is enough to keep one busy. The hotel resorts are luxurious and provide everything for their clients. The Four Seasons, Hilton, Meridian, St. Regis and a host of others have absolutely stunning Polynesian type bungalows with all the modern amenities. On the yachting side things are a little leaner but mooring are available as well as the possibility to anchor in the lee of beautiful motus. Transportation to restaurants can be arranged free of charge from the establishment. One of the most famous ones is "Bloody Mary's" and has hosted many of the famous movie stars and Sen. John McCain. Nothing too fancy but great food at reasonable prices.
Tomorrow or the next day we will set sail from here to Palmerston Atoll, Cook Isands: 662 nm. If the weather is decent we will take a mooring there for a few days before going continuing on to Niue.
We sailed over to Bora Bora from Raiatea. It's only 34 miles and the winds were blowing out of the NE at 15 kts so it was a fast passage. We left Raiatea at 0800 and took a mooring at the Bora Bora Yacht club at 1418 hrs.
I have been waiting to post my comments on Bora Bora until we had the chance to take the dinghy all the way around the island. The wind has been fresh and gusty so this wasn't possible until today: 30 July 2012.
Upon entering the island through Teavanui Pass one is immediately aware of the beautiful mountain that graces the western side of the island: Mount Pa'hia 2200 ft. On the eastern side is Mount 'Ote-manu which is 2400' ft. Both mountains are extinct volcanoes with colapsed craters in some places but beautiful peaks in others. I think that what makes them so majestic are the wonderful violet, mauve, and purple hues that grace them throughout the day as the sunlight dances around. The beautiful lush green that grows on the mountains are another fabulous sight to behold. Then one has the coconut palms and white sand to set it all off. Next is line beauty are the waters inside the lagoon. These change color form indigo blue to aquamarine, brown, black and purple and finally white. It just depends upon the make-up of the bottom: sand, coral, rock and seaweed. Bora Bora is hyped as one of the most beautiful islands in the South Pacific. Personally, I don't agree but it is awe inspiring in its colors.
The island has the best developed tourism and a very good international marketing team. It is an ideal place for the affluent tourist or honeymoon couple since it has all the water activities, hiking, diving with manta rays, bicycling, etc, etc. There is enough to keep one busy. The hotel resorts are luxurious and provide everything for their clients. The Four Seasons, Hilton, Meridian, St. Regis and a host of others have absolutely stunning Polynesian type bungalows with all the modern amenities. On the yachting side things are a little leaner but mooring are available as well as the possibility to anchor in the lee of beautiful motus. Transportation to restaurants can be arranged free of charge from the establishment. One of the most famous ones is "Bloody Mary's" and has hosted many of the famous movie stars and Sen. John McCain. Nothing too fancy but great food at reasonable prices.
Tomorrow or the next day we will set sail from here to Palmerston Atoll, Cook Isands: 662 nm. If the weather is decent we will take a mooring there for a few days before going continuing on to Niue.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Pictures of Bora Bora from our dinghy excursion. We tried to go all the way around but it got too windy and choppy so we had to turn around, but it was lovely anyway.
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| An outrigger following us with Mount Pa'hia and Mount Ote-manu. in the bay of Fa'anui. |
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| Outrigger out of the water. |
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| This how they dock their skiffs in very shallow water and reefs. |
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Church with a lagoon in front of it. |
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| Don driving the dinghy on our little excursion around the island. |
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| Catholic church in Vaitape, Bora Bora |
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| Cross in front of Saint Peter Church. |
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| Inside of church with beautiful stained glass with Mount Pa'hia in the back ground. |
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| Solstice at sunset taken from the Yacht Club where we are moored. |
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| Mount Pa'hia which we can look at it every day because we are moored right in front of it. |
Monday, July 23, 2012
I have tried to download some great pictures of the Heiva in Huahine but our my computer is not working well. I will add them at a later date.
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| The Heiva in Huahine. |
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| More of the Heiva. |
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| Men and Women. |
Saturday, July 21, 2012
RAIATEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA
July 17, 2012 Tuesday
We got our anchor at 0930 hrs and headed out the pass. The wind and seas have, finally, started to go down. The wind was out of the ENE at 15 kts with a 6' sea. The Valiant 40 can sail along at 6+ kts under reduced canvas. Today, we could have made 7+ kts by crowding on more sail but I like the easy paced sailing without worrying about punishing the rigging and sails. Unfortunately, our staysail is too small to really help us out. It will make a great "storm sail" but just doesn't have enough sail area for an efficient cutter rig. I believe I left the right one in the States buy accident. I'll correct the problem once we get to New Zealand or, maybe, before if I can find a cruizer that wants to sell a used one.
Raiatea is becoming a place for repairs and haul-outs. Many yachties leave their boats here for the remainder of the season and fly back to their respective countries. Our turbocharger on the Volvo Penta 2003T engine froze up so I had to change it out with a spare one we had onboard. Thank you, Dan Morris, for arranging all the spare parts that you knew that we might need!!
We found a berth at Chantier Naval de Raiatea on Wednesday 18 July and the following morning a very knowledgeable French mechanic came aboard at 0730 hrs and changed out the turbos in 3 hours. He was able to diagnose the problem with the old one and give me operating hints on using the spare. One of my operating problems is that I run the engine too slow for too long without allowing the turbo to kick in. The second big problem is that we have an engine driven refrigeration system. This necessitates starting the engine 3 times a day and running it for 40 minutes or more at a fast idle. It's not good for the engine and a "pain in the ass" on our part. It makes us slaves to the boat and the refrigeration system. Well, all that ended in Huahine when the cooling unit lost too much of its charge and ceased to cool. The unit is charged with Freon 12 which is no longer manufactured and only available in very limited quantities. There is none here in Raiatea and the refrigeration specialists don't want to work on tight cramped yachts. Problem solved: we've been freed from this atrocious system. The future refrigeration system will be DC Solar/Wind generator powered and keel cooled with the new Freon 134A.
The Volvo Penta 2003T is the original engine installed on "Solstice" in 1990. Until I bought the boat, she had not been used that much. She is still running well but there are signs that the rings have a little "blow by". At some point in time, a decision will have to be made to either rebuild the engine or re-power with a new Yanmar engine. The biggest problem with rebuilding the Volvo Penta is that they stopped making this engine in 1993. Parts are still available but becoming more scarce. The plus side is that the Volvo Penta fits in the engine room very nicely and gives some room for other components. The Yanmar is a bigger engine so a lot of engine-room space will be lost. The deciding factor will be what is cost effective in the long run. This engine could run for a long time into the future.
After visiting other islands in French Polynesia, Raiatea has nothing special other than good grocery shopping, limited supplies and the boatyards. Papeete would be the place to take on major repairs and get spare parts in a reasonable time frame.
Tomorrow we sail for Bora Bora, reputedly, one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The distance from Raiatea is only 34 nm so we don't have to leave too early to be there by early afternoon.
We got our anchor at 0930 hrs and headed out the pass. The wind and seas have, finally, started to go down. The wind was out of the ENE at 15 kts with a 6' sea. The Valiant 40 can sail along at 6+ kts under reduced canvas. Today, we could have made 7+ kts by crowding on more sail but I like the easy paced sailing without worrying about punishing the rigging and sails. Unfortunately, our staysail is too small to really help us out. It will make a great "storm sail" but just doesn't have enough sail area for an efficient cutter rig. I believe I left the right one in the States buy accident. I'll correct the problem once we get to New Zealand or, maybe, before if I can find a cruizer that wants to sell a used one.
Raiatea is becoming a place for repairs and haul-outs. Many yachties leave their boats here for the remainder of the season and fly back to their respective countries. Our turbocharger on the Volvo Penta 2003T engine froze up so I had to change it out with a spare one we had onboard. Thank you, Dan Morris, for arranging all the spare parts that you knew that we might need!!
We found a berth at Chantier Naval de Raiatea on Wednesday 18 July and the following morning a very knowledgeable French mechanic came aboard at 0730 hrs and changed out the turbos in 3 hours. He was able to diagnose the problem with the old one and give me operating hints on using the spare. One of my operating problems is that I run the engine too slow for too long without allowing the turbo to kick in. The second big problem is that we have an engine driven refrigeration system. This necessitates starting the engine 3 times a day and running it for 40 minutes or more at a fast idle. It's not good for the engine and a "pain in the ass" on our part. It makes us slaves to the boat and the refrigeration system. Well, all that ended in Huahine when the cooling unit lost too much of its charge and ceased to cool. The unit is charged with Freon 12 which is no longer manufactured and only available in very limited quantities. There is none here in Raiatea and the refrigeration specialists don't want to work on tight cramped yachts. Problem solved: we've been freed from this atrocious system. The future refrigeration system will be DC Solar/Wind generator powered and keel cooled with the new Freon 134A.
The Volvo Penta 2003T is the original engine installed on "Solstice" in 1990. Until I bought the boat, she had not been used that much. She is still running well but there are signs that the rings have a little "blow by". At some point in time, a decision will have to be made to either rebuild the engine or re-power with a new Yanmar engine. The biggest problem with rebuilding the Volvo Penta is that they stopped making this engine in 1993. Parts are still available but becoming more scarce. The plus side is that the Volvo Penta fits in the engine room very nicely and gives some room for other components. The Yanmar is a bigger engine so a lot of engine-room space will be lost. The deciding factor will be what is cost effective in the long run. This engine could run for a long time into the future.
After visiting other islands in French Polynesia, Raiatea has nothing special other than good grocery shopping, limited supplies and the boatyards. Papeete would be the place to take on major repairs and get spare parts in a reasonable time frame.
Tomorrow we sail for Bora Bora, reputedly, one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The distance from Raiatea is only 34 nm so we don't have to leave too early to be there by early afternoon.
HEIVA IN FARE, HUAHINE
July 15, 2012 Sunday
Tonight was the final wrap up of the "Heiva" dancing/singing contest between the many villages located on the island of Huahine. Each participating village sends their group to Fare to perform and be judged by a dedicated panel. I believe that they practice and rehearse throughout the year. The quality of the dancing and costumes are very good. We were lucky to have been in French Polynesia during this special time of festivities. In France they celebrate Bastille Day on July 14th. Here in French Polynesia they start a few weeks in advance and have a continuous celebration of various activities. In Papeete we saw the canoe outrigger races to Moorea. Huahine gave us the most beautiful experience of seeing the exciting "Tamure" dance. We would have liked to sail to more anchorages on this beautiful island but the wind has been non-stop blowing "seven bells of shit". The positive side of this has been that we are dug in and not dragging. I dove on the anchor and it is buried in sand. Even with the 45 kt gusts we are holding.
We will sail over to Raiatea on Tuesday 16 July 2012. The distance is only 25 nm so it won't take more that 5 hours to get there.
Tonight was the final wrap up of the "Heiva" dancing/singing contest between the many villages located on the island of Huahine. Each participating village sends their group to Fare to perform and be judged by a dedicated panel. I believe that they practice and rehearse throughout the year. The quality of the dancing and costumes are very good. We were lucky to have been in French Polynesia during this special time of festivities. In France they celebrate Bastille Day on July 14th. Here in French Polynesia they start a few weeks in advance and have a continuous celebration of various activities. In Papeete we saw the canoe outrigger races to Moorea. Huahine gave us the most beautiful experience of seeing the exciting "Tamure" dance. We would have liked to sail to more anchorages on this beautiful island but the wind has been non-stop blowing "seven bells of shit". The positive side of this has been that we are dug in and not dragging. I dove on the anchor and it is buried in sand. Even with the 45 kt gusts we are holding.
We will sail over to Raiatea on Tuesday 16 July 2012. The distance is only 25 nm so it won't take more that 5 hours to get there.
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