Tahiti August 23 2005

I think we left you on out way to Tikehau, a small atoll on the way toTahiti. We stopped there because someone told us it was quite beautiful. Isuppose it was, but the weather was not good down to there, about 45 miles, and while we werethere was rainy and overcast, so we didn't really enjoy it too much. There'sa small population, and the gardens are beautiful ashore, but we were anxiousto get to Papeete, so we only stayed one night after exploring a bit.The sail to Tahiti was about 190 miles and we left first thing in themorning, August 1, to get the appropriate tide in Tikehau. This dealingwith tides is something new for us. Basically, the cruising guides all sayone should enter and leave these atolls at slack tide or thereabouts as thecuts are generally a bit on the narrow side. I had thought my navigationsoftware included tides, but it was only tides for North America. Not toworry, there is a formula for tides in one of my books based on moonrise andset, and we used that. Also on arrival in Papeete, we found fast internetconnections, so I have now downloaded a really good and free internationaltide table program. Anyway, It's not much of an issue here as the entranceis huge to Papeete. Our sail down was uneventful, and we could have usedmore wind, but 3pm the next day found us at the entrance. No fish thistrip, but the sight of Tahiti with 7,000 foot peaks at about 40 miles wasspectacular. The only problem is then you have to wait 7 or 8 more hours toactually get there!Well, apparently, this is nearing the end of the "French Polynesia season"so the large city quai was fairly empty (and winds were light) making thestern-to anchoring less of an event than it might have been. You leave thestern off the dock about 10 feet and use the dinghy as a shuttle. It'samazing, because you are moored right in the heart of the city. We had thePost Office across the street and the shopping district was down a block.Once again check-in was pretty informal, and they asked me to return the nextday. When I did, the dreaded "bond" came up and I had to post it before Icould be official. What a rip-off! Went to the bank where you do it, andit, took 2 hours and about $2,500 for Joey and me--Rose, an EC citizen, doesn'tneed one. Then, no sooner than I finished I ran into a couple we'd met inthe Marqueses, and they belatedly clued me in on the airticket scam. Youcan just show them a return ticket to your country in lieu of the bond, andpeople go to a travel agent, book a ticket, take a credit card impression,the run back to immigration that makes a note of it and completes yourcheck-in. Then you go back to the travel agent, and they tear up the ticketand CC receipt---all for about $10. I'll get my money back, but there was a$100 fee for the bond, and then if I exchange back to dollars I'll get rippedfor another $100 or so. The good news is we just found out you get the bondback when leaving Tahiti, not Fr. Poly, so I can just use the money here and notlose the last on foreign exchange.It's now the 19th, and it's been an adventure here. We'll probably be hereanother week before leaving for Moorea, a short hop of about 14 miles. Ah,where to begin. This is a very metropolitan city, and, once again food anddrink are a bit on the highside. On arrival, we stopped at a waterfront cafefor a beer and the guy hustled me into a "Grande" Hinano, the local beer.These were a deal in the out islands at $5, but it was $10 here when we gotthe tab. Jack is cheap in the stores??!! Only $50 a bottle. That leavesred wine as reasonable and you can get really cheap but good stuff--$5-6--so we've refocused. Bought the boxed stuff at about $4/liter--checked out several bottles as well, but this is easier to store. Good food is about the same as Tortola, and you can get hugepaninis (pressed French bread sandwiches for about $3. There's even arather pricey McDonalds or two. The food is all great!So we've internetted, shopped--there are a million shops, eaten well, andthere was even a boat full of 20 somethings next to us that gave Joe someage appropriate diversion from the old farts. Speaking of which, thehoneymoon must be over. I got a cramp in my foot and mentioned it to myusually sympathetic partner, to which she responded "well, what do youexpect; you're old" Hah. Double hah. Anyway, one night we went to a sidewalkcafe, and they had a band, a beautiful Polynesian chick dancing, and followed thatup with Tahitian karaoke! The waterfront fills with these food vans afterdark with very reasonable prices and good food--lots of Chinese--excellentpizza, $10 steaks avec frites. Joe finally got his school books, and he'sstarted on that, thank God. My mail drop is the Amex office right next to the dock, and FedEx,when they found out where I was, delivered right to the boat. How cool isthat?! We got one of the engines fixed, and if anyone sees Cliff, pleaserelay to him that the smoke from the port engine was dirty injectors. Sincewe had the problem since he installed the rebuilt engines, allegedly with new injectors on that side, and he workedincessantly on fixing it, he'll be happy to know it was a simple cloggedinjector. We are delighted not to exude billows of black smoke and our dockpartners are even happier.As for the adventure part, the day after we arrived, we noticed the boatgetting too close to the dock. After checking it out we decided the anchormust be dragging, so, with our usual aplomb, we reanchored. We were then ontight, really tight; too tight. As it turns out there was a "hurricane"chain about 100 feet off the dock onto which we had hooked. When we triedto leave about 10 days later, boom, couldn't raise the anchor. Joey divedon it and tied a trip line but no luck. Then the windlass crapped out.Okay, back on the dock to sort it out. Talked to the dockmaster and he justshook his head. Anyway, the first order of business the next day was to repair orreplace the windlass. Turns out the big electrical cables had chafed through from the chain, andthe jerking from trying to raise out the fouled anchor had finally caused the cables topart. Replacement of the cables was a huge deal because you have to removethe entire assembly in a very awkward and inaccessible spot--thank very muchVoyage Yachts. While out we changed the oil which was the color of cafe aulait, and had to splice cables the size of my thumb, but we got itdone, and it worked. Wiped out, we decided to face the fouled anchor the next day. Ournew plan was to lengthen the trip line on the anchor, then run the boat outway over the anchor while leaving the chain slack to pull the anchor out fromunder the huge chain. Worked like a champ. I'm not captain for nothing,you know. Off we went to Marina Taina on Aug 13 around the corner fromPapeete where we are now.But wait, there's more. We were just about out of dinghy fuel, so Joe andthe guys next door, who also needed fuel, dinghied over to the fuel dock tofill up tanks a few days earlier. He returned about 2 hours later under paddle power. Seemshe left the dock after fueling, and the engine conked out mid channel. Hugebillows of white smoke and the engine dies after a few seconds. Great. Whatelse could happen? I'm thinking white smoke, water in the engine, blownhead gasket--shit!!! Later that day, the older guy next door who had alsofilled up came over and said, if we checked, we'd probably find we'd filled upwith diesel, not gas. Sure enough, that was it. Phew, dodged the bullet.Seems diesel in French is gazole, while gas is essence. "What we have hereis a problem to communicate" Strother Martin to Paul Newman in Hud, circa1960. Running well again after replacing the fuel, filters and plugs.Oh, that's not all. The reason we're still here is we're waiting for ourspinnaker to be repaired. You see, we'd had the old shredded one on thetramps for weeks, and I wanted to cut it up to save the good sail cloth. Ihad the new one out as well because we had to get behind it in the locker tofind some line I needed. Okay, so Joey and I cut up the old one, and I go back to thecockpit leaving him to stow the savable cloth. He decides he want the head,tack and clew labels off the old one, but managed to confuse the two and cuta chunk out of the new chute. Another $90 for the repair bites the dust.Oh, did I mention the sick cat. The cat started limping around about amonth ago, and we just figured it was arthritis or something, and it sort ofcame and went. Last week it got really bad and looked to be a dislocatedhip. Cat's at the vet now in spite of the fact we're not supposed to bringher ashore. More on this later.And Joey's food poisoning. Sick as a dog for 2 days--coincidentally the 2days we were working on the windlass. Poor kid--I actually paid him thistime but, of course, with an appropriate deduction for the spinnaker repair.All is well now.A huge trimaran pulled in just before we left Papeete. There was supposedto be a big free food and booze party on their arrival but the wind died,they were late, and the party got cancelled. The boat is Geronimo,sponsored by Cap Gemini (yay Paul) and a big French electrical company and is trying to break allsorts of records, so it was supposed to be a real event. While the partywas off, their arrival was marked by music and an armada of native dressedoutriggers to match a Mutiny on the Bounty movie. They're off to the westcoast to try and set a Transpac race record.There will be more to this letter, but I'm sneaking in the hurricane hiatusmooch warning here. Some of you need to beware. We are looking at aroundthe world tickets and immigration will make us leave in January some time.Good luck for you Chicagoans and Bostonians, because there is no way we aregoing to freeze with a trip there in Feb. Most likely we will be makingstops in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, UK, Florida and StThomas. Be on the lookout for our official request. Seems American has amileage based ticket for only about $2,500 and our plan is to haul the boatin Raiatea, change out the engines and go. More later as the "plan"develops.Right now we are in Taina as I said, and it is a surfing Mecca behind thereef with all sorts of huge yachts in. We actually have run into someold-time BVI people, and the water is clear with no exhaust fumes or dirt from theroad like Papeete. We have a beautiful view of Moorea and the sunsets arespectacular. The other day, there was a whale breeching just outside the reef a half a mile away. About once a week, Rose and I have to pinch ourselves, becausethis is so cool. It is a short ride by "le Truck", Tahiti's version of the$ bus, to Papeete, and there is a Carrefour (France's version of K Mart) a short walk away. We're waiting on the chute, mail and the cat and thenwe're off.Well, this is getting just too long, so we'll have to have Tahiti II. It's Tuesday, 8/23, and we're off to town to arrange our winter tickets, get mail, etc. Next stop, tomorrow or Thursday, is Port Phaeton on the south coast. We're going there on the advice of a local Aussie who says it's a great hurricane hole, and they have a good and reasonable boatyard. The yard is not in any of our literature, proving, once again, that it is worth it to go to Happy Hour!On a very sad note, we're leaving the Papeete area less one crew member. The vetfound a severe tumor in our lovely Minet, and we had to put her to sleep.Damn, I loved that cat. We all did. She was very cool, and we'll all miss her.Tim, Rose and Joe