Our time exploring the Leeward Society Islands was eventful and poignant. We had such a range of experiences on the various islands, each with a unique visual flavor and intriguing hidden gems.
Bora Bora Dreams
After our haul-out in Raiatea and our rudder repair, we thought we were good to go. Unfortunately, it is more the norm and less the rarity that we run into delays and stumbling blocks. This section of our circumnavigation was no exception.
We were able to get a much-needed visit to the dentist for Dan before we departed Raiatea. He had a section of his back molar break off due to a deep, hidden cavity. We visited the dentist, and he filled it temporarily, saying it might get him to New Zealand, where he could get a more permanent solution. The filling fell out as soon as we left Raiatea and headed to Tahaa. He was devastated, sitting at dinner, holding the filling in his hand.
However, we continued on to Bora Bora, one of our extremely anticipated destinations. We were not disappointed. Bora Bora has a quiet yet dramatic beauty. You feel a presence when you settle into the harbor, with the sharp outlines of the giant volcanic mountain at the heart of the island.
The island is, of course, encircled by a protective reef, as are most of the islands in this part of the world. They are remnants of much larger islands that have sunk into the sea, leaving an encircling reef at sea level. This natural ring of protection provides each island with an almost invisible inner harbor of protection that makes visiting and exploring these islands peaceful and serene, even when it is blowing stink in the ocean just beyond.
It is surreal to see waves breaking on the invisible reef, sometimes spraying high into the air, while you sit in completely calm waters, thankful you are not experiencing the chaos just beyond the invisible barrier.
Bora Bora is expensive, and you pay around $40 a day to stay there on your boat. We chose to stay a week and sip the bubbly, exotic experience with awe and wonder. We snorkeled in veritable fish aquarium surroundings, the corals, fish, and sea life right out of the midst of the most abundantly stocked fish tank you could possibly imagine.
We found manta cleaning stations and cherished being in the presence of the great winged giants of the sea. It brings us such joy to just be among them, watching them glide silently and fearlessly, with their 12-foot wingspans. They are truly captivating, and being among them is magical.
We sailed to each side of the island and witnessed white sand beaches on the outer band of the reef, wide enough to have dwellings and small bands of people living there. The sunsets were beyond incredible, and we have seen our share. The dramatic setting of the island, the brilliant colors, and the vibe of this island made these unforgettable.
We were sad when our week was over. We could have stayed there a long time and been totally at peace.
The Fixing the Freezer Dance
That is when our freezer gave up on life, for the… I can’t tell you how many times it has been… for the umpteenth time. We made the prudent decision to go back to Raiatea. Dan could revisit the dentist, and there was a notable freezer repair man there that our friends had highly recommended.
Backtracking, we returned to the familiar island, having spent a month there. As touted, the fridge guy was thorough, fast-working, and brilliant. Better yet, he was affordable. In three days, we had our freezer repaired, and Dan got another filling from a different dentist.
The filling fell out again, this time lasting three days, once we had departed for our next destination, Maupiti.
Our friend Eric on Abayomi and several other people we know had been to Maupiti and extolled its views and beauty. They did mention it was a bit of a challenge getting in and out. They did not, however, stress that part enough.
We thought it would be a challenging entrance, like those we had been in and out of on half a dozen atolls already. Maupiti put them all to shame, and unlike the others, while the entrance was scary, it was the exit that got you.
Magical Maupiti
There were about 10 boats in the protective ring of the harbor when we arrived. We noticed that many of them were not spending long there and were departing quickly. We had planned to spend a few days exploring the island and then set off for a long crossing to the Cook Islands, our stepping stones to get to Tonga and then make the big crossing to New Zealand.
The issue with Maupiti was that if the waves were more than six feet out in the ocean, getting out of the pass was treacherous. We spent a few days exploring the island and made one of the most challenging hikes we have taken, climbing a several-thousand-foot mountain to sit at the very top and see the panoramic view of this atoll.
While the climb almost killed me, having five sets of ropes placed along the way to help you scale up cliffs, the view certainly revived me. Sitting up there literally took my breath away. I have never seen a more beautiful or dramatic view of this world than I experienced from that spot.
I had flown over atolls on our flights back and forth to other islands, but this was different. The vibrant colors, the clarity of the water, seeing each and every detail of the ocean floor, dotted with reefs and varying depths of water, each with a different shade of brilliant blue, was stunning.
We tarried for as long as we dared at the top of the mountain before we began the brutal descent. By the time we were back at the bottom, my legs were trembling, jelly-like, and I had lost two layers off the soles of my hiking boots. There was only a thin layer of fabric between me and the trail by the time we reached the paved road at the bottom. However, I have the experience etched in my memories, and the photos to back them up.
As we made daily visits to the local manta ray cleaning station and snorkeled along the reef with fish and our friendly reef sharks, we were too comfortable. It was then Dan realized there were only three boats left on the island. Others had fled while the weather window was good.
We were now faced with leaving with waves slightly above the six-foot safety level or waiting two more weeks on this island. Desperate not to be delayed longer, we made the jump, knowing the weather was not going to be good where we needed to go.
Dan decided we would bite the bullet and head straight to Tonga, a 10-day passage, and be set up to wait for a weather window to get to New Zealand. The rush? Thanks to Super El Niño, the weather for hurricane season is predicted to send dangerous weather earlier than the normal season. Forecasters are recommending that anyone crossing to New Zealand do it before the actual hurricane season starts in November. We need to cross in October, and October was here.
Perils of the Pacific
Dan knew the waves were going to be several meters high, and the winds would be in the high teens to low 20s. Our boat was built for this, me, not so much. But when we set out the seas were only 6 feet. Heading downwind, we had our mainsail reefed to the max, and the full jib out. It felt great to be moving again and we enjoyed the day knowing this would be as good as it would get.
We discovered the tear in our jib before the sun set on our first day. We rolled it in, and now had to rely on our much smaller staysail and our reefed main. We always fear losing our jib as it is so important to our options for handling weather, but we crossed the Pacific without it, so we were well aware we could sail without it.
As night fell, the weather continued to worsen. We were now glad we only had our staysail out. At some point, I looked behind our boat at the waves following us. They looked like mountains behind us, rising a good 12 feet above our stern. It was then I was struck with terror and had to retreat into the cabin and curl in a ball to wait out the worst weather we had sailed through in many years.
Dan helped out by heaving-to our first night. It was the first time heaving to did little to relieve the rocking and rolling. Trying to sleep was almost useless. The days were long, the nights longer.
The worst part was the rogue waves. They came from a completely different direction than the normal flow of the waves. A wave, or several waves, would hit us broadside, seemingly out of nowhere. It sounded like we had been shot by a cannonball. The pound would come first, followed by a violent roll of the boat. Then you would hear the roar of the water washing over the boat.
One wave was so big it sent us totally over on our side. The starboard rail was buried in the water, and the splash from the wave sprayed into the cockpit. Seawater soaked the cockpit and down the hatch and into the cabin. It was terrifying. It was also a huge task to clean up.
By day four, I hadn’t been able to eat anything. Dan ate very little. The seas had dropped below ten feet and were more spaced out. This helped a little bit for the moment. However, the weather that was supposed to get better as we moved toward Tonga now changed its course. Instead of getting better, we now had another prediction of more 12-foot seas and heavy winds as we approached.
I couldn’t handle it. Dan sensed that, and that’s when he asked if I wanted to change course and make an emergency landing on the island of Palmerston.
Palmerston to the Rescue
As Palmerston is owned by New Zealand, it has its own clear-in requirements and paperwork to be completed before you can enter. We could divert there, miss the bad weather, and complete our repairs as we waited for the weather to settle. I was all in for that plan.
As the waves died down a little, my appetite returned a little. By day six, I was able to eat my first meal. Dan had his work cut out for him. He spent hours at the computer filling out forms, documents, and explanations.
We were definitely a boat in distress because we had a ripped sail, and our wind speed indicator at the top of our mast was also not working. It would only be in the safety of a calm harbor that we could make these repairs.
By maritime international law, no boat can be denied safe harbor in any country or port. They had to let us in, but that didn’t mean that Dan still didn’t have to jump through hoops to get the paperwork in they required.
When the island finally came into view on the horizon, I took a huge sigh of relief. I was craving a night of not being threatened to fall out of the bed you are trying to sleep in, eating from a dish that is not trying to jump off the table with your food, and preparing food that doesn’t move when you put it down.
Palmerston doesn’t actually have a harbor. Instead, there is a small bay on the leeward side of the island that has four moorings and an area shallow enough to anchor. It was a safe anchorage protected by the invisible reef only this time we were on the outside. We picked up the mooring they told us and relaxed even though we were still technically in the Pacific Ocean.
Our first day there, we were greeted by Humpback whales. We even got a tail wave. They seemed to sense the trauma we had been through and gave comfort to our souls with the magnificent gift of their presence.
Gifts in Unexpected Places
The good news is that we got our jib down with the help of the kind men who live on the island here. There are only four families that live on this island. They own and maintain the mooring balls, one of which we are attached to.
Because we are here on an emergency basis, we are not allowed to leave the boat, which sucks. Friends who have been here raved about their experience on shore with the full hospitality of the people who live here. In fact, two of our good friends, Eric on Abayomi and Kurt on Into the Blue, helped install all four of the existing moorings, one of which we were now attached to.
We have developed a friendship with the two men who assisted in getting our sail down, and they visit us daily and help us with whatever we need. We love hearing their stories of what life is like on a remote island in the middle of an ocean.
Once again, I treasure these unexpected experiences, knowing they are gifts, confirming that we are exactly where we are, when we are meant to be there.
As for the future, we still have to get to Tonga, and we have another week of high seas and strong winds. We will stay put until it is safe to continue. Right now, our PredictWind weather program has labeled sailing “NOT SAFE.” I don’t need to test that prediction.
Our friends brought us fresh fish last night, and we had our first fish dinner in probably a year. There has been no fish catching on these incredibly rough passages between the islands in the South Pacific.
She is not my favorite stretch of ocean, even though her islands are completely magical. I will cherish them, how hard we worked to get each one, and try to bury the memories of the sailing in between them.
So, for now, we wait for Tonga and attempt a huge leap in our circumnavigation, the waters of New Zealand!
Fair Winds,
Captain Dan and First Mate Alisunshine
GET READY for RIDING the WAVES of REALITY III LAUNCHING SOON!!!!
It’s the most exciting chapter yet
of this incredible journey?