Tuamotu time!

We were able to do some group snorkels with some fellow teen-boats that were nearby, which is always fun for everybody. There is mixed coral here in various states of health and sickness, but still lots of little fish to see and some beautiful bright clams as well. I would find myself often, looking over my shoulder, waiting for a shark to appear, and sometimes it did. These are usually the black tipped reef sharks and they are very friendly and mostly spooked if you. Some other sharks like gray sharks are known to be “uncomfortably curious“, so we stay away from them if we see them. But I do feel awfully brave being able to jump in the water, see a shark and not totally lose my cool.

The days in the Tuamotus were often filled with schoolwork in the morning, maybe some baking, some boat repairs or projects and then often in the afternoon something fun with the other boats nearby. Sometimes it was a group happy hour on the beach or sometimes it was wake boarding or paddle boarding. Life is always better in community and it’s been so nice to share this adventure with families nearby.

The next atoll we visited was Makemo and it was probably our favorite. It’s relatively small, but it has everything you need. We stopped by the anchorage close to the little town and we were able to walk to the bakery and get fresh baguettes and croissants every day. As per all the Polynesian people, the folks in Makemo were exceptionally kind and welcoming.

Matt had happened to spy some local kids jumping off a small bridge in what we called a little river breaking up the atoll, and it looked like fun. He mentioned it the next day to some friends and that we should try and see what the local kids are up to. Little did we know we were heading into one of the most fun experiences we’ve had so far.

It seems that the local kids know the best day and time to ride the “tidal river“ that flushes in seawater from outside the atoll in through the river into the main basin of the atoll. It helps if the waves on the outside are nice and big and that the tide is flowing in, and it makes a rip roaring waterslide of sorts. 

We approached the kids in our dinghy, going up slowly in the little river, and they were very curious about what we were doing. It didn’t take long until they were flapping their arms and waving us higher up the river, but telling us to get out of our dinghy and watch for the rocks. We anchored the dinghy on shore and we soon surrounded by curious Polynesian kids, wondering what we are up to. We said we were hoping to float down the river and they quickly signalled us to follow them to the best spot, further up.

The kids were of all ages, probably around Piper‘s age until about age 6, with only one or two parents in sight. There was no namebrand board-shorts or bikinis, just kids in their street clothes in the water having a good time. We all climbed over the hard and unforgiving coral to the mouth of the river, and the kids were showing us how to ride the big waves down. It ends up being quite strong suction that pulls you first out towards the ocean, and then flushes you into the atoll just like a waterslide. There are jagged, coral rocks everywhere and a few spiky ocean creature things that the kids told us not to step on and warned us to be careful in the water. When the waves were right, it was like the start of a marathon with 25 little bodies crashing through a little opening in the rocks and riding the waves like mermaids. No one had goggles, but most of them would dive face first into the water among the rocks and ride the waterslide down. It felt like the wildest and craziest thing! But it was so much fun and you could do it again and again, as the waves grew. Those kids were so kind and patient and funny and were so happy to have us there.

Unfortunately, we have not one single photograph of this amazing memory so we have to just take pictures with our eyes and talk about it often to keep the memory fresh. 

While we were in Makamo, we heard news that a sailboat that had been de-masted sailing out of Guatemala in January was finally making their way nearby. Through a series of connections we had made in Mexico, we were able to help the weary sailor get a few supplies from shore, as he hadn’t yet checked into the country. He had sailed that boat without a mast for three months straight, bobbing along the Pacific with only a jury rig on his boat (a cobbled together mast and sail situation with whatever is left once your mast has fallen). It was great to welcome him back to civilization, and to help him fill up with fuel and some basic supplies, he was all smiles and so grateful and friendly.

The cruising community really is a supportive family. 

Our next stop was a quick one to the atoll of Tahanea with a goal of breaking up the trip to Fakarava. It happened to be Easter Sunday and we were able to celebrate on our friends boat together. So nice. 

Fakarava is a truly breathtaking place. Coming in and out of these atolls is always a bit of a challenge, but it makes the destination that much more worth it. We tucked in nicely to the south anchorage where we were quickly reunited with some friends and joined the beach fire later that night. This was such a nice spot to be with other people as there was always something going on. The water was so clear and calm, the snorkelling was really top-notch and Digory got really good at wakeboarding.

A few days later, we headed up to the north anchorage in Fakarava, where there are a few restaurants, a few grocery stores and just a bit more going on. Lucky for us we were able to sit down for dinner at a restaurant, which was the first time that had happened since leaving Mexico. There was even local musicians that night playing beautiful Polynesian music for us all. Those burgers, fries, and beers tasted so good - I can’t even tell you.

After sharing lots of great memories with friends, we met along the way, it was time to head to the next spot, which was an atoll called Toau. For some reason this spot totally kicked our butts on the entrance and the exit. Of course we look at the tide charts and there’s even an app that is meant to help you guess the flow and help you cross at the best time, but some of these entrances just don’t make any sense. This one was a little dicey on the way in, with standing waves, which is quite a sight to see. I don’t usually have my camera out for these moments as I’m trying to be helpful, but I also know a photograph won’t accurately translate what it feels like to be pushed and pulled by thousands of gallons of the Pacific Ocean squeezing through a tiny entrance. It’s a lot.

Of course we made it in safe and sound and even had some other friend boats along with us which always makes it more fun. We enjoyed a few days here catching up with friends and enjoying the beach. We had a small timeline to get to Tahiti in time for my mom to arrive by plane . Keeping an eye on the weather, we decided we should head to Tahiti a little earlier than we thought originally for a relatively simple 250 mile journey. For us, that means a full day sailing, one full night, another full day sailing and then arriving in the dark. Luckily there’s a great anchorage that is easy to access in the dark so that was our plan.

For some reason, this passage was a lot more bumpy than we were all expecting, and we were all a little tired of it. There was no drama overnight and we had a decent amount of sailing done and then the wind died so we turned on the motor. We had been motoring for a good amount of hours when suddenly… You guessed it, the engine died.

At that moment, I was just so grateful that the engine had never died in one of those dicey entrances in the Tuamotus, but it is sure inconvenient when it dies unexpectedly. 

I called this one a “good bad experience”, as it was the perfect time to have some engine trouble. There was a little bit of wind to push us along yet there was no squalls coming up and we still had daylight. It was just up to Matt to problem-solve what was going on. 

After some diagnosing, it turned out that there was some junk in the fuel, and that the fuel line couldn’t suck up any more fuel than was in the filter, so I kept running out. With his little air compressor, Matt blew out the clog and then we were on our way again. 

These hiccups always rattle are confidence and make us so much more aware of all the things that can go wrong. But really, they don’t. Matt is so diligent about engine maintenance and boat repairs, or about having backups for backups and knowing how to work quickly under fire , I know we’ll be OK. But still - it’s a reality check that keeps us all humble. 

With all that drama behind us, and with Tahiti city lights shining through the dark, we anchored safely in the bay for the night.

We woke up to see that we were in just the right spot with a few other boats, surrounded by a nice black sand beach and coral. 

Point Venus was a nice place to get used to civilization again. Tahiti is a proper city, even though this was on the outskirts . We were able to walk to the nearest Super-U (IYKYK) grocery store and get baguettes and fruit and veg and cheese for the first time in a while.

We also bought some rambutan off the side of the road from a vendor, and that was a great surprise for everybody. So delicious. 

Now we’re anchored in the anchorage near the airport in Tahiti, getting some supplies ready for when my mom comes to visit. This spot is definitely a little more busy, but so close to everything you could need, it’s easier to look past the boat and the airplane noise. 

We hope to go explore Mo’orea when my mom visits, which is an island just 15 nautical miles to the west. That will be as far west as we’ll go before we start making our way north and east again. (after dropping Mom off - ha!)

We are all feeling the clock ticking down suddenly, and thoughts of home are stirring in all of our hearts. We’ve all really, really enjoyed French Polynesia and has certainly been a huge highlight for us on this big adventure. It’s such an incredible part of the world, one that we would probably never get to visit otherwise. It’s so great that we get to experience it by sea and to be together, and will be sad to leave.

Leaving also means that will be making our next big passage towards Hawaii. We plan to leave near the end of May, hopefully with our boat full of French cheese for a approximately two week passage in the open ocean again.