Huahine Heiva Pictures

Thanks to Petero Koerber, who was the official photographer for this event for these lovely photos. (Rani did not bring a camera that evening.

Cruising Computers

We carry two netbook computers on board that we have come to depend on for many facets of our cruising life. We chose netbooks rather than full-sized laptops because they are inexpensive (< $200), consume much less power (< 2 amps versus 5+ amps), having smaller processors and screens, and are easy to carry with us to shore in a small dry bag. A viable alternative is Apple's iPad and we have seen several cruisers with these. Excellent applications are available and the built in GPS in some models makes them very useful for navigation. Our netbooks run Windows, which gives us access to loads of free or inexpensive software, useful on board.

When netbooks first became available a few years ago, I bought a little Asus EeePC, which came with the Linux operating system, 512 MB of RAM, and a 4 GB flash drive (no hard drive). Before we left on this cruise, I wiped out the operating system, which was no longer well supported, and installed a tiny stripped down version of Windows XP, specifically tailored for this computer. I added an 8 GB SD drive to store documents and navigation data, and installed the following software:

OpenCPN - a free charting/navigation program. We installed vector charts of the world, which provide detail to harbour level in most countries. We have a USB GPS that was easy to interface to this software and provides real-time positioning of our boat on the chart - very cool for those of us used to paper charts :)

Libre Office - MS Word/Excel compatible open source software (a light version of Open Office). We use this to write and do spreadsheet calculations.

Chrome browser for internet access/email.

Airmail - for Pactor II radio emails. Also needed to install drivers for USB to serial adapter to talk to the modem. This includes GRIB (weather) file viewer and weather fax software. Free.

WXTide - worldwide tide and current prediction software - free.

VLC media player - to watch movies - free.

Skype - to make phone calls.

PaintShop Pro V 4.0 - ancient (1998) but adequate image processing software

Avast antivirus - free edition to protect the computer when connected to the Internet.

PDF XChange - free PDF viewer with editing capabilities. This is great if you need to modify a PDF file when dealing with paperwork remotely.

Calibre ebook management software to manage our large collection of ebooks.

Our other netbook has similar software installed but adds MaxSea - a commercial navigation program and runs Windows 7. We like to use the built-in Microsoft software for photo management, which includes some nice tools to touch up and improve photos. We have found that with the slow processor in this machine that we need to resize (shrink) our photos before editing them with this software. For this we use Easy Thumbnails which allows us to quickly resize an entire folder of pictures (free software). The newer netbook has a 10 inch screen (the EeePc has a 7 inch one) so is much better for photo processing and watching movies.

Incidentally, OpenCPN provides an easier to view interface on these small computers than MaxSea, whose charts are very cluttered. Perhaps there is an option in MaxSea to improve this, but the program is complex and not all that intuitive, so we rarely use it.

The only limitations we have come across so far using these machines is that very high definition movies sometimes refuse to play properly. This has been a problem with only one series of videos, where each hour of video is about 3 GB. With smaller AVI files, we have not had a problem.

Bora Bora

We nearly gave Bora Bora a miss due to its reputation for being the expensive playgrounds of well-heeled tourists. We are very glad we decided to stop here. Despite being anchored off a Hilton resort with over-the-water palm thatch bungalows, the water is clear and the views are gorgeous. Cloud shrouded volcanic Mt.Mauaohunoa rises behind the resort's private island and behind us is the dull roar of surf on the reef a half mile away.

The wind has been calm for a few days so we have been snorkeling on a nearby reef to see the many varieties of colourful corals and fish. Yesterday we swam near spotted eagle rays in deeper water. They looked like birds flying below us in a down-under sapphire blue sky. In the shallower waters of a small island we came across two large moray eels hiding in coral castles. This morning we watched another moray dart out of it's home towards a diver who sprayed something out of a small canister, probably shrimp or fish meal. We were surrounded by little yellow butterfly fish and black and white banded fish and it felt like we were in an aquarium.

There are more tourists here than in the other islands we have visited but this anchorage is fairly quiet. Last night we rowed to the main town to watch some Polynesian dancing - two miles of rowing each way in the moonlit night was good exercise. It was also somewhat challenging navigating through the shallow coral field in the passage between two little islands near our boat. I held a flashlight in the bow directing Chris around the coral head. I tried to do my share of rowing in the deeper water but Chris was not impressed by my steering - I blamed the chop!

One Fine Day

We were walking along the main road to town one morning in Tahaa when a woman hailed us from her driveway.

"Do you like bananas?", she asked.

"Yes, we do!"

And with that we were led into Maki's backyard. She lifted a hemp sack from a makeshift table and removed eight just-ripe bananas from a large stalk. As we placed these in our backpack, she cut down a couple of coconuts from a palm leaning over the ocean. With a few swift strokes of the machete, she opened the nuts for us to drink. Does life get any better than this? We were quenching our thirst with sweet coconut water in a lovely lady's garden with a misty view of Bora Bora rising out of the ocean like a mirage.

The land we stood upon was reclaimed from the reef bordering the island of Tahaa. I asked whether it was dangerous to live so close to the water and she recounted that her original home was destroyed by a cyclone in the late seventies. The new house is a pre-fabricated vinyl sided bungalow supplied by the French government after that catastrophe. All she has to do is pay the annual property taxes, which are modest. She was shocked when We told her that the amount she pays is less than a tenth of what one would pay in Canada. As we looked out across the lagoon dotted with the outlying motus, she told us that one of the larger of these islands belongs to her family. The copra they harvest there provides the money for necessities, other than food, which is plentiful on her land. We agreed that she truly lives in paradise. We shall return for a visit to thank her with something from our gift bag.

Later on the same hike we walked along a stream that flows out of a lush valley. Te pavement ended and we plunged into the rain forest, which in places had been cleared for banana and papaya plantings. The road dipped down over a hill and across the stream, where it ended in a small plantation.

We asked a family here if we could buy some pamplemousse from their garden. Their trees were literally sagging with the heavy bunches. The young couple were cutting open coconuts for copra and their 4 year old daughter was dancing and singing nearby. They said to take as many as we wished. I gave little Manolina a shell bracelet I was wearing and a necklace of seeds. She was delighted, even offering up her cheek for a little kiss. However when Chris tried to show Manolina the Polynesian dance steps he had picked up in Papeete and Moorea, she looked concerned and told him to "Arret, Arret!".

We staggered back to the main road with 14 large pamplemousse bulging from cloth bags and backpack. Back on the pavement, a man called down to us from his farm plot. Seeing that we liked pamplemousse, he invited us to taste one from a large tree in his own garden. His girlfriend watched as he cut slices and handed them to us. As we talked they would spontaneously burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Perhaps they were enjoying the effects of another home grown plant common in these parts.

On the main road I stuck out my thumb and we were picked up by the first car going by. The driver was a retired French teacher who had traveled and taught all over the world. We can see why he chose to retire here.

Heiva Preparations in Huahine and Raiatea.

The dancers themselves often make their own costumes. This takes a lot of time because in many cases, new costumes are made for each performance from natural fibres, flowers, and leaves. Here are a few examples of dancers preparing head dresses for evening performances in Huahine and Raiatea.

Fitii dancer holding one of her head dress creations

Men make their own costumes.

Taputapuatea -  preparing centerpieces for Heiva feast

Four Months of Cruising Costs

One thing that we are often asked when we tell people about our trip is how much this kind of life costs. We recently did our finances for the first 4 months out from Mexico. About a month of this was on passage, where it is difficult to spend money, but to balance this, we purchased a huge amount of groceries and alcohol in Mexico - enough to last us for 6+ months.

Our expenses in Canadian dollars for a little over 4 months are broken down roughly as follows:

Mexico:
Food $1500 (we have used about 50% - so $750)
Booze $350 (we have used about 70% - so $245)
Boat upholstry project: $200
Trade items $100
Diesel $100
Misc $100
Total: $1495 with about $850 worth of groceries and booze left on board to date

French Polynesia:
Agent fees $330
Food    $1000
Mooring  $110
Internet $125
Souvenirs $300 (note we also traded for some items)
Tours   $85
Diesel  $100
Propane $55
Boat Parts $60
Total: $2165

Grand total is $3660 - about half of which is for food. We eat well on board, but do not eat out often, in particular in French Polynesia, where prices even for street food can be high. Note that these costs do not include things like travel home or haul outs, which should really be amortized over this period. We were also lucky in being able to carry out repairs of the roller furler bearings and the traveller with assistance from fellow cruisers. Without their help, we would have incurred labour and additional parts charges for these projects. Still, it is nice to be able to say we are cruising out here for less than $1000 a month. Adding in a yearly trip home and haul-out/boat maintenance, this number would be closer to $1500/month.

Boat Projects

Leak near the rear: We traced the water in the bilge to the rudder post stuffing box. This required my crawling into the lazerette (through a cockpit locker) while underway in a big sea - great fun as you can imagine. I had to hang upside down with a flashlight to watch for drips and spurts and yes indeed - there was a good sized drip coming from the stuffing box. I tightened the stuffing box down until I could feel the packing compress - a couple of turns with our biggest plumber's wrench. Hopefully this will give us a dryer bilge!

Feathering Propeller Re-grease:  I noticed that our feathering propeller was feeling rough when I last cleaned it. The grease I had put in before we launched in Mexico must have washed out (it was lithium grease and must not be completely water proof). Doing this while the propeller is above water in a  boatyard is fairly simple. One removes an allen keyed plug from the propellor casing and fits a zirc (grease) fitting, then squirts in grease with a grease gun. Next you replug that hole and repeat the procedure with a second hole, waiting for grease to squirt out the hub and propellor blades before re-capping. As you might imagine, this is not so easy when you have to do it underwater without diving gear.

Rani stood by and handed me bits and pieces as I made multiple dives, first to clean up the allen key fittings so we could back out the plugs and then as I backed them out, fitted the zirc fitting, fitted the grease gun, pumped and pumped, and then reversed these steps and repeated for the next fitting. I only dropped the grease gun once and fortunately we are only anchored in 20 feet of water here. Cleaning the salt water out of grease gun and everything else took as long as the actual greasing.

Dragging Update

The "Ladybug Rescue Reserve" on board Astarte. From left to right - Deb from Buena Vista, Rani, Ann from Charisma, Barb from Astarte, Chris, Don from Buena Vista, and Bob from Charisma. Photo courtesy of Mike from Astarte.

I dived the anchor today now that the winds are down and found our drag pattern from the other day as well as the pattern from where we tried to reset the first time. The bottom type in this anchorage varies greatly. There is an area extending from the shore that is mixed fist sized and smaller coral chunks with sand. Just outside this is a nice area of fine sand that appears to be fairly deep. As this drops off, larger coral chunks appear, some of them a meter across. We were initially set on the edge of the mixed coral/sand and our drag pattern showed that we simply pulled free of this and our CQR plowed merrily along until it dropped into deeper water. A similar straight furrow was evidence of our first re-anchoring attempt. The anchor is now only partially set, having gathered a nice mound of loose coral to half cover it as we dragged it while resetting. I believe it is the weight of the chain and great scope (10 to 1) that has held us for the last two days. If I had put out more chain in the first place, we probably would not have dragged.

I swam over to look at some nearby boats, which is how I came to realize that the bottom varies so much. Astarte is swinging over clear sand and their anchor is buried nicely well inshore of them. The only way we could set this way would be to drop our hook just behind their transom, but even here, there are larger coral heads that need to be avoided. We will likely remain where we are because we intend to leave tomorrow and the forecasted winds are much lighter than the last few days.

Ladybug Goes For a Sail - On Her Own

The wind has been consistently high for days, now - 20 knots with gusts into the 30s all day and night. Two days ago, we re-anchored off the town of Fare at the edge of a large sand and coral shelf. On our passage between anchorages, along the west side of Huahine, the wind blasted down off the hills and through the gaps over the bays. With only 30 or 40 square feet of sail up (out of our normal 650), we still made rapid progress, heeling at times to 20 degrees in the stronger blasts.

The dinghy on a too short painter gave us some trouble when a short but steep overtaking wave lapped in over the transom. The wave partially filled her with a dozen gallons of water. I pulled her up on the transom to empty her, stretching my arms a foot or so with the strain, but could not empty her completely this way. Eventually, we had to reduce sail, tie her tightly alongside. and bail her by hand as we continued downwind.

In the anchorage at Fare were more than 20 boats, bound here by the high winds. We saw one boat try to re-anchor four times and remembered that our cruising guide cautions that the anchorage is loose coral rubble with patches of sand and holding is not great. Despite this, we found a place near to where the re-anchoring yacht had previously set and managed to set our 45 lb CQR in about 23 feet of water with 125 feet of chain out (nearly 6 to 1 scope). We remained on board that day and watched our GPS screen, which shows our track, to make sure we were not dragging.

Late the next morning we went ashore to find out what sort of celebrations were going on for Bastille Day (the French equivalent of Canada Day or July 4 in the US). We wandered through town finding a huge supermarket (surprising for such a small town) and then hiked out to a stadium on the outskirts of town where we learned of a dance that evening and another on Monday. On our way back we located the Gendarmerie, where we will check out of French Polynesia, and explored a couple of side roads that looked interesting. As we returned to the beach, we looked for Ladybug in the anchorage and saw that there were people on her bow and dinghies alongside. A man at a beachside cafe handed us a portable VHF and said that if we were Ladybug, we were needed on board. We talked with Deb on Buena Vista who told us that her husband Don, Bob from Charisma, and Mike from Astarte were on board our boat after seeing her start to drag.

We dashed back along the beach and jumped in our dinghy, rowing quickly back to our boat where we were greeted by Ladybug's rescuers. They had managed to get the engine started and pulled up the anchor, but were waiting for us to return before attempting to re-anchor. With four captains on board, we were able to get a set in two attempts, but only after letting out almost all our chain (about 10 to 1 scope) and dragging back through the loose sand for 100 feet.

Apparently Bob on Charisma (anchored just to our starboard) had noticed that Ladybug had changed position and had asked for assistance from other nearby boats because he did not have a dinghy in the water. When they boarded her, ladybug was still in deep water (55 feet), but would likely have dragged out the pass and out to sea or possibly ended her days on the reef had our friends not come to our rescue. We were lucky that we had left her unlocked, with the key in the engine and Bob, Don, and Mike had been able to figure out how to turn on her instruments, start the diesel, and work the windlass to pull in the chain.

This was a humbling experience. Once set, we have rarely had a problem with dragging and have only dragged anchor a few times in all the time we have owned the boat. We dragged on two separate occasions in Honeymoon cove near Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Here there was a rocky bottom and I probably did not set the anchor properly on the first occasion. The other time was in nearby Nopolo where the bottom was also covered in head-sized rocks and the anchor was most likely not properly set.

We are grateful and very lucky to have good and watchful friends out here who are willing to risk life and limb to help a fellow cruiser.  Check out Charisma's blog for their perspective on this event.

Mape Nut Warning

The crossing from Papeete, Tahiti to Huahine island in the Iles sous le vent (the 'Leeward Isles') is only about 90 miles. This is too much to sail in the 12-13 hours of daylight in one day, so we slipped our mooring at the Tahiti yacht club and wound our way out through the narrow channel at 3pm. Assuming 5 knots, we should reach the south east end of Huahine in the early morning, after a brisk overnight passage in the forecasted 15-20 knot winds.

The reality was quite different. A dark layer of squally clouds lay between us and Mo'orea and the winds varied from as low as 2 knots to about the lower end of the forecast range. The seas were big and confused between Mo'orea and Tahiti, as they had been on the two previous occasions we had made this passage. Ladybug rolled through 20 degrees on either side of vertical. As night fell, we drifted and slatted our way into a patch of drizzly calm. After waiting half an hour for the wind to return, we held a conference and decided to motor out of this belt of rain. It appeared that even though we were nearly 10 miles from the coast of Mo'orea, we were in its lee The wind returned after motoring for a couple of hours, once we were well clear of the island.

The remainder of the passage was run nearly downwind, with a following breeze of 10-15 knots from the east. It is not possible to sail Ladybug straight downwind without using a whisker pole to hold out the jib on the opposite side to the main. Otherwise, the main will block the wind to the jib or the jib will collapse if we try to fly it without support opposite the main. At night, with the prospect of squalls, and in rolling 2-3 meter cross swells, I was reluctant to hoist the pole on the wet pitching foredeck. So we tacked downwind, running first to the northwest and then southwest to reach our destination to the west.

At daybreak, I hoisted the pole and we steadied into a lovely downwind run aimed straight for Huahine, with double reefed main and partially furled jib. The steering is quite balanced with this configuration because the jib opposes the forced exerted by the main. Off to port we spotted another sailboat under sail and to starboard a catamaran motoring downwind, both bound for Huahine. More showers passed and as we neared the island, an intense, crisp full rainbow arched overhead.

We entered the pass near Fare but turned south, away from the main village, toward the more sheltered bay of Haapu where our friends on 'Chapter Two' were anchored. En route down the narrow channel we made a snack of the chestnut-like mape nuts we had gathered on Moorea. About half an hour later Rani fell quite ill and was soon making use of one of the ship's buckets. I also felt ill, but perhaps my greater weight spared me the worst of it. So - a warning to those cruisers who have been told that mape nuts are edible - eating half a dozen nuts on an empty stomach is a bad idea!

We plan to spend a week here at various anchorages.