Tuesday 4 October 2016

Cook Islands, Aitutaki (23rd September to 3rd October 2016)


We checked out of French Polynesia with the Gendarmarie in Bora Bora which involved a clearance being sent from Papeete in Tahiti after filling out rheems of paperwork.

Last minute groceries and produce were loaded aboard and on the 23rd of September we were off to Aitutaki in the Cook islands, 488nm to the SW.
As we left the anchorage young lads in outrigger kayaks rode our stern wave
These beautiful wakas take tourists out onto the reef
Goodbye Bora Bora
Eric caught a Tuna and Wahoo on passage so the freezer is full of fish again
We had a mixed bag with the weather..Some good sailing, motor sailing and just motoring...Where have all the trade winds gone!!! Fronts rolling up from the southern ocean disturb the trade winds. 

On the 5th day we arrived at the entrance to the Aitutaki lagoon. We had to slow down overnight to be there at daybreak with a full tide. The lowest depth is apparently 1.7m and we draw 1.3m so there was no concerns for us. The only entrance into the lagoon is narrow so good visibility is essential. There were 2 boats in the little harbour who gave us some guidance via VHF radio coming in
The lagoon of Aitutaki covers 70km in area
You can see the pass on the middle left of the chart. It is just over 1nm long
 We initially tied up alongside the wharf and after we had cleared with health and biosecurity we anchored and tied our stern to a coconut palm and the reef. Another monohull came in the next day.
The Immigration officer had the flu so we cleared  a couple of days later
Seeing the island on motor scooters was a lot of fun. We drove up to lookouts, through country roads, out to the other side of the island and past the airport to the resorts and sand beaches
Stopped at the Koru cafe for “flat white”coffee (The best for a long time!)
Everywhere we went people waved and smiled and showed true friendship. The Cook islands greeting is Kia Orana which translates to “May you live long”. 

After 10 years our world cruising days are coming to an end and we have very mixed feelings about that... But hearing the Polynesian and Kiwi accent was very warming to the heart and we felt welcomed to be back in the SW Pacific.

The local children loved swimming out to the yachts. All 3 boats had young children aboard which was attractive to them.

We enjoyed drinks in the evenings at the fishing club with fellow cruisers and met a couple who had flown in. They knew Eric's sister and family and a midwifery friend of mine in Tauranga..It is truly a small world!

On Sunday the 2nd of October we waved goodbye to Bernard and Angelica and their 2 boys on the Catamaran Vida
 Toby, Nicole and their 2 girls and crew Danny on Invictus, and a French couple and 3 children on Excalibur.
The locals looked on as the boats made their way out of the pass. Invictus had only cms to spare. They had run aground on the way in and had to wait for more water as the tide came in.
After they left an Australian couple, Ken and Belinda on “Free Spirit” arrived and we enjoyed a meal aboard with great conversation
With our outboard serviced, maintenance on the toilet and a new outhaul halyard line we left for Nuie island on the 3rd of October 580nm to the west.

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SV Erica

SV Erica

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We met in 1971 and it was Eric's dream to build his own yacht and sail the world. This became a joint dream but it was not until 1994 that we were able to start building. "Erica" was launched in 2001 after 7yrs building her. It then took us 5 yrs to prepare her and ourselves before leaving NZ to see the world

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