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
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.
