Namaste has cast her anchor in the uninhabited atoll of Tahanea, and none of us want to leave anytime soon. We sadly waved goodbye to Apataki and the Lau family last Sunday, after a week of prepping the boat and celebrating with new and old friends. The group scavenged beach crabs, baited soldierfish with hermit crab tails, hunted down marbled grouper, and made coconut germ bread roasted in a fire during our week of feasting.
We logged a quick motorsail to Toau and the cove of Anse Amyot, where we linked up with our friends on Dreamtime and briefly checked in with our onshore acquaintances. We'll return to this unique bay in our final weeks before we haul the boat in early June.
At the crack of dawn, we set forth to Fakarava's north pass and Rotoava village. The supply ship arrived last Tuesday and we delicately maneuvered Namasate alongside the metal beast to fill up our diesel tanks. We also stocked the fridge with as many fresh veggies we could find. The following day, Namaste pounded to weather for a few hours, with short, choppy waves that reminded us of sailing in the Great Lakes, before reaching the fabled south pass. Three windy days followed and Chris advantageously captured it and found some serious fun on his kiteboard. He helped out our good friend Neville, whose a kiteboard beginner and needed a bit of extra tutoring.
Once the air currents calmed, the heat set in and the only repose to be found was in the sparkling turquoise waters that average around 83-degrees. Water temps in this region are slowly rising as the El Nino ocean current event races westward. With calmer conditions, we paddled and ventured into the south pass for diving and snorkeling among the hundreds of grey and blacktip sharks, mellow giant Napoleans, schooling glass eyes, different species of butterfly fish, emperor angelfish, and groups of blue-lined snapper and goatfish. The purple, yellow and white coral flourish in the pristine channel, and colors are erupting at the surface as we float over or under the heads.
On Tuesday evening, we capitalized on calm winds and seas to motorsail upwind overnight to Tahanea, snagging a sweet 18-pound mahi-mahi, our first one since leaving Mexico! Our friends on Dreamtime named us the official winners of our unofficial offshore fishing competition.
We spent just one night anchored on the east side of the island, but we squeezed in a snorkel/dive at the north pass under cloudy and windy skies. Upon our arrival at the dive site, a school of 25 common dolphins appeared as we hurried into the water. Typically, these athletic mammals will come in for a quick look before making a rapid exit, but this group stayed with us for almost a half hour - incredible! We observed their playful behavior as they corkscrewed around each other, chirping excitedly, before showing bursts of speed and launching themselves out of the water for acrobatic flips. To watch them jump from below and above is quite a sight to see, and for once, I wasn't jealous of the divers below me. I can only hope this little girl growing in my belly could hear that unique communication that reverberates underwater as dolphins play. After the dolphins left, we continued drifting towards the lagoon watching whitetip sharks, schools of giant snapper and coral gardens.
With the wind direction changing, we motored under dark skies and raindrops to the beachy southeast corner to hook up with some other friends and check out this part of the island paradise. The rose sand, our friends and their kids, epic spearfishing, bonfires and tasty coconut crabs have been keeping us entertained and well-fed.
Stay tuned and until then...Namaste
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuamotu Noel
My calendar can't possible be right - is Christmas really only a few days away! It feels like a million miles from now in these tropical atolls. But we've heard joyous holiday singing in the churches and seen a few sparkling decorations adorning coconut trees, so there can be no mistake - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
We had an incredible visit with our good friend Sam and were sad to see him go as he thumbed a ride across the Fakarava lagoon a few weeks ago, bound for good surf and great times in Tahiti and Moorea.
Our days have been one awesome experience, adventure and dive after another, and they all seemed to blur into a sweet montage of life under and above water. The southern pass of Fakarava (16'31"S, 145'27"W) is a "10" - hands down - phenomenal diving, easy fishing, kiteboarding off a nearby motu, fires on the beach, dinners with other cruisers from Pacific Bliss, Aquamente and Dream Time, and picture perfect surroundings.
The activity underwater continues to amaze and astound us. The scuba expeditions opens our eyes to the staggering volume and variety of sealife in the Tuamotu's. After spending so much time down there, I've witnessed an awesome display of fish, shark and ray behavior. The giant Napolean wrasses (2-5 feet in length) have big searching eyes that nervously and constantly scan the waters. Titan and yellow-margin triggerfish appear agitated by human and other fish presence near their holes. Rainbow, painted and silver parrotfish school together and noisily munch the coral. The bright orange clown fish aggressively protect their beloved anemone, while firefish hover in tight spaces, seeming to protect everything else from their poisonous sticks. Bicolor cleaning wrasses are efficient, like a drive-thru car wash, and courageous as they service and clean the gills and scales of the resident sharks, big groupers, and even massive dog-tooth tunas. Amidst the massive gray reef shark parade in Fakarava's south channel, a few blackfin and silvertip sharks meandered through the neighborhood.
The uninhabited and national park reserve of Tahanea, just 55 miles southeast of Fakarava (16'50"S, 144'41"W), provided Namaste and our Dutch friends on Aquamente with another playground. The eastern coast of this picturesque atoll boasts three passes within a couple miles. Upon our arrival, we were escorted by a pod of gigantic bottle-nosed dolphins, who were quick to take advantage of our bow wake.
Most of our diving explored the north pass in search of mantas. We had two spottings, one underwater and one on the surface, but not nearly as much as we hoped. There must be some successful shark breeding there, as we spotted 20-30 baby grey sharks in the pass, as well as a group of 5-6 tiny blacktips inside a protected lagoon, both an unusual sight. On the drift dive into the lagoon, we passed over massive branching coral gardens that house and hide schools of yellowtail dascyllus, damselfish and tangs.
The south pass is shallow, perfect for a drift snorkel, and filled with jacks and snappers. The atoll was populated within the last 10 years, and a few rustic fishing camps, a shell-adorned church, and a couple graves line the shores of this channel.
Near our middle-pass anchorage, two local families from nearby Faaite were on holiday. Hard to believe they'd leave their island paradise to voyage there but I guess everyone needs to "get away." They were busy collecting sea cucumbers, which are eventually shipped to Japan, as well as other more edible island delicacies - the kaveu crab and lobsters. They shared these delicious crustaceans, which they hunt at night on the motus (crab) and in the surf just outside the reefs (lobster). The coconut-eating kaveu is an incredibly prehistoric-looking creature with a head, tail, and legs that resemble a lobster, surrounding the body of a crab. It's shells are tinged with red and blue, and two giant pinchers actually rip open the tough nuts, their diet producing super sweet delicate meat. It's indescribably delicious. The spiny lobsters were chopped up and tossed in a chipotle cream sauce with the last of our zucchini.
During our Tahanea visit the wind shifted to the north, a very rare direction, and amped up to 10-15 knots creating an uncomfortable wind chop in our anchorage. We hauled the hook and motored seven miles to the calm northeast corner of the atoll, where we spent a few days swimming, paddling and snaring coconuts. I had an improbable experience at the nearby motu one day while I was collecting shells and meandering along the rugged coastline. A small swallow appeared from under a bush and appeared interested and very unafraid. I dropped to my knees and held out my hand, and the bird almost jumped in it!
Tahanea is also home to the very rare, insect-eating Tuamotu sandpiper. It's believed there are less than 200 mating pairs left. The island also boasts thousands of resident boobies and frigates, especially Motu Manu near the western edge of the lagoon, where they gather, nest, hunt, and circle above.
After a blissful 10 days in Tahanea, we returned to Fakarava for one more south pass dive, before heading to the thriving metropolis of Rotoava. We reconnected with some friends we'd met in Rangiroa this past April, who are currently working on a dive-carter catamaran. We lived it up in the "city" - eating poisson cru with locals, riding bikes along the paved road, diving at the north pass with our friends, drinks on their boat, and an authentic, outdoor Austral massage from a new friend, Teavai. I don't know if it was incredibly scented oil, the ocean breeze, the wind chimes, or Teavai's amazing touch, but it was a special experience.
On Monday, with a fridge full of beer and a few fresh veggies, we sailed 13 miles back to barely populated Toau (15'59"S, 145'53"W) and anchored in the southeast corner. We dinghyed over to the close partially sandy motu, disturbing two, 7-foot sleeping sharks that were resting in the shallow waters. The island is teeming with incredible shells, but most are home to the thousands of hermit crabs that make the coral beaches move under your gaze. There are little colonies gathered under big rocks, hiding from their ferocious aerial predators.
While it sounds like all play and no work, I haven't gotten to the part yet where Chris has spent 4-5 days in the past three weeks elbow-deep in watermaker grease. The shaft and pulley are damaged and Chris has been jumping into his Macguyver suit to fix it without the proper parts or tools. We've been fortunate with fill-ups from our friends, but we're on rations and trying to run the testy machine as little as possible. Freshwater is scarce in this part of the world, with very little to no ground water on the motus that line the lagoon. On top of that, it's been unusually dry during this normally rainy season and locals have been struggling without rainwater to fill their cisterns. We've had some relief from the unrelenting sun the past few days as squalls are rolling across the ocean and dumping huge amounts of rainfall, while atmospheric heat lightening lights up the ominous clouds above. Chris also fastened a sweet-rain catcher by inverting our front awning to help keep our tanks topped off.
We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and fun New Year's! We'll be missing and thinking of you all! We're home to Tahoe on January 5th for our first winter in four years - brrrr. Oh, and I asked Santa for Sierra snow, so we should be good.
Manuia! (cheers in Tahitian)
We had an incredible visit with our good friend Sam and were sad to see him go as he thumbed a ride across the Fakarava lagoon a few weeks ago, bound for good surf and great times in Tahiti and Moorea.
Our days have been one awesome experience, adventure and dive after another, and they all seemed to blur into a sweet montage of life under and above water. The southern pass of Fakarava (16'31"S, 145'27"W) is a "10" - hands down - phenomenal diving, easy fishing, kiteboarding off a nearby motu, fires on the beach, dinners with other cruisers from Pacific Bliss, Aquamente and Dream Time, and picture perfect surroundings.
The activity underwater continues to amaze and astound us. The scuba expeditions opens our eyes to the staggering volume and variety of sealife in the Tuamotu's. After spending so much time down there, I've witnessed an awesome display of fish, shark and ray behavior. The giant Napolean wrasses (2-5 feet in length) have big searching eyes that nervously and constantly scan the waters. Titan and yellow-margin triggerfish appear agitated by human and other fish presence near their holes. Rainbow, painted and silver parrotfish school together and noisily munch the coral. The bright orange clown fish aggressively protect their beloved anemone, while firefish hover in tight spaces, seeming to protect everything else from their poisonous sticks. Bicolor cleaning wrasses are efficient, like a drive-thru car wash, and courageous as they service and clean the gills and scales of the resident sharks, big groupers, and even massive dog-tooth tunas. Amidst the massive gray reef shark parade in Fakarava's south channel, a few blackfin and silvertip sharks meandered through the neighborhood.
The uninhabited and national park reserve of Tahanea, just 55 miles southeast of Fakarava (16'50"S, 144'41"W), provided Namaste and our Dutch friends on Aquamente with another playground. The eastern coast of this picturesque atoll boasts three passes within a couple miles. Upon our arrival, we were escorted by a pod of gigantic bottle-nosed dolphins, who were quick to take advantage of our bow wake.
Most of our diving explored the north pass in search of mantas. We had two spottings, one underwater and one on the surface, but not nearly as much as we hoped. There must be some successful shark breeding there, as we spotted 20-30 baby grey sharks in the pass, as well as a group of 5-6 tiny blacktips inside a protected lagoon, both an unusual sight. On the drift dive into the lagoon, we passed over massive branching coral gardens that house and hide schools of yellowtail dascyllus, damselfish and tangs.
The south pass is shallow, perfect for a drift snorkel, and filled with jacks and snappers. The atoll was populated within the last 10 years, and a few rustic fishing camps, a shell-adorned church, and a couple graves line the shores of this channel.
Near our middle-pass anchorage, two local families from nearby Faaite were on holiday. Hard to believe they'd leave their island paradise to voyage there but I guess everyone needs to "get away." They were busy collecting sea cucumbers, which are eventually shipped to Japan, as well as other more edible island delicacies - the kaveu crab and lobsters. They shared these delicious crustaceans, which they hunt at night on the motus (crab) and in the surf just outside the reefs (lobster). The coconut-eating kaveu is an incredibly prehistoric-looking creature with a head, tail, and legs that resemble a lobster, surrounding the body of a crab. It's shells are tinged with red and blue, and two giant pinchers actually rip open the tough nuts, their diet producing super sweet delicate meat. It's indescribably delicious. The spiny lobsters were chopped up and tossed in a chipotle cream sauce with the last of our zucchini.
During our Tahanea visit the wind shifted to the north, a very rare direction, and amped up to 10-15 knots creating an uncomfortable wind chop in our anchorage. We hauled the hook and motored seven miles to the calm northeast corner of the atoll, where we spent a few days swimming, paddling and snaring coconuts. I had an improbable experience at the nearby motu one day while I was collecting shells and meandering along the rugged coastline. A small swallow appeared from under a bush and appeared interested and very unafraid. I dropped to my knees and held out my hand, and the bird almost jumped in it!
Tahanea is also home to the very rare, insect-eating Tuamotu sandpiper. It's believed there are less than 200 mating pairs left. The island also boasts thousands of resident boobies and frigates, especially Motu Manu near the western edge of the lagoon, where they gather, nest, hunt, and circle above.
After a blissful 10 days in Tahanea, we returned to Fakarava for one more south pass dive, before heading to the thriving metropolis of Rotoava. We reconnected with some friends we'd met in Rangiroa this past April, who are currently working on a dive-carter catamaran. We lived it up in the "city" - eating poisson cru with locals, riding bikes along the paved road, diving at the north pass with our friends, drinks on their boat, and an authentic, outdoor Austral massage from a new friend, Teavai. I don't know if it was incredibly scented oil, the ocean breeze, the wind chimes, or Teavai's amazing touch, but it was a special experience.
On Monday, with a fridge full of beer and a few fresh veggies, we sailed 13 miles back to barely populated Toau (15'59"S, 145'53"W) and anchored in the southeast corner. We dinghyed over to the close partially sandy motu, disturbing two, 7-foot sleeping sharks that were resting in the shallow waters. The island is teeming with incredible shells, but most are home to the thousands of hermit crabs that make the coral beaches move under your gaze. There are little colonies gathered under big rocks, hiding from their ferocious aerial predators.
While it sounds like all play and no work, I haven't gotten to the part yet where Chris has spent 4-5 days in the past three weeks elbow-deep in watermaker grease. The shaft and pulley are damaged and Chris has been jumping into his Macguyver suit to fix it without the proper parts or tools. We've been fortunate with fill-ups from our friends, but we're on rations and trying to run the testy machine as little as possible. Freshwater is scarce in this part of the world, with very little to no ground water on the motus that line the lagoon. On top of that, it's been unusually dry during this normally rainy season and locals have been struggling without rainwater to fill their cisterns. We've had some relief from the unrelenting sun the past few days as squalls are rolling across the ocean and dumping huge amounts of rainfall, while atmospheric heat lightening lights up the ominous clouds above. Chris also fastened a sweet-rain catcher by inverting our front awning to help keep our tanks topped off.
We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and fun New Year's! We'll be missing and thinking of you all! We're home to Tahoe on January 5th for our first winter in four years - brrrr. Oh, and I asked Santa for Sierra snow, so we should be good.
Manuia! (cheers in Tahitian)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuamotu's with Sam
Locals bounty for Sunday feast in Faaite
Our Faaite tour guides
Speared marbled grouper, tastes like sea bass
The captain and the admiral
Chris livin' the life
Blacktips circling the paddleboard
Our 'Dreamtime' friends, Catherine and Neville
Sam, doing what he does best
Clams before they see me
Perch perching on the coral
Shark parade in Fakarava
Shallow waters in Fakarava channel
Giant Napolean cruising
Good friend, great times
The sweetest tasting, coconut Kaveu crab
Island paradise - oh yes!
Hiding hermit crab
Friday, November 18, 2011
Fantastic Fakarava
Just when you think it can't possibly be any more beautiful than the last atoll, Fakarava has to go and blow everything else out of the water.
After a month sailing just the two of us, Namsate welcomed a new crew member on Monday when we picked up our great friend Sam from Cape Cod.
Bike riding has been an unexpected surprise at this atoll, which boasts 26 km of paved roads, a veritable freeway in this part of the world. The locals have been incredibly friendly, and we've been busy riding around town meeting people, shopping at the tiny markets, and searching for farms to sell us some fresh veggies. Sunset cruises capped off our days when we anchored off the village of Rotoava.
But we've truly been mesmerized by what's underneath the sparkling blue waters of Fakarava. We sailed to the southern pass on Tuesday and hooked onto a mooring right in the channel. The local dive shop jokingly promises "if you don't see a shark, dives are free," but they're not losing their shirt on that guarantee. This place is a veritable playground for hundreds of gray reef sharks. Immediately after dropping in we witnessed the shark parade, a procession of them slowly carving their way through the channel. Hundreds of glasseyes, unicorn fish, paddletail snapper, and bluelined snapper schooled around us as Chris and I checked out the show. Giant Napoleans swam their slow circles, while parrotfish fed hungrily on the reef. A massive, blacksaddle coral grouper cozied under a head for a wrasse cleaning.
At any given time, many sharks can be spotted swimming around Namaste, feeding off our scraps. Chris and Sam spearfished at a nearby reef and we feasted on marbled grouper.
Paddleboarding in the nearby lagoons has been a dream. Soft breezes keep the coconut palm fronds swishing, and sting rays glide along the shallow waters, their interest piqued by the giant board silently slicing the surface. The shores are ringed with soft, blush-colored sand, a far cry from the rugged, crushed coral typical of these atolls.
Our only issue right now is gasoline. Unfortunately, when the ship arrived from Tahiti last week, it was missing its usual shipment due to a delayed tanker. So we're currently on gas rations and hoping the awesome family that runs the nearby dive shop and pension will be able to sell us a few liters. We dined at the small pension on motu Tetamanu last night and enjoyed several authentic fish dishes and the conversation with some fellow divers.
More diving, snorkeling, exploring, and fishing to come...
-Team Namaste
(Chris, Jess, Sam)
After a month sailing just the two of us, Namsate welcomed a new crew member on Monday when we picked up our great friend Sam from Cape Cod.
Bike riding has been an unexpected surprise at this atoll, which boasts 26 km of paved roads, a veritable freeway in this part of the world. The locals have been incredibly friendly, and we've been busy riding around town meeting people, shopping at the tiny markets, and searching for farms to sell us some fresh veggies. Sunset cruises capped off our days when we anchored off the village of Rotoava.
But we've truly been mesmerized by what's underneath the sparkling blue waters of Fakarava. We sailed to the southern pass on Tuesday and hooked onto a mooring right in the channel. The local dive shop jokingly promises "if you don't see a shark, dives are free," but they're not losing their shirt on that guarantee. This place is a veritable playground for hundreds of gray reef sharks. Immediately after dropping in we witnessed the shark parade, a procession of them slowly carving their way through the channel. Hundreds of glasseyes, unicorn fish, paddletail snapper, and bluelined snapper schooled around us as Chris and I checked out the show. Giant Napoleans swam their slow circles, while parrotfish fed hungrily on the reef. A massive, blacksaddle coral grouper cozied under a head for a wrasse cleaning.
At any given time, many sharks can be spotted swimming around Namaste, feeding off our scraps. Chris and Sam spearfished at a nearby reef and we feasted on marbled grouper.
Paddleboarding in the nearby lagoons has been a dream. Soft breezes keep the coconut palm fronds swishing, and sting rays glide along the shallow waters, their interest piqued by the giant board silently slicing the surface. The shores are ringed with soft, blush-colored sand, a far cry from the rugged, crushed coral typical of these atolls.
Our only issue right now is gasoline. Unfortunately, when the ship arrived from Tahiti last week, it was missing its usual shipment due to a delayed tanker. So we're currently on gas rations and hoping the awesome family that runs the nearby dive shop and pension will be able to sell us a few liters. We dined at the small pension on motu Tetamanu last night and enjoyed several authentic fish dishes and the conversation with some fellow divers.
More diving, snorkeling, exploring, and fishing to come...
-Team Namaste
(Chris, Jess, Sam)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Tout Tuamotus
We spent two weeks in Apataki, a true diamond in the rough. The Eskimos have an unbelievable amount of words to describe snow. I think Puamotuans (people from the Tuamotus) must have as many phrases to distinguish their shades of blue water.
After our splash in, Chris realized a major issue with the water maker/generator, which is vital to our boat life. He spent all day elbow-deep in grease, not exactly the homecoming he was hoping for, but he fixed it.
We explored a massive reef close to the anchorage and the carenage. On our arrival, schools of scissor-tail sergeant and yellowfin goatfish surrounded us, while giant clams shirked at our swim-bys. Ivory hard coral and yellow brain coral dot the reef that is teeming with life.
We've met a few new friends in the carenage (boatyard) and we had drinks with a great couple from Australia, who only learned to sail about a year ago. They crossed the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal earlier this year. Good on them for living their dream!
A walk along the east shore on the ocean side exposed the old, blackened coral that has formed a line against the sea and is littered with pieces of sparkling white crushed coral, that has been left there by the unforgiving waves. Their contrast is shocking and it's hard to believe one came from the other. Thousands of shells of all shapes and sizes adorn this coastline, as does the fisherman's nylon rope and bouys that wash ashore from who knows how far away.
To say this place is remote is an understatement. And it's faraway location and dreamy waters make it a perfect place for us to be.
We were on our way to the north pass Sunday morning, but a large squall detoured our trip. We had caught a nice-looking jack, but were unsure if it was safe to eat or not. Some species carry ciguatera, a nasty endemic disease, and it varies at each atoll, so we went to chat with some locals. In true Polynesian form, we ended up spending the entire day with two incredibly friendly and welcoming couples, Ta vai and Mari, and Julliano and Isabelle. We drank a lot of Hinanos and too much of Ta vai's homemade rum, finally throwing up our hands in defeat around sunset. We feasted on sashimi and rice, and chatted endlessly, sharing our life stories and talking about the beauty of life in Apataki. I think my French gets better the more I drink, and our new friends were trying to make me fluent!
Chris has been busy perfecting his spearfishing and slaying dinner. We love the marbled grouper, which is a flaky, tasty seabass.
Three dives at the north pass rounded out the stay in Apataki. The visibility was incredible and thousands of fish schooled, such as redtooth triggerfish, striated surgeonfish, bluelined snapper and brick soldierfish.
The sail from Apataki to Toau was a light breeze, literally. We traveled at a leisurely pace, and arrived here yesterday afternoon. We're moored in a tightly protected cove on the northwest side of the atoll.
The snorkeling inside the reef was spectacular. The locals have installed several fish traps, and they were teeming with a huge variety of species, an open-lagoon aquarium. Trapped sharks wrecked havoc on the brightly-colored imprisoned fish, quite a sight, a little sad actually.
Today's underwater venture along a massive wall that lines both sides of the pass was gorgeous. Loads of fish and healthy coral was abundant.
After our splash in, Chris realized a major issue with the water maker/generator, which is vital to our boat life. He spent all day elbow-deep in grease, not exactly the homecoming he was hoping for, but he fixed it.
We explored a massive reef close to the anchorage and the carenage. On our arrival, schools of scissor-tail sergeant and yellowfin goatfish surrounded us, while giant clams shirked at our swim-bys. Ivory hard coral and yellow brain coral dot the reef that is teeming with life.
We've met a few new friends in the carenage (boatyard) and we had drinks with a great couple from Australia, who only learned to sail about a year ago. They crossed the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal earlier this year. Good on them for living their dream!
A walk along the east shore on the ocean side exposed the old, blackened coral that has formed a line against the sea and is littered with pieces of sparkling white crushed coral, that has been left there by the unforgiving waves. Their contrast is shocking and it's hard to believe one came from the other. Thousands of shells of all shapes and sizes adorn this coastline, as does the fisherman's nylon rope and bouys that wash ashore from who knows how far away.
To say this place is remote is an understatement. And it's faraway location and dreamy waters make it a perfect place for us to be.
We were on our way to the north pass Sunday morning, but a large squall detoured our trip. We had caught a nice-looking jack, but were unsure if it was safe to eat or not. Some species carry ciguatera, a nasty endemic disease, and it varies at each atoll, so we went to chat with some locals. In true Polynesian form, we ended up spending the entire day with two incredibly friendly and welcoming couples, Ta vai and Mari, and Julliano and Isabelle. We drank a lot of Hinanos and too much of Ta vai's homemade rum, finally throwing up our hands in defeat around sunset. We feasted on sashimi and rice, and chatted endlessly, sharing our life stories and talking about the beauty of life in Apataki. I think my French gets better the more I drink, and our new friends were trying to make me fluent!
Chris has been busy perfecting his spearfishing and slaying dinner. We love the marbled grouper, which is a flaky, tasty seabass.
Three dives at the north pass rounded out the stay in Apataki. The visibility was incredible and thousands of fish schooled, such as redtooth triggerfish, striated surgeonfish, bluelined snapper and brick soldierfish.
The sail from Apataki to Toau was a light breeze, literally. We traveled at a leisurely pace, and arrived here yesterday afternoon. We're moored in a tightly protected cove on the northwest side of the atoll.
The snorkeling inside the reef was spectacular. The locals have installed several fish traps, and they were teeming with a huge variety of species, an open-lagoon aquarium. Trapped sharks wrecked havoc on the brightly-colored imprisoned fish, quite a sight, a little sad actually.
Today's underwater venture along a massive wall that lines both sides of the pass was gorgeous. Loads of fish and healthy coral was abundant.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Polynesian perfection
Well friends and family...we're back!
We've returned to French Polynesia and couldn't be happier to feel the humidity on our skin, and the salt in the air. We flew into Tahiti on Tuesday night and are staying with our great friends, Gilles and Suzi in their ocean-front home. We're here for a few days, Chris is helping Gilles on his catamaran refit, and I'm relaxing. I certainly got the better end of that deal.
We leave for Apataki tomorrow and hopefully Namaste will be floating soon. Our plans are very loose for the next few months. All we know is that we'll be sailing around the Tuamotu's checking out new places we haven't visited before. We'll haul the boat in early January and return to Tahoe for the winter - can't even think about that right now :)
We'll keep everyone posted on our travels.
Lots of love-Chris and Jess
We've returned to French Polynesia and couldn't be happier to feel the humidity on our skin, and the salt in the air. We flew into Tahiti on Tuesday night and are staying with our great friends, Gilles and Suzi in their ocean-front home. We're here for a few days, Chris is helping Gilles on his catamaran refit, and I'm relaxing. I certainly got the better end of that deal.
We leave for Apataki tomorrow and hopefully Namaste will be floating soon. Our plans are very loose for the next few months. All we know is that we'll be sailing around the Tuamotu's checking out new places we haven't visited before. We'll haul the boat in early January and return to Tahoe for the winter - can't even think about that right now :)
We'll keep everyone posted on our travels.
Lots of love-Chris and Jess
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