See Previous 2005 Voyage Logs

Sailing through Tuamotu atolls, French Polynesia
V216 Easter Island to Tahiti - the Voyage continues ... here is Marita's Log.

Archipel des Tuamotas

The Tuamotus consists of 78 atolls all but two being coral atolls. They extend almost 1000 miles in NW-SE direction and are said to be the ”Low and Dangerous” archipelago. This drives from their low-lying character which allows them only to be seen within 8 NM from the topgallant yard. To enter each atoll one must pass through a narrow passage where the current can be strong, such that eddies and overfalls and breaking waves can be evident. Soren enters at slack or with the flow in daylight when the sun is high and visibility of coral heads is at it´s greatest.

Atoll Kauehi
Atoll Kauehi lies 24 miles NE of Fakarava, and is a very green atoll with palm trees, the entire atoll is very low. We anchored off the small village Tearovers. The village consisted of a church and ´a shop.` Children playing and a roosters crow could be heard whilst I painted aloft admiring the view. Tiny shacks on stilts housing pearl farming equipment were spotted around the outer edges of the coral reef. On the second day we weigh anchor and moved to the mouth of the pass to make a snorkelling trip. White and black tipped sharks, black stripped sea snakes, and an array of tropical fish were spotted. Astrid, Eddie and Fred tried their hand at windsurfing with a few rescue operations required! Jim showed us all how it was done, managing to sailboard in his sarong without getting wet and parked the board directly alongside, such skill!! Voyage crew and crew worked along side to unbend the fore course sail for a minor repair. Leechlines, sheets, buntlines, clewlines, and robands detached and the enormous sail brought to the deck. The sail makers loft set up amidships for the morning and made ready for the 12 to 4 bend back on.

Atoll Fakarava
French Polynesia boasts some of the best dive sites in the world. The coral cliffs of the atolls of the tuamotus are alive, thriving with an array of marine life. Warm waters, clear skies and an array of colourful marine life to feast your eyes on make for fantastic snorkelling and scuba dives. Voyage crew Christian from Germany and myself took the opportunity at the second largest atoll, Fakarava to take a couple of dives. Our morning dive was on the atoll shelf to a depth of 28 meters. As we headed out through the pass to the ocean, speeding along at an exhilarating rate in out 200 horse powered tender, we were halted by a large pod of dolphins. Everyone aboard scrambled in a mad hurry to skin their wetsuits, strap on their masks and air bottles to get in and witness this wonder. We all managed to catch a glimpse but the pod was fast moving and left us all in their wake.

Cookie Dave joined us for the afternoon dive and was definately not disappointed. On arrival we spotted a Giant Manta Ray on the surface, this time we jumped in with snorkel and mask to watch this graceful creature glide through the water with its mouth gaping widely to catch crustacean and small fish. Giant Manta Rays occasionally leap out of the water and fall back with a spectacular splash and a thunderous clap. After several minutes we jumped aboard again to prepare for our drift dive. Our drift dive was spectacular, the current took us through the pass and into the lagoon, a journey that took us through large schools of fish, pass sea sponges and the odd roving shark. At one point I was surrounded by a large school of fish which remained stationary until two large white tipped sharks swam through the basin and cleared them on their way. Our dive master had to disturbed a sleepy white tipped shark from it’s slumber.

The underwater world is akin to a busy street in a major city, swarming with people of different shapes, colours and sizes. It never ceases to amaze me that we have developed technology which enables us to breath underwater!!! Looking up towards the surface from 35 meters can be quite overwhelming!

The sleepy village of Rotoava lies along a very narrow strip of land with a small but warm and friendly population. A new post office, wharf lined with street lamps, a bar and two churches are spread out along the waterfront. Day and night, children play ball in the middle of the street, cyclist pass you by with a hello and motor scooters with a wave. Whilst some were out diving or snorkelling others were in the bars! VC Lee celebrated her birthday in style with Paul, Christine and veteran VC Audrey at the newly constructed Hotel with Bar Mai Tai. Drinking almost every cocktail on the menu at this idyllic bar placed at the end of a rickety old jetty, Lee came back wondering if she could have spent her birthday in any a better fashion. Later the celebrations continued aboard with a delicious meal prepared by Lucinda. That evening we hoisted the mainsail, weighed anchor and set sail for Apataki just 70NM from Fakarava.

Atoll Apataki

The morning before arriving into Apataki we bent off the fore course to mend the clew of the sail. Peter, Carol, Paul and myself enjoyed the warm air, clear blue skies and spectacular view as we approached Atoll Apataki whilst we worked away at the course. After a beautiful sail from Fakarava we dropped anchor inside Apataki and spent the day snorkelling, exploring the deserted coral atoll and later searching for firewood for that evenings BBQ. Dave and Kenny dished up some BBQ delights given their skill with a pair of tongs and couple of sausage on a hotplate over an open fire.

We shall be visiting Tuamotus again during the Easter Island to Tahiti 2006 voyage - see Schedule here