Tuamotus, French Polynesia ( Leg 9)

( 1^st to 25th October 2022)

On the 30^th September, we discovered that 2 of our oncoming crew, Claudia and Michael, had been affected by airport firefighter strikes in the islands and so would not be able to fly into Makemo to meet us as planned on the 2nd. Merche, Javier and Marc flew in on the 28^th, so they were there ready, waiting and very excited to join us on the 1^st. As always on the first day onboard, there was a lot of orientating, information giving and explaining required and then we had the chore of provisioning. Doing this in the atolls is not easy as the stores are not always very well stocked and are very small, so shopping in a group can be quite chaotic. Once the provisions had been put away, the rest of the day was spent onboard, getting to know each other. Whilst we waited for word from Claudia and Mike about whether they would make it to Makemo by the 4^th, we moved down to the East of the atoll (where we went with our last crew) for the prettier surroundings and shortly after arriving, Javier and Marc volunteered to clean the hulls! Once it became clear it wouldn’t be possible for Claudia and Michael to meet us in this atoll, we set sail for Tahanea at 17.00 on the 3rd with Claudia and Michael making plans to join us later in Fakarava.

The sail was fast, wet and wild, with winds gusting to 28 knots at times. We reduced sails a few times to slow our speed and make things more comfortable and we still arrived 6 hours ahead of schedule at 05.50, traversing the pass easily and without issue. The “boys” went ashore to check out one of the Motus whilst Merche and Ally relaxed after the night sail. The first couple of days here remained very windy and cloudy and we had very regular heavy downpours which are great for washing Imagination down (and Merche’s hair!) after such bouncy crossings, but not so good for exploring or snorkelling so everyone took time to sleep, read, listen to music etc. The sun returned the following day, so we were able to go ashore for some shell hunting and snorkelling. Tahanea is a heritage site and is uninhabited, making it a fabulous seabird sanctuary. Whilst wondering around the lagoons and inlets, we saw many Noddy nests, low in the branches of the small trees growing there and each had one single egg in it – imagine if we had come in a week or 2 weeks time. We may have seen the little chicks! Marc and Shawn went snorkelling and came across a group of 5 sharks ( black tipped reef and Grey reef) and witnessed them chomp a large grouper within just a few metres, which was a great ( if not slightly unnerving) experience.

The overnight sail to Fakarava on the 7^th October was far more settled than the previous sail and we had a great, easy crossing with the 100nm taking us 19hours 20 minutes. Coming through the pass was an experience though. From outside, we could see a choppy area with calm water to both sides so we proceeded in, but we soon discovered that the outgoing current was massively strong ( around 6 kts) and we were being pushed sideways into the choppy standing waves and we were basically standing still with both motors at 2000rpm. In order to increase our forward motion we let out the headsail and let nature give us a helping hand. The great thing about moving through so slowly is that we ( well, some of us, others were busy battling currents etc!) got to enjoy the spectacle of spinner dolphins playing in the standing waves, using the strong current to keep them in position – a little like the Flowrider surf machines. We made it through with no further issues and did the 2 hour motor across the atoll to the village of Rotoava in sporadic heavy rain showers, putting the anchor down as it cleared at 08.10

Claudia and Michael joined us at around 09.45. They had been onboard with Shawn through the Panama Canal, so are familiar with the yacht etc so they settled in quickly while some of us rested after the night sail. Later in the afternoon, we all went ashore to organise a Nothern pass dive and then to eat dinner. The dive was done the following day by all but Merche and Ally and on the 10^th, we headed West across the atoll to gorgeous Motu Teheko which has a lagoon and where we spent several very relaxed hours. This is an area where tourists come across on speedboats and spend time at the lagoon before having lunch and moving on to another area. Luckily, the small group that were there when we arrived left very soon after so we had the place to ourselves and it was stunning…so peaceful and beautiful. Everyone set about doing their own explorations – Shawn and I gathered coconuts during our beach stroll and everyone was able to enjoy coconut water and then the type of coconut we love – very soft, sweet and almost jelly like….delicious! We put a couple of the chairs in the water and sat in the crystal clear shallows with fish swimming around our feet and legs – we found out that they really enjoy eating coconut so Shawn sat holding one under the water for them to come and feed on. On the way back to Imagination, Javier spotted Manta Rays a short distance away, so we detoured over to them and all managed to snorkel with them. This was Ally’s first time actually in the water close to them, having seen them from afar in the Caribbean and from above the water here. There is something a little freaky about having such a big gaping mouth coming straight for you, but thankfully they are very aware of their surroundings and change direction quickly. Once back on the yacht, we motored down in a southerly direction to a small motu where we anchored for the night.

The next morning ( 11^th), we continued motoring South and late morning anchored by another small Motu where all but Merche and Michael did a dive before we continued on to Penu in the South of the atoll. With a local operator, Shawn, Michael, Claudia and Marc went for a dive in the morning ( 12^th), returning in the afternoon for a Southern Pass dive. Ally is still fighting to overcome issues and whilst she would have loved to join the others on these dives, she didn’t want to run the risk of spoiling the experience for them if her anxieties got the better of her. When the morning diving group left the boat, Javier and Merche went ashore to have a look around which left Ally onboard alone. In many places we have anchored recently, we have had huge numbers of fish and sharks around us, so she entertained herself by feeding them foodscraps.

We left Fakarava at around 11am on the 13th, going through the Southern Pass with no difficulties and a few hours later we caught a good sized Barracuda ( our first white fish in months) which was served up as a British favourite, Fish ‘n’ Chips, the following evening. The overnight sail was the calmest we have had in a very long time so it was very tranquil and sedate and we arrived outside the pass of the next atoll, Apataki, at 6am. We needed some provisions and so after a rest, most went into the village, Niutahi, where they were given a very warm welcome, sampled some chinese street food prepared by a chinese lady and had the company of around 7-10 children ( aged around 6 to 13) as they walked around before the store opened.

The main trade here, like many of the other atolls, is Pearl Farming and navigating through them is stressful as we have to make sure we don’t get caught up in the hundreds of bouys and long ropes, many of which are hidden under the surface. This atoll is by far the worst yet for bouy/rope hazards and as a consequence, we didn’t move very far, motoring just a mile or so to an area where we could go ashore to swim and explore. We found an abandoned settlement which was really interesting to walk around…..children obviously lived here once as we discovered a broken plastic remote controlled boat and a small spiderman figure who now takes pride of place on our helm wheel haha

Since being in the Tuamotus, we have modified the way we put our anchor and chain out. It’s called “floating” the chain and involves putting bouys or fenders at intervals onto the chain as it goes out. It takes a little more time and effort but is worth it as it limits damage to underlying coral formations and precious ecosystems. There are so many unused and discarded pearl farm bouys on the motu’s, so there is no excuse for not doing it.

Due to the difficulty moving around here, we decided to leave earlier than planned and set off for Tikehau at lunchtime on the 16th. This sail was even quieter than the previous one, with very light winds and sometimes no wind at all. We flew the spinnaker a couple of times, taking it down for safety reasons overnight, but we had at least one engine on for most of the journey which took us 27 hours and 45 minutes ( 125nm). Our crew were very excited when we caught a tuna and they were able to have the freshest sashimi, complete with wasabi and soy sauce! We anchored just off of Motu Piro where we noticed a large catamaran aground on the leeward side and we sat chatting about how it could possibly have ended up there.

After dinner that evening, Shawn noticed how much bioluminescence there was in the water, so we went onto the Starboard sugarscoop to have a look and we then noticed Manta Rays feeding just a few feet away. We were mesmerised by them and spent much of the next hour watching them in the beam of our anchor light with the bioluminescence glowing and lighting up their gills as they looped the loop. Just as we thought it couldn’t get any more exciting, one completely left the water 2-3 feet off the back off the sugarscoop, coming back down and causing an almighty splash which Ally bore the brunt of, closely followed by Marc….what a hilarious privilege, to be splashed by a Manta Ray!!

The following morning, we obviously had to go and check out the cat on the rocks! There was a fishing boat close by and around 5 or 6 guys who were all heading to the yacht, but as we approached, with some taking photos, one in particular became very verbally aggressive, demanding no photos were to be taken and he started coming towards us, so we backed off. It seemed very odd to us that he would be so angry, but several days later, we were told that the captain (the angry man) had been travelling alone and was high on drugs…..how true that is, we do not know. That afternoon, we motored across to Motu Mauu which we had read was a Manta cleaning station and as soon as we saw the day trip boats coming across early the next morning, we all jumped in the water to snorkel, and we weren’t disappointed. We found several Manta’s moving slowly across the reef, allowing the small fish to come up and nibble any parasites from them. They are so beautiful to watch. Afterwards, we visited the village of Tuherahera briefly before heading off to find a nice location for a BBQ on the beach the following day.

We all went ashore ( 20th) to look for a suitable BBQ area and found a ready made place, complete with covered area with tables and chairs and a proper BBQ – it’s another area where local tour boats bring guests for lunch, but luckily, today it wasn’t being used. After spending some time on the beach, we returned to Imagination to collect our bits and pieces to set up camp for the rest of the afternoon. It was a really lovely time with a patonque tournament between Spain, Andorra and Germany ( Germany won!), some great converstion, a few drinks and tasty food!

We returned to the manta cleaning station early the next day so that we could dive with the Mantas, and that is a whole new level of awesome! They swam by us so very closely…within touching distance……..wow…….just wow! We were all totally excited and mind blown by the whole experience. Another one of those things we just cannot put into words.

It was time to leave Tikehau that afternoon and we went through the pass at 17.00. This time we had plenty of wind to help us, but with stronger winds comes bigger waves and this time we were sailing into the wind so it was a rather more noisy, bumpy night which entailed several tacks and sail trims. We arrived at Tiputa, Rangiroa the following morning at 10.35 having gone through the Avatoru Pass and rested before going ashore mid afternoon where we spent time watching dophins leaping about and having fun in the standing waves of Tiputa Pass. We then had a beer with everyone in a nice bar/restaurant overlooking the same area, returning to the boat just as the sun started to set. Rangiroa is one of the bigger, more popular atolls and as such, has a more lively feel about it. It is only the second atoll we have been to in the Tuamotus where we have found somewhere to sit and have a sundowner. They just don’t have bars here, I guess because alcohol is very expensive and very few locals buy it so there is no point in having a bar unless there are many visitors to make it worthwhile.

Claudia and Mike went diving on the morning of the 23rd as they fly out on the 25th and the rest of us went for a great, long snorkel around an island just inside the Tiputa Pass where amongst the “usual” reef dwellers, we saw sharks, many trumpet and cornet fish, vast numbers of Titan and other species of Triggerfish, Giant Pufferfish and a big Napoleon Wrasse. After lunch, we moved back up toward Avatoru, the main village area, to buy fuel and then go for dinner ashore. We all had a great meal together on the final night of this leg. Claudia and Mike left us at around 7am on the 25th to return to Tahiti and onwards to discover other areas and Javier, Merche and Marc left mid morning to go to their accomodation ashore – they will be returning to us for the next leg, along with 3 new crew members 🙂