Our first visitors
Having friends visit is always exciting, especially when they are the first visitors to your ‘new to us’ catamaran. It is considered a mini break from your general routine, while providing a sense of purpose, not to mention fun.
Preparing the cabin, putting together a meal plan, provisioning, coming up with an itinerary and making sure the heads (toilets) are working are all part of the ritual leading up to the big day. We hired a car so we could buy plenty of wine, go to our three local supermarkets and visit the Italian restaurant for dinner. We were back in the marina getting the battery issue resolved, so timing was perfect. Unbeknownst to Sarah and Matt, Simon was at the airport to greet them and to transport them to the marina. We did end up moving to the mooring just outside of the marina, so after a couple of dinghy trips, they and their luggage were safely on board.
We shortly departed for ‘on the reef’ anchorage, about a 1.5nm motor. A shallow 2.5 meter anchorage in turquoise water. The perfect spot to enjoy a local Tahitian welcome drink and swim. Maybe I might have gone a little heavy-handed on the welcome drink, as I didn’t realise the mixer also had a hefty alcohol content. When added to a solid pour of local rum, it more or less put everyone to sleep…well, maybe not quite, but a swim was definitely the order of the day.
The following day, we motored across to the southern bay of Taha’a and picked up a pearl farm mooring. Arriving at the pearl farm, they demonstrated how they grow and harvest black pearls and how to identify the different types of pearls and their quality. Then it was down to business. We had been there previously and had to collect my Mum’s 80th birthday present, a beautiful baroque bracelet. Simon bought me a lovely black pearl pendant for my birthday. Sarah treated herself to a pearl necklace. Happy with our purchases, we set out to find baguettes for lunch. Sadly, the bakery was closed; it's only open from 8 to 9 a.m. Be on time… so we decided to walk to the vanilla farm. On the way, we were stopped by some locals chopping coconuts, who offered us a slice of the fleshy coconut meat. We continued to the vanilla farm and had a tour of the property and process. Sarah bought a small jar of vanilla, and we purchased their homemade ice cream and enjoyed them in the shade. Just as we were about to leave, we were offered some homemade chocolate cake to share. The hospitality of the locals has always been welcoming and helpful.
The afternoon was all about cooling off and enjoying the beautiful bay. The lilos were inflated and the drinks served. Lilo time was a daily event that we looked forward to after a hard day of snorkelling, eating and relaxing.
The next day was Matt’s birthday. Before heading up the island, the boys headed to shore for baguettes. Arriving early to ensure we didn’t miss out, they were the first to arrive and were rewarded with piping-hot baguettes straight from the oven. After a feast of warm banquettes, we slipped the mooring and headed north. As there are now fewer places to anchor in Taha’a, we headed to a bay with one available mooring. After doing a little dance for the mooring gods, we rounded the corner and discovered the mooring to be free. After ensuring we were secured, we got our snorkelling gear and took the dinghy across the channel to the coral garden. Not only were there more tourists than last time, but the current also seemed much stronger as you floated over the lovely coral and a large variety of fish. Too bad if you wanted to take a closer look at something.
After a very entertaining snorkel, we headed back to Felis. With about 100 meters to go, the outboard conked out. You guessed it, we had run out of fuel. Ken from Water Magic was onto it and promptly came to our rescue. Fortunately, we had oars, so we managed to get back to Felis without assistance. We then put on our best boat clothes, opened a bottle of champagne to toast Matt’s birthday, and went to a lovely tapas restaurant located over the water. The food and cocktails were fabulous, and the French rosé went down too well. We then stopped at the rum distillery to sample their offerings. To finish off the day, we popped over to Ken and Caroline's for sundowners before enjoying pizza back on board Felis.
The next morning, we once again dropped the mooring and pointed Felis in the direction of Bora Bora. It was the perfect day, except there was no wind. Simon did put the main up for a photo opportunity. We motored the 26nm to Bora with the sun shining and the sea gleaming. Bora looked spectacular with her jutting mountain peak surrounded by turquoise water. There is no doubt she is one of the most beautiful islands, and she was on display in all her glory.
We wove our way to the Toopua mooring field and had our pick of the moorings, as there were only two other boats. We were all keen to embrace the crystal-clear waters of this pristine island, and after a docking totty, we all enjoyed a well-earned swim.
The notable highlight of the trip was, without a doubt, snorkelling with the manta rays. The cruising App, No Foreign Land, stated that only a few people had successfully seen the mantas at this cleaning station. We rose early to take the dingy (Kitty) around the point, with extra fuel on hand, to arrive before the tourist boats. My expectations were low, but the site had good snorkelling, so I was hoping I wouldn’t be too disappointed.
The thing about leaving early on a dingy trip around a reef is that the sun is low, and you can’t see what's under the water. It is also a good idea to look at your charts to identify where the channel is before you head off. In our excitement to be on our way, we might not have checked the route, resulting in a shortcut over the reef and needing to use the oars to push ourselves off. Not the greatest of starts, but what nature had orchestrated for us was worth it.
Simon found a sandy patch to anchor the dingy, and everyone jumped into the water. We swam the few meters to the shelf. I was enjoying the fish and the coral when something large and graceful glided out of the darkness. I was several meters from the others, and no one heard me scream ‘MANTA’ through my snorkel. I looked up to see if the others had just seen the manta before it had disappeared into the deep blue. We didn’t have to wait long until we had a couple of mantas appear and frolic around a coral head. We observed them for about 20 minutes before the first tourist boat arrived. Although we knew it was time to go, it was hard to say goodbye to these beautiful alien-like creatures that were happily feeding just several meters from us.
Another highlight that I sadly missed was swimming with a fever of eagle rays. In my excitement of giving our rubbish to the local authorities who come to the back of the boat to collect it, I didn’t time the wash from his boat very well. As I got in, I went one way, and the dinghy went the other. After being completely submerged, glasses and all, I decided to stay on Felis and nurse my ego. Si went to collect Sarah and Matt, who were snorkelling on the channel reef, when a couple of tourist boats stopped nearby and dropped off snorkellers. We had read that the fever of rays could be seen in the vicinity, and fortunately, the tourist boat did the hard work of locating them. They were a far distance down, but it was another thing for them to tick off their bucket list.
Sarah and Matt treated us to a very special lunch at the Bora Bora Yacht Club. It was Good Friday, so I was surprised they were open. We motored Felis across the channel to the yacht club mooring field and successfully picked up a mooring. Lunch was fabulous, with a round of cocktails to start, entrées, fish mains, crème brûlée to share, and espresso martinis to finish. Simon abstained as he had to get us back to Felis. Good thing, as we decided to head back to the shallow Toopua moorings for an afternoon swim. Matt and Sarah’s visit was coming to an end, and we wanted to make the most of our time together. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and two days later, we were back at the Yacht Club, waving them goodbye.
We stayed an extra night in Bora Bora. Treated ourselves to lunch at the yacht club after we did a quick provisioning trip to the next bay. As always, we had boat jobs to do and had to head back to Raiatea and the marina to get the battery controller fixed. We also had to start planning for Simon’s passage to Fiji. Albeit several weeks away, it would be upon us in no time, and there was plenty to do.
