Tahiti-Taha’a and a birthday
1626| 17 32.38’N 149 34.20’W
In-Port
Leg 6 crew are on board and ready to go see some islands! With new regulations in French Polynesia that require booking anchorages (I’m all for this idea as it protects the reef, but it would be nice if it was on a website that works more than 12% of the time), we’re having to be slightly more regimented than the ideal of moseying around and popping in wherever looks nice. That being said we have quite an exciting itinerary ahead of us.
As the intrepid crew we are, we’ve decided to forgo the well know Bora Bora in favour of exploring some of the other less famous islands- namely Taha’a and Huanine. Today we’ll set off for Taha’a once we’ve finished safety briefings. I was initially nervous of the crews reaction for the incinerate proposed- this is after all the Tahiti- Bora Bora cruising trip. However the allures of a drift coral snorkel, manta ray feeding station and vanilla farms available from the anchorage at Tapuamu bay was met with very positive reactions.
The wind, as seems the usual on my passages, isn’t playing ball with us. It’s looking like those lovely east trade winds and deciding they’d like to come from the NW today, i.e. exactly where we want to go. It’s a chance to dig our upwind sail out of the locker though and give it some fresh air. A first for all of us on board! The trade winds do immediately plan on switching back to their normal direction once we’ve arrived, so lucky us get even more upwind sailing when we make our way back in a couple of days!
Happy birthday to Maddie today!
Mary
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Shooting Stars & Turtle Logs
Day three out of Ketchikan and FALKEN is running wing on wing down the outside of Vancouver Island. The temptation is to lie back in the cockpit and spend the night watching for shooting stars, but a diligent watch is always the first priority. So we keep a sharp eye out while the shooting stars keep us company through the night. The wildlife keeps coming: humpback and minke whales, five mola molas, dolphins, and a black-footed albatross. We are all feeling lucky for such conditions!
Pot dodging and whale watching
Duncan got us up to eleven knots at one point! The Ferriers also logged our first Orca sighting on their 3am-6am watch! This morning is a gift as the temps are just right and we finally have some blue sky and plenty of sunshine. It was a glorious few hours sailing before it inevitably died as forecast. I live in hope that by sunset tonight we’ll be back sailing as we emerge out of the lee of the island and the wind will be more westerly which lends itself to a better sailing angle.
We are off!
After two days of introductions, safety briefings and boat procedures we have departed Ketchikan. We are currently making a whopping 3.3 knots as there is very little wind in Nichols Passage. Adam fed us well last night with a delicious shrimp curry and Duncan was the winner of a sporty game of the card version Monopoly. With the scenic views and light wind it's quite peaceful out here.