2122UTC | 16 47.52’S 151 00.50’W
Anchored, EXPLORING
We’re slightly behind on blogs - we’ve been busy!
Phoebe did not lie in her previous post as we did wake up and packed today to feel like an entire week of adventuring. We woke up in peaceful Baie Tapuamu in Taha’a, stuffed our electric, yet mighty dingy with all eleven of us, and puttered over to an alleged manta ray cleaning station. The water was rather cloudy, and some of us were convinced we might not see much that day, however the coral reef was nice enough for a paddle and we were quite quickly rewarded with a prolonged visit from two manta rays (alongside their trusty ramoras), a quick glimpse of 5 eagle rays diving below the pelagic zone, and plenty of brain coral, groupers and damselfish. Since that wasn’t enough fun we came back to the boat where a treasure hunt for Mary and Phoebe began. They were impressed with some of my hiding spots so that’s all you need to know about that.
After a glorious snack session orchestrated by Big Chickpea Mafia (who I am sure is paying Mary big bucks for her to promote hummus to everyone she meets on board) we puttered over to a world renowned floating coral garden nearby, where we were immediately greeted by a stingray. We walked across the beach towards the channel from where the current rips you across “bushes” and gorgeous lumps of coral. Some of it was overgrown and bleached which was quite sad, but most of it was in pretty good shape. Nemo fans went a bit mad as there were quite a few clown fish in the sea anemones. The vibrant Giant Pacific clams and Guineafowl pufferfish were a personal favorite of mine and Kates, while Maddie was quite mesmerized by a reef octopus (perfectly camouflaged as a rock — not sure how he spotted it). The octopus was trying to get a bite at the coral reef conveyer belt buffet so Maddie stayed still trying to watch it, but because he stood so perfectly still for so long people kept going up to him to ask if he was okay, so I am not sure the octopus ate much once we found it, but grateful Maddie shared his discovery with us.
While the fish and coral were outstanding, what I really need to get out into the world is that ASMR is missing out on underwater noises. I did not foresee enjoying listening to parrot fish munching on corals as much as I did, but some of us spent quite a bit of time doing that as well. This was a top 3 snorkeling destinations for all the divers on board and we pretty much had the corridor to ourselves which was incredible. We were a bit gloomy Mary had to be onboard harassing the watermaker, but she also managed to make us all delightful poke bowls for dinner because she is perfect Mary of all trades and captain of all.
Andreea Didconu
View more passage logs
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.