| Date: | June 14, 2014, 10:17 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 31.59 S, 151 44.46 W |
Had a terrific sail from from Raiatea to Bora Bora today, beam reaching in 12 knots of NE winds. Doesn't get any better! From what we've seen so far, the island of Bora Bora is like "The Road"--upscale hotels in ruins with their grass roofs blown off, mountains of re-bar and rubble on the beach, and people squatting in the remains. It's a sign of the times, and of the French ineptitude in managing their colony. We're anchored next to some great snorkeling reefs and will spend the remainder of our stay in French Polynesia avoiding the jet ski crowd while we wait for a good weather window to sail to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, 540 distant.
| Date: | June 7, 2014, 10:16 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 48.44 S, 150 59.47 W |
At anchor in Avea Bay, southern end of Huahine. Circumnavigated the "Garden Isle" by bike yesterday for Kelsey's birthday. Very nice here, laid back for the Society Islands. We'll be here another few days before setting sail for Raitea, then brief stop at Bora Bora before sailing onward to Tonga and Fiji. Having some battery issues that we need to address in Raitea--voltage dropping dramatically at night hence lack of regular SSB messages...
| Date: | June 3, 2014, 10:13 p.m. |
| SOG (kts): | 7.2 |
| Position: | 17 14.30 S, 150 14.30 W |
Departed Moorea in the late afternoon and are sailing fast for Huahine, 90 miles distant. Perfect conditions tonight, winds 15-20 knots from the E-NE. Moorea was great--lots of hiking in the crater. We got lost in a maze of trails and found an incredible swimming hole under giant ferns and delicious passionfruit. Privateer is blasting along as usual, Monitor steering a true course under the 1st quarter moon.
| Date: | May 31, 2014, 10:12 p.m. |
| Position: | 17 30.47 S, 149 51.05 W |
We've been anchored up in Opanahu Bay, on the north side of Moorea for the past several days. The anchorage is part of a huge sunken volcanic crater. Today Kelsey and I hiked up to the "Belvedere" and around the crater wall and through vast pineapple fields. Palm trees grow below a towering canopy of pines in the forest here--it's a strange juxtaposition. We're about to set sail for Huahine, just 80 miles distant. Anchored here with the Mahina Tiare folks, and also the inventor of Spectra water makers. Both our boat and the Spectra boat have fresh laundry drying on the lifelines, due to our "unlimited" freshwater sources!