So arriving in this part of the world was a great relief. Time to relax for a bit……well except for the stresses of living on the boat. She is lovely to live aboard but the maintenance can be hard. It was time to try and fix the puncture in the dinghy especially as our good friends had let us borrow their dinghy whilst they went back to the UK for a few days. Thank you Cuffysark again for your help. The dinghy is essential especially when you are at anchor a lot as obviously it’s the main method to get to shore to explorer and fill up with supplies. So as I write this it’s now the 30 June and the dinghy repair seems impossible. The UV heats the dinghy too much and had melted the original glue along the seams. After the orignal fix, I noticed a huge bubble along the seam, so all the original work I had done had to be undone and it was Caroline’s turn to do a proper job. A few days later this was done and then we had air escaping next to seat where there is a handle. An almost impossible area to repair. We are still trying but are sure that it’s a write off. We thought that buying something that is made by Honda would last a little longer, but hey. We are now searching what’s the best replacement to buy…. And as you can imagine it all depends on how much money you have….. Anything decent seems to be more than double what we paid for ours originally. We will let you know what happens in the end.
So a few days at anchor we travelled a few miles to another bay so that we can go to Lidls to stock up on cheap coke that we have now acquired the taste of. At this point the windlass (the thing that pulls up the anchor) started to not sound perfect. The following day, when we went to anchor in Corfu old town to give back the borrowed tender, the windlass died. So back we went to anchor in Gouvia to try and sort out the problem. Gouvia is the best place to get parts etc. So Anchoring now had to be done by hand like the good old days. The only trouble with this is that we bought the heaviest anchor we could for the boat and we was dropping in heavy mud which meant it didn’t hold brilliantly when the boat turned and when you pull it up it is hugely heavy with so much mud stuck to it. That night when the wind turned, we realised that we were dragging and it had to be pulled up by hand. After a short discussion with the wife it was clear we were going into the marina. It was dark and we got in around 10’ish (pm) I believe. The marina’s are expensive so the next day we went out to anchor again using our other light weight anchor, our fortress. The downside is that we set it using rope rather than chain. This requires further rope out than you would use with chain and also once set the angle into the water is significantly less meaning that there is more chance of passing tourist boats getting stuck on it. After we watch one come too close and was sure they were going to snag we decided to return to the marina again until the windlass was repaired. On the positive side there was an excellent swimming pool for the girls. The windlass issue did make us reflect on the trip as whole as it makes you think of the safety of the whole family but walking down the road has its risk.
We took the windlass apart ourselves and found that the key that locks the motor to the gearbox had come out and damaged a lot of the mechanics. We ordered a new key which took two days to arrive. In this time we got to know the local community a bit better and I am always surprised to meet couples that live in the same village as ourselves in a parallel street. In addition, just one hour before the part arrived, we met 2 guys that were mechanic engineers and experts in fitting our bit. After discussions with them they had fully explained what the problem was and then proceeded to refit everything back together. Thank you so much Terry and Jeromy. Our knights in shining armour.
This trip never seems to surprise us that when times get low and tough and we have problems, like a miracle, someone arrives with generosity that blows you away. This has happened so many times and puts real faith in humanity. Ian from Cuffysark had also waited in Corfu to help fit the part once arrived so a big thank you. Again a relief to have good people around you.
22-6-2019 So now that was working again we set off straight away going south and meet Cuffysark in Petretis. We arrived late at 19:20 after a 19 mile sail. This bay was beautiful anchoring in around 3m’s of clear water. A welcome relief.
23-6-19 We left 08:20 the next morning heading for Preveza, some 51 miles away. This meant skipping the lovely islands of Paxos and anti Paxos and also the bay of Parga where you drive your boat up the beach, jump off the front to set the bow anchor in the sand. We knew the southern Islands were better protected and a little greener. The flotilla season is soon approaching where the area is flooded with many newbee’s at sailing whom charter large boats they can’t handle. That’s far from the truth but is the case in some cases. The 51 mile sail was a unique sail in respect that the wind just continually kept changing strength and direction. Cuffysark behind once was steering the exact same course as us but had all his sails out the opposite side. i.e. the wind blowing 180 degrees from the opposite side. We had no wind, then 20 + knots, then nothing, left, right, left… I must have pulled out our genoa and put it away again around 15 times (slight exaggeration). Preveza was the first time as a family we had to do stern to moorings with our anchor which is very common in this part of the world. This means someone has to drop the anchor at the front and let it out whilst at the back of the boat the crew has to be ready with two lines to tie lines ashore and once done the anchor line is then pulled in tight. In addition to the stress of all that, you also have to make sure you don’t drop your anchor someone else’s. This is a very common thing that happens. If it does it is great fun trying to get them apart…. Luckily we got in perfectly, with no incidents looking like pro’s. My crew is the best you can get.
Now it’s a bit of a small world because whilst being berthed in the spot the two boats either side of us were people we had met before in the years we have now been sailing. Great to see old friends. I must admit I’m not very good at remembering some people but for some reason they hadn’t forgotten me…. Preveza was a really nice place.
25-6-2019 – Preveza to Nidri via the Lefkas Canal. So this trip involves getting to Lefkas and waiting for a bridge to swing open to pass through a canal which is the entrance to the Southern Ionian. So we set off knowing the bridge doesn’t open for long but opens on the hour every hour. We decided that a slow sail there from Preveza should get us there approximately 15 mins early. We set the genoa and it didn’t take long before we were travelling too fast, we had to put away most of the sail and we were still doing 5 knots. Something that most days we would have been happy with if we had all the sails up. We got to the bridge 35 minutes early and the wind had got up to 30 knots, white horses everywhere. The waiting area is very small and hazardous with sandbanks all around. We decided to go back out into the sea and wait out there in very bouncy seas. When we turned to come back in at the due time, we had no sails up, the engine at 1,200 rpm (just above tick over) and we managed 6.1 knots….. we then held station for 3 minutes in a horrible sea until it opened. Keeping a boat perfectly still in 30 knots is a test. No room to move at all. I could feel the wife’s tension all the time….but it opened and through we went with Cuffysark right behind us.
We were the first through the lock and headed down the canal into the Southern Ionian. It was so different with lovely weather, very hot and no wind. We arrived in a bay in Nidri which was stunning and was met by many friends. 7 boats we knew were in the anchorage and made us feel very welcome. CopyCat (Ronny and Karen), We-Dun-It (Dave and Vicki), Songbird (Ingma and Elvyra), Ula (Andy and Clare), Viking (Shelly and Andy), Miss Molly, Lady Eleanor (Emily and Luke) – stern2sailing and of course Cuffysark sailed in with us (Ian and Lorraine).
Emily and Luke are a young couple we had met the previous year on our way down to Gibraltar and run a small Charter company in Nidri. They come from Bury St Edmunds our home town and truly are another example of meeting just truly fantastic individuals. They helped us last year and again their hospitality and kindness goes beyond compare. Thank you so much Luke and Emily for being great friends. As mentioned we meet so many but these 2 get the award for being the youngest and so full of energy. Their drive to make a great business is also admirable. Stern2sailing is their company if you ever need a great sailing experience. Highly recommended.
So at the moment we have sailed off to the Island of Meganisi and back again to Nidri but our focus at present is sourcing a new dinghy. We can then start off again to explore all the Islands. By the way did I tell you how hot it is…….too hot…..I’ll write again soon unless Caroline takes over…
Well Caroline is busy writing up the blog for French Polynesia which should take many months I will try and keep up with the normal daily one. We returned to Licata very tired and had 2 weeks to get back into our normal life. We got the boat ready and we had paid up to the end of the month so we stayed until then. So 1 June and we were off to start another season. Days before you get worried about the worry at being at sea all the time but as you get nearer to leave the excitement starts. Also you prepare the boat as best you can but until you leave do you really find what’s not working, what’s siezed over the winter period and what needed to be replaced. In Licata they say that 50% of the boats that leave comeback again for further work…
01-06-19 Well we left with an easy forecast for a 67nm trip, leaving 8.00am arriving at Porto Paolo 18:00 motor sailing the whole way. This was slightly further than planned as original place had a slight swell so pushed on a few more miles to anchor in the protection of the bay. We were surprised to see Songbird there who had left a few days before us. The forecast for the next day wasn’t perfect and the first days sail was a long one so decided to rest the following day and enjoy the bay. Not a pretty one but well protected.
03-6-19 We decided to sail to Siracuse today. A light breeze in the morning and getting fresher in the afternoon. After receiving a call to hear that our sheds at home had been broken into and recently serviced lawnmower had been stolen we pulled up all sails and stopped the engine to gradually sail along at around 3 knots (very slow) which was enjoyable. Within the hour the wind increased and was sailing along at 6 knots. We arrived in the very big and busy port of Siracuse. The wind was blowing old boots and had to anchor between many boats. Our good old Rochna anchor held well first time so we could relax and have our evening meal. A great sailing day anyway. Songbird who had left the day before was also there together with another boat from Licata, Viking. The following day was spent exploring the town with Songbird by taking the dinghy ashore. On returning to our dinghy we had found someone had stolen all the stainless steel clips on the boat…..in addition we also discovered our 3 year old dinghy had a puncture…one of the seams had come apart… living the dream. Both Songbird and Viking were leaving early heading towards mainland Italy and Corfu. Our plan was to go up the straights of Messina and head for the Volcano Islands north of Sicily before heading for Corfu.
06-06-19 We decided to leave and do a relatively short trip to Brucoli. We called it Broccoli. A light wind day again but managed to sail the whole way and anchored in a small bay beside a fishing town and Castle. From the anchorage we could get a good glimpse of Etna.
07/06/19 Another long sail today of 53.5miles to Naxos Giardini. Light wind was predicted but it was lighter….unfortunately had to engine the whole way. We did try our big blue sail but as soon as it was raised the wind dropped to nothing. A lot of sunshine which was hot….. We found a nice anchorage just of the beach with again lovely views of Etna. The following day was spent enjoying waching the holiday makers on the beach and the girls using the paddle board. Although very hot outside the sea was still cold…. Later that day the bay started to empty of boats except one other. The wind and the waves started to increase dramatically when the other boat started dragging near to us. We were fine but it was a bit uncomfortable with this large swell. So we lifted the anchor and moved the one mile to the other end of the bay which offered a lot more protection from the swell. On looking at the weather for the following week and our plans there was no good weather window to get through the Messina straights and off to Stromboli. Knowing main friends were already in Greece enjoying beautiful sailing we decided to abandon our original plans and head for Corfu.
09-06-19 We decided to leave at 8 am to cross the Messina straights. The forecast was spot on with no wind at all in the beginning 24 knots crossing the straights then nothing when we were hiding behind mainland Italy. The 24 knots on the beam was great for myself and the girls but Mum didn’t like it much. With full sail up the boat was on her side sailing fast with water almost on the sides where we normally walk. Three of us were really grinning but it only lasted for a couple of hours before we had no wind again and anchored off a small village with a sandy beach. 38nm covered. This coastline had nowhere to hide from southerly winds and was quite exposed but luckily it was good and calm every night.
10-06-19 Another long run. 52 miles taking 10 hours. A long run with no wind and a lot of sunshine. Anchored in lovely sandy bay just off the beach.
11-06-19 48 miles to Crotone. Little wind all morning with a small breeze late afternoon. We managed to sail for a bit but the engine was used a lot. Crotone has 4 large gas platforms just off the big port. I managed to sneak into the port just ahead of a military boat. We safely anchored just outside the port antrance in 4m. The sea wasn’t clear so not ideal to swim. The following day we went into the port to fill our diesel tanks and luckily they let us stay on the fuel pontoon as Jessie and Mum went shopping. A story there when they didn’t accept cards only Cash…..We then went out again and anchored outside the bay.
13-06-19 An early start at 7am to do 73nm across the bottom of the shoe of Italy to the heal of the shoe. There was supposed to be wind early on but it didn’t come in until 9 am. Once the breeze came in we could have a leisurely sail all the way across which was a delight. It was funny how we left early in the morning and 3 other boats from that area all left at the same time so we had company all the way. Santa Maria looked a lovely lively place but the anchorage was very small which meant being up all night in the cockpit as we had to anchor close to another boat. The music from the shore didn’t let anyone sleep anyway as a live band was playing. It may have been nice to explore the town but we were off again first thing leaving Italy and heading for Greek waters.
14-06-19 An early start and a miserable looking sky and swelly sea had us all feeling uncomfortable. Strongish winds of 20 knots had reefs in the mainsail and the genoa. The only good thing was we make good speed. We arrived at a small island just off Corfu, Othonio , at 1 pm after doing some 36nm. We anchored on the side of the islands which was protected from wind but later that afternoon the wind rose to 33 knots. Luckily our anchor held. The wind didn’t slow down until the early hours of the morning. This had both Caroline and myself sleeping in the cockpit with the anchor alarm on.
15-6-19 A no wind trip to Corfu. Yes we made it. Thick fog for 2 hours but delighted to arrive. Ian and Lorraine our friends on Cuffysark surprised us by coming out in their boat to greet us. We had wintered in Cartagena with them and also in Licata. So some 446 miles in 15 days. Corfu and the Greek Islands means we can relax a bit more from strong winds and swell as the islands are a lot more protected. The water now was hot enough to swim in which is perfect. Its strange but quite emotional to arrive there.
1/6/2019 Today we left Licata to go to Porto Palo, there was fair wind but we kept the engine on to keep our speed up. It was nice that we left because then we get to see new places, are able to go swimming, sailing and to the beach. We arrived 11 hours later, it was a long long day. As a treat Jessica and I watched a film called Sing and it was very good.
2/6/2019 I woke up and it was calm and sunny with a little breeze Songbird had their anchor caught in-between two rocks so Ingma had to dive down and to free the boat and were leaving to go to Syracuse. Jessica and I put up swings and had fun. We watched two films called princess and the popstar, animal crackers which is highly recommended to all you readers.
3/6/2019 Today was a lovely day to go sailing so we moved from Porto Palo to Syracuse. It took us five hours to get there. At the beginning we sailed at about three knots but later we were making around seven point one knots. Coming into Syracuse we had eight knots and we were flying along, it was gusting around 21 knots of wind as we came into the bay. We anchored up and settled down for a quiet evening. Jessica and I watched an old TV series called Bewitched.
4/6/2019 It’s another hot sunny day and we decided to go to Lidl to get some provisions. We saw Songbird hadn’t blown up their dinghy so we offered them a lift ashore. Ingma+ Elvira have been here before so they took us to an outdoor market and then onto Lidl we bought a two litre tub of ice-cream and shared it with each of us having our own spoon. That was a lot of fun. When we got back to Arctic we played in our swings again.
5/6/2019 We did English today and it was a bit hard but I managed it. After that Jessica and I played in the green swing. When we were done we played a little bit of Roblox then I watched the series of I dream of Jeanie.
6/6/2019 It was windy so we sailed to another place called Brucoli and it was so fun and sunny. On the way jess and I did 7 second riddles. These are hard and fun for example A man was thirsty, hungry and broken on the way in his car he saw 3 doors one was a drink of water the second was food and the third was 1 million pounds which for should he open first ANSWER: His car door When we arrived we play in the swing until I saw jessie had cut her toe somehow.
7/6/2019 It wasn’t very windy but we motor sailed the whole way when we were trying to put Big Blue (our spinnaker) I had to jump on the sail. Whilst we were sailing we heard Etna rumbling as she was still erupting. In the anchorage there was a lovely view of Etna.
01-06-19: Today we are finally leaving Licata and we are sailing to a place called Porto Palo. It is an 11 hour journey but we will find something to do. On the way we put up the hammocks and sat in them for a while. We took them down when Mummy and Daddy put the sail up. After that I sat at the front of the boat and put my feet over the edge. If I was lucky there would be a wave that would come right up to my feet and it would get them wet. When I was sitting there a wave came that we went into and I got my legs wet. I then went and changed into a swimming costume in case it happened again. When I got back I put my feet over the edge again and I kept getting wet. At one point I got really wet so I’m glad I changed! I love it when we are sailing and not sitting in a marina. I find it nice to be on the boat for a long time. It is a nice calm day today but there was enough wind to have the sails out. Daddy came up the front with Libby and I. We found out how to do a magic trick and we worked it out by our selves. It didn’t really feel like a long time on the boat as we found something to do. If you have a really long sail on a boat then all you have to do to make the time go past is find something to do. As we arrived the sun was setting and it was nice to arrive to a sun set. We arrived in one place but there was swell coming in and we didn’t want to sleep in it so we went one hour extra to get to Porto Palo. After dinner all of us played brag until it got too dark to play any more.
02-06-19: In the morning we put up our hammock chairs which are chairs that you can sit in and it is like a hammock. What we do with them is we put them up on a halyard and then we put them over the railing and we swing along side Arctic. It is really fun and when the wind got up I could turn sideways and the wind would fill up my top piece that is dangling over my head and it worked like a parachute. When I jumped out it filled with wind and I got pushed back. When we got out we watched an old film and then we watched a new film called Animal Crackers. It was very good and I would recommend it to you.
03-06-19: In the morning straight after breakfast we decided that we are going to move today from here Porto Palo to Siracusa. Today it isn’t really a long sail only a 5 hour sail today. We thought that we could sail all the way as we motored sail for 11 hours last time. In the beginning we weren’t going very fast but as the wind got up we started to go faster and faster. We usually do about 6 knots but with only the sails up we were doing about 7-8 knots. When we arrived we had to radio the marina office to see if we were allowed to anchor.
04-06-19: This morning we are going to Lidl’s here in Siracusa. As we were going there we asked if some of our friends wanted to come with us, their names are Ingmar and Elvira and their boat is called Songbird. They said that they would come and they told us where to go for Lidl as they have been here before. When we got ashore we saw that it was a beautiful town. We wanted to walk around it but they needed Lidl’s too. They said that we could firstly go around the small market. We went to the food part and I liked it but there was loads of pistachios and cashews which I’m very allergic to. When we finally got to Lidl’s it was very hot and it was very long to walk. On the way there was a very dodgy road that had no path. After shopping we came out with a tub of ice cream and we ate it with our spoons in Daddy’s backpack. Ingmar and Elvira ate it with us. When we finally got back to the boat Libby and I played in the hammock chairs but Libby played in our swing.
05-06-19: Nooooo we are doing school today! It is actually fun as it is boat school. As we were doing it the wind started to get up and we kept an eye on the anchor watch and also had the keys in the ignition ready if we dragged. When we had finished our home school we played in our swings and it was really fun as the wind blew Libby and I right down to the back of the boat from the front. Trying to get back up to the front though was tricky as every time we jumped to get there we got blown back but we managed it in the end. After that we had our dinner and relaxed.
06-06-19: Siracusa was a nice bay but we had to move on. Today we are travelling to a place called Brucoli and it isn’t very far. As we were getting closer to Brucoli we could start to see Mount Etna and she is meant to be erupting! When we anchored we could still see Mount Etna so we decided to stay up tonight and see if she would spark just a little. So tonight we stayed up and played cards whilst watching Etna but a little before that Libby and I played in the green swing. As I was putting away the swing I saw a little lava bubble. Then when we sat down to play cards I saw it again whilst daddy was dealing. After that I didn’t see it any more. After playing from 7:00 to 9:00 nothing happened with Etna so we went to bed.
07-06-19: Goodbye Brucoli. We are moving to a place called Naxos today on Sicily still. As we are going along Daddy, Libby and I played Top Trumps at the front of the boat. When we had finished Libby went and got her little solar powered row boat that she had to make. When she had finished we put it in the sun and it worked really good. When we had finished making that we came back and saw that we were nearly there. We decided to put the sails up and sail as we thought that there was 6 knots of wind… When we switched the engine off there was actually no wind as we were creating it so we decided to put out the big blue. When we had got her up we had gone even slower as the wind had completely gone. So we switched the engine back on and motored again. When we arrived there was a “Feeling” sailboat in the bay which is what we used to have. We told them that we used to have one and they were surprised. It took a little while to find a spot to anchor but we manager to anchor luckily. We found a protected spot and it was nice and calm. As my dinner was being dished up grandma called and I answered it. I showed her where we were and showed her Mount Etna smoking. As we could see Mount Etna better here we decided to try again but nothing happened at all.
08-06-19: Finally we have stopped moving for today. Before breakfast we went ashore. Daddy rowed us ashore and stayed with the dinghy whilst we went to the fruit and veg store. After breakfast we blew up the paddle board and Libby and I went paddle boarding around the boat. When we had got the just of it we got Libby’s row boat and tried him but we then saw that he was sinking so Libby tried to get him but couldn’t reach so she jumped of the paddle board and rescued her little boat as she did so she was scrambling to get on the paddle board as the water was freezing! As it got into the afternoon the wind started to get up and the other boats had moved to the other side of the bay. Mummy and I said what do they know that we don’t. They knew that the wind was going to get up and come into the bay but we dint know that.. When that wind came the American boat next to us dragged very fast. When he got his anchor up he moved to the other side of the bay as well. We decided to do the same so we had to get the dinghy up, the paddle board up and deflate it and also pull the anchor up. We managed to all of this really quickly as we have already done it on a different occasion. When we were on the way people on jet skis came flying past and they were being silly as it was really rough. When we got there there wasn’t very many spaces left to anchor so we had to anchor in 8 meters of water. Getting towards dinner time lots of the little boats left and the bay was almost empty.
09-06-19: I woke up to the chain being lifted up. I realised that we were off again and instead of moving up the coast we were moving to the south of Italy. It was going to be a long hop but we left early for a reason because there was going to be lots of wing through the Messina straights and had come to the crossing. Half way a huge tanker was coming towards us and we were sailing… We decided that he had got too close and that we had to put the engine on. After dodging that one there was another one that was coming. About 10 minutes later that one had come to us and we were going to miss him no doubt. When we had got past that the wind died down from 24 knots of wind to 6 knots of wind and from 7 knots to 3 knots. It went like that because we had gone behind the land and the land was blocking the wind. When we finally arrived it was getting on and it was becoming cool. Libby got in the water after being there for only 2 minutes and she said that it was warmer than it was. As a top had come off I threw it in the water and she went and got it and gave it back to me. After doing that Daddy then asked her to check the anchor. When she had done that she got out and Daddy and Libby had a shower on the back of the boat.
09-06-19: Goodbye Sicily! Hello Italy! The trip today is from Sicily to Italy. I hope that it will be a nice sail. Indeed I thought correctly when we got out there it was a lovely day. The sail is amazing as it is an amazing day. When we arrived Livvy jumped in the water and went for a swim. I had found that one of our tops had come of and I threw it in the water as mummy said to but Livvy found it floating and gave it to me. I then threw it into the water again and she collected it. In the end we ended up playing fetch and it was fun for both of us.
10-06-19: Again we are moving and we aren’t going to have a rest until we get to Corfu (Greece). As we were sailing Daddy gave us permission to go in our swings whilst we were moving! Livvy did it first but after she let me try it I put mine up. It was really fun and when I looked down at the water when I was swinging to the back of the boat, it looked like I wasn’t really moving, but then when I looked up I was about to hit the side of the boat so I put my legs out to stop myself. On the way to the front it was different. As I looked down at the water then it looked like I was going very fast so I looked up when I thought I was at the front I wasn’t I was only half way there so looking at the water confused me. After getting there I dipped my foot in the water and it was getting warmer getting warm enough to just jump in that is.
11-06-19: Sorry lovely bay we have to go. Here we go again moving. Oh I can’t wait until we get to Corfu then we can finally stop moving for a little bit. Mummy and Daddy let us put our swings up again today. It was really fun like yesterday. As we arrived a little bit late mummy put the dinner on as soon as we had got into the bay. After dinner I felt the water and it is definitely getting warmer.
12-06-19: Ha ha finally we are doing a little hop instead of all day ones so we can actually have some time to rest. As I have hurt my knee swinging I am not putting up my swing and neither is Livvy as she would like a rest from the swings. This bay is a nice bay like the rest of them.
13-06-19: As we did a little hop yesterday we now have to do a huge hop today and we had to get up really early but that is only mummy and daddy but we woke up when mummy pulled the anchor up with the windless. Only right near the end did we properly sail as there wasn’t enough wind to sail the hole way so we had to motor sail. When we arrived there wasn’t much space but we managed to find a space and it was a little close to another boat.
14-06-19: Woo hoo we are now sailing from Italy to Greece but guess what it is not Corfu that we are sailing to it is an island called Othoni but it is close to Corfu and the protected bay that is on Corfu which we are going to anchor in. Now today we have to wake up early again by this time Livvy and I didn’t wake up and we managed to stay asleep. When we woke up we thought that it would be very grim all the way as we woke up to a grim morning. As it got into the afternoon it got really hot and we had to put up the umbrella to shade up top. I went downstairs and Livvy followed as it was too hot for us. Once we had settled in (in the bay) the wind got up just when we got comfortable.
15-06-19: I’m even more happy today as we are finally going to Corfu (in the sheltered bay)! As we were coming down the coast we could see the bottom in 100+ meters of water! As we passed a bay daddy looked into it with the binoculars and he saw that it was a nice bay and that there was a catamaran in it and it looked like Cuffysark (a boat that we are really good friends with and the owners are called Ian and Lorraine). As we passed it the catamaran came out and we saw that it was Cuffysark! They surprised us and we knew that it was them because Daddy had just asked Lorraine a question on messenger and she responded and said that they could see us! We then stayed with them until we got to the bay where we pulled in front of them to get a spot in the bay. When we had anchored we asked if they wanted to raft up with us (as in they throw us their ropes and we tie them on our boat and then we are next to each other). After sitting with them Ian asked us if we wanted to go in for a swim and we said that we would Jon him as he was too hot just like us. The water was lovely and warm when we got in. You would have to feel it before you jump otherwise you could gasp at how cold it is. The best thing to do is instead of walking in and then pushing off from the ladder is to just jump and then you are in. After them leaving for a different bay just half an hour away we went ashore to go to the shops. When we finished shopping and went back to the dinghy to go back mummy and daddy said that they would take us out to dinner. When we sat down at the table a waiter came straight to us and gave us the menu. The funny thing was that we had to ask him how to say thank you in Greek! I would tell you but I don’t know how to spell it! When we had finished I kept saying thank you thank you thank you.
16-06-19: Happy Fathers Day Daddy! We said this as we gave him his cards. He had no idea that it was Father’s Day and he was surprised. After his breakfast and ours daddy and I went ashore whilst mummy and Livvy stayed here to fix the dinghy. When we went ashore I told daddy that I would stay in the dinghy and hold on and he could go get our Dekpa done (the thing to let you sail in the Greek waters). As daddy was just about to go another dinghy came in and I let them moor next to the ladder and they got out we made friends with them and they went to put their rubbish in the bins and when they came back they told me that there was a swimming pool here how cool is that! I said thank you to them as they went to the swimming pool. When daddy got back I told him and he was surprised just like I was. As we got back to the boat we saw that some other of our friends were on board (their boat name is Viking and their names are Shelly and Andy). As it was really hot after lunch daddy, Livvy and I all got in the water and we cleaned the bottom of the boat. When all of us came to the back of the boat to catch our breath from diving down, we saw that mummy had got in the water as well which was a surprise. When we got out of the water dinner was ready and after that we watch some films called A dogs purpose and another one called Absolutely Anything which were really good films.
17-06-19: As we are running low on provisions we decided to find a bigger and better shop than the one that we had found as it was very expensive. We bought lots of things and we also bought ice cream and some spoons and ate it out of the tub again. As we were walking back we found the swimming pool and as we had bought our stuff with us mummy, Livvy and I stayed whilst daddy took the shopping back. When he got back we played together and we asked a girl if she wanted to play and she did. Her name was Vera and she had a brother. We played quite a lot until we had to go.
18-06-19: Yay the dinghy is fixed and we can now give Ian and Lorraine back there dinghy as they had lent us theirs because they went back to England for a few days. In the afternoon we moved to a bay 30mins away and it was nice there as we went swimming. We went and checked the anchor and came back then we got out as we had cooled of enough. When we were just about 10mins into a film called a hologram for the King the sea got a bit rocky and we didn’t like it so we moved back to the old place called Guvia (the protected bay). When we had anchored safely we watched the end of the film.
19-06-19: Today we are going to go to Corfu Town to anchor look round the town. When we were sailing we met up with Ian and Lorraine again and they were going to Corfu Town as well so we sailed with them. As we got to the entrance Ian and Lorraine dropped behind us and let s go in first. When we got to the anchorage we couldn’t set our anchor as the bottom was weed. When we pulling the anchor up the windless stopped. Daddy had to come up the front to pull the rest of the anchor up by hand. When we got it up we turned around and told Ian that it had broke and that we were going back to Guvia. After putting the anchor down by hand we had managed to get it to sort of set. As I was helping mummy prepare the dinner I heard two splashes and as I came up stairs I saw that Livvy and dad had jumped in! So I asked mummy if it was ok if I could go and swim and stop helping she said that it was ok. Whilst we were in the water Daddy told us how to jump in. At night when Libby and I was asleep the engine started and we woke up. We rushed up stairs as we thought that we were dragging. We weren’t but mummy didn’t like the fact that we were not certain that the anchor had set and we were dragging a little. So once Livvy and I had got some clothes on as it was a Littleton I asked daddy if he could tell us how to jump in. cold we lifted the anchor and went into the marina. As Libby and I were pulling up the fenders mummy was calling the marina to see if they had space for us. Luckily they had some space and they told us to wait for the dinghy to come out to us and lead us to our space in the marina.
20-06-19: Right now we have to go to the chandlery to order parts for the windless. As the chandlery is so close to the laundrette mummy took the washing with us and after ordering the parts that we need we walked to the laundrette and put the washing on. After that Daddy took us to the swimming pool and it was lovely and cool when we jumped in. After swimming for a bit we saw an English family swimming in the pool. They had two girls like us but they where 4 and 5. Georgia was 5 and Scarlet was 4. Even though that they were younger than us they were really fun to play with. They lived on a boat as well and were sailing around the world like us! When we left it was 4:00 and we didn’t realise that we had been there for about 5-6 hours or it could just be 4 but I don’t know.
21-06-19: Mummy and daddy wouldn’t take us to the pool today until we did some school. So I asked mummy if I could help her with the tops instead and she said that that was ok but I still had to do it when we got back from the pool. When we had finished daddy took us to the pool and Georga and Scarlet were there. It was nice to play with them again and daddy could swim alone. When we left I looked at the time and I said that we had been there all afternoon! Oh and I forgot to say that we had got our parts and we were ready to leave because two men came over and helped us put the windless back together.
22-06-19: Finally we can leave after two days in the marina. The best thing is that Ian and Lorraine said that they would wait for us in the bay that we were going to. When we got there it was really late about dinner time and the bay was really nice. It wasn’t quiet but it was nice. I did think about going in swimming but I was too hungry because it was actually 7:00-7:30 and I was really hungry.
23-06-19: This morning we are moving from Corfu to mainland Greece into a place called Preveza. It is a 10 hour journey and it is very hot. As we were sailing Grandma called us and as she did a lovely yacht sailed past. All of us loved that boat and I definitely liked it because it was blue. When we got close we realised that we had to go through a channel and that if you got pushed out of it you would run a ground as all around the channel is shallow water. After being overtaken in the channel we finally made it through and that I can tell you that was a long channel. Here in Preveza it is the first time that we have to drop our anchor and then go back and take our lines ashore and then pull up the anchor until it is tight and it will hold your boat of the pontoon.
24-06-19: After breakfast mummy and I walked down to Ian and Lorraine’s to see if she was going to the shop. As she was we asked if we could go with her as we didn’t know where the shops were. When we got back and had put the shopping away we waited until it was night around 7:00 because that is when dinner is ready at Ian and Lorraine’s. We were having chicken and rice.
This last year has been a rather testing time with the continuos engine problem we were unable to fix. It made us nearly give up and return back to a land based existence, even Howard was at his wits end at one point. However, perseverance and a great mechanic fixed that tedious issue and we made our way to Sicily for the winter period.
Winter has been changeable- we returned to the UK for a long spell to give us a break from the boat and to regenerate our batteries and reawaken the passion for living aboard. It was lovely to be with family for such a long time, Olivia was particularly happy as she celebrated her birthday whilst there but just missed out on the snow!. We returned back to Licata refreshed and reinvigorated and to the timetable of daily events that kept us busy nearly everyday. The live-aboard community here have set up a structured routine meaning there is something for everyone, no matter what age, to participate in should they so desire so there is never a dull moment. Darts on Mondays, Italian lesson Tuesday, circuits Wednesday, yoga Thursday, happy hour Friday………..
For us schooling is key during these months and the girls really work hard everyday. One on one teaching for 5-6 hours daily is hard on both them and us but it means they get most of their years work done during this time leaving the cruising months to be more relaxed on school. We even had some guest teachers this winter with Ian on Cuffysark providing live science experiments and Harriet on Catweazle instructing in photography. Not sure who enjoyed doing the lessons more, the girls or them ! The community here is one of the best we have found so far. Always willing to help out and also make you feel special. I had a zero birthday in April and had planned a line dance/ barn dance evening on the weekend for anyone in the marina. When we got to the room, it had been decorated with banners and balloons announcing my Zero to the world. What a lovely surprise, all the handiwork of Lorraine on Cuffysark. Karen from CopyCat had also made me a birthday cake too which was another wonderful surprise. Colin, Tony and Phillip provided the musical entertainment and the evening all went off very well. We ended the evening with a great singsong. Thank you all for making what could have been a depressing occasion, one to recall and discuss for years to come.
Life continues at a pace and we ready both the boat and ourselves for another season on the water. We just need to decide on where to go and which direction we will end up.
16/4/2019 Before we arrived at Fakarava airport, out of the window of the plane we saw some atolls that were exciting to see. We landed and found a sign that said Tatumanu lodge, so we got in the open back truck and our bags went in the trailer. She then drove us to a boat which went to where we found the family that we were sailing with for a month. Their names are Joe, Lara, Cobin, Marin and Tully their boat is called Charm. When we arrived it was lunchtime, so we had some food that we ate over the water. Then we all swam with black tipped reef sharks and also saw Christmas tree worms. At first I was a little bit scared but then they didn’t worry me.
17/4/2019 Today we found coconuts and used the sun and a magnifying glass to burn stuff into them. We made some new friends called Eva, Henry, Ed and Gemma who are English. We went out to dinner with them and whilst we waited for food Cobin gave us riddles which we managed to work out (nailed it!).
18/4/2019 Today we did school and in science we played a game about primary, secondary and tertiary consumers and that was fun. At the playing field there were also men throwing spears at a coconut that was approximately 50m off the ground, it looked really hard. After we finished playing we moved Charm to the anchorage and went snorkeling. At the end of the day we played another game named Empire.
19/4/2019 Today was a special day because we went to a pearl farm and we were told about how pearls were produced by the oyster. Some of us had a chance to get a pearl. It was my lucky day and I got the biggest pearl there was [I was speechless]! Whilst they were making it into a necklace we were doing school. When we went to collect them Cobin took us there at top speed; that was the best day ever.
20/4/2019 It was a good day to go sailing so we decided to sail to another place called Tuau. Whilst we were sailing we were making Easter baskets. When we arrived we got some food colouring and coloured eggs which was fun.
21/4/2019 Happy Easter! We found our Easter eggs but it was hard, so we all needed help, even the adults. We went for a swim over a big reef which was nice, there was loads of fish – Parrot, Butterfly, Trigger, Puffer, Eagle rays and I even saw a frog fish which was amazing. Yay! It was raining, because it’s so hot here that it was good to have rain. We had a lovely dinner that was sausage and rice yum.
22/4/2019 It was a lovely day so we decided to go to the beach. We found loads of hermit crabs and we played with them. Marin and I were taking care of the medium sized ones and Tully and Jessica were taking care of the baby ones. We all made a big house for all of them but two separate ones, one for the medium ones and one for the small ones, whilst Cobin Lara and Daddy went looking for a better beach as the one we were playing on was small. When we got back to the boat the children had dinner because the adults where going out for dinner so Cobin was in charge and he made us all a chocolate cake but in a cup so it was a cup cake. We made something called clay beads which are beads that you can make out of different coloured clay and are then baked in the oven for 15 minutes. When we had finished we watched LEGO BATMAN the movie.
23/4/2019 We left to go to Rangiroa another atoll and it would take all day and all night. Before we left, we played with the other children that we had met. We had a lot of fun, when we had to leave we said see you at the next island.
24/4/2019 Today we did dinghy catapulting it was awesome. We swam and played on a sea bob (it’s a hand held electronic motored water toy that powers you through the water). Lara asked Hugh on Nickytoo if she could go water skiing and so she did. She was very good. Then Lucia and Alejandro from Naiobe had a turn too and they were pros at this, when they did a sharp corner they were still standing whoa they were good. The day ended like that. It was fun like every day.
25/4/2019 We found an aquarium and went snorkelling as it was an underwater one which had a route to follow. We read some information (stuff) about coral and fish, it was extraordinary but it was kind of like school too. We went out to dinner in the evening and there was a children’s table and even more friends called Max, Daisy, Chris and Sophie. We played with Max and Daisy for some time and all the others, then we played cops and robbers’ boys’ vs girls and obviously the boys won.
26/4/2019 It was a lovely day so we decided to sail to Tahiti and it took us all day and all night to get there. It was tiring.
27/4/2019 It’s a lovely morning and are still sailing, but not far now. When we were at the entrance to the channel, there were dolphins to greet us. They were fun to see. We had moored up and we had a McDonalds, it was delicious. Then we set off to a shop to restock. On the way we stopped in a pearl museum which was interesting, and when we were done we set off to Carrefour again.
28/4/2019 After breakfast we did cleaning as usual but it was fun. We started to play with the others when a new bout came in with two children on it named Catherine and Pavel they were Canadian and nice to play with. At the end of the day we went to the cinema to watch a film called Shazam. It was great!
29/4/2019 Today was fun because dad was teaching school. Whist everyone else went shopping 5 year old Tully did 13 pages of writing and 2 pages of math which was awesome for her age. Near the end of the day we played a game called pit, later we did riddles.
30/4/2019 Today we hired 2 Kia cars and went shopping in them. The cars were red and silver.
1/5/2019 WELCOME to the first day of the month It was a day that felt amazing we set out in the cars and saw a water fall and here is a picture and a video. Next was the blow hole and here is a video of it. Now we went to a surfing place and watched the surfers surf Finally we went to the beach and Jessica found 20 Franks on the beach which was good.
2/5/2019 YAY!!! Its dads half birthday today and we climbed a mountain, there was a beautiful view. Dad had found some interesting places to explore, one was a river walk. As we entered the place to park we saw two small things that looked like rocks by the side of the car, but mummy noticed that one moved- they were actually tiny puppies. I wanted to keep one! We found the river that had fresh running water and we went swimming in; it was cold. Charm had signed up to do the world arc which is a rally of lots of boats travelling together round the world. They meet up in certain places and have a big party. The local dancing was amazing at the party we went to. I was given a flower lay by one of the dancers which was beautiful and smelt lovely. Food trucks are good for dinner and they are trucks that you can sit anywhere you want and order mainly anything. We had our dinner then moved onto a bar which had a Karaoke machine. Karaoke was astonishing and I was nervous at first, but for the rest of the night I sang loads and I just wouldn’t stop singing. It was so much fun.
3/5/2019 Slushies: – we haven’t had them for ages so it was a treat to finally have one again. I had a blue one which coloured my tongue a vivid blue colour. Song of the sea we watched and I would highly recommend it for you.
4/5/2019 Tahiti – we left it behind to go to Moorea which was a stunning place.
5/5/2019 Today Tully did her swim test and she passed. We went over to play with Raid, whilst we were playing Jessica saw a turtle and I saw a spotted eagle ray when we were swimming over.
6/5/2019 Today we left Moorea to go to Raiatea, when we arrived we went up a river and found a man who showed us the way to where we were going. When we got there the man gave us free bananas and at the end of the tour of his garden, we got 5 pearls for free which was kind of him.
7/5/2019 Today was the sign up day for the TAHITI PEARL REGATTA which we were entering. Tully and I went swimming around the boat and we made a horse and carriage. Then Daisy came round and we played credit card monopoly.
8/5/2019 Horse riding was amazing and my horse was called Lyla, mummy’s horse was called Brownie, Jessica’s horse was called Pia and daddy’s horse was called Everest. My horse was naughty and kept pushing the lady who was leading us into the mud, as we were in the enchanted forest. When we were out of the forest we went to the sea, I had to get off my horse because she likes to roll around in the water. Whilst there the ladies asked us all to turn around on our saddles so we faced the wrong way. It was hard to do but also fun as it felt like you might fall off into the sea. Once back at the ranch we fed the ducks, chickens and geese and found a chicken egg. We saw turtles, rabbits and guinea pigs that we held. There were also cats and a big fat pig who had fallen asleep with his head in his bucket.
9/5/2019 And we’re off coming in 1st place racing from Raiatea to Huahine, then our sail ripped and now dropping back ………to end in 10th place. No more racing for us but it was fun whilst it lasted. Joe was racing on TinTin who had a bit of an accident at the beginning and Cobin was crewing on Nica who came 1st.
10/5/2019 Today instead of doing the second race we (all the girls and dad) went on a tour of the atoll. We saw blue eyed eel’s, a vanilla factory and a shell museum. We stopped for a picnic lunch at the beach before finishing the tour and going back to Charm. I also bought a Paraoe which has all the atoll names on it of the Tuamotu islands.
11/5/2019 Sailing to Tahaa today as it’s the end of the race. We anchored at the finish line to see our friends boat, Nica, crossing 1st with Cobin on board. Tintin and Joe came in about 6 boats later. There was a big celebratory party on the motu for the end of the regatta and they had a fire dancer. He was really good but poor Jessica got bitten by red ants whilst watching him perform.
12/5/2019 There was an adult girl party on Nica and they sailed round the island and we followed them in secret.
13/5/2019 This is the end goodbye French Polynesia and charm and we left to go on our big flight home. Hope you enjoy my blog thanks for reading. Olivia
15-04-19: It’s the last day that we are in the apartment and it has been really hot the other days that we have been here. We have barely been anywhere because we are at the top of a really steep hill and there is barely any shade on it. Going down is fine but coming up isn’t. Luckily on this really hot day [so hot that we are all sweating] the man who was renting the apartment let us go in his swimming pool! It was very nice to finally cool off after not being able to for three days!
16-04-19: We have finally stopped flying on aeroplanes until May and it feels nice to know that. At about 5:00 in the morning we got up and went to the airport to wait for our plane to take us to the island that we needed to go to to meet up with Charm [the family that we are staying with for a month]. Joe is the captain of Charm [the boat], Lara is his wife and prepares what we are going to do in the days, Cobin, Marin and Tully are the children. Cobin is 12 going to be 13 this year Marin is 8 going to be 9 this year and Tully is 5 going to be 6 this year. When we arrived on the island we had to take a Jeep to a boat which then took us to where Charm was. As we were coming into the place we could see everyone there waiting for us. When we were mooring up Marin and Tully came running up to the side of the boat and said “Jessica, Olivia you’re here!” and they were really happy to see us. Once the boat had moored Livvy and I jumped off the boat and immediately Marin and Tully ran up to us and gave us both a hug. After all the excitement Marin and Tully showed us black tip reef sharks! There were loads of them and Joe came as well and he actually went into the water knee deep [for him] and the sharks swam around his legs and they didn’t care that he was in the water. We found out that they don’t bother you unless you bother them. After having lunch in this little hut we went snorkelling together and there was lots of beautiful fish around the reefs and as it got deeper there was sharks and I was scared so I stayed with mummy in the sea and it was very nice after a little snorkelling I was no longer scared of the sharks and went off by myself. When we finally got to the boat Lara asked who wanted to see some christmas tree worms. Livvy, Daddy and I said yes so Lara took us to see them on a thing that I think was coral covered in some yellow stuff and we called it the yellow blob. When you dived down to them they would close up in their tube and would come out again after a little while. After that we sailed to a different bay.
17-04-19: All the adults had to wake up at 7:00 in the morning so we could get to our next bay at 9:00 so we could spend the day at the place. I woke up at 8:00 and everyone else when we were there. When I woke up it felt nice to be out on the sea again and have the wind in my hair. The place that we were staying at for the day had a shop right where we were moored. All the children went to the shops with Lara and we got ice-cream. Near the end of the afternoon we did a little swimming but got out because there were big sharks not medium sized ones. We met up with some of Charms friends that were English and they had children called Eva and Henry. We went out to dinner with them and after the dinner Cobin gave Eva, Livvy and I riddles. Eva was very good at them but together we were better. We had to take a taxi there because it was too far to walk but when it arrived he stopped the engine for all of us to get in but the engine wouldn’t start again so Joe tried everything he could but it wouldn’t start so everyone got to push the car to start it and it had started to rain as the engine started.
18-04-19: In the morning after breakfast we did school and I helped Tully with hers and Livvy helped Marin with hers. After school we went swimming around lots of coral and I saw lots of different fish. Before dinner we went to a field where we could play a game that taught you about the eco-system. It was really fun and Mummy Daddy and Lara all joined in. Joe didn’t join in because he didn’t come as he had jobs to do. After dinner we played a game called empire. It was really fun.
19-04-19: Straight after breakfast we all got in the dinghy and went to a Pearl Farm! After watching a man open some oysters and explain to people how they did the stuff to get the oysters you had to grab a oyster to get a pearl. The thing was there were less oysters than there were people so you had to grab one fast. Livvy managed to dive and get one so did Cobin and Marin but Tully and I didn’t get one. If you took your pearl to a special place you could get it made into either a necklace or a bracelet. Cobin gave his to Tully because he didn’t want either so she had a bracelet, Marin had hers made into a necklace as well as Olivia. As I didn’t get a pearl Daddy and Mummy bought me one and I had a necklace that was already made. In the evening just before dinner Cobin raced us back to the pearl farm and we went to get the pearls. It was only the children that went.
20-04-19: Today we moved islands and it took us nearly all day to get there. On the way we did school and after that we made Easter baskets for Easter which is tomorrow! When we had finished we only had an hour left and then we were there. We arrived at the end of the afternoon just turning to night and we had other people from the world arc come over after we went swimming. Whilst they were with us we dyed some boiled eggs for the Easter Bunny to then get and hide them. After dinner we played on the trampoline and the swings.
21-04-19: It’s Easter! In the morning Marin woke Joe, Lara, Cobin and Tully up because she was excited and she let us sleep but we didn’t sleep for very long as we knew it was Easter as well. We were so excited that we woke up Mummy and Daddy so we could start the hunt! As Cobin, Marin and Tully wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny he wrote back and he said that each of us would get 7 little chocolate eggs each and that they were not hidden outside or in any bathrooms or in a place where they could get squashed. They weren’t hidden outside because it was raining and that our dyed ones would have the colour washed off and he didn’t want us to get wet either. After the rain had stopped we went in swimming because it got hot very quickly. We stayed in for a long time and it was very nice. After an hour we went in again but instead of playing around the boat we went to a reef that we were moored near. It was really pretty and there was lots of pretty fish. The second time we went there with more people and there was a HUGE fish that we followed. Mummy spotted it first but I saw it second because I was with her. Whilst she was getting everyone else I was following it so we didn’t lose it. Cobin was the first to get here and swam up to me and I showed him the fish. Then everyone else came and I showed them all. Mummy thought it was a puffer fish but I said it wasn’t because we had already seen some and they had blue dots on them but this one was only grey. We had guests over for dinner and after dinner we played a game called luck of the draw it was really fun after that we played one round of empire.
22-04-19: Today Lara made a game up that the children had to spy on the adult they got given. You had to see what they were doing at a specific time. When Lara said out a time the children wrote down what their adult was doing at that time. I was spying on Joe, Livvy was spying on Lara [even though she knew about it] Marin was spying on Mummy and Tully was spying on Daddy. After lunch we went ashore to try and find the beach. We didn’t find it but we did find a little beach that had lots of hermit crabs on it and there were huge ones, medium sized ones and there were tiny ones which didn’t pinch they only tickled when they walked in your hand. I found a really small one and I kept it until it was time to go. We were supposed to race them but instead we played with them. After we had a small dinner the adults went ashore and the children got left alone on the boat. Cobin was in charge and we firstly got taught by Tully how to make clay beads. After that we got to watch part of Lego batman and we got to have some microwave cake which Cobin made.
23-04-19: This morning Lara had the day planned already and she said it was going to be fun. She wasn’t wrong it was a lovely day and we were going outside the reef to go swimming. When we got out it was very rocky but it was ok. The best thing was that there wasn’t really current outside the reef so you could swim easier. If you got to close to the breaking part on the reef you would start to feel the waves push you towards it. At some points you were scared because you were near coral and you didn’t want to cut yourself on it and at other points you were really relaxed and joyful. When we got back we had lunch and then Joe announced that it was time to leave to do a night sail to get to another island called Rangiroa.
24-04-19: After the night sail we have arrived in Rangiroa. There were lots of other friends of theirs in this place and we made friends with them quite quick. One of them was Spanish and the other English. The Spanish one has three children which are Alejandro, Lucia, Gabrielle. The other one’s names are Daisy and Max which are twins. Lucia and Gabrielle came over on the sea bob which was really fun. The next fun thing that happened was dinghy catapulting which is where you hold on to a handle attached to a halyard which is attached to a dinghy and then the dinghy goes forward and it lifts you up and then you let go into the water. Lara also went water skiing as well as dinghy catapulting.
25-04-19: After lunch Gabrielle came over on the sea bob and we played on it for a little bit until he got told to go back. A couple of hours after we went to a natural underwater aquarium. There were loads of fish and I liked it but I didn’t want to swim there because I didn’t like all the fish swimming around me. I was sitting near the edge of the boat all the time with my goggles on and I got pulled in twice by Cobin and I didn’t like it although the second time I stayed in but then when I was finally alright Joe threw in a piece of bread right next to me and the all the fish came shooting up to me. I was surprised and terribly scared. When we finally went back Joe and Lara jumped out the dinghy a little way from the aquarium and swam all the way back and believe me we weren’t close to the aquarium. At night we went out for dinner with some friends.
26-04-19: In the morning Joe announced that we were going to Papeete which was 200nm away. For us that meant that we had to go through the night again to get there. When we left it was ok but when we got further into the trip it got more and more uncomfortable.
27-04-19: This morning just as we had finished breakfast we saw that we were there and we just had to moor up. By the time that all that had happened it was around about lunch time and as a treat the adults took us to McDonalds. All the children loved it and after that we then had to walk to Carrefour and back which was a long way. On the way there I spotted some eels under a bridge and a man was living on a side bit there. We were trying to figure out how he got up to buy his stuff but then we got interrupted by a zebra crossing so we could get to Carrefour. All the children were happy but they were also tired because of the long walk. On the way back we found a park and it was lovely to be able to play. Lara stayed with us and Mummy and Daddy went back. By the time we left it was dark and when we got back dinner was ready for us.
28-04-19: This morning we woke up to rain. All the windows were shut and it had rained all night and it was still raining now. When it had stopped raining we went to see if the park was open. When we got there it was closed so we waited an hour or two and then we went again. This time it was open so we just played there for an hour until it started raining again! At the end of the day after dinner we went to the cinema to watch a film called Shazam in English it was really good. We knew that it would go on late but when we got back it was 11:15 and Tully was still awake and as Daddy and Joe didn’t come they were already in bed and asleep. We went straight to bed.
29-04-19: Today Daddy got left in charge of the boat and school whilst Lara, Joe and Mummy went shopping. When they got back Lara was surprised because of the work that Marin and Tully did. She asked Daddy what his secret was to get them to do school. After dinner we played a game called pit and some friends came over to play as well and their names are Eva and Henry [Brother and Sister] and a girl called Catherine. We played a couple of rounds until Grandma called us on the phone. I loved speaking to her because I like hearing her voice. After that Cobin looked up some riddles to give us and we worked together to figure them out. Today was a great day.
30-04-19: Lara has hired some cars for 2 days. After bringing them back to the boat we went to the shops and Lara made a fun thing that we did for the shopping. We each got a list of things to get and you had to find them.
01-05-19: I woke up to rushing because we were leaving early to get in the cars and drive to the amazing places on the island. When we got to the first amazing place we found out it was a blowhole and we didn’t know what one of those was so we asked and they said we had to wait and see! The children were all excited to see this blowhole and when we had walked a little bit we heard this like dragon sound coming from a hole and suddenly water spray came thrown out. As soon as Cobin saw that he got onto a rock and stood there waiting for the spray to come again and when it did he got wet and jumped off the rock. Then Cobin, Marin, Livvy and I all stood on the rocks and when the spray came we all got wet and I turned so I didn’t get water in my eyes. Second place was a surprise as well. When we arrived we found out that this extraordinary and amazing place that it was the three waterfalls. To get to the waterfalls you had to climb up a hill and then you would arrive at the waterfalls. I took my camera and I videoed the HUGE waterfall and took photos. On the way to the next wonderful surprise we stopped in McDonalds [that we were just about to pass but stopped] for lunch. When we were back in the cars we went to the big surf wave. There was a big pretend surf wave with a surf board on it so it looked real. All the children had their pictures taken on the surf board. That was the final stop with the cars so the next stop was Charm. Now that was a perfect day.
02-05-19: Lara got told by Joe not to be late for the world arc welcoming from the mayor if we did this hike. So we went on this hike and went up a mountain. At the top there was a white cross and there was a place where you could look over the edge. When you went there if you saw a big bird there then it would look like a dot. When we got back Lara, Cobin, Marin and Tully came running past us so we ran after them and apparently we were going to be late for the welcoming from the mayor! So as soon as we got back everyone rapidly got changed and then went off. When we got there it was just in time because they were about to take the photo of all the world arc people. After the photo you got a flower necklace and a little flower as well. For our dinner we went to food trucks which are trucks that are side by side and you can sit where you want and then order your food. When we had eaten we walked across to a Karaoke bar and ordered ice cream. As it was getting late Marin, Tully and I got tired and we walked back. Everyone else stayed up until 1:00 in the morning.
03-05-19: As we walked to a sweet shop that Tully wanted to go into there was slushies outside that we got. Cobin, Livvy and Tully had blue ones I had a red one and Marin got a sweet. When we got back lots of people were working on Charm and we stayed out the way. At night after dinner we watched a film called song of the sea and it was really good. We watched a film because it was film night so that is what we watched. Joe and Daddy didn’t watch it and they went to bed.
04-05-19: the only thing that we did today was move from Papeete to Moorea. It was a nice sail to Moorea and I liked it. It wasn’t really a long sail at all. Only a couple of hours.
05-05-19: As I woke up we were just pulling up the anchor to move to get some fuel from around the corner. We would move back as soon as we had got it. When we had dropped the anchor again we went in swimming and there were puffer fish in the water swimming underneath us. Near the end of the afternoon when we had got out of the water I saw two big turtles swimming near the boat. Daddy asked us to get him a camera so he could go and take videos with the turtles but it was too late they had swam away just as we had handed him the camera. Also a little later on I saw 2 white spotted eagle rays right at the front of the boat. They were huge and no one else saw them apart from me.
06-05-19: after breakfast we left Moorea to go to Raiatea. When we arrived in a bay we all got in the dinghy and went up a little river and we met a man in a kayak and apparently he was a man that appeared out of nowhere and that is exactly what had happened with us he appeared out of nowhere! He gave us a tour anyway and he gave us a huge bunch of bananas straight off the tree! He showed us all of what they grow and then he cracked open coconuts and we tried some coconut water. I didn’t like it much. We also bought some pearls and then the lady let us have5 for free one for each of us. When we got back we moved up the coast a bit more to a place on Raiatea called Uturoa. When we arrived we ate out at a food truck and made friends with these teenage boys.
07-05-19: At Raiatea you could sign up for the Tahiti Pearl Regatta and today is that day that you can sign up. The Tahiti Pearl Regatta is a famous Regatta in French Polynesia and we took part of it. There were three hops that you had to do. We only did one of them because of some issues. The Tahiti Pearl Regatta is like a race but we call it a Regatta.
08-05-19: Today is the practice race of the Tahiti Pearl Regatta. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to so we didn’t do it because we are going Horse Riding! I have never done it before and I am so excited. My horse is called Pia and Mummy’s is called brownie, Daddy’s is called Everest, Livvy’s is called Lila, Marin’s is called Kiwi, Tully’s is called Smoosh. We all got adult horses except Tully she got a little pony. Everyone who hadn’t done it before had to have someone lead the horse. As Daddy, Livvy, Marin, Tully and I haven’t done it before we had someone lead our horses. Mummy and Lara didn’t need anyone to lead theirs as they have done it before. Joe and Cobin didn’t come as for the race they are racing on other boats. Firstly we went into a forest which they call it the Enchanted Forest. Next we walked the horses into the sea and stayed on them as they walked in the water. Daddy and Lara went further out to sea as we had to stay with Tully as her pony was up to his chin. When we got back it was a bit late so we had to get dinner on.
09-05-19: I am excited as it is the first day of the race. When the race started we pushed through all the boats and we were in second place and we were about to be in first place when the boat in first place blocked our path and we couldn’t go around him as it was the only way out of the reef. When we arrived it was a bit late but we were happy. Out of our group we came 10th out of 14 so we are happy.
10-05-19: As we are not doing the race today we are going on a tour around the island [Huahine]. The first stop is a shell museum. As we went in there was loads of shells and they are beautiful. The man explains to us about the poisonous cone shells. If you pick them up in the sea they will shoot out a poisonous dart at you and there is NO CURE for this poison. You do not feel it happen so it is very dangerous. Anyway the second stop was another museum and it was really good it was all about the Tahitians old life. The third stop is a Vanilla Plantation where the lady explained how vanilla was made. The last stop was the blue eyed eels. When we got there we got to feed them and they were huge and you could see there blue eyes. If you wanted to you could go down and touch them. L stayed up where I was but Lara, Livvy, Marin and Tully went down and touched them.
11-05-19: Today we are sailing to a different island and into the bay where the finish line is. We didn’t realise that we anchored right near the finish line. So when everyone crossed we could wave and shout and then they would see us and hear us. Tonight is a party for the Tahiti Pearl Regatta and the results. As you had to put up these stickers that you got on your boat we didn’t instead we made outfits out of them for all of us and it was great. As we got on the boat to take us ashore everyone cheered but we have no idea why.
12-05-19: Mummy and Lara have gone on the winning boat of the Tahiti Pearl Regatta to go out for a sail at least that is what we thought… when we finally realised that we were the only ones left in the bay we had to move to the bay that everyone had gone to. Daddy says that Joe and him were chasing after their ladies but no we just had to get to the same bay as them. When we got there we went swimming and it was lovely. For dinner everyone that was our friends and that was in the bay went to this Tahitian man’s house. When we got back it was a bit late so we went straight to bed. Also everyone this is our last day here because we are leaving tomorrow.
13-05-19: Nooooooooooooooo! We are leaving today and we won’t be seeing them for a long time. I spent my last day with everyone that I could. Lara asked if we wanted to go to the beach on a little island right near us. I said yes and so did the other children. When we got there we thought it was fine until Cobin said that there were loads of bugs and no one else had realised. So we all ran back to the dinghy and jumped into it. So once we had got out of the tricky bits Cobin took us round the bay really fast to get rid of the bugs. When we got back Lara sprayed the bug spray in the dinghy and on us in case we hadn’t got rid of them all. When it was finally time to leave we all had goodbye hugs and then left and waited for our taxi.
Thank you so much Joe, Lara,Cobin, Marin, Tully and Charm. We had an amazing month with you. Charm a beautiful and fast Outremer 55.
During our time on Sardinia a few years ago we had met a family from America who we got on really well with. We had stayed in touch and it was really lovely to get an email from them with a rather astonishing proposition. Originally we had planned to meet them in the Caribbean to traverse the Panama together but as we didn’t do the Atlantic this cancelled those plans. Joe and Lara and their family on Charm however continued with their plans but expanded them somewhat. They had enrolled to undertake the World Arc. This is a round the world rally from St Lucia and back requiring lots of different legs to make up the whole. The email we received was asking if we would like to join them on the leg which crossed the Indian Ocean, from memory(which is not what it once was) this would take 50+ days at sea. Now for someone who is struggling to agree to undertake 15-18 days at sea to cross the Atlantic, a journey of this magnitude was not one I could get excited about. I told Howard my feelings on it but encouraged him to follow his dream of crossing an ocean and go for it. I could look after our boat and the girls whilst he was off adventuring. After reading up about the crossing done by others and also talking with those who had first hand experience here in Licata of crossing the Indian Ocean, he was persuaded that he too did not desire to undertake such a trip. With heavy hearts we declined the offer but wished them all the luck with their adventure and to stay in touch. However, they replied back that declining was not an answer they would accept and offered up an alternative proposition- sailing in the South Pacific. Well, what an opportunity, who could say no to such a wonderful and generous offer. So we started researching flights to and from and were rather taken aback at the cost but we knew it was a chance in a lifetime for us as I believe we won’t get there in our own boat. Flights were booked from Sicily to Uk, UK to Paris, Paris to LA, LA to Tahiti and back again, it was going to be a long journey but an experience never to forget. So, for one month we would be at the other-side of the world, to sail on a catamaran with a family of 5 we had only met for a short while 2 years ago. How surreal is that?
Before we knew it, we were heading back to the Uk again to spend a few days with family then making our way half way around the world to meet our friends. Air francs were fabulous, great service, clean planes and helpful staff. Attentive to the children’s needs on such long flights too. We had a 3 hr bus ride from Colchester to LHR, an hr flight then an 8.5hr flight followed by a 10.5hr flight with a time zone difference of 12 hours backwards! This really messed with the body clocks. Howard and the girls struggled more with this than I did but after 3 days in an apartment in Tahiti Ll of us were in the swing of the time zone. The heat however was a totally different matter, at 06:00 it was usually 26 degrees and rising – very hot but we would soon be on yet another flight. This one a short internal hop from Tahiti to Fakarva, to meet up with our friends. 45 minutes on a small plane, flying over atolls which are a marvel to look at from the sky and we are landing with crystal clear water, white sand beaches and palm trees waving in the breeze. Our luggage was all hand loaded off the plane and not wooden racking where you just collected it. No customs to traverse or officials to try to communicate with, pure bliss already. Now to find the sign…….we were instructed by Lara to look for a lady with a sign for Tatumanu lodge which was where Charm was currently anchored. She would collect us and transport us to them, this however meant a 45 minute ride in the back of an open sided truck (which gladly stopped at the only shop on the way) in the soaring heat and then an hour boat ride. This was an aluminium boat with plastic patio chairs bolted to the floor and driven at full speed across the water, not the most comfortable ride ever. It was bumpy to say the least but a good introduction to the inside of a reefed island waters. We finally arrived to be met by our friends all sitting patiently on the pontoon of the lodge. What a way to be greeted – 5 smiling faces under a beautiful blue sky and a back drop of a handmade lodge. WOW? Fish were clearly visible under the pontoons as we unloaded our cases onto them. We have learnt to travel light, we only had 30kg for the 4 of us and this was in 3 small cabin sized bags too. Lara was impressed. The girls immediately wanted to get in the water to cool off from the heat of the day but instead were entertained by Joe jumping into the water with sharks around his legs. Wine was poured, reacquaintance made and soon sounds of 5 children playing happily together wafted across the breeze. Inhale, exhale, relax.
Tatumanu lodge was delightful. It’s a handmade cabin on the edge of the water where they have a kitchen and bar and seating areas over the sea. The cruising community made this a stop on their itinerary and I could not blame them. A huge spread of food was soon served up and you helped yourself to the wares as often as it would allow. Tropical fish swam underneath and sharks dipped in and out of the shallows. Pure paradise.
After being nourished we did what all mothers tell their children not to do (including myself) we went swimming on full stomachs. Well, not swimming exactly. We all got into our swimming stuff, loaded into Lucky (Charms dinghy) which Joe then motored a few hundred yards towards one of the passes in the reef and we all jumped out into the water. The current passing into and out of the Atoll is so great that there wasn’t any effort required on our parts to swim, you just floated back towards Charm whilst snorkelling. The colours of the coral were breathtaking, the water as clear as crystal, the black tipped reef sharks HUGE and the variety of the fish amazing. A superb introduction to what we had in store for the next month.
After being shown to our cabins and had time to unpack we were given an introduction on where things were kept on Charm and how they managed their daily routine. We soon settled into life on board a Cat. It has much more free space than we have on Arctic Fern, it sits flat in the water so at anchor there is hardly any movement and to fall off her you would really need to be in a dire state as she is so broad. What she was like to sail would have to wait as the island and its charms were beckoning us all.
Routines set in, schooling, provisioning, playing and boat repairs, all with varying degrees of success. Joe and I were paired to do dinner and Howard was with Lara on the alternate days just to change things a bit for them too.
Repairs to a very badly ripped spinnaker( a huge sail made from kite type material flown in light winds) were needed but first we had to establish exactly what needed doing. Joe, Howard and I took the sail to the only place on the Atoll with a sewing machine I could potentially use to repair it and used their field to lay it out. The extent of the rip was huge, not only rips but whole panels gone, this was going to be a massive reconstruction and one that needed to be done precisely or the sail would not fly correctly. Just as we had everything laid out so we could begin the tedious task of sticking bits back together before sewing, the heavens opened and it was drenched as well as us. We took shelter in a barn and watched the sail getting wetter and wetter, nothing was going to stick to that now. So, we packed it all back up again, twigs and all, and trudged back to Charm in subtropical conditions rather dejected at not completing the task but happy that we knew what was needed to rectify the rips etc.
Next challenge for the day was refuelling. The supply ships would usually arrive once or twice a week depending on the size of the island / Atoll. When you need fuel on a boat like Charm, you had to prebook it onto the supply ship and they transport it from the main island of Tahiti to your island in drums. The transfer of this from the ship is then the real interesting or challenging part. We had to berth alongside the supply ship which was the size of a small container ship, then pump the fuel across their stern into Charms tanks. The pipe, as you can imagine having sat on the floor of a commercial ship, was filthy. It was smeared with old diesel, oil and grease along its length leaving a line of yuk all along charms rear quarters. Just lifting it covered you in the dark brown goo. However, the pipe wasn’t quite long enough to span the distance to the port tank so we had to pump it into jerry cans which Howard then had to empty into the actual tank for the process to be repeated until the full amount ordered was transferred. All this done with a smile and a wave. Makes pulling up to a pontoon with a bit of side wind seem rather trivial.
General food provisioning was also a challenge. Unless you were at the shop by 06:00 on most islands, you would not have any fresh bread for the day. Lara used to do this trek on the paddle board in the hope that she would also be lucky enough to get some pastries too, she was never that lucky unfortunately but fresh baguettes usually came back with her. I was amazed at the Asian influence in the stores for cooking. In the med it’s usually impossible to find anything and especially so in Italy who seem to have total aversion to international cuisine ingredients. As I enjoy cooking Thai food, I was really happy to find everything to make a thai curry although I am not sure the children on Charm we too happy though. The only ones to try it when I had prepared it all was our own daughter Olivia. Oh well, all the adults thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now Tahiti and its islands are known all over the world for their pearls, so we couldn’t come all this way and not visit a pearl farm could we. Here on Fakarava they do a lottery at one of the farms on a Friday, so we decided to go along with a few others from the Arc group. We arrived on the small finger pontoon used as the docking area for the farm and entered the wooden hut where an employee was already in full flow explaining the process of pearl formation. This was all done in French, so hard for us to understand being non fluent in the language, however we got the gist that a natural pearl is formed when an intruder, usually a grain of sand, enters the oyster. To try to eradicate the annoyance of this particle the oyster coats this over a long period who’s creating a natural pearl. The colour is dependant on where the particle ends up inside the shell as the membrane inside is darkest further to the edge and lighter as it gets into the centre. A cultured pearl however is created by human intervention. An oyster is inserted with a particle- usually a small plastic head, by a surgeon, who are usually Japanese as they have the delicate touch required apparently. The implement used reminded me of the instrument used during a cervical examination, so I felt an empathy with the oyster. I wonder if they too were told to relax! Anyway, I digress……back to the lottery. It had a two fold meaning in the day we chose to attend. 1:- would you actually get an oyster and 2:- would it contain a hidden gem. Before we knew it, the French speaking within the group all suddenly lunged for the table containing the oysters available. Luckily Olivia grabbed the one nearest to her and Lara managed to grab 2 more for their family, so 3 out of 9 wasn’t bad odds, we had made the cut for the first half of the lottery, yay. The second part required the oyster to be pried open and seeing if the Japanese surgeons had indeed been successful in their artificial insemination process. Lots of oohs and arghs could soon be heard around the otherwise hushed hut as oysters were opened and tenor treasures revealed. Olivia’s turn came and once opened she was not disappointed, she was blessed with a large teardrop shaped pearl, the colour of a cloudy raindrop, iridescent and beautiful. She was delighted but immediately stated that she would share it with her sister. Lara’s two oysters both contained pearls and Cobin gave his pearl to his little sister Tully so she wasn’t left out. The farm had the enterprise well under control and part of the lottery was that you could have your pearl made into either a bracelet or necklace, so we made our way to the shop face to organise this for all concerned. There were some really eye catching designs and Cobin was particularly taken with a gold net basket containing a pearl as a charm to be hung onto his backpack, but at the price they were asking it was a rather expensive trinket. So he had to be happy that he had been a fabulous big brother and hope we could find something else for him. Jessica’s eyes were taken by a pearl hung simply on a blue chord necklace so we purchased this for her in the hope that she would retell the story of why she had it and where it had come from to her own children and then grandchildren when the time comes, if not at least to her nieces and nephews when visiting her sister.
As if this was not enough excitement for one day, we had been invited to join another family, also taking part in the Arc, for a meal at a restaurant on the island that evening. So duly washed and dressed we ran the gauntlet of the sole coral heads ( called bombies) in the dinghy to only be told by the place we thought we could leave it safely that actually we could not. So, I walked the road, whilst Joe and Cobin took to the dinghy again. In the pitch black, I scoured the shoreline for a gap in the reef to safely bring the dinghy ashore, whilst the boys were busy dodging the heads. We managed to find a place a few minutes walk from the agreed pickup point, lifted lucky ashore and tied up to a coconut palm. It’s funny how self preservation kicks in for some people though. There was a closer spot we could have come into but we were instructed by another crew that this was not suitable, only to find that on the walk back to the pickup point we saw they themselves had brought their dinghy in to that point. The cheek of it.
Anyway, after waiting a few minutes the chap arrived only to inform us that his truck was not working well and he had asked for another driver to come and transport us instead. Dutiful chap that Joe is, he asked the guy what the issue was, bonnet was lifted, battery terminals played with but all to no avail. But, a lightbulb moment struck, the truck was a manual so let’s give it a push!. So, 3 families pushed, told the guy to jump the clutch and we were in business, just as the rain started to fall. We never did pass another vehicle on the way to the restaurant so not sure where the other driver was coming from. The restaurant was on the total opposite of the island and set over water so that when you looked through the balustrade you could see the tropical fish dipping in and out of the shallows. The actual building was banana leaf thatched, built on stilts and had a very simple menu of either steak or fish cooked in a variety of ways. This made us feel that it would be sublime, we were sadly mistaken as much of the meals were left untouched. Such a shame but it all adds to the experience as a whole. We left Fakarava the following day towards a small atoll owned by one family with a rather bizarre story.
Toau – said too ah ooo is owned by a lady called Valentine and her husband. How cool is that, owning your own island in a piece of paradise, but how she came to be here is rather a testing story zone she is happy to recount to all who ask her permission to come ashore.
When she was a small child in Tahiti, her grandfather believed she was not loved by her parents so he took her from them. They duly took her back and tried to move so he could not find them. However, he managed to once again take her from them and they in turn found and took her back. This time though the parents were leaving nothing to chance and packed their belongings into a small boat with as much fuel as they could muster, provisions and also a pig. They then set off into the ocean. They travelled for days when the pig started making noises. They dropped it over the side and followed it, apparently pigs will find land when at sea. So with their GPS (the word pigs without the I please note) they made landfall at this small atoll. Here they were safe from the grandfather who eventually found where they were and was finally satisfied that she was indeed loved and looked after. The family forgave the grandfather and all was well. Valentine lives on this atoll today with her own husband and sons and millions of hermit crabs for company. She also has several pigs, not sure if any are a descendent of the one used to find the land and chickens too. They have a very simple existence, fishing and living off what they can grow which isn’t much considering the island is formed from coral. They have a large coconut plantation but not much else that we could see. The supply ship comes to them once every few weeks and she makes a further living from the sailboats dropping anchor in the bay. She runs a small restaurant from her own kitchen and eats with those who attend the meal. We decided that the children would probably not eat the local food, preferring western fare on board Charm, so the adults went ashore for the meal leaving the children to themselves, a rare treat.
Delicious Canapés were served whilst hermit crabs scuttled around your feet and mosquitos buzzed around your head. Several boats were in the bay and most of them were on land for the meal. Valentine had her work cut out tonight, there were 20 people to feed of varying nationalities. British, American, Swiss, Dutch, German and Swedish were all present, it was rather a noisy evening. The food was fabulous, the company pleasant and the surroundings sublime. We left feeling relaxed, happy and lucky. Back in the boat the children had made themselves chocolate cup cake for dessert and were into a film when we interrupted them.
The water here was as clear as we had seen it so snorkelling gear was donned and we all got in. The reef and coral were fabulous yet again, so much life in such a small space. The fish had no fear of us, in fact we were more concerned about them than the other way around. We spotted puffers of various sizes, different coloured corals and loads of fish seen by us in tanks normally, swimming freely in the water. Whilst just floating I spotted a large shape below me and tapped Jessica who was just to my left. We followed the dark object and soon realised it was a massive fish, from the top it looked like a huge puffer fish which can be aggressive but it soon became apparent that it was neither. We signalled for the others to come and see and photos were taken. Once back at the boat, we identified it as a porcupine fish and a very large specimen at that. We heard a tapping on the side of the boat and upon investigation there were 4 people in a dinghy holding a fish out. They had speared it did not require it and were asking if we could use it. We took it from them but I was rather annoyed to think they had killed something that was not needed just for the sake of it. That should not be a correct method in any boaters mindset, as they guys were. Sustainable resources only not just to show off the fact you can use your gun!. The poor parrot fish was once a beautiful specimen. It’s colours an iridescent turquoise with streaks of aquamarine. It had been dead too long to eat so it’s life was wasted in a way, we decided to use it as a biology lesson for the children. I donned my fish wives stance and sliced open the belly. Lara was reading from the science book about all the parts we should be able to identify, the children all stood there holding their noses, it was rather comical to say the least. Livvy got her hands dirty and grabbed the intestine and liver. We all tried really hard to force open its beak but it was too rigid to manage which was a shame. So the parrot fish was dissected and returned to its place in the sea to become food for other fish. I think it would have preferred to have its life personally. Just shows what a wasteful society we have become that human beings don’t even consider such a thought.
We depart from this atoll for a long trip to Rangiroa.
Following a rather long sail we arrive at Rangiroa. The atoll consists of about 415 motus (uninhabited white sandy beached islands) islets and sandbars comprising a total land area of about 170 km². There are approximately one hundred narrow passages (passes), called hoa, in the fringing reef. The lagoon has a maximum depth of 35 m and its surface is 1446 km². It is so large that it has its own horizon. Due to its shallow depth, the currents that come in and out through the passes and with the strong winds can sometimes create interior storms.
Only two islands, at the northern end of the atoll, are permanently inhabited. They are separated by the major Tiputa pass. The other major pass of the atoll is Avaturo pass immediately to the west of the island of Avatoru.
Rangiroa is a major underwater diving destination because of the lagoon’s clear blue water and exceptionally diverse marine life, in fact some friends told us to snorkel the natural aquarium as its awesome (their words).
So we reach the pass to enter, all a little jaded from the day and a half sail, it’s fearsome. The current is so strong and inside you can see surf breaking on the reef, everyone was silent as we made our way in. Concentration levels are heightened when doing these entrances and exits, you never know what the under current is going to do to you. Luckily once inside the first part, we managed to find a shallower route into the main lagoon. A large expanse of pure blue opened up before us surrounded by palm trees and white sand beaches. Lots of boats were anchored and the supply ship was also in, a good sign. That meant the shops would be well stocked!.
We motor to a spot and drop anchor, bridle on and relax. Children dip into the water and adults grab a beer. Life is good.
Venturing into the village was fun. We docked the dinghy against the wharf and walked up the dirt track passing a couple of cafes on the way as well as a scuba diving shack. The shops were on opposite sides of the track and interestingly dependant on what you wanted some things were much cheaper in one than the other and vice versus. I think they had worked it out between them to ensure they had equal trade. So restock of the freezer and beer fridge as well as bubblegum supplies for Cobin.
On the way back to the dinghy we stopped off at one of the cafes. Lily’s had a nice menu and we stopped for lunch. The food took a while to get to us but it was delicious once it arrived. We asked if she opened in the evenings to be told only if you have 10 people. We were already 9 but asked some of the other Arc boats if they would like to join us and soon we had booked for 19 for the following evening.
Another day and what to do? Well the natural aquarium was calling so we all piled into lucky and motored across the lagoon to the buoyed field that marked the aquarium reserve. It was an interesting concept, gallon drums were sunk into the water with signs hung on them under water telling you about the reefs makeup and the diverse animals that survive around it. The only issue was the strength of the current. It was very strong so the smaller ones in the group had to have piggy backs on the adults to both keep up and not be dragged out to sea. Some of the fish were rather aggressive. Howard was filming underwater when he suddenly made a rapid backward movement and you could hear him shouting in his face mask. There was a huge shoal of fish around him but one in particular took a dislike to the intruder. It was a Titan triggerfish, an aggressive and territorial species who are not afraid to literally “get in your face”. It did this several times to Howard who being much bigger than it by several pounds and feet shied away and fled!. Jessica too was having an issue. Up until last year she did not like getting in the water if there were fish around, which is not too much of an issue in the med but here there were hundreds. She was just about managing to cope until they started biting! She soon jumped back into the dinghy. Cobin thought he could help her and enticed her back in (actually he pulled her back in from the dinghy) but kept with her and kept asking if she was ok. All was fine until Joe decided to throw in some bread we had taken out to the reef and there was a sudden feeding frenzy all around Jessica. She was screaming and panicking, thrashing around trying to get them to move away so she could get to the dinghy. Cobin was trying his best to assist her but there were too many. She reached the dinghy and refused to get back in the way again and gave Joe a telling off too. No harm done but I don’t think helped her with the fear of fish in the water problem.
Soon it was time to leave and head for the scheduled meet up of the Arc fleet in Tahiti. A decent sailing distance which would take us over a day to do. In Arctic it would take considerably longer but Charm seems to eat up the miles without you realising it.
Night shift routine kicks in around 6pm. So first shift is 18:00-20:00 then a two hourly rotation until 08:00. This was shared with the adults although Lara does the 22:00-24:00 shift and doesn’t come back on again until daytime. So Joe Howard and I had most of the nighttime hours. Usually when night sailing in the med its fishing pots and other boats to watch out for whereas things you have to watch out for here in the Pacific are the squalls that creep up on you. The sky always has an amount of cloud cover so it can be hard to distinguish to those not used to ocean sailing, like us, but the clouds that appear darker than the rest are those squalls building. They can be vicious in their delivery and get you very wet if you get in them. Not only that, they play havoc with your sail plan and make you have to work harder to keep the boat safe. It becomes a night of dodging these dark clouds and enjoying (in my case anyway) the extra push of wind they give you when your in front of them. We did go through one a bit though, I was woken by the downpour hammering through the open window and to Joe pulling on a line when it wasn’t his watch. Suddenly there were all 4 adults up and awake in the boat running to shut windows and also keeping the boat safe. Not the best solution when you have hundreds of miles to go and each watch you undertake takes all your concentration. This is also added to by the fact the autopilot keeps dropping off its course and in some cases not holding the heading at all so you realise you are heading in the wrong direction. Not very helpful to say the least. People do watches differently though. I am a firm believer in the task being given the word watch for a reason, so that is just what I do. Others take catnaps of 10-15 minutes with an alarm. I would find this more disturbing than helpful so am happy to be a watchdog. I find sailing at night the best time, you have the whole space to yourself for a few hours, no one to interrupt your thoughts and you can just enjoy the huge expanse of nothing, bliss.
We arrive into Tahiti for the second time on this trip for us, this time obviously by a different route. Coming into the hustle and bustle of a city is rather full on after being in slow and lazy islands for the last 11 days. We are greeted into the marinas channel by a pod of dolphins which was lovely to see. We manoeuvre into a berth and settle against the floating structure that will be our home base for the next week. The marina is clean and tidy, well kept and a stones throw from the amenities of the city and all its noise. It’s an onslaught after the quiet and seclusion of the islands, I know which one I would rather have.
It started as a young boys' dream, it became a family's reality and the reality was so much better than the dream…thank you world, thank you Arctic Fern.
