Slideshow French Polynesia 2006

We’re here in French Polynesia. The trip went without a hitch and Sailmail seems to be working so I will send you a longer email soon – just wanted to get in touch.

We landed in Papeete at 5:30 in the morning, Rod there waiting to collect us and take us to Raven. From the marina we motored around to the docks in Papeete to take on water. We had to radio the airport control tower to get permission to cross under the approach path for the jets due to the height of our mast!

Mike and I walked around town in Papeete, but by noon we were ready to set sail from the island of Tahiti across to the nearby island of Mo’orea where we spent last night at anchor. We had a perfect sail – a nice breeze, good wind direction, and a brand new mainsail!

M’oorea is the typically beautiful South Pacific paradise with dramatic peaks and lush greenery plus lots of flowers. Everything is much more clean and cared for than ini Fiji and Tonga – of course more affluent. They speak French here – fortunately Elize is fluent so no difficulty there. I took French in college and can read a surprising amount, but no way can I speak it. This morning we went on about a six mile walk along the paved road that circles the island.

This afternoon we’re going snorkeling to scout out a dive site for scuba tomorrow. Tomorrow evening we are making a night sail to the island of Huahine which is about 110 miles from Mo’orea. It should be lovely sailing in the warm night air, and the timing is such that we’ll arrive when the sun angle is best suited for navigating the coral.