16 30S 145 27W

Dear Friends

Which atoll shall we visit? A tough decision to make. In the Tuamotus, part of French Polynesia, there are 77 coral atolls spread over 1000 miles in a NW-SE direction. We have now explored two....a large and a small one.

After 4 days & nights sailing from Ua Pou in the Marquesas, we arrived off Kauehi. Inside this "small atoll" there are over 100 sq km of water and 1 single navigable pass in & out, so even the 2 foot tidal range creates strong currents with overfalling waves. We tried to slow down to arrive at low water slack, then the wind dropped. We turned on the engine for a few hours then a thunder storm rolled past and the wind blew strong to gale and stayed there. We spent a night edging on with a scrap of sail up. Strange to sit at night in a rough sea 2 km deep, knowing that one island is 10 miles downwind, and another is 5 miles up wind, but neither has land more than a few feet above the water. The dawn showed us lines of surf with coconut palms behind just as the map had predicted and the radar confirmed. It stayed more than 1 km deep until we were less than 1 km offshore. We were 1 hour early but turned on the engine and turned upwind into the pass - Harmonica's water speed was 5.5 knots as we crept into the lagoon at 0.7 knots over ground.

These were once named the "Dangerous Islands" and we were pleased to have radar & GPS positioning to help us. Only 30 atolls are uninhabited. Those inhabited have a small village on the island part of the reef. The low lying atolls are vulnerable to summer cyclones, with poor soil and little water agriculture is difficult. Coconut palms thrive, the copra industry and the dying black pearl industry which has been revived are the sources of income. Most of the lagoon is surrounded in a wide coral reef that is awash, half covered by breaking waves. We sailed the 8 miles across the lagoon watching out for coral heads and anchored beside the small village of 200 people. We were welcomed by a gaggle of small children swimming off the dock beside the tiny church. The village was neat and well kept. We took our food scraps ashore to feed one of the large pigs owned by a family nearby. Chickens and dogs patrol the sandy roads.

The one small village shop was owned by the family that also have a black pearl farm. The owner was an ex policeman from Tahiti. We piled into the back of his pickup truck, with his wife and three children joining us, and drove a few miles through coconut plantations along the atoll to view the pearl farm. We then sat down at a table, a large suitcase was brought out and bags of pearls were tipped onto the table for us to look at. Many shapes, colours and sizes. Janet bought 3 and had another 5 given as gifts! The workers were now finishing lunch and we were invited to sit down and eat. Each of us had the top cut off a fresh coconut to drink with a tasty stew and rice which we think was probably goat. Later, Dave gave our host a copy of a printed photograph of our visit and was given some small fish in return. Cigaterra (fish poisoning) is present in many fish in a number of the lagoons where the coral has been disturbed by building, local people will let visitors know which fish are safe to eat.

We have been traveling with another Canadian boat, Gavia Arctica, with David and Mary Robb aboard. Mary and Janet have attended Sunday morning church services at every opportunity. It is a great way of meeting local people, and the singing is beautiful usually accompanied by ukulele and guitar. The women look pretty with a flower worn behind an ear or a garland of fresh flowers on their head and gaily coloured mother hubbard dresses. Also, Mary and Janet have spent some happy hours walking along beaches where we have found some wonderful shells. There is often competition between the hermit crabs and Janet as to who will get the shell. On one sailing passage Dave was met by a shell walking along the deck to meet him as he went forward to adjust sails!

We moved on to our second Tuamotu, Fakarava, the second largest atoll with 2 navigable passes into a lagoon which is 50 miles by 20. We entered the wide North pass near the main village, where we wrapped our anchor chain around a coral head rising to 12 or 15 ft from the bottom 45ft down. Not to worry: next day, Jan took the wheel, David Robb pulled in the anchor chain for us, while Dave swam with a snorkel to pass back information on where the tangles were. We walked & cycled for an afternoon & Jan & Mary went to church.

Next Harmonica & Gavia moved down the marked channel in the lagoon to the South pass, stopping one night en route, & always watching for the coral heads which show quite clearly from afar by the change in water colour from dark blue to an aquamarine colour. There are about 10 small coral islands (Motus) at the south pass and you can wade in knee-deep water between them. The biggest has a village which boasts the oldest church in the Tua Motus - 1876 - and it was being lovingly painted and redecorated with mother of pearl from the oysters. However only two families live there now.

The South pass was narrow and windy with excellent snorkeling. We would take the dinghy to the outside of the pass at low water slack water and drift through into the lagoon with snorkels on and the dinghy in tow. The steep sides had a wonderful assortment of many coloured reef fish among the array of different corals with larger fish lurking around. In the deeper water were wahoo, & baracuda. We found we were being watched by black tipped reef sharks and grey sharks. Sometimes they would circle us looking quite sinister but always went there way without bothering us further. David from Gavia found a large dead fish and used it as bait to feed the sharks from the safety of Gavia's stern deck. About half a dozen black tipped reef sharks came and circled the bait for a while letting the smaller fish eat until a shark was ready to attack and would take the bait in its mouth shaking it like a dog. There would be a sudden fury of splashing as all the other sharks came around to take part in the action then the bait was gone.

The brightly coloured parrotfish feed on coral expelling the indigestible part as sand. One study estimated that for every acre of reef parrotfish produce about a ton of sand a year. Put that in a tourist brochure "Come and bask on miles of white fish excreta". Small shrimp have cleaning stations where they will eat parasites off the bigger fish. When not at a cleaning station these fish may eat the shrimp but they have special signals to use at the cleaning station! Swimming is like passing through a colourful garden full of creatures.

There are a few small, thatched, holiday cabins near the South pass. We met a French family who were celebrating a 20th anniversary by taking their children diving. The parents had sailed French Polynesia many years ago and are looking forward to getting a boat again.

With few shops selling very little fresh fruit and vegetables we were glad of our copious supplies of pamplemousse, limes, and bananas brought from the Marquesas. Janet has been baking bread, muffins, and cakes now that temperatures are a little cooler we can tolerate the oven on. We even need a sheet to cover us at night time now! We have met few other cruising boats in this area. Most have moved on faster than us. New Zealand friends that we sometimes talk to on the radio are already in the Cook islands. Our next area to visit will be Tahiti & The Society islands.

Both the water maker & the wind generator have been very useful additions. Onward to new things to fix (the gas regulator is giving trouble, and the anchor windlass need replacing) and new places to explore while fixing them.

Fond wishes from Jan, Dave, & Harmonica
www.techco.ab.ca/harmonica