Daily updates describing the voyage of the yacht Aldebaran
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31 July Hi, I nearly forgot to do an update today!
The yacht is still anchored in the same spot as yesterday. They walked up town today (to Uturoa) and found that it is very small and somewhat rundown. Not many shops, but it does include 4 supermarkets, 2 hardwares, a clothing shop, a couple of pearl shops, and about 8 little general purpose corner stores. Andrew thinks these stores must struggle to survive with all the competition. The crew looked a hiring a car for tomorrow to have a look around the island but they only have very small cars there so they will probably hire scooters instead to go around the one road that circles the island.
The day has been very windy to the point of being miserable. They looked to see if there were any suitable surfing beaches but didn’t find anything. There are not a lot of people around but there are a lot boats in the area.. They are moored on the approach to the airport and see about 3 or 4 planes comer in each day. Medium size prop planes (50 to 60 seaters).
They are having spaghetti for dinner and all the crew are well and happy. 1 August The 6 travellers hired scooters and rode right around the island of Raiatea today. It was wet initially but they did go and although they got quite wet initially it did fine up and they enjoyed themselves. Andrew was interested in the economy of a scooter - about 3 litres took them about 130km. The two women were somewhat hesitant initially but rapidly became adept at riding although I gather Leslie managed a few bunny hops initially to the concern of the guy renting the bikes out!! They stopped at a large archaeological site around the island that was apparently to original political and social centre for all of French Polynesia. It took about 6 hours to get around the island. There was little in the way of population but quite a lot of agriculture, mainly pineapple, taro, and vanilla. Andrew commented that he hasn’t had a hot shower since they left Mexico and he would like one. They swim a lot and have had access to showers on a few islands, but only really cold ones. They plan to move tomorrow, to the east side of one of the two islands (Tahaa or Raiatea). Each island has a long inlet into its centre, Faaroa Bay on Raiatea and Haamene Bay on Tahaa, and they will go up one of them, still staying inside the coral reef though.
There has been a lot happening today. First of all Andrew got up at dawn and went out to the pass in the reef for a surf. There was a good point break which meant he could anchor the dinghy in the shallows, paddle a short distance out through the calm waters in the pass and then surf back in. He had a number of great rides and then got one wrong, a big wave followed by another couple of large ones. The end result was some coral grazing on the top of his right hand (his description was more graphic than Lisa’s, but then he was the only one present) and his surf board in two pieces. The board didn’t have any marks on it so obviously didn’t hit the reef; it just broke when the wave hit it. Following Lary’s comments on coral infections, the hand has been bathed many times, scrubbed clean and been dowsed with various antiseptics, so your timely warning has been well heeded Lary. Andrew’s main concern now is that they only have two surf boards left! Later in the morning they weighed anchor and departed from Apooiti Bay where they had been anchored just outside the marina, went around the top of the island past the airport and past the town of Uturoa and down the east side of Raiatea to the large inlet, Faaroa Bay, and went up to the top of the inlet where they are now anchored. Location is 16 49.089S, 151 24.057W, see attached map. There was a bit of a wind chop and the trip took about 3 hours. They also tried something different to do their shopping today. As they approached Uturoa, Don and Lisa climbed into the dinghy that was being towed behind the yacht, unhitched and took off into the large wharf at Uturoa. They jumped out, went across the road to the supermarket and did their reprovisioning buy, jumped back into the dinghy and caught up with the yacht where they loaded everything onto the yacht and climbed back on board. The yacht never stopped during this, just carried on at 5 knots or so. The exercise apparently worked really well.
When they got to their current location they explored the river at the end of the bay. Lisa, Carl and Andrew took the dinghy al least 3 km up the river, returned and then Don, Leslie, and Bri did the same. Apparently it was a nice trip and really pretty. I noticed that on the web last night when I was looking at where they might go today, and apparently that river is the only navigable river in the whole of French Polynesia. Tomorrow they plan to go to the Huahine islands. I have included them in the map attached, it looks like one island but is actually two although they are so close at one point that there is a bridge joining them. It will probably take about 5 hours or so.
Till tomorrow 3 August The crew sailed to Huahuni-nui Island today and are anchored with about 6 other yachts by the town of Fare on the north western corner of the island – see attached maps. They took about 6 hours with a head wind and near head-on swell but conditions were good and they had an easy trip. The weather is fine and sunny and the island is very pretty and picturesque. They will probably move tomorrow or the next day and explore around the 2 islands but staying within the reef. They plan to stay in the area for 5 or 6 days and then go to Bora Bora. The chat was much briefer tonight as they were ready to head into town to see if they could get a cheap meal somewhere.
That’s it for today 4 August The yacht is still in the same place as last night, beside the town of Fare. They plan to stay there for another day or two and then go south around the island, and then go to Bora Bora on Monday or Tuesday next week. Last evening they went into Fare and found that there are a couple of little trucks/vans that set up in the evening with a few tables and chairs beside them and produce really good food at low cost. They are all going back there again for dinner tonight. They did a bit of snorkelling today and Andrew says they are really enjoying Huahine Island, it is so pretty.
Andrew’s hand that he damaged two days a go on the reef is healing nicely. It was pretty messy yesterday but looks much better today. He is taking antibiotics and putting antibiotic cream on it 3 times a day, so hopefully it won’t get infected. Tomorrow will be my last regular yacht report for nearly a month as Annette and I leave in two days for 3½ weeks in Australia. I will miss the daily chats I have with Andrew but I hope to be able to make some intermittent contact with the yacht over the next few weeks. I feel as though I’ve been on the trip with them without having to put up with the sea-sickness!! Our friend Jack in Tauranga will contact the yacht a couple of times a week and give them a weather report, and hopefully email me about what they are up to occasionally. I must talk to Jack tomorrow and give him access to the weather reports I use on a daily basis.
Incidentally the yachties do have some access to the internet currently if anyone wants to email them. 5 August Talked to Andrew today as usual. They are still moored at the same spot on the north west of Huahine island but plan to go south along the island tomorrow. They will be in that area for 3 more days I expect and then go to Bora Bora.
Today they have snorkelled again but find that this area is not nearly as interesting or as pretty as the Tuamotus. The island itself however is really beautiful. Last night they did go ashore again to the little food vans and enjoyed it again. Andrew and Leslie shared a Poison Cru which was a cole slaw with raw fish in it. The local diet seems to be based on white flour bread and French fries, but they are finding some healthier options available too. They plan to eat on-board tonight.
Andrew found a right-hand surf break today and plans to go out and try it out tomorrow. Most of the breaks have been left-hand which he is not so keen on! That’s all tonight and I have no idea when we will be able to get the next update but I’ll pass on any info that I do get, and if any of the group get contact by email or text of skype then can you please give us all an update. Remember that I do keep the location part on the right top of their blog up to date as often as possible.
We will resume daily contact with the yacht on 2 September. 8 August Hi guys. hope you had a safe trip and you are enjoying some warmth in Ausie. Just wanted to give you an update. You can let the others know dad. We spent the last two days at the bottom west corner of Huahine at a bay called Avae by Pt Tiva. It is beautiful and very peaceful. the big difference between Huahine and the other society islands so far has been the white sand beaches. There are lots here and they are very beautiful.. We have seem more stingrays and again there are lots of fish here. We went for a walk the first day we got here and got to the local town which had nothing except a grave or two in every front yard. Some were very intensely decorated and all were looked after well. Today we are going to take the boat halfway up the west side of the island. Stop off for lunch at Port Bourayne and take the dinghy in between the two islands and then continue up the west side back to Fare. Tomorrow we will provision and get ready and Tuesday we will head to Bora Bora for a week. Love lots the crew 11 August Hi Graham, Good contact today with no QRM and my noise down to a 3, Andrew was up to a 7 at the start but unfortunately dipped down to the noise as the sked went on. They are in BoraBora OK, entry not as tricky as they thought and with a good moon. They went into town to pay some fees and did a bit of shopping. It is very beautiful but also very touristy and they were tied up alongside the Hilton. They have now moved over to a small island not far away. They will not be on for a few days but the forecast I gave them shows nothing much wx wise for the next week, as Andrew said they are not too worried about wx until they head out again. Heavy rain here o/n but has changed to beautiful condx now! 73 Jack
Love Leslie On a boat!! More again, Best to all, Lary. 15 August All is well here and Bora Bora is nice. Pretty tired after the last month with Bri here so will keep it mellow for the next week and hopefully we can get out of here at the end of the week. Andrew. 15 August Had a skype chat with Jack this afternoon soon after he had spoken on the radio with Andrew. As previously mentioned they have moved to anchor at a smaller island within the Bora Bora reef, but there are apparently about 50 yachts in the area.. They are all well but a bit tired and will probably stay there for at least the rest of this week. They apparently have a bit of work that needs doing on the dinghy and its motor before they leave. They have not yet decided which way to go from Bora Bora but plan a meeting tonight to discuss the pros and cons. They will either go via the North Cooks to Samoa or via the South Cooks to Niue and then Tonga. I hope to be able to talk to Andrew via radio on Wednesday and if so will have another update then. 18 August Had a good chat on the radio with Andrew and Jack yesterday afternoon. I got access to the local radio club equipment which included a 3 element 20m beam (for those technically minded) and it worked well. The yacht was moored on the west side of Bora Bora but they decided to go down to the southern tip to get away from the tourist areas and are now moored at Matira (I have attached a map of the island showing the location and another picture showing the beach). The main channel inside the reef doesn’t go that far south as you will see in the map and there are coral heads close to the surface but the navigated through without any issues. Andrew commented that he wasn’t that interested in going to Bora Bora but finds that is very beautiful and the resorts all tend to be fenced off and keep to themselves, so he and the others are really enjoying it The dinghy motor gave up the ghost and is with a mechanic to hopefully be fixed. The dinghy itself is fine and they find that they can row wherever they want to go anyway. Andrew said that he and Don enjoyed rowing but the others didn’t, and was immediately corrected by Lisa to say that she loved rowing! They plan to leave in about a week and have decided to go via the Northern Cooks, heading for the Island of Suwarrow (see attached maps) and they may call into the island of Maupiti (about 30 miles WNW of Bora Bora) and then the island of Mopelia (about 130 miles W of Bora Bora).. They will then either head for Niue and on to Tonga, or go to Samoa and then Tonga. The route will be dependant on the weather at the time. I will only be able to talk to Andrew next Wednesday and then will resume daily contacts on the following Wednesday, however Jack will be available to contact Andrew most days in my absence and give him weather updates, which is really great. Brian left last Saturday and they enjoyed his company. Everyone is fine, particularly when there is clean water to jump into to keep cool. Andrew’s hand that he damaged a couple of weeks ago surfing on a coral reef has healed quite well without getting infected although he still has one small open wound that is clearing up slowly. He has been advised that it will heal quicker if it is kept out of water and dry for a week, but as Andrew says, that isn’t going to happen!! No-one has any real enthusiasm for long passages, hence the desire to stop at islands on the way. Raleigh is fine and has been de-fleed and de-ticked a few times as a precaution. That’s about all the news from here. 21 August Hope all is well with you people. Talked to Denis today and he said he had a text conversation with you on Skype a couple of times. Talked to Jack a few minutes ago and he won’t be on today as he has visitors. Just thought I’d comment on the weather although I dare say you can see it as well, but the big storm that has been over NZ for the past week is going to bring you a 5+ metre swell by Thursday so maybe you shouldn’t go till that passes. We have had beautiful weather here for the past week but today it is raining and temp is down to about 15 deg C. Due to be fine again tomorrow though. Bruce and Sue left about an hour ago, and Simon & Jo arrive on Thursday. I will be on the radio at 0330 UTC on Tuesday, your time (Wednesday our time) Reply from Andrew. Hi guys. Yea I have seen hat and we are decidin what to do now. We may wait until the middle of the swell passes and then go out so we time our entry into the next island for after the storm or we may just wait it out. All well here. If anything i am bored of Bora Bora but you have to accept these things sometimes ah 22 August Just a short note...probably repetitious but.... Chatted with Leslie on Facebook earlier. She said they have spent some time scraping algae and barnacles from the bottom of the boat. Without acqua lungs it involves diving, holding your breath, scraping until you need air and surfacing. She said Don in particular does this quite well and she thinks he is part dolphin. Unfortunately, there appears to be no part to fix the dinghy motor anywhere to be found "in french polynesia" according to their source so they have resigned themselves to paddling it around. Leslie, Carl and Andy had just finished a kayak trip to town to shop when I spoke to her. She said they may travel to Maupiti which, as Graham has pointed out, is relatively close....weather permitting on Tuesday or, they may hang around there a while as they really like the lagoon where they are anchored. A couple of them had paddled to town to a resort hotel for a glass of wine and, although it was a beautiful place, there were no other people only a lot of lizards. Guess that covers it for now. More again, Best to all, Lary 24 August Talked with Andrew on the radio again today. They are currently anchored close to the main island of Bora Bora just inside the main passage through the reef (see attached map). They are going to stay there for a few more days to wait out the large swell that is forecast from Thursday evening till Tuesday. They will probably leave as the swell starts to reduce, possibly Monday and go directly to Suwarrow Island, which they expect will take 5 to 6 days.. All are well and still enjoying Bora Bora. The weather has been very hot with little wind. Although the crew have not updated their blog recently I am still keeping the location link on the blog up to date. It may not be absolutely accurate as I don’t currently have daily contact with them, but it will be close enough I hope. You can get to it directly by clicking http://angnz.com/aldebaran/ 25 August Weather has turned real shitty here so the storm has arrived. Lets hope it pisses off sooner rather than later. I can see a lot of movie watching and book reading coming up as most of the stuff is done. Looks like we will leave sunday morning right into the middle of the storm as that suits our timing at the other end. But that changes daily.. Andrew 27 August Hey guys can you please forward this onto to jack tonight please. HI Jack. I wanted to let you know that I wont be on tomorrow night. Also I can consistently copy you every night I have been on so please don't worry about not being able to copy me. We are currently surrounded by other yachts including some large ones with lots of electronics and I wonder the effect they are having on my signal. I wanted you to know that we are leaving Sunday Morning(Monday Morning your time) so I will be curious to see what my signal is like once we are out in the ocean. I think this passage will take 5 to 6 days and we are Heading to Suvarrow Island in the Northern Cook islands. If you are having trouble hearing me then please update me with the weather as I am pretty sure I will be able to hear you. I will try and get my position to you and hopefully we can have a little more of a chat. Thanks again for all your help it is greatly appreciated. Say Hi to Collen for me. Andrew 28 August Hi All, Just a brief update to say that the yachties plan on leaving Bora Bora in the morning (Sunday, their time) and sailing to Suwarrow which is a small atoll in the Northern Cooks. They have been sitting out a storm over the past few days, but that is due to start abating over night and they will then have 10 days or so of fine weather. The trip to Suwarrow should take 5 to 6 days. I will give their location daily and other info as it comes to hand. Cheers, Graham 29 August The yachties did set sail this morning and reported in to the Seafarers Net at 0300 hours UTC this afternoon. They were at location 16 14S, 152 15W (see attached map) with an easterly wind of 10 knots and a NE swell of 6 feet. They had traveled 38 miles from Bora Bora and were traveling at 4 knots in a NW direction and had a reasonably clear sky (20% cloud cover). I got an email from Jack to say that he had given Andrew an up-dated weather report but unfortunately could not hear Andrew due to his high noise level. 30 August Hi all, The yacht made good progress today and Jack had a good chat on the radio with Andrew. They have a sail up and are making about 4 knots. The swell has dropped considerably to about 1 metre from the NE and the wind is 8 Knots from the E. Clear skies with only 10% cloud cover. Their position at 0300 hours UTC was Lat 15' 32"S, Lon 153' 55"W (see attached map). Jack said that they had quite a chat about the Rugby World Cup that starts in a few weeks in NZ and that at their present rate of progress they hope to arrive on Friday. Cheers’ Graham 31 August Hi Liz, I think you are reading too much into my comments. I have definitely said a couple of reports ago that they are now heading for the Island of Suwarrow in the Northern Cook Group, but I do admit that my report yesterday passed on the two unrelated comments that Jack made in the one sentence so it wouldn’t be difficult to relate them. I’m sorry for the confusion; I’ll try not to combine unrelated issues in the one sentence in future. I know what I mean but I don’t always make it clear! I am still keeping the location and statistics page up to date and that might clarify it a bit for you. Click on http://angnz.com/aldebaran/ It is pretty much up to date but I do have some difficulty as we are still in Australia and I only get to talk to the yacht once a week. I do have other means of getting daily reports from them though and our friend Jack is doing a great job talking to Andrew daily on the radio in my absence, so they do have daily contact with the real world. We get home tomorrow night which will be a struggle as the temperature here is in the 70s F but due to be 40 deg at home. I hope that you missed the storm that went through (or near) NY a few days ago. Kind regards Graham -----Original Message----- From: Elizabeth Sullivan [mailto:elizabethsullivan65@yahoo.com] Yüklə 436,53 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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