You passed! (Nuka Hiva - Rangiroa)

 

12 June 2023 (Nuku Hiva - Rangiroa)

Well, we’re off again… picked up baguettes “pour Riccardo” for the last time, and upped anchor and away from Nuku Hiva with little fuss.

I have loved it here.

I’ll miss.. The happy roving dog pack, being Riccardo to the ladies at the supermarket, the bonfire loving locals, the high pitched Polynesian giggles of the fishermen, ham and cheese paninis from the shop with the kittens, and the sheer beauty of this place and its surrounding mountains. It’s also somewhere where you think nothing of congratulating strangers who’ve just arrived.

Exiting the bay, we’ve got good/great wind, a mild roll, which is soon tolerated

Caught a fish (another on Ballyhoo John’s red and white lure) a skipjack tuna - my biggest tuna. Turned this into a lovely noodle dish, pan frying the fish in teriyaki sauce - and for once having some fresh veggies to go with it too.

We slip easily back into the rhythm of the passage - a once daunting prospect.. the upcoming overnighter feels like coming home, it’s just so normal to us now.

Both day one and day two are delights! Steady wind in the 15-20 range, sunshine and sailing all day on a beam reach. We’ve both had good sleeps. Our diet is a coconut I surprised Chez with and the tuna we caught yesterday: first in lunchtime burrito then in the same teriyaki noodle thing as I made yesterday. That’s the last of it, rods can go back in tomorrow.

Life is very good.

After a nothing to report nightwatch on day 2, I try rousing Chez at 2:30am.

“Hey babe, time to wake up”

I touch her leg: she’s cold to the touch. I touch her stomach.. even colder. Starting to panic - badly - I begin shaking her: “Chez Chez!! Wake up!”

..which she then does: not the best way to finish mine, or start her day!

After my own night nap that followed, I start my day being advised:

“I could do with a hand, it’s looking squally” and sure enough; it squalled.

Spent my first waking ten minutes in undies and life jacket hand steering us wherever the fierce wind decided we should go. Other than that, day 3 has been as good as the previous two: mainly sunshine and 15ish knots of wind.

Day 4 it was Chez’s turn to begin the day with a storm squall drenching. I stuck around to provide some moral support and little else - poor Chez got soaked to the skin. Back to bed til the sun came out! Great wind today: probably 18-22, little cloud, lots of sun. Popped a rod in mid morning and was rewarded with a beautiful looking skipjack tuna. It’s within the rod and reels capable range and lands easily. It’s the correct size for us for a couple of dinners. Bled, gutted, filleted and put in the fridge within an hour of dipping the line. Should mention the lure… I’m well and truely at the bottom of the barrel on that front - lost maybe 30 (?) of all varieties. This one was a cheapo I bought from a pound/Chinese shop way back in Agios Nikoloas.

We had some squalls roll through today, short lived, but enough that on a few occasions either one of us needed to manual steer until it had passed.

All in all another rather lovely day today - best time of our lives!

Had strong wind through the night, some very light squalls. Chez reported making 8.2 knots constantly for a while during her overnight watch. That’s a little over my comfort level… glad I was asleep!

So where are we now? Day 5 I think, and it went swimmingly! Averaged just shy of 6 knots for the day.

We made it to Rangiroa, on the Saturday morning, having left Nuku Hiva on the Monday. Julie Perry helped us out with the tide times for the pass into the atoll. Despite this, our first attempt at entry needed to be aborted as the confused conditions and standing waves in front made it a prospect neither of us had the stomach for. Chez spent the next hour beating herself up over it. The next pass turned out to be a significantly better prospect, and we made it through the choppy entrance with some high revs and a determined wife.

We dropped anchor off a rather nice thatched hut resort an hour or so later. Had to float the chain today - a first. This involves tying fenders at intervals along the chain to avoid getting wrapped around coral bombies.

Marvelled at being able to stand upright on board in the calmest of anchorages.