CLINK!

The gals are dispersing - some home, some on side trips to Bora Bora
and Moorea ... our Tahiti trip was SPECTACULAR! More details once I'm
back home and have F&F (fast & free!) internet: our connectivity here
has been dodgy and pricey too.
Here we are in Huahine clinking a toast to a fun time. Over & out ~ Betsy

what day is it??

We have to look to see what day it is: our time in French Polynesia is such a blur, with one wonder after another.

Yesterday we left Maupiti after a FABULOUS layover where we went biking, snorkeling, swimming, dinghy riding, kayaking; ate, drank, relaxed; and repeated it all over again.

Today (Wed.) finds us in Raiatea - having stopped at the base last night to replenish our water and provisions (mainly beer & wine) and have our generator looked at. Shortly we will leave for Huahine to meet up with Liz Clark (www.swellvoyage.com) ... everyone is doing well, havinga great time - too darned busy having fun to write or pirate wifi so  remember: no news is good news!! Look at KC Matlock's FB for pix, I will post more hopefully tonight! 

~ Betsy  

Holly and crew have returned to Raiatea.

We know... it's a hard life being a cruising guide publisher...

:o)

Holly and crew arrived in Maupiti this afternoon.

The Spot apparently isn't going to grace us with updates this trip so I'll post those that I receive via phone, email and text as they are available.

Bora Bora!

Nothing BORING in Bora Bora! 

We arrived at this famed island after a gorgeous sail from Taha'a. The departure from which was spectacular, as we shot through the pass in the coral reef: with massive waves breaking on either side of us. 

Thursday we'd had a wonderful morning (it started early with 7AM departure from our anchorage - which meant arising at 6 to get the coffee etc rolling - to get to Alain and Christina's by 8) Alain packed so much into the 5 hour 'Vanilla Tour' which in fact covered the entire island; the history, heritage, plant origins and medicinal purposes ... all delivered in a gentle velvety French accent. It was magnifique!

The rest of the afternoon we lounged, napped, shopped (at Sophie Boutique) kayaked,  cocktailed - all from our 47' catamaran HUDSON ..  It was another super day.

This morning we had a more leisurely pace, but still were off by 8AM for our departure to Bora Bora. The sail was beautiful, uneventful (in a good way) and after eyeballing Mai Kay Marina (which was packed) we came to Bora Bora Yacht Cllub where we tied up for water (alas the ice was gone) then picked up a moring, and mostly lounged, swam, laughed a good deal, before dinner at BBYC.

So much is going on and at such a nonstop pace of wonder after wonder after wonder, we have little time to digest or rest, no less search for internet and suffer these lazy connections ... sorry!

SATURDAY

Another fun day following a fairly crazy night; as the cat swung wildly on her mooring as rain squalls pummeled through. 

After breakfast we did a foray into town: souvenir shopping, lunch, and for me more grocery shopping. This is a fascinating hobby: grocery shopping in foreign lands. It is always a mystery to see what they do and don't eat in other cultures, and other peculiarities: like the lack of eggs in French Polynesia. Presumably a bout of salmonella led the islanders to slaughter all their hens, so we cannot get any oeufs. 'Makes certain types of baking - and my planned Mother's Day quiche & brunch - a bit impossible. We'll make do. 

We got a r/t lift from Bora Bora YC (charming new management) downtown, then returned to the cat, stowed all thenew provisions (and massive quantities of beer & wine) then headed sw to an anchorage off a motu where the surroundings and snorkeling were amazing. Where the channel ended the cobalt water was streaked with neon greens and electric blues ... we did a little swimming in the shadow of Bora Bora's famed silhouette, then headed to Bloody Mary's for a big Saturday night ... closed! Impossible! We had nine crazy women ready to dance on the tabletops but for some unannounced reason it was not open.

Instead we had bbq'd tuna (we got from some fishermen late yesterday: marinated with wine and herbs, and dressed with a wasabi mayonaisse) plus fried rice with freshly stir fried veggies. Despite our disappointment at bloody Mary's being closed, we had a fantastic evening: everyone howling around around the dinner table, and the revelry continued on the foredeck. Once strangers until this trip - we now all laughed and joked easily; many new friendships have been forged and everyone seems to be having a great time ;)

Just 10PM but we hope to leave for Maupiti tomorrow: weather permitting. First though I plan a little Mother's Day celebration - complete with pink streamers and tiny umbrella's for our drinks :-)

Spectacular day!

We left our anchorage just north of Passe Toahatu (after a quick swim- jump in anywhere and the water is delightful and snorkeling worthwhile) and cruised around the north end of Taha'a sightseeing. We stopped just off a trio of motus where a brisk stream of water runs over a spectacular coral grove. Anchor set, we all started piling into the dinghy - only to discover we (9 of us) didn't all fit! So KC and I kayaked while the others dinked past a cluster of high-rent cabins on stilts perched over crystal clear aquamarine waters. At the entrance to the Coral River (near a wooden sign decorated with sea shells, titled "Jardin Corail") a local gentleman amusedly okayed us bringing our boats ashore. He showed us a pen where he had a black tip shark and held it - thrashing - while we admired its strength and beauty. wed (we were thinking tangs and pretty coral) we traipsed the length of the islet to the edge nearest the reef, donned masks and fins, and entered anyway: beginning a most amazing snorkelling experience. 

From the get-go it was like being immersed in an aquarium: with a shocking abundance of brilliant friendly fishes ... we were swept along with the current: at times making quick jogs or retreating against the current, to stay in waters just deep enough to avoid the corals and urchins. Woe is me being a girl with a generous bow: I was convinced at various shallow parts the length of my body would be swept with fire coral or needlepointed with spiny urchins - alas we negotiated the length of the river unscathed, and in utter amazement. We kayaked / dinghied back, pulled up anchor and proceeded a wee bit futher south, at an anchorage off Chez Louise.

A delightful few hours with nothing to do ... we followed by our assemby and shuttle (two loads) to the very tentative docks at Chez Louise. Her daughter Maina hosted us, we alone at water's edge, with geckos scurrying the tables and posts (including one who hopped from the water bottle to Jane's dinner plate). Maina brought out a beamy split bamboo laden with lobster, shrimp, mahi, and poisson cru - all dripping with butter; and a partner bamboo stuffed with baguette and rice. To keep them from rolling she propped these 'serving platters' with Hinano bottle caps. Vin blanc and vin rouge kept our feast company and we toasted "manuia" (?) "cheers" ... What a delicous memorable meal in an unforgettable setting. After we were sated we loaded the dindgy and ventured across the blackened channel to our yacht. Ironically her name is Hudson :-) after my favorite river, oh so many miles away. Tiny bits of bioluminescence twinkled in the water: but they were no match for the spectacular stars that spotted the sky.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we will start EARLY: pulling up anchor by 7 (!) for a half-day tour of the inland of Taha'a: the vanilla plantations and other inland farms and preserves. After that we plan to spend the night and head to Bora Bora, and later Mapitu (if conditions continue to be favorable).

Our internet access has been ... nil. Hence the stacked up dispatches. Remember: no news is good news :-)

Over & out, Betsy 

 DAWN CHORUS (MONDAY)

My friend Jane recently wrote about the dawn chorus (www.ecology.com) and there is no better place to experience this I'm convinced, than our bungalows on Raiatea - where the peculiar scratching and clacking (of crabs?) in the dark of night is but a prelude to the racket of birds welcoming the new day: each adding their own distinctive voice to the choir - a crazy unscripted yet perfect harmony of morning song surrounding our quirky cabin 20 feet from the satin smooth waters of Sunset Beach, where I'm watching the day turn from slate to pink to Tuesday with the rising sun.

There was no question last night, about why this is called the Sunset Beach Hotel (a collection of funky but more-than-adequate sleeps-five circa-60s cabins with spacious decks and lawns jammed with fruit and flower trees galore). We had a perfect westward view of the fiery sun as it set alongside Bora Bora -the clouds in the hills behind us turning rosy and bold, the sky streaked red and gold and grey, reflected in the still waters of the lagoon. Time froze as we stopped everything to watch and applaud the end of another great day.

It began in Papeete -in a mild rush to (re) pack, return the car, board the plane for Uturoa, simultaneously 'ahhhhh' as we approached the isle; were met at the tiny open airport by the charming strapping Moana who shuttled us to the market for more baguettes (and booze) and then the bungalows on our private beach. It was heaven.

We had a potluck picnic on our deck, swam, snorkeled... KC did a little surgery on Barb (who skimmed one of the many spiny black urchins along the reef). Tina and I followed the path through a canopy of flowers to the 'office' where a cluster of lifejackets, snorkel gear and other odds and ends lived, to pick up some paddles, then back past the trio of parakeets, grabbing some bananas and pomelos from a table labeled 'help yourself' - we kayaked over the crystal clear waters while others chatted and napped. Later, as we enjoyed frosty (expensive) Hinanos and Original Tahiti Drink(s) the Pacific Voyagers sailed by! What a thrill to see them - as I last saw them at Cabrillo Beach (LA) nearly a year ago: these hardy and lovely eco-warriors are sailing the Pacific Rim to boost awareness about the environment and Polynesian culture. We all stood - as if to salute them - until they had journeyed 'round the point and were no longer in sight. (See a story about their mission also at www.ecology.com and the April issue of SAILING magazine.)

That night we rallied for dinner at Les Voiles d'Or - a delightful restaurant at the nearby marina, where an impromptu band performed the same songs over and over. "Dancing Cheek to Cheek" was playing as I entered the room: with its low slung ceilings, the music, the tepid air embracing your skin - the warmth of the night and friends swallowed us up; and the laughter - as we tried to communicate with our jolly waiter Pascal and met the sailing team (conspicuous in their matching royal blue polos) from Poland at one of only three or four occupied tables. We capped the night of beaucoup Bordeaux with coconut creme brulee and called it an early night: Tuesday we re-pack (oh for the final time for two weeks: hallelujah!!) and set sail with Dream Yacht Charters.

At present a portly blackbird with a bright yellow beak is chiding me - "tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk!" - telling me, I supposed, it's time for me to start my day too. More dispatches will follow as wifi permits: we leave for Taha'a today.

~ Betsy

ADDENDUM - TUESDAY

The drudgery of the first day (packing & moving your stuff. waiting to board the boat. the time involved checking out the boat and reviewing the charts. provisioning. stowing, etc. while everyone is just so damned eager to  off the dock!) was amplified by the fact we 'lost' a cart of groceries. In their haste to get us out the door (it is a holiday celebrating the day the US liberated France, we were told) they started checking us out while we shopped, so each time we filled one of the little carts, we wheeled it to the cashier, she rang it up, boxed it, and it was lugged out to the pickup we subsquently climbed in the back of, and jounced to the marina. Eventually we realized some things were missing, and in a last-minute dash Holly & KC went to the market while I stuffed things in various cubbies ~ we finally, finally got underway - made it to the anchorage off the eastern shore of Taha'a, ate slow cooked (unintentionally, with our charcoal bbq) steaks, salad more baguette, champagne which Owen contributed for a toast and now at last AHHHHHHHHHHHHhh we get to go to sleep!! 

Swimming beneath the waterfall ...

It took my breath away: swimming beneath the towering waterfall at Papenoo (Les Tres Cascades de Faarumai) but my new friends - 11 year old cousins from Papeete - had coaxed me in, and I obliged. The water was cold (Il fait froid!) but the warmth of these budding Tahitian beauties too much for me to resist. Hazel urged me closer to the waterfall and the refreshing downdraft we enjoyed at the footbridge became a weight: a heavy drum of icy vapor barreling down from on high. It was breathtaking - literally. 

The Mahalo Sailing Wahines had a wonderful day - jealous of Trisha's pre-planned island tour, the rest of us decided to pitch in and rent a car (a clumsy van as white as us haoles, which only once did we have to push off the black sand beach) circumnavigating the islands of Tahiti and Tahiti Iti ... too much to say in one dispatch. But from our hikes to waterfalls and a delightful swim shared with a local Tahitian family - to a foray at famed Teahupoo beach where we watched Polynesian moms & dads teaching their little 'fingerlings' (some just toddlers!) how to boogie board on knee-high waves (with utter glee!) - collecting spring water roadside - watching the sun set behind Moorea: its sharp grey silhouette outlined by pink and yellow striations of the retiring sun - and greeting RAGE (one of the boats finishing the TPYC Tahiti Race) downtown: it was awesome.

And then, the creme de la creme. I introduced myself (on the TPYC B.O.D. for eight years) to the crew of the arriving yacht. In our small talk, the skipper told he had done the 1993 Transpac, and when I piped in "I did too" his wife pulled me aside. "You! We heard  you girls in the bathroom at Kaneohe YC talking about what fun you had and I went right outside and asked my friend if she ever wanted to race to Hawaii ... " That silly giggling bathroom (rum infused no doubt) chatter spurred them to do the following year's Pacific Cup with an all-girl campaign. "You have created a legacy" she said. I was stoked. :-)

Monday morning now and all busy packing for our next leg: the flight to Raiatea and departure (tomorrow) on our two week cruise! ~ Betsy Crowfoot

PS - our SPOT locater is not working properly so please do not be alarmed if you don't see SPOTs. No news = good news ;)

ALso check my FB continually for new photos!!!