After nearly two weeks of lovely South Pacific life among the Mutos in the Gambier group we got tired of waiting for wind for the passage to the Hao atoll. The 8 of May we left Gambier together with three other boats. This was actually the first time ever we sailed together with other boats. Six Pack from Australia whom we met in Piriapolis September 06, Accord a singe hander from  New Zealand and Iris from Portland USA. Together we formed a Radio net, mostly to spread the weather information among the boats. Every morning and evening Annika was the net controller and informed about the latest grib-files. All the way to Hao, 5 days and 446nm, was almost without wind so there was not much to report. It was almost like sailing on a lake, no swell and  calm sea.
Due to the lack of wind we newer spread over the ocean. In spite of the different sizes, we had VHF contact the whole passage. The different positions was merely depending on motoring for water or electricity production. Vi motored 50 hours during this five days. Some time for electricity and water (our belt driven water maker needs 1450 rpm = 5kn) but most of the time because lack  of wind.
There where no luck in our fishing. Four boats and five days and only three fishes in total, two small skipjacks and a 10 kg yellow fined tuna, which Iris caught the last evening. We wonder if we are bad fishermen or if South Pacific is empty??

One very unique episode happened the third evening.
Annika had two nice loaf of bread ready out of the oven when the wind died. We where making water and doing our 5 kn, but Iris 2nm to the north east of us where still sailing.
We called them and asked if they wanted fresh bread.
But of course was the surprised answer.

One hour later, just by sunset, we handed over half a loaf, some bananas and a coconut. Probably the first fresh bread delivery in the middle of an ocean between sailors.
  
 - American Iris

13 of May
There where a lot of discussion over the radio about the current in the pass into Hao and the right time to do the passage. Pilots seams always to talk about worst conditions. In this case it was 20 kn!!
It might be possible with spring low and a southerly storm, but during "normal bad" conditions it seldom overrun 5-6kn. We where lucky and arrived in daybreak with 2-3kn current with us into the atoll. A lot of talk and worries about something that turned out to be a complete anti climax. We should later discover how lucky we had been this time.

We where all after some hours anchored among the coral heads at the village in Hao.
This was our first test of "coral anchoring". We buoy our chain to prevent it from sliding on the bottom and catching the heads. Works just perfect. Our three friends hadn't seen this before and their chains was immediately caught around the coral. They reanchored with some small buoys and where more successful. 
We think it is important to have a few meter of the chain close to the anchor on the bottom and after that have the chain in loops, clear from the bottom. It's even more important than ever to test the holding by reverse minimum 80% of full power with the buoys attached to the chain to check that to lifting power from the buoys doesn't effect the holding. When you really need your anchor, the chain (or rope) is in a straight line to the anchor, buoyed or not.
There are a lot of episodes where boats had to leave in a hurry because of changing conditions and discover that they are caught among corals and can't leave, creating a sometimes very dangerous situation.

We visited the Gendarme to announce our presents. There are some rules that you should report in every new island/village in French Polynesian, but later on we discovered that this is something they really are relaxed about.
Hao is a big atoll which under the time when the France did their nuclear testing at the Mururoa atoll, this was the base camp. The runway at the airfield is the longest in South Pacific. Even the Concord landed here when the atoll had its prime time. Today the base have only a small supply battalion of 50 men, all what is left of a hundred times larger force.
The village had of course some traces of this declining, but still it was a nice working village with a lots of friendly people, not the slightest tired of tourists. We found out that the normal number of visiting boats per season where not many and four boats at the same time was a sensation.

We met the English teacher who invited us to his home for bear and free internet and the next day a French family who lived in a house on the beach did the same. Very friendly and of course very convenient for us as Internet was not available in any another way in the village.    

The harbour was quite new and it was possible to get diesel by a diesel truck directly at the wharf, which we of course had to use unanimous. The prize was higher if we bought less than 200 l, so we bought "one for four" just above five hundred litres. The wharf was to high for yachts so we had to double fender Lindisfarne and use her as a pontoon for the others. When we filled the last boat, the wife of the "truck man" asked if we wanted Heineken or local beer!
That's a nice way to treat customers, especially since the beer is very expensive in French Polynesia. We got six beers, one each! The diesel isn't cheap, just above two US$/L, similar to the prize in Europe.
Back at the anchorage we only had to pick up the chain which we had left tied to the dingy, a procedure of five minutes, compared to a "normal" anchoring which takes at least the double if you succeed at the first attempt.

Garbage, especially of course disposals containing oil, is a problem when touring in remote areas where there are no "litter boxes". Hao was probably one of the few places where we could get rid of things like used oil and other difficult disposals. We took the opportunity and changed oil and all the filters in the engine. Even if we had sailed most of the time since Chile, three month sums up to a lot of engine hours, so it was a reasonable time to do this maintenance work.

After a week in Hao we where ready to continue and sail the short trip to the neighbouring atoll Amanu. This time we discovered that passes into atolls looks quite different in different conditions.
Our flat water passage into Hao was not to be recordniced!
The  current was going out of the atoll, against the swell. This is not a favourable situation, but in Hao not seldom seen. We did a test attempt going half way out to determine the speed of the current, turned back and secured all lose things and then we hit the pass.

A rollercoaster ride later we turned around out in the open sea and had some nice photos of Six Pack and Iris doing the pass.

We have to admit that our training in Scottish waters where a big help.
Passing out Hoy sound in the Orkneys is something to remember, experience of green water behind the mast a few times help you to determine when the boat is in trouble in the future.
Hao was nothing like that, even if it was another extreme experience.

20 May
Amanu is a small atoll with a small pass, which one should pass only by slack water and following sea. To make it a bit more complicated, the pass makes a turn in the inner part!  But in right conditions it's  easy and safe and a piece of cake compared with Hao! .  

We had once again use of our coral anchoring method to reduce the chances to get trapped or damage the coral.
Here the clean area between the corals where so close that we had to use two  anchors to reduce our swinging radius. (Bahamian type we think it's called.)
Here we got the first close contact with Sharks. Every time we snorkelled they came and looked, but never to close. They kept at least 10 meter distance, probably afraid of us....
Diving alone, at night and in murky water is not a good idea when Sharks are in the neighbourhood.  

One problem with these atolls is the shelter. There is excellent shelter from one "half circle" but from the other half there is nothing. In some big atolls there can be more than 10nm to the other side of the atoll, imagine anchoring on a lee shore with an ocean to windward. This means that continuing keeping a sharp look out on the weather forecasts is a must even at anchor. You have even to be prepared to leave in a hurry, making the coral anchoring method even more important. There is no time to go diving or circling around pulling your anchor. Not few boats have been severely damaged under these conditions.
But apart from that, the atolls are a great place to be in.

From Amanu we sailed to the uninhabited atoll Tahanea 220 nm to north west. A perfect trip with 10 to 15 knots of wind from south east. We actually had to reef the second night, not to be before sunrise in Tahanea. Because of slack water in Amanu we had to leave to early in the morning giving us to much time for the passage to Tahanea. A 220 nm trip is possible to time very accurate and have the passage into the next atoll without "hitting the brake" if the departure time is free. Preferable one should do the entrance and navigation in an atoll with the sun from behind, and after the sun has got a sufficient angle to light up the bottom. Tahanea have three passes, and we chose the middle wider one and made the entrance just after daybreak with a light current against, and anchored just north of the pass among coral heads on 7m sand. Do we have to tell you about the buoys on the chain?     
When we got the morning email (we use the SSB every evening and morning to get and send our email) we had one telling us about three Swedish boats anchored in Makemo atoll, which we had passed during last night. They had read our blog and knew about our arrival in Tahanea.
They came the next day and that was the first Swedish boats we met since Patagonia March 07. There where now four Swedish boats out of total eight boats anchored in this part of Tahanea.
- A busy time together with all Swedes.

After a few days they left for Papeete and we sailed across the atoll to get protection from the new wind direction. In the southeast corner of the atoll we found the Paradise in Paradise. Long white coral sand beach, crystal clear water and no coral heads in the anchorage. Close to the pass we had numerous of sharks but here there where almost none. We where told that Ciguatera was not a problem in this atoll so we had some delicious meals right out of the water.          

31 May
We stayed almost another week in this Paradise. Six Pack where here and Theleme a French boat that had spend several years in the area where our companion during beach barbecue.

We tried the Coconut crab, the taste is something like smoked salmon, jum-jum.
We forgot to tell you, there are no mosquitoes in this Paradise.

Finally we had to leave. There are many places to be visited and the cyclone season is coming in November... 
We sailed back to the pass for one night to be able to sail the 50 nm to Fakarava during daylight. We left Tahanea by daybreak and managed to reach south pass of Fakarava before the current after slack water was to strong.   
Everything went according to our plan. We reach the pass at 14.15, having had a super sailing. The southeast trade wind where just perfect. At Fakarava we got rain and wind from north, not a preferred direction for the south anchorage.
Instead of the normal anchorage north of the pass, we turned south and anchored behind a local reef giving us a better protection from northwest. After two days we could move to the anchorage north of the pass. The reason for that is the fantastic diving in the pass. You take the dingy to the pass and snorkel back to the anchorage drifting with the current under the dingy. Marvellous scenery and many different fishes.
At least three different types of Sharks, not all of them as harmless as the Black tipped reef shark we had got used to.
We spent three days diving in this crystal clear water.
The pass is famous for it's clear water, coral covered bottom and numerous of spices, both fishes and corals. One of the best in the Tuamotus. 

- Maltese Falcon, leaving the anchorage in Fakarava

16 June
We got some email from Swedish boats anchored in Papeete, wanting us to come to Papeete for the celebration of "Midsummer evening".
We left Fakarava late in the afternoon, not to reach Tahiti in the middle of the night. We got some squalls during the whole trip and the sea was quite rough the first night. The wind was stronger than expected, 20-30kn, and of course we made landfall in complete darkness as usual.
The pass to Marina Taina is well marked and lighted. We had no trouble and could anchor within the Marina just after sunrise.
We where three boats from Fakarava, Six Pack and a new friend Imagen, a nice HR 49. We had weather radio during the passage morning and evening and of course some chats in between. Imagen was the fastest and anchored at Vénus Point early the second night waiting for daybreak before entering Papeete where they arrived by lunch time. Six Pack arrived three hours after Lindisfarne.   
Having done the anchoring we got breakfast in Egret, our friends from way back in Ushuaia, whom we hadn't seen since Puerto Montt in March. Mary and Scott then guided us and Louise and Rex from Six Pack to town and the authorities. Sweden being a member of EU where exempted from paying the bond, but the others where not. Our clearance was thanks to that an fast and easy matter.
Back in the boat we where invited to sundowners in Roxy, which after two hours where extended to include dinner.

The next day was midsummer evening. Starting at two o'clock with all Swedish mariners gathered in Roxy. Blue Marlin, Lindisfarne and Karl who sailed as skipper on Tilda and Julia who was part of the crew on Shenandoah. Later even Imagen joined the party which kept on to the late hours. Emma liked the ice-cream with strawberries better than the parents choice of aquavit.

Julia invited us to visit Shenandoah the next day. Quite a ship!   
   
Back in the marina, after a trip to Gauguin museum, we where invited to party at Imagen for the rest of the evening. It's sometimes very busy with all these friendly nice people. 

23 June
We had planned to do the town together with Six Pack, but the wind picked up from the south and the anchorage became a bit rough. We where not worried for our anchor, but it's not fun having boats dragging around when you are in town. So we stayed and got a lot of useful things done during this "boat day".
Tuesday we rented a car together with Six Pack and toured the island.

The time is running and with all these activities and all these people you just have to meet, we will probably not leave Tahiti until beginning of July.

The anchorage inside the reef, outside Taina Marina is under normal conditions very good. There are no costs involved, even if you use the dingy pontoon, garbage disposal and more. There are diesel and water in the Marina and a small chandler, two restaurants and of course a bar.
Internet is available to a fee. Busses runs very frequently into town to a cost just below 2$.
Our near future plans include the rest of the Societies islands with Bora-Bora being the latest where we have to leave French Polynesia latest 26 of July.  

26 juni 2008
Annika & Björn
S/Y Lindisfarne

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