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Friday July 27, 2007
The wind blew and it rained all night, but the morning is bright and sunny. The wind is
just a gentle breeze. Pleasant smells are drifting to us from shore; smells that blend all
the activity going on in the village – breakfast, laundry, gardening trimmings and the
ever present coconut-palm leaf are burning. This village is the largest and maybe the only
one on the island.

We explored down island yesterday with the dinghy and saw what looked like some ideal
beautiful anchorages. A small, about 40 passengers, cruise ship was anchored near a
secluded beach and some of the guests were set up on the beach with umbrellas. There were
just a few other catamarans anchored near by. The only problem was the wind was blowing 16
knots with occasional gusts to 30 knots which would make swimming unpleasant as you would
be cold and always swimming back in the windy current. Picture your best memory from a
movie about the south pacific and this would be better.

Since the wind is not blowing here yet we lift anchor and head for the ideal spot.
However, when we arrive the wind is blowing even harder than yesterday. The few spots
where the wind is less are not safe to anchor Bella Donna. The lagoon water goes from
60-100 feet to just a few feet very abruptly; you can see the sharp change from dark blue
water to light blue where beneath there must be a cliff. We need to put out so much anchor
chain that our swing would endanger the hull to coral. We return to our original anchorage
for lunch. The wind is not blowing here so since the wind is blowing from the opposite
side of the island the contour of the volcanic peaks must be blocking us from the
katabatic winds that build up pressure against peaks and then spill over at higher speeds.
During lunch we decide to make a run for Raiatea, the next island some 25 miles away.

The wind is blowing 16 knots allowing us to sail at 9 to 10 knots with just 2/3 of the
Genoa deployed and John slows down by cutting the engine rpm to 1000 from 1500 to improve
the comfort of the passage. We make the passage in a little over 2 hours. The cut through
the reef is an experience. First just at the cut an ocean wave sweeps us like a surf board
into the smooth water of the lagoon. Just inside the coral reef we pass between two sandy
white motus, islands, that look like just beaches covered with palm trees. We sail into
Faaroa Bay which is sheltered from the wind.

Raiatea was known in ancient times as Havaii. This island was one of the first that man
lived on in the Pacific when they sailed canoes from Micronesia. From this bay Polynesians
launched canoes to settle New Zealand and Hawaii. A charter base for Sunsail, Stardust
Marina, is located in this bay. The water is not very clear but still blue and clean as
the only navigable river in French Polynesia flows into the headwaters of this long island
penetrating bay. The first adventure is boys into the dinghy to navigate the river. In our
first approach we run aground, the second attempt runs aground and John gets out walking
the channel and sinks knee deep into the mud. Just then a local motors out of the river.
Well we have tried all the wrong approaches so we follow upstream in the wake left by the
local boat; it's easy and we are able to pick up John on the way. Once in the river the
water deepens considerably. The river reminds you of the jungle ride in Disneyland. We
pass little homemade wooden docks with surf boards and pirogues on racks. Obviously locals
store their toys down this river where they are both accessible and safe. We continue well
beyond the 1 mile the guide books talk about and turn around so we can get out of the
river and to Bella Donna while it is still light. In one spot where the jungle covers the
river we throw a line over a branch and hang against the out flowing current while a rain
shower passes over. We stay dry and with the engine off the birds are very loud. Mixed in
with the wild jungle birds is the cackle hens and crowing of roosters from shore. The rain
stops and we are on our way. The trip down stream is fast and we make it back to Bella
Donna with light to spare.

God Bless Bella Donna.