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Tuesday April 29, 2008

Bella Donna is tied to a dock in perfectly still water next to a huge Princess Cruise Line ship. Tonight the cruise ship will leave and tomorrow we will move to the anchorage at Marina Taina to fuel, provision, meet with immigration and otherwise prepare to depart for Hawaii.

 

Today our quest is to drive around the island clockwise to a very famous international surf beach, Teahupoo, where a major international event is taking place through May 8. The waves formed on this costal spot of Tahiti are legendary the shape and development of the pipeline wave may say is the best in the world, better than any in Hawaii. Their shape and not their size is what make them famous even though their size can be really big.

 

Our car is tucked away in a small parking space with too many cars in it near the quay. Several near misses and back ups go forwards later we spill out or speed out, onto Boulevard Pomare going the wrong way; it's a boulevard and left turns are not permitted. Traffic is heavy and constant but a pedestrian crosswalk is strategically placed to the left of the drive out allowing us to exit; the French stop for people and bicycles in the crosswalk and there is a copious supply of people and bicycles. Having made the necessary u-turn several times yesterday looking for parking we exit circle and reenter the boulevard.

 

The French hate stop signs and traffic lights; instead they place a circle at every intersection. There are rules about who has the right of way as you flow, dance, through the circle and hopefully exit in the direction you want to go. The only rule you must follow is do not hit anybody and do not let anybody hit you. Everything from scooters to large trucks and buses move swiftly through these circles. Remember the way a Frenchman drives is an extension of his mood.

 

Soon we realize our mistake; there are 20 to 30 congested traffic circles required to get to open road at the edge of Papeete going clockwise. If we had not made the u-turn there would be a French freeway, 90 kilometer limit, with only a few traffic circles required to get to open road and the clockwise route was only slightly shorter. It takes us about 2 hours to reach Teahupoo; we only got lost a few times; reminds me of but is much better than Grenada. Look for painted stones on the side of the roadway that mark the kilometers as you progress.

 

Teahupoo is where the road ends near the southeast end of Tahiti; you can not miss it. You are presented with limited parking on dirt and rocks in a rural setting. There is a brightly painted surfboard planted in the ground with Teahupoo written on it next to the painted stone kilometer marker numbered 0. There are some minimally constructed tents near the water's edge made from things you would find around the house; it is kind of like what the homeless might construct following an earthquake to protect them from the sun. There are minimal plastic seats and tables surrounding a snack shack. I can not find my appetite.

 

Beyond the end of the road a walk bridge takes you over a small stream to a wet dirt road or path that makes its way under giant shade trees past minimal farm houses turned into surfer rentals during the event. Almost all the people encountered on the road or path are much younger. Several times you step to the side to let a fit surfer carrying a longer than usual, almost as big as the one I used in the 70's, board to the event area. We ford a cold rocky stream of water making its way to the shore. It's a good thing I am wearing my Crocks. Finally we are standing on a point overlooking the event area witch is about a quarter of a mile out in the ocean. You have to actually board one of a few small powerful boats called taxis to go out close enough to the pipeline wave spot to see the action; this limits the crowd. There is a minimal platform that resembles a small oil drilling platform placed in the middle of the event area. I guess that is where the event is judged from. Anyway, the preliminary heats are all finished and the finals will be held next time the waves are good enough. Today the waves are minimal, 12 to 18 feet. Last Saturday, when most of the competition occurred, the pipeline had 40 foot waves.

 

Back safely on Bella Donna the cruise ship, Tahitian Princess is departing. We wave to all our friends and wait for the roulottes to open. The move tonight is Juno.

 

God Bless Bella Donna

 

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To: (null) <popietom.belladonna@blogger.com>
Subject: Post
Sent Date: 4/29/2008 2:19:09p

 

Monday April 28, 2008
After completing the last post the skies opened up and the winds blew; it actually got a little cold. We were going to Marina Taina to have a sundowner and a simple dinner with John and Deborah; however we have spotted lightning and more rain looks to be on the way. We opt to stay at the Hotel and have a rain downer and light dinner there. The afternoon is good for a nap in between storm interrupted viewing of the only English television program, CNN International.

 

The bar is full for happy hour; nearly everyone must have napped and opted for staying at the hotel; most of the restaurants in town are open to wind and rain. There is a seafood buffet being set up so a Hinano beer mixed with good conversation is good until its 7 PM start.

 

 Bed comes early as CNN is damaged by the storm and I just know it will not be fixed until Monday morning. Nothing happens on Sunday in Tahiti; they take Sunday as a day of rest very seriously. Sure enough, at exactly 8:30 AM Monday morning CNN is fixed. No sign of yesterday's storm, no wind and the sun is bright; it is very hot and humid again. See picture.

 

While researching coconut milking machines for Ceviche Dave's, a grass shack restaurant in Kona Hawaii, we spot a French exercise group in the pool; see picture. After coffee by the lily pad pond, we talk to Canadians in the hotel lobby while waiting for our taxi to the airport to rent a car. John calls to tell us to drive to the commercial dock in Papeete to meet Bella Donna. Getting the car we are told that if we are returning on Thursday, they will be closed for Working People's Feast Day. I wonder what people do who fly in on Thursday expecting to rent a car. Driving down the quay in Papeete we spot Bella Donna motoring towards a dock next to the Tahitian Princes Cruise Ship like the one we saw leave Kailua Kona for Tahiti last week. Moving our baggage onto Bella Donna we spot the Canadians we spoke with earlier boarding the Princes cruise ship; the cruise ship departs to Bora Bora tomorrow afternoon. It is interesting that the old Tahitian language does not include the letter B so Bora Bora is actually spelled Pora Pora.

 

We have not had time to provision so we are off to Papeete for a lunch; the Poisson Cru was great. Arriving back at Bella Donna I meet Matt, a young Frenchman who runs a thriving WIFI business with his wife from his sailboat in Marina Taina; See picture of Matt with Deborah. He walks up to me and says "Tom; you don't know me do you"? "Of course I do", I respond. Two young lovers, he and his wife were sailing around the world starting in France. They sailed into Tahiti a few years ago needing money and saw an opportunity to start the WIFI business while giving birth to two children. Today he was installing WIFI on board the ARC fleet of 70 boats that are sailing around the world together and could not believe he saw us across the harbor. He proudly announced he had a second child, a two month old boy. He and his wife want to continue their around the world trip; thus the WIFI business is up for sale. They need a larger boat as the family is growing; he jokingly asks if I would sell him Bella Donna as she would make a good boat for his family.

 

After some chores and getting Don's passport back we relax and talk with John and Deborah until it is dark. Time for dinner we go ashore on the quay where the "roulottes", little trucks or food vans, are set up with picnic tables in between serving great food at low prices to mostly local families with a mix of people visiting Tahiti looking for local color. Ah, the smells; I am hungry.

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Sunday April 27, 2008

Sunday mourning at the Le Meridien Hotel, very French. We arrived about 10:30 PM, Tahiti is in the same time zone as Hawaii. We traveled over 5 hours from spring to fall. The feeling of Tahiti is like Hawaii in October, hot and humid. The pretty young Tahitian girls in long traditional dress are handing out the small familiar white flowers to put behind your left ear if you are married and behind your right ear if you are available.

 

I was first to leave customs and immigration. Don and I both answered the immigration questions the same, "we are returning to Hawaii by sail". The authorities confiscated Don's passport because he had no return airline reservation. French Polynesia loves to hold a several thousand dollar bond to cover sending you home. They want you to come enjoy, spend money and then depart; you may not stay. The bond serves as an insurance policy the money is available to send you back to where you came from. I guess I was just lucky tonight; I still have my passport. We will have to post bond for Don on Monday.

 

As I exited the sliding glass doors leading into the crowd of people waiting for arriving passengers, I automatically scanned the crowd as I always do this time knowing that I would not see Captain John's familiar face. Bella Donna is not to arrive until late Sunday or early Monday; we are on our own. Towards the back of the crowd a slim and tired looking smile connects with me; yes, it is John. This just isn't right, how can this be? John says he had good conditions and decided to burn a little more fuel and be here to meet us. He still hasn't had a good night's sleep in ever so long but was determined this would not be the first time he would not be here to greet us. Bella Donna is on the Q flag, not cleared, so we can not board her until the official offices open on Monday morning to clear her in.

 

We drop John off at the Marina Taina dock and continue on to Le Meridien; which is several miles, too far to walk, past the dock. Le Meridien is a five star hotel resort bordering on the lagoon that surrounds Tahiti. About midnight we finally find our room that was very hot and humid; we were definitely glowing. Five star means there must be air conditioning. We open the patio door into the relatively cooler night air while we search for the climate controls. Shortly after the air conditioning is turned on the room is cool enough to shut the door.

 

The room is hard, simple and stoic. In the USA based just on the room this is a slight cut above a Motel 6. The TV channels are all French except for International CNN which is in English.

 

This morning we awoke to a beautiful day. We enjoy Sunday breakfast on the covered patio overlooking a lily pad pond. People from many foreign places speak several different languages; the coffee is great.

 

After breakfast we walk to the sandy beach lagoon and swimming pool. First we pass a spot where we can see huge waves breaking over the reef that protects the island. There are many families with children sunning and playing in the protected water. I am reminded of John saying that it took several attempts to anchor Bella Donna in the swift currents created by these waves just beyond the reef in the lagoon by these. Next week we will disembark into the sea, I hope it settles. The scene is a lot like the Waikaloa Hilton in Kona Hawaii. The bar is a place where wifi internet is supposed to be provided; a place where I can finish this blog entry and send it.

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Saturday April 26, 2008

At this moment we are in the Continental Airlines President club in Hawaii waiting another 30 minutes for the 5 PM Hawaii Airlines flight to Papeete, Tahiti. We should arrive there around 10 or 11 PM tonight. We are staying in the Meridian Hotel near the anchorage where Bella Donna will arrive either late tomorrow night or first light Monday morning. John and Deborah can't clear customs and immigration until Monday morning. Remember nothing is open in Tahiti on Sunday. In fact all the stores close at noon on Saturday. We can not board Bella Donna until it is cleared by customs and immigration. John and Deborah can not touch foot on land unless they are proceeding to clear themselves. Thus we are kept separate until officialdom says it is OK.

 

It was hard to leave Kona this morning as the weather is so pleasant there. The variable winds were blowing the vog over us and north. As we landed in Honolulu the sky looked exactly like Los Angeles does on a hot summer day. The sun turns all the gases from Kialuea to what looks exactly like what the hot summer sun does to the exhaust gases in Los Angeles. The atmosphere in the airport was gloomy. Beyond the haze there were not many people in the terminal and many of the shops were closed. I guess Saturday afternoons are slow here. Add to that the fact that all the Aloha Airlines space was completely deserted. With less than 6 people in the President's Club we are getting a lot of attention from the drink steward; this is not exactly what I needed after having an after salad drink about 12:30 AM this morning.

 

Well it is almost time to board our flight. Wish us luck. I will write more as the trip unfolds.   

 

God Bless Bella Donna.

 

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Friday April 25, 2008

Well it is Friday in Kona and we have been here one week today. Tomorrow we fly to Tahiti on a late afternoon flight out of Honolulu. We can’t wait to see Bella Donna; it has been a very long time since Tonga last October. Bella Donna had some extensive work done on her in Whangarei, New Zealand. Outfitted with several refinements; she spent most of the southern hemisphere summer (cyclone season) in a shed stripped of her mast. The passage from New Zealand to Rarotonga was not easy. The winds were up to 40 knots for days and the seas were 30 feet. Even worse the wind was off the nose making progress slow (sailing difficult to imposable), consuming quite a bit of fuel while abusing the crew as well as Bella Donna. The optimal schedule to leave Tahiti for Hawaii has been moved at least a week, thus this is why we spent the last week in Kona instead of traveling on to Tahiti as planned. Rarotonga, a brief fuel stop, Ant left on schedule to return to New Zealand to continue the next phase of his life. He was to leave from Tahiti. John and Deborah will sail Bella Donna, just the two of them, and meet us in Tahiti Monday after checking in with customs and immigration.

 

Kona is very pleasant even though there is a lot of work being done on the house here. There is also the daily vog (volcano fog) that lingers over the island because the usual east-west trade winds are absent leaving 10 to 15 knot variable winds to stir the gases from Kialuea over all the islands FBI (from big island) to Honolulu on Oahu. The mornings here are bright and sunny with blue sky; however, by sunset the skies are dark and gloomy; at least part of the day is beautiful. We are resurfacing the walks with natural stone and building beautiful wooden extension to the lava rock walls between us and our neighbors.  There is a lot of dust mixing with the vog.

 

I still do not know where Bella Donna will make landfall in Hawaii. We have talked to the harbor master here and we are too big for the small boat harbor that has limited space for large cats up to 65 feet; we are 73 feet and take more than 40 feet of beam when stern to on the dock. We can anchor in Kailua Bay near the house. The sea swell is unpredictable this time of year. Right now it is virtually flat, maybe 2 foot swell. However, the swell was much bigger last week. We have charts, maps and tide tables. We will have to wait and see sea!

 

God Bless Bella Donna.