2014 Across the Pacific - Tuamotu and Leewards
Malua left the Marqueses with a new crew. We stayed longer
than I had planned because the crew was waiting to pay for two wooden
statues that she did not have the local funds. In the end we
sailed away.
The Tuamotu Archipelago was some of the best cruising I have
undertaken in the true Pacific ocean. Coral atols, palm trees and
crystal clear water. The scuba diving was out of this world.
The crew left to continue diving and I sailed on to Tahiti and the
Leewards. That was fun. I again took on crew and that was a
disaster. I left that one with the authorities trying to explain
the situation without money or an airticket.
The rule on entering a pass into an atoll is to do so at one of the
high or low water slack tides and to do so in calm weather and the sun
high in the sky. An easy ask if one has a direct line to the weather
gods but if you are cruising and in company with other yachts you do
the best you can, prepare your boat for all eventualities and eyeball
with good prudent judgement the best strategy.
Malua left our first atoll entrance which had a lot of hype about how
difficult it was with ease. It was no more difficult than a ocean river
bar in Australia. My confidence was up and the guide book stated that
the northern entrance to Fakarava is "wide and straightforward.... the
flow normally peaks at 3 knots" What is did not say was don't enter
when there is a 22knot wind on the nose and against the incoming tide
with heavy rain squalls. And that is exactly what I found including a
short wave chop which stopped Malua normal 5 knot forward progress
right in her tracks. We took a line on the centre of the pass let out
the stay sail for stability and some extra help and entered the
maelstrom of the pass. Malua rose to the waves but came crashing down
to stop dead in the water, the inflowing current would take her a few
feet forward and then Malua would gather herself and lurch forward to
again be stopped in her track by another set of waves. I turned the
bows a few degrees off the wind and our speed increased. We where
making progress but bang, bang the swim ladder had come loose and was
swinging in the stern water. Grab the boat hook and secure that and
when I turned again to look where we where, we are in relatively calm
water making 5 knots. Through our second pass.
Now to do the pass on the falling tide. I calculated that the tide
would turn at about 8 am in the morning. Just enough time to go ashore
to get a few hot bagettes and to still make it at the slack water.
Great plan and I did find the slack water, almost no wind and
definitely no rain and standing waves. What a dream to pass out the
entrance and into the open sea. I had planned a 60 nm passage to
Apitake which would be spread ove a full day and night so I could
arrive at it's entrance at the low slack. I pulled up the main and set
the genoa and soon I was cruising along at more than 7 knots. The plan
was not working for I would have to lay ahull all night and behind me
in the near distance the storm and rain clouds where gathering. OK what
is plan B. I was to pass Toau atoll which has a false pass in its
north. The pass at Amyoto states " the pass can be entered and left at
any stage of the tide" I also knew that there are secure mooring buoys
which one can pick up. It didn't take me long to calculate that I could
make the anchorage well before dark so I turned Malua's bow to the
entrance and started the engine, for the wind had dropped off prior to
the storm hitting.
I entered the pass with just one knot of current helping me in towards
the two leads and between the port and starboard marks. I was in and
had the mooring line secured well before the sun set creating a
wonderful rainbow ad the rain approached. I had finished my precooked
meal and had a opened a can of apricots before the first splatter of
rain forced me to close the hatches and retire to a warm bunk.
I was up before it got light and planned my move the 25 nm to the
Apitaki entrance. As the dawn broke in the east I could just make out
the leads I let go the mooring line and turned for the entrance to be
assisted by a one knot outgoing current. A great stop, I was refreshed
and looking forward to what lay ahead.
I timed my entrance to the Niutahi entrance in the SW corner of Apataki
just right. The water was almost slack, no wind and what sun there was
was high in the sky. Just follow the leads, turn to starboard when the
marks indicated and follow the deep blue water through the last part of
the entrance and I was through and heading for the other cruising
yachts. On all occasions no mater how deep the water you have to keep a
look out for the coral reef which appear from nowhere. They are easily
spotted on a sunny day either by the light blue water or the waves
breaking in the shallow water. The pearl form buoys are not that easy
especially if the wind is causing a chop and you are motoring into the
chop. I took the remote autohelm and sat on the top of the hard dogger
to be more than 4 meter above the waterline. From here I could see the
dangers and steer the boat through the field of buoys. Dropping the
anchor amongst the coral heads was a challenge but I did that trusting
the wind would not turn to the north.
I was soon in the kayak with a crew from Cygnus and paddling through
the
false pass to the end of the earth where the lagoon meets the open sea.
Great experience, then back to a deserted pearl farm where I collected
a set of empty pearl shells. Back to the boat for a quiet dinner and a
good sleep. Two hour before dawn the wind rose and I felt Malua start
to rise in the short chop and I found myself on a lee shore and a large
coral bommie off the port stern. The anchor watch indicated that I was
slowly dragging down wind in the soft coral shale of the atoll. Time to
move again but not in the 25 knots of wind I found as the sun came up.
I'll have to wait for the sun to get high in the sky before I chance a
crossing of the atoll to quieter water. I made it to the NE corner and
dropped anchor along side Little Explorers kids boat I had not seen in
more than a month. The cruise was back on track and I was having fun
again.
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