Our first night’s passage out of the Gambier Islands on the way to Tahanea provided a real treat – a blood moon eclipse! And a very fine spectacle it was too as the night was cloudless & we were able to watch the whole eclipse right through to the finale, when the lunar surface became a striking deep red.
We have been fortunate to witness several astronomical wonders on this trip: the Atlas comet, alignment of the planets, meteor showers & then this moon eclipse. With being so remote & the lack of light pollution in the middle of the ocean, the night skies are a truly magnificent sight. There is a tapestry of twinkling stars, bright planets and ancient constellations, across which the Milky Way etches a river of light. Not infrequently, you are treated to a bright shooting star upon which you can make a wish!
It took 5 days to reach Tahanea, so we were certainly glad to get there, although the trip itself was on the whole pleasurable sailing. Unfortunately our fishing record continues to be rather dismal & we sacrificed yet another lure to King Neptune & his fishy mates.
Tahanea is another small atoll in the Tuamotus, but is uninhabited & a designated nature reserve. As a consequence the marine life is stunning & the water crystal clear. One of the real serendipities of sailing is that it takes you to places otherwise impossible to visit and this atoll certainly didn’t let us down. We anchored just north of the Teavatapu pass, (the main entrance to the atoll), taking care to float the chain, (by elevating the chain at intervals with pearl floats to avoid damaging the coral). Bill always makes the point of checking the anchor in these atolls to ensure the anchor is set & that the chain will not encroach on any bommies. He is now accustomed to doing this activity in company – stirring up the sand always attracts the attention of the local fauna, including reef sharks who like to check it out for themselves! Not only that, any new boat immediately adopts its own particular aquarium that hangs around expectantly at the back of the boat!
After a bit of a low activity ‘recovery’ day, (mainly catching up on sleep post passage), we donned our snorkelling gear & in the next few days had what we would consider some of the best snorkels we’ve had on our entire trip. Not just the clarity of the water and the abundance of marine life, but the array of corals, different species of sharks & large reef fish, and an even more diverse collection of reef fish. I finally managed to capture some really acceptable close-up shots of the fish, who seemed completely indifferent to my presence. We also did a drift dive in the pass just to the North of the anchorage in the hope of seeing mantas. No mantas sadly, but a really interesting, easy & long snorkel in water that embraces you like a warm bath!
We explored a couple of anchorages in the SE & E of the atoll seeking protection from the moderately strong easterly winds & stormy weather that was forecast. Although the snorkelling was not so good, the beaches were of soft white sand & there were plenty of small motus & sand cays to explore. We noted a few small, rather dilapidated buildings ashore, where copra workers from the nearby atoll of Faaite, would come to harvest the coconuts. I understand that Tahanea used to be a sanctuary for a few rare bird species, but unfortunately as the motus are cleared to make way for coconut plantations, their fragile habitats have been significantly threatened.
We continued to appreciate time with Kelani – we snorkelled, paddled, walked the sandy spits & again enjoyed watching the sunset with a glass in hand & lots of laughs. Soon we were to go our separate ways after spending the best part of 6months & over 1500nm as travelling companions. We both had family arriving in Tahiti at different times in April & although parting company, we were going to ensure our paths crossed in the Leeward Islands. From there Bill & I are to continue heading west whilst John & Kerry were planning to put Kelani on the market, their French Polynesian adventure coming to an end. Cruising, and travelling in general, is not just about the places you go, but also about the people you spend time with that enhance & enrich your experience. John & Kerry have been such great company throughout our trip & the memories that we have created together will bring a smile to my face & warmth to my heart for a very long time to come.