Tag Archives: anne

Hoppin Huahine

We finally had a good weather window to head to Huahine. We typically do this passage at night because it is far enough (almost 80nm) where we cannot make it during daylight hours. So, we leave at 1600 and usually arrive around 0800-0900.

We had a beautiful beam reach sail from Mo’orea to Huahine. We had a reefed main and jib as we did not want to go “too fast” and arrive before sunrise. As it turned out, Sugar Shack wanted to move. Matt kept trimming the sails to slow her down, but she was on a mission to get to the Leeward islands. As it turned out, we managed to slow down enough to arrive at dawn.

Trip Details

Total Miles: 89nm
Total Hours: 14.5
Avg Speed: 5.96
Max Speed: 11.9

First 50 miles rocking it
Avg Speed: 7.7
Max Speed: 11.9

Friends Abound

Our first stop is Izzy’s burgers. Doesn’t matter how tired you are, you stop at Izzy’s! We have been craving her burgers for months and months. As it turned out we stopped by 3 different times for lunch and once for breakfast and it never disappoints!

She makes an Izzy burger that Matt is in love with! It is a regular burger with bacon wrapped shrimp, lettuce, tomato and special sauce. I usually get the veggie burger with cheese and on my last day I topped it off with bacon wrapped shrimp and found a new favorite! One day her plate dejure was shrimp salad and I loved it! For breakfast I had a giant omelet and Matt had poison cru with a shredded coconut (an Izzy special).

Izzys at Huahine

Izzys at Huahine

We met Anne in Gambier. Her best friend is Poerani, our friend who is an English teacher in Gambier. Anne lives in Huahine and is an English teacher as well. We brought her a bunch of school supplies and books for her students. We even had Anne and Lizzy, another teacher on the boat for an afternoon of fun.

Matt, me, Anne at the Huahine Yacht Club

https://www.svsugarshack.com/2022/01/moorea-escapades/

HOPPIN HUAHINE

Our friends Steve and Lili on the boat Liward joined us in Huahine. Steve plays with a few of the locals and decided to put together another concert. As you might recall, he played at Rock the Barge and Polynesian Jam Session in Mo’orea.

Steve secured a private bungalow on shore at the Huahine Dream Beach House. We had it for the afternoon and early evening. What a really beautiful place right on the beach with gorgeous views. It has a huge deck with a full size table and chairs, lounge chairs, and BBQ. Inside is a spacious living area and a marvelous kitchen with a chef worthy range and refrigerator. It has two bedrooms and can sleep 7 people, but 5 comfortably.

Huahine Dream Beach House

Huahine Dream Beach House

Our friends on Bella (Ulreka and Matias), Matt and I helped Steve and Lili bring all their gear to the bungalow and set up. We enjoyed a lazy day on the deck and beach until our event started.

A few of the locals brought floral crowns, which just made our day! The couples….Matt and I, Steve and Lili (lower left), Ulreka and Matias (lower right).

The ladies:

Taha’a Bound

After a week in Huahine we went to Taha’a and Raiatea. Lucky for us it was an easy 20nm downwind run so we flew Big Bertha and made it no time!

On the way we pass my 2nd yacht – Lady Christine which is a 68m (150’) by 12.5m wide (she is as wide as we are long)! She boasts of a helicopter, negative edge pool on the stern, cinema, workout room, guest suits for 10, 2 dinghies, and a 10m sailboat. Check out the photos on the above link as they are spectacular.

We have fun with loads of Mo’orea Escapades in our last blog. Events from this blog post occurred early October. Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.

Hanging with Local Polynesian Friends

Every once in awhile we have the privilege of hosting a few of our local Polynesian friends on Sugar Shack.  The local English teacher, Poerani (also known as Popo) and her friend Anne hung out with us for a few days.  Anne is an English teacher in Huahine who is visiting Gambier.

We picked Popo and Anne up along with loads of food and a full cooler.  You could see the excitement in their eyes!  We had hoped to raise the sails, but there was little to no wind.  A motor it is.  We head to Onemea Baie which is on the west side of Taravai.  It is a beautiful, isolated bay with a pretty beach, beautiful reef, and is surrounded by lush green hills.

Onemea with Polynesian Friends

Onemea with Polynesian Friends

The motor only took about 2 hours as we let the ladies enjoy the experience.  They hung out on the bean bags which were on the trampoline and had a marvelous time.

We enjoyed some water time hanging out behind the boat with some floats.  Then we get the girls out on the paddle boards and they make their way to shore for some beach time.

Polynesian Friends on beach

Polynesian Friends on beach

We enjoy a feast for dinner after a beautiful Polynesian sunset.

Polynesian Sunset

Polynesian Sunset

After a lazy morning, fresh bread and a pancake breakfast we head out.  Instead of returning straight to Rikitea, we take a detour to a new motu called Tenoko.  It is a really small spit of land just east of the main pass.  We have always wanted to stop here but the weather has to be just perfect.

Tenoko

Tenoko is a very small motu measuring about 500’ from end to end. There is very little onshore besides rocks, coral and trees.  It is surrounded by coral which makes it tricky to get to by dinghy.  The image below shows Tenoko in the upper right corner.  You can see the main pass into the Gambier lagoon in the lower left corner (pink lines below the red marker)

Popo, Anne and I jump in the water and enjoy the beautiful setting.  We were blessed by a visit from a spotted ray who hung out under the boat for well over an hour.  Such pretty creatures!

On the way back, we enjoy some sun and goofy girl moments.

Popo and I

Popo and I

It is a true blessing to have met these two ladies – they are the epitome of the perfect local Polynesian friends!

Events from this blog post occurred during early April 2021.  Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind our adventures.