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Polynesian Jam Session: Cruiser Style

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Our friends, Steve and Lili from the boat Liward came back to French Polynesia after being stateside for the past 10 months.  Steve is a fantastic musician and has put on many jam sessions around French Polynesia.  Our last jam session was called “Rock the Barge” and was held in Huahine.

This time we had to do things a little different.  Technically, no live music is allowed during our confinement.  So, Steve thought, well we can host an impromptu jam session off the back of his boat.  We were all technically respecting the 1 meter distance and we are all vaccinated.

Steve has an all in one guitar which can be used as an electric or acoustic guitar.  He uses a luper where he can record himself playing and then play over it at the same time.  It is amazing to watch and listen to!  Steve plays a lot of Polynesian music and some American rock. 

 

We had about 8 dinghies show up carrying 22 people.  All from the Opunohu anchorage.

Some close ups of our friends.

It started right around dusk and lasted a few hours.  Super cool  We had a beautiful sunset to go with the amazing musical talents of our friend Steve.

Sugar Shack is right next door.  We could have easily seen and heard the music from our boat but it would not have been nearly as fun!

We take the ferry to Tahiti and are duly impressed with the Aremiti 2, the last blog.  Events from this blog post occurred the end of September.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.

Steve at rock the barge

Rock the Barge

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We often hear locals strumming on their Uke or practicing on their drums and it draws us like bees to flowers.  However, it is rare to attend a music gig or concert outside of a heiva, especially during covid.  So, we jumped at the chance to attend “rock the barge” with a few locals and cruisers.

Steve, on Liward, is a very talented guitar player and singer.  He has been playing and putting on mini concerts with locals all over French Polynesia.  He invited Frank who owns the shell museum (see this post) who is a percussionist, and Terani to sing and play guitar.

Now, all they needed was a venue.  Typically, they play at the Huahine yacht club.  However, with covid restrictions we could not “gather” there.  However, there is a local family, Teiki and Tea, who have a beautiful house boat.  They have sailed it all around French Polynesia (by spinnaker).  They graciously offered their vessel for rock the barge!

A Polynesian House Boat

This remarkable house boat looks like a party barge as you approach. We had seen it around several islands. We approached it once hoping to buy a drink.  However, we quickly learned it was “prive” and went on our merry way.  They have a large engine and a spinnaker that helps maneuver the vessel from anchorage to anchorage.

Several large solar panels and a small generator provide power.  Everything looks authentically Polynesian and several varieties of local wood are used all around the boat.

Teiki and Tea's home

Teiki and Tea’s home

They have an open floor plan where the galley and salon are out back.  The helm is in the front, sleeping quarters are upstairs and below the sleeping quarters is a living / storage area.

They have a baby goat, an old rabbit, a cat and soon a chicken onboard.

They used a piece of bamboo for their herb garden and have beautiful Polynesian art all over the boat.  Can you guess what the rock like item is in the middle photo?  See answer at end of the blog.

They also had a beautiful, fast outrigger that they hand built over many months!  It was gorgeous sailing across the lagoon toward our anchorage.

Rock the Barge

It was time to rock the barge!  Steve had set up all the gear, did the sound check at 1700, and the festivities begin at 1800.  The main band consisted of Steve (left) lead guitar and singer, Frank on percussion and Terani on guitar and co-lead singer.

They had Teiki (the owner of the barge) fill in on harmonica on many songs and we had a guest appearance by Puamu who sang an amazing rendition of an Adel song!

We should have been better at social distancing, but considering there are zero cases of covid in Huahine we thought we were safe.  Hopefully.  There were about 20-25 people on the barge and another 12 people in the dinghies.  I love the local ladies’ flowers; they just enhanced their natural beauty.

A few of the dinghy crowd.  Tope is Linette and Neils (Storm Along) and Floris and Ivar (Luci Para 2).  Below is Dave and Jan (Hanna) and Ramon and his wife (Nawom)

Somehow, I was blessed with a crown and a floral leigh at the end of the night – perfect ending to a perfect concert.  I love Rock the Barge nights.

ANSWER:  The rock like item is an anchor.  A line is tied around the top portion, then it is tossed in the water and holds their barge in place.

Events from this blog occurred on 18 October 2020.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind our adventures.

Huahine Yacht Club View

Huahine Hide Out

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The first weather window to Huahine opened up and we took it. Following this small window was another “blow.”  We needed to get to our Huahine Hide Out. We need to go “east” but the prevailing winds are coming from the east so it makes a sail trip difficult.  Not only do you have to tack a bunch of times, but you also head into the wind and the waves.  Well, the wind was still coming easterly but at least they had calmed down (from 25-30kts to 15-18kts).  So off we went.

We had a lovely sail with only 2 tacks which is remarkable considering we were going into the wind.  It took us a little longer and sailed a little further than planned, but we made it.  Pretty awesome day.

Passage

  • Raiatea to Huahine
  • Miles to Destination:  27nm
  • Total Miles Sailed: 40.8nm
  • Max Speed: 9.8kt
  • Avg. Speed: 5.7
  • Moving Time 7 hours 11 minutes

We took advantage of our Huahine hide out by visiting with friends, doing a few boat projects, and getting caught up on paperwork (blogs, banking, etc…)  Matt had to find and fix a few “leaks” around the hatches, we replaced a ceiling panel in the office, and we put together lists of things that need to be done when we get to Tahiti.

In between all the “chores” we had some fun too.  We hit “Izzy’s Burgers and More” several times because the food is amazing, the service is great and we love to patronize Isabel!  This is (left, back, front) Mike “Easy” Steve and Lili “Liward” Matt, Floris and Ivar “Luci Para 2” me, and Helen “Wow”

Izzys Burgers & More Huahine

Izzys Burgers & More Huahine

A few great sunsets at the Huahine Yacht Club during happy hour with 500xpf ($5) cocktails and 450xpf ($4.50) beers.

Huahine Yacht Club View

Huahine Yacht Club View

Huahine Anchorage

Matt and I usually anchor in the “flats” which is a shallow area in between the two passes.  It is less crowded and in beautiful shallow water (top photo).  Most monohulls anchor or take a mooring closer to the village of Fare (middle photo).  Our friend on Luci Para 2 (Floris and Ivar) use their kayak instead of a dinghy to protect the environment.

Not much of a Huahine Hide Out as we are out and about, but the anchorage is safe and protected.  Always a good thing.

My friends on Luci Para 2 (Floris and Ivar) take me to the shell museum.  Check out the next blog for details on our shell adventure.

We had a small weather window to get to Tahiti but we decided to wait until the next one. Why?  Because some friends of ours were playing a gig that we wanted to attend. So, stay tuned for the blog when we show you how a Polynesian concert is done!

Walk About and Small Hike

We explored with a 5-mile walk around a few bays and went half way up the mountain.  First we crossed over this lovely little bridge surrounded by gorgeous trees, plants, and flowers.

We walked along the shore and came across this sweet path with short, leaning palm trees.  I loved how uniform they looked as they reached out toward the water and sun.

Beautiful views of the Marina Apooiti Bay and hillside.

Huahine Views

Huahine Views

Back to the boat for some relaxation.

Because we are trying to fill our blog with posts through the year, some of these posts may be a bit shorter.  I am concerned we won’t have internet in the Gambiers so I am trying to populate and schedule out blogs during our stay there.  So we don’t go “dark”.

Events in this blog took place in early October.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind our adventures.