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Tahanea

Tremendous Tahanea

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We were ready to move on after spending a quiet and beautiful week at Amanu.  Our friends on Marie Alice, Richard and Natalie, wanted to follow us out of the pass as they were still lacking navigation.  Their passage took them to Fakarava whereas ours will take us to Tahanea.

We pulled the hook up at 0930 and took our time getting to the pass which was 4.58nm across the lagoon.  Slack tide was estimated to be at 1100.  We unfurled the jib and had a leisurely sail at 3-3.5 kts.

The pass was supposed to be slack but in reality, there was an outgoing current (again).  Lucky for us we were going out.  We experienced 5kts of outgoing current where our boat speed was 5kts but the SOG (speed over ground) was 10kts.  Marie Alice and Sugar Shack both made it out safely.

Passage to Tahanea

The forecast had light winds 12-15kts from the SE.  We decided to set the parasail.  This is a fairly “new to us” sail as we bought it off another boat in the Marquesas about 1.5 years ago.  We don’t get many opportunities to fly it, but when we do it is a true joy.  This sail gives us a little more wiggle room with shifting wind directions and speeds. 

We flew the parasail all night and into the next day.  Around mid-morning, a storm started brewing so we dropped her and unfurled the jib.  The “weather” did not last so we put the parasail back up. 

The clouds are funny to me.  During the day they are playful, light, and fluffy.  But at night, they become dark, foreboding, and ominous.  Lucky for us it was all good.  We even had some truly spectacular sunsets.

Overall, it was a really wonderful passage.  We had gentle winds, less than predicted.  The following seas were large at times, but they were in long intervals and very gentle.  We only had one or two small storms but there was no lightening or thunder and very little rain.

Entering the Tahanea pass was a breeze.  We entered at dawn and had 1-1.5 kts of incoming current.  No problems.  We quickly motored across the lagoon to the south end where we met our friends from Gambier, Bella Donna (Kate & Andrew their girls Anna and Florence), Sling shot (Jen and Gavin and their kids Nathan and Julia), and Due South (Wendy & Peryn and their 4 boys). 

Trip Details

  • Miles to Destination:      230nm
  • Total Miles Sailed:            231nm
  • Max Speed:                        10kts (out of the pass)
  • Average Speed:                5.3kts
  • Total Passage Time:        1 day 21 hours (includes crossing Amanu lagoon)

Tahanea SE Anchorage

There are several boats in the south anchorage when we arrived.  We know a few of them (Slingshot, Bella Donna, Due South) and have heard of a few others (Macushla).  They are hanging out here because it is perfect for kite boarding and they are all huge kite boarders.  Many of the boats have kids and it is amazing to see these young people do extraordinary kite tricks.  This is Nathan, he is 11 years old and is fearless!

Nathan (Sling Shot) kite boarding

Nathan (Sling Shot) kite boarding

A few more shots of Nathan with their boats in the background.

Nathan (Sling Shot) kite boarding

Nathan (Sling Shot) kite boarding

How many kits can you count in these photos?  Answer at bottom of post.

Matt and I anchor about 1.5nm away from the other boats where we have anchored before.  It is in front of Nico’s place.  Nico lives on another atoll called Faaite but comes here to process copra (coconuts) several months a year.  He has a simple, but comfortable home.  He only speaks French but is incredibly welcoming, friendly, and generous.  We asked him where we could find some lobsters and if he would take us hunting. He said yes, yes, but here are some you can have now.  He would not take any money.  So, we provided him with loads of fishing stuff and sweet treats.

Motu Exploration

We took this opportunity to explore lots of the motus on the southwest end of this atoll.  We took sweetie over 4nm away from the boat to the western motus. The bottom right anchor is where Sugar Shack is located and we went to where the red arrow is.  These motus were very different than the ones by the big boat. The windward side of the motu faced the Pacific.  However, there was a lagoon and a reef between the breaking waves and the motu which meant there was sand on the windward side as opposed to giant coral rocks.  Complete surprise.  Bottom left photo shows typical windward side and bottom right shows sandy, pebbly beach.

Another surprise was that we found three intact conch shells.  They had lots of corrosion on them so we did not keep them, but they were super pretty.

We walked across the water ways in between several motus.  It is absolutely beautiful.  Each direction you turn you see nothing but beauty.  Tahanea just takes your breath away.

To be Continued…

We had so much fun in Tahanea that you have to wait for our next blog release to finish the adventure.  Stay tuned as we snorkel with manta rays, swim with sharks, learn to foil, and enjoy more of the kiters.

Check out our previous posts on Tahanea such as this one.

There are 4 kites only because I had to cut two of them off to fit the photo.

Events from this blog post occurred during the second week May, 2021.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.  Tahanea on NoForeignLand.com.

Pleasant Passage: Tahanea to Tahiti

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Matt and I got up early, picked up the hook and started our passage.  We were anchored in the SE corner of Tahanea which is about 10nm from the pass.  The first part of our journey was a beautiful sunrise sail with the jib across the lagoon.  We were not in a big hurry as slack tide was at 0830 {the best time to exit the lagoon}.  We managed to arrive to the pass around 0745 and it looked manageable.  So, we ventured on.  We had the fishing poles out and the jib flying as we exited.  With a 2kt outgoing current we made it out with no issues, always a relief.

We had hope to catch a grouper or something as we exited the pass, but no such luck.  After we went through the washing machine of waves caused by the pass, we changed out the sails and raised the parasail.  Our first day was incredible.  We had perfect winds at 15-18kts from the east.  A 2-meter following sea that pushed us along toward our destination. 

All the Excitement Packed into 15 Minutes

Around dusk we were contemplating swapping the sails. A storm was forming on the horizon and we did not want to get caught with our “new to us” parasail up in high winds.  As we are discussing this, a nibble hit one of the poles.  Hmmm…then nothing.  Another nibble, then nothing.  Then another.  Finally, on the 4th bite we caught him. 

We both turned at the same time to see a beautiful marlin dancing across the top of the water.  Unfortunately, we had to let him run with the hopes of tiring him out.  We scrambled to swap out the sails to slow the boat down.  No easy task with the parasail up.  By the time we got back to the marlin he was gone.  He did manage to take a Sugar Shack souvenir with him, Matt’s new lure.

Probably a good thing. Reeling in sailfish is long, hard work.  Then once you get it to the boat you have to be careful not to jab your fiberglass hull with his protruding hard nose.  Matt was disappointed though.

A few minutes later, our jib suddenly started flapping. I am stunned as the working sheet (line), holding the jib in place, was gone!  Yep, gone. How the heck does the working sheet, with a full load, fall off?  We tacked (moving the jib to the opposite side with a working sheet).  Evidently, the knot on the starboard working sheet came undone while under load.  Maybe when we surfed down a wave and the sail luffed, who knows.  This has never happened to us – ever.  Really strange.

Day 2

Our second day had us flying our parasail again but in lighter conditions.  We were losing the wind as it slowly came down to 10-12kts from the east.  It was really fun to watch the apparent wind and our boat speed.  As we surfed down a wave, our boat speed would exceed our wind speed (zoom in on the photo to see the Raymarine screen).

Matt finally crashed hard on the 2nd night.  I took the 1130-0330 shift.  As we neared Tahiti, we started to see some boat traffic.  Always a good sign.  But it was strange that they all popped up at once.  Nice to be in company on a dark and lonely night.  No moon, no stars, and no phosphorescence. 

Arriving Tahiti

Tahiti welcomed us with a fresh wash of the boat.  Rain and gloomy day.  It is always a good way to end a passage with a fresh rinse of the boat.  Even though we did not have a lot of salt water on her as it was a following sea.

We entered north pass just around 1000.  In Tahiti, you enter through a pass that gives you access to a passage between the shoreline and the reef.  All vessels entering the pass must call into port control.  Port Control monitors the traffic in the passage and ensures the boats do not interfere with commercial traffic or air traffic with the neighboring airport.

We travel about 2 miles down the passage toward our favorite anchoring spot in front of the Intercontinental Hotel.

Passage Details:

  • Total Miles Traveled: 285
  • Max Speed:  12.5kt
  • Average Speed 5.8kts
  • Total Time at sea: 48 hours

This post was written in July 2020.  Our blog posts are usually 6 to 7 weeks behind are true adventures.  Be sure to see previous posts on Tahiti, go to svsugarshack.com and click on “Society Archipelago/Tahiti”

Peaceful Paradise in Tahanea

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Tahanea is peaceful, tranquil, and mesmerizing.  On most days, it called one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Untouched by civilization, rarely visited by man, and generally as God created it.  We’ve spent several weeks here last year and 3 weeks this year.  This an uninhabited island truly reflects the beauty of French Polynesia.

We spent most of our time in the SE corner of Tahanea.  This particular period of time of our visit was during maramu (storm) season.  The majority of the storms come from the SE so we were hiding behind the motus for protection.

As you might recall, the Tuamotus archipelago is made up of dozens of atolls (not islands).  These atolls have passes that lead into a lagoon.  The lagoon is surrounded by a reef and several motus (tiny islands) that separates the Pacific Ocean from the lagoon.  The navionics photo below shows the image of Tahanea.  The green indicates the reef.  The little yellow spots (within the green area) are motus or small islands.  The blue is the lagoon and the red arrow is Sugar Shack.

When you zoom into the chart you can see the difference more clearly.  In the SE corner there are several motus to explore (yellow areas in green section).

Rudderless

There are a few motus that are being harvested for copra (coconuts).  The locals come from other islands and stay for 10-14 days harvesting the coconuts and then go back to their main island.  They set up huts or shacks on the island that really consist of 3 walls and a roof.  The copra farm in front of our boat is a rather large one.

The locals collect the coconuts, husk them, crack open the center, then use a rapier to shred the coconut meat.  They will sell the coconut meat, use the coconut milk and water and dry the coconuts.  It is hard labor for very little reward.

One group of copra farmers had left a dog behind.  Not sure if the dog had wandered off when they left and they forgot or if it was intentional.  The FP population has a different mentality when it comes to animals.  When our friends on Jolly Dogs found this puppy, she had worms, mange and was starving.  They quickly rallied the cruisers to help her.  Mike on “Easy” brought worm medication for her.  Cruisers bathed her and covered her in oil daily.  The oil suffocates the mange.  And everyone has chipped in on the feeding rotations. 

Her name is Lassie and she has an incredibly sweet disposition. She doesn’t bark, but she loves to howl.  She will follow anyone down the beach and will swim out to you to go on a paddle board ride down island.  He mange is slowly disappearing (you can see her hind quarters and tail are hairless).

Mike on “Easy” was kind enough to take her to Fakarava where there is village, more people, and more opportunity for her.  It will give her a much better chance of survival.  Thank goodness.

Baby Boobies

We explored one of the far off motus while we were in the SE corner where we found several baby boobies.  The red foot boobies build their nests in the low hanging branches of the trees.  They are so darn cute and fuzzy.

Swimming with Manta Rays and Marlin

We sailed up to the pass when we had a break in the weather.  We needed a change of scenery and wanted to snorkel the pass.  Last year, we had an amazing opportunity to swim with the mantas and got an up close and personal opportunity. 

This year we swam the same pass, the north pass, and were blessed to swim with two very large mantas.  Unfortunately, they were 12-15 meters deep so I only saw them from the top.  However, our friend Mike on “Easy” is a free diver and was able to see them up close.

Mike was showing off and decided to swim down to a sleeping shark.  The poor shark was peaceful in his sleep and woke up to an intruder.

We had a sundowner / happy hour on Sugar Shack with great friends and libations!

PEACEFUL PARADISE

Matt flew the drone on one particularly calm day.  He captured the sunrise over this peaceful and majestic anchorage.  Mike on “Easy” followed us back to the SE corner to get a prime spot for hiding out from the upcoming storm.  By the end of the day, there were 16 boats anchored here.

Sunrise photos inside the lagoon of Tahanea. 

Kinda takes your breath away…right?

“Easy” and Sugar Shack resting in peace in Tahanea. 

Tahanea's SE Corner

Tahanea’s SE Corner

Bird’s eye view of Sugar Shack from the sky

This post was written in June 2020.  Our blog posts are usually 6 to 7 weeks behind are true adventures. 

Did you miss our other post on Tahanea?  Check it out here.