Tag Archives: tuamotus

Hanging out in Hao

They have two wheels so they must be bikes

You know what they say “beggars can’t be choosers.” My bike was missing a pedal, had no handle grips (so my hands turn orange from the rusty handle bars), no brakes and a bald back tire. Matt’s bike had a wobbly, flat back tire, no brakes and a chain that was too big and kept falling off. Both bikes were so old and rusty that there were no repairs to fix our issues – but they got us from point A to B.

Lovely rental bikes

Hoodoo, Matt, and I decided to ride our bikes to the North end of the island past the airport to the pass. We were not sure if there is a path that goes the entire way, but we are going to give it the ole college try.

Hoodoo has folding bikes that are pretty rusty but they get them to where they need to go. So, we hope on our bikes and head out.

We were totally surprised to find a nice paved path the entire way to the pass. It was a 7.2mile bike ride, one way and we were rewarded with a beautiful cool breeze by the pass.

Hoodoo at the pass

A new boat came in and tied to the basin behind Hoodoo. They came from Panama and should not have arrived in Hao as their first stop as FP is technically still closed. Anyway, they begged and asked for forgiveness. They were each fined and are quarantined to their boat for 14 days.

Making the Lemons out of Lemonade

So, we decided to have a BBQ on the dock, in front of their boat to welcome them to FP. It was super wonderful as they are from Spain and played amazing Spanish music.

Beach BBQ

A few hours into our evening a couple of local folks came by to join us. Then it was a “band off” where the locals would play a song then the Spaniards would play a song. Super unique and amazing experience.

The next day, one of the Spaniards gave a yoga class from his boat. It was a sorry a$$ attempt with a bunch of misfits, but we stretched our bodies and gave sun salutations.

Nake – The Heart and Soul of Hao

Legend has it that you have not visited Hao until you have visited Nake. We could not miss out on the opportunity to see if this was true. Sea Jay, Hoodoo and Sugar Shack all left the confines of the old military basin. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a strong 20kts of wind coming from the East.

We hoisted the main sail and unfurled the jib. It was a blistery sail with us pushing 7-8kts most of the 26nm to the Nake which is the southernmost point of the atoll.

A little over 4 hours later we dropped the hook in 5 meters facing a pretty beach lined with palm trees.

Hake in Hao

There was not much to do or see ashore and there was a very unpleasant odor so we headed back to the boat. We headed to a new anchorage called Orare which was a little sand bar that stuck out from the motu into the lagoon. Much prettier spot with better water.

We went for a walk around the motu. Matt wandered off by himself so I ended up exploring with Yanell and Missy. On our way back we found signs of Matt.

We found a little area where some locals piled rocks together to make a BBQ pit, table and sitting area. Really pretty spot.

Main Village of Otepa

We anchored outside the quay just off the main village of Otepa. This would allow us much better access to the “village, magasins, and internet.”

Hao at dusk

This is one of my favorite shots. We were onshore at the quay looking out at Sugar Shack at anchor during sunset.

Hao at sunset

We only stayed one night as we wanted to meet the supply ship which was scheduled to come the next day in town. The hook was dropped near the village so I could do some internet and try to get our blog up and running again. It has been dark for months because I did not have internet to upload photos and posts. Le Mairie (the Mayor’s Office) offers free internet on the weekends and from 4-9p on the weekdays. I camped out and made some friends.

Beautiful sunrise over Otepa in Hao.

The Taporo ended up not having any fresh produce, no flour and no beer. So we basically waited for over a week for nothing which was disappointing. We decided to move to the pass anchor spot to be prepared to depart at the first opportunity.

Pass Anchorage

It took us several attempts to find a safe anchorage by the pass. There are lots of reefs, bommies and unsuitable spots. We finally found a spot to drop the hook. We were looking for a good weather window to head NW to Tahanea. Unfortunately, these winds were not in our future.

There are several small motus near the pass. The bottom photo shows the red and green markers of the pass.

A strong maramu was predicted and we wanted to leave before it came. We made what some might call a “rash” decision to leave. Up at dawn we headed out the pass during slack tide. Not sure you would call this slack tide as there are standing waves bouncing Sugar Shack all over the place. It was not as scary as others, but certainly not as pleasant as most.

We were given a beautiful sunrise

Wouldn’t you know it – the 2^nd supply ship, with the fresh produce was waiting outside the pass as we left. Some people look for gold at the end of the rainbow, but in these remote islands, we look for the supply ship.

This post was written in June 2020. Our blog posts are usually 8 to 10 weeks behind are true adventures. See previous post on Hao.

Disaster Strikes – Maramu

Preparing for a Maramu

Holding us to the dock were (2) bow lines (one from port and one from starboard bow peaks), (2) spring lines and (2) stern lines (port and starboard). In addition, we had (4) large, round A4 fenders and (2) F4 fenders between us and the dock and al of the fenders were touching the water when we went to bed. Everything was secured and stowed on the deck and bow. But we did leave up our sun/rain shades to try to prevent a flood of water coming into the cockpit. We also left out our cushions which are “secured” to the boat.

We’ve been through several maramus and we were not expecting a disaster. Normal water level is shown below. The tide flooded the basin so much that the bottom of Sugar Shack’s Port hull threatened to land on top of the dock.

Maramu Strikes

Fast forward to 11:30pm at night when Matt and I are woken up by a horrible bashing noise, winds blowing over 42kts, thunder, and lightning, and pounding rains. We jumped up and realized SS was banging (not rubbing) against the concrete wall. The lagoon was filled so high that it flooded the basin raising the water level at least 1.5 meters. That in and of itself would not have been bad if it was not accompanied by a meter swell which tossed SS almost on top of the dock several times.

It took Matt, Yanell, Missy and I everything we had to keep her safe. In the pouring rain, we added (4) more F4 fenders between the boat and tried to push SS off the dock. About an hour later the storm subsided and we saw the damage — a rather large 1/4” dent that was about 1 meter wide with lots of scratches. Nothing we can do in the middle of the night.

Maramu is Not Done with Us

Then at 0230 another, stronger storm hit. We had lowered all the fenders and placed fenders floating in the water to prevent SS from continuing to bash against the concrete. What a disaster! Running between SS and HooDoo to make sure all of our boats were safe. If you can imagine the rain falling so hard that it actually hurt our faces! We could not wear hats because the wind would blow them off. It was terrible. Unfortunately, SS took the brunt of the storm because we were closest to the entrance and on the slanted part of the dock. We blocked the majority of the waves and storm from Queen B and HooDoo. (Nice of us, right?)

Around 0400 the weather calmed enough for Matt to go out in the dingy to put an anchor out in the middle of the basin. He then attached it to our starboard mid-cleat to pull the boat further off the wall. Around 0430 we finally got an hour of sleep. By sunrise we were evaluating the damage and trying to figure out what else we can do to prepare for Thursday’s storm. We added a stern line from starboard to a mooring pulling the stern further away from the wall and adjusted all the lines and fenders again. Luckily Thursday night was only 30-35kts of wind, little rain, and no flooding. We scared it away with all of our preparedness.

The Damage

We almost lost one of our 2-meter cockpit cushions and a sunshade. Both caught up by the lifelines and saved. We had one sunshade tear before we could get it off and we lost 2 fender covers. But the worst damage is the hull which could have been a much bigger disaster. We don’t think there is structural damage. We have a thin layer of fiberglass, then honeycomb, then fiberglass. But there is about a 1/4” dent with lots of scratches that stretch across 2 meters of the port hull. We will have to repair it when we are hauled out (Tahiti or NZ).

Sea Jay lost a small cockpit cushion but found it the next morning as a local was carrying it and walking away. Lucky them. HooDoo and Queen B have some small scratches on the hull that will buff out. Yesterday we spent the day adding anchors and lines to all the boats to keep them off the dock making the basin an obstacle course but will help us avoid further disaster.

The good news is that we are all safe and unhurt. The boat can be mended. We are lucky.

Weather Predictions Get it Wrong

Matt took a screen shot of Predict Wind’s screen which showed what was predicted and what came through. Unfortunately, it does not give minute by minute updates. In addition, it never accurately showed the wind strength, amount of rain or correct wind direction. But it gives you an idea of how “off” weather predictions can be. In and of itself that is a disaster.

This post was written in June 2020. Our blog posts are usually 8 to 10 weeks behind are true adventures.

Wicked Passage: Tuamotus to Marquesas

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Best laid plans change. Sugar Shack, along with our friends on Maple, had planned on leaving Makemo for the 5-day passage on 3 November. We checked several weather reports, routing apps, and guestimator for the slack tide at Makemo. We were all set and excited to make our way to a new archipelago. Little did we know that a wicked passage was in our future.

Before we left, I attended the local church service on the morning of our departure. It was a lovely, old, wooden church with high arching wood slat ceiling. They had several sea shell chandeliers that added to the ambiance as the breeze rustled through them. The most amazing thing was the choir which had voices like angels. I did not understand a single word of the sermon, but felt the presence of God and community.

Church on Makemo Atoll

Leaving the Makemo’s East Pass:

Matt and Daryl (Maple) had been out to the pass several times this morning to check the pass. We were confident that a 10a departure out of the pass would give us an easy exit.

$hit happens and weather changes. A squall rolled in right at the time we needed to raise our anchor. Both boats decided to wait until the storm passed so as not to encounter strong winds and current out the pass. At 11a we raised our anchor and motored to the pass. We did not actually get to the pass until 1145 and everything had changed. Now, we had 3 kts of wind pushing the boat out and sideways. It was a wicked pass and one that we hope we don’t ever have to repeat.

Enormous waves were crushing over and down on our bow causing the boat to hobby horse. It was extremely scary and nerve racking but we made it safely. Our friends on Maple had a much more difficult time as they have a smaller boat with smaller engines. It was incredibly difficult to watch them pitch pole every which way. One time a rogue wave caught their hull and they actually flew a hull like a race boat. Terrifying, but they too got out safely. Albeit, with more gray hairs.

Passage Making:

After we got through the weather system, we found the wind at 20kts and were sailing along nicely with 8-9kts of boat speed. That’s really fast for us and we loved it. Unfortunately, we left Maple behind and lost sight of them within the first 3 hours.

Starting on a tack at 071 degrees, we had a choice to make. Go on the east or west side of Rarioia. We preferred to go on the east side as it is shorter, but might not give us the angle we want with the current wind direction. The weather models had 2 of them going east and 2 going west. The west models added 30nm to our destination. We decided to go east. We turned 20 degrees to a new heading of 50 degrees which allowed us to barely skirt the Taenga atoll and make our way around Rarioa.

During the night, Matt tacked 3 times to avoid getting to close to shore and avoid the Takume atoll. Now we are close to the rhumb line and should be able to hold this direction for the rest of the 430 miles.

Morning Day 2

The forecast was way off the mark, but we are not surprised. It seems to me that the weatherman is the only person that an be wrong so often and still keep a job. Matt looked at 4 different models for the forecast and not one predicted our current weather. We had 20kts of true wind and 2-meter seas that were steep, choppy fuckers. Sugar Shack was making an amazing 8-9 boat speed toward our destination which made our VMG (velocity made good) excellent. But it did make me feel horrible. Matt was convinced we would see a 200 nm day. Would be a big day considering we made 86nm on day 1 and only 60% of that was VMG. We had one reef in the main and 2 reefs in the jib (slightly reduced sail for my landlubber friends).

I felt wicked the entire day and spent my downtime in the fetal position. As day turned into night our wind picked up and we were averaging 9-10’s which is a bit too much for a beam reach. We de-powered the boat by taking in another reef in the main and jib. Matt said it was “the worst sail trim he has ever seen and we are still doing 10’s.”

Morning Day 3

Another choppy, bumpy, bashing, wicked day at sea. We continue to see high winds and big seas. I’m still feeling like crap, but carrying on. We are seeing a 2.8-3kt current pushing us sideways which is odd. The arrow in the center shows the current, but it didn’t come out in the photo. This is one of our instruments that we stare at all day and night.

It shows SOG (speed over ground) at 9.4, boat speed over water which takes into account the current at 8.1, True wind speed at 19.7 and our position. The boat is rocking and rolling so much that the stupid iPhone would not focus on the instrument. Ugh!

Instrument showing passage details

We noticed that the high winds are having an impact on our boat as well. The sunbrella protective cover on the luff of the jib has torn. That will have to be taken down and resewn.

Ripped jib edge

As the afternoon approached our boat speed slowed down to 7-8kts which was a bit more reasonable. The waves were not as angry but still choppy. We did manage to catch a yellow fin tuna that will feed both of us 3 meals. He was a little guy but thick.

Yellow Fin Tuna

We had a choice to either changing course and heading to Ua Poa or continuing on to Nuku Hiva. Ua Poa 25 miles closer and we thought we could arrive at daylight. Whereas we’d have a night arrival in Nuku Hiva which is never good when you approach an anchorage for the first time. As we got closer, we decided to continue on to Nuku Hiva. The wind shifted and forced us to pinch so much that it slowed our boat speed down to a respectable 5-6kts. We’d arrive either anchorage at night and the Nuku Hiva anchorage is known to be a big wide-open bay. Much safer to arrive in the darkness.

Arrival – Morning Day 4

What a pleasant surprise arriving to a mountainous island, after spending months in the Tuamotus where the atolls are all flat. The atolls are only as tall as their largest palm tree. Of course, it was dark when we arrived so all we could see were the outlines of the mountains in the setting moon.

Moon setting behind the mountains

As we entered the bay at 0100 it was another pleasant surprise to see the many lights on shore. It looks like a pretty bustling village, Taiohae.

Village lights pre-dawn

I am sure you can imagine my relief to set the hook! We found a 12-meter spot and dropped the hook onto the muddy bottom. After opening a few hatches, I set to bed while Matt enjoyed a nice frosty and well-deserved beer.

Wicked, Wicked Passage Details:

Passage from Makemo, Tuamotu to Nuka Hiva, Marquesas
Miles to destination (as the crow flies) 504 nm
Miles Traveled: 549nm (around atolls and a few tacks)
Max Speed: 12.2kt
Average Speed: 6.5kt
Travel Time: 84:57

Despite my many comments on the “wicked passage” we arrived safely with very little damage to Sugar Shack.

Welcome to the Marquesas archipelago. First stop, Nuku Hiva.

Nuku Hiva Island

The Adventures of Sugar Shack

– Sailing Aboard a Catana 471

Tag Archives: tuamotus