Greetings from Bora Bora

Bora Bora mountain with reef in front

Dance rehearsal

After dance performance

Enticing Intercontinental Resort

Greetings from Bora Bora

May 28 2015

Here we are in the lagoon of an island considered one of the most beautiful in the world. It is hard to believe! There is a center island with three peaks surrounded by a lagoon and an outer reef with one pass. This would be considered a "middle aged" island in geological time. The reef has formed but the peaks are still there also.

 We arrived Mon afternoon and have been busy with boat and BPO activities until Wed. Today we got out in the dinghy to do some exploring. We went to the south end of the island where the majority of the high end resorts are. We took a long walk along the beaches and then stopped at the Intercontinental Bora Bora resort for lunch. It was all that a south seas resort should be, with bungalows perched over the turquoise water, fine sand, and mountains and other islands in the background. We tied the dinghy up to the dock used for "Bloody Mary's" restaurant,  a favourite haunt of the rich and famous. There is a board outside with the names of notable guests over the years. As you can imagine most things here are pretty expensive.

Before leaving Papeete we also visited the Intercontinental Resort by bike. There were kind enough to give us a wifi code for the day. It was a beautiful property worth seeing. There were no problems getting away and with the new dinghy on deck. Unfortunately we couldn't take the time to stop at the islands in between. The others enjoyed those stops. The overnight part of the trip was a chore as there was one squall after another, the highest winds at 37 kn. The auto pilot stopped for awhile 3 times and you get wet at the helm when going downwind. It is always easier in daylight when you can see them coming and 2 people are awake. But at least there was good wind to make the passage quickly. It has stayed windy all week and is expected  to stay that way for our departure also.

We are at mooring balls at the Maikai marina and restaurant. They have a pool that we still need to get into. One evening we watched a music and dance rehearsal outdoors. We also had a performance at the restaurant as part of a farewell dinner. Tues we had a long skippers' meeting going over the stops and routes for the next few months. We also did some practising with the eye testing equipment.

Wed at 11 was our official send off with leis, the press, and photos for a noon start. The ironic thing is that no one was ready to leave! No Regrets is waiting for Bob's flight in Sun and we are waiting for him as well as he is bringing some supplies from home. Two boats have had family visiting who just flew. Joyful we have just met after their 40 days crossing from Panama to Marquesas and then straight here. Jeff has been to the Dr yesterday and is waiting for a diagnosis for his fatigue. They will need to rest for a week at the best. Libby has just dropped out of the BPO to spend the rest of the season in French Polynesia. The locals say that this area has "claimed" a lot of sailors over the years. Ransom is heading to Australia to sell their boat and buy another so are in no rush. Coconut Woman has made it here after serious engine problems. They still have issues with the boat so need to go at a slower pace so they can keep doing repairs. We are sure going to miss everyone and I'm sure the organizers are disappointed.

 On a more cheerful note, Tahawus has decided to join the BPO although they had just been part of the Pacific Odyssey. Also, Doina and Dan, Jimmy's daughter and grandson, are joining the boat Drina from Samoa to Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuata. Drina came through the Northwest passage route. Luc will be back in Vanuatu to help out and he is busy planning our time in the fall in Indonesia.

There are so many places one could stop in the Pacific that we are on our own for the most part. We have a rendezvous in the Vavau group of islands in Tonga June 18. We are thinking of stopping in Savarrow in the Cook Islands, then American Samoa, on the way. Each country you stop in requires its' own check in rules which are much more work than in the Caribbean. Sometimes it is just easier to keep going. This will be 1400 nm for us to cover in 2 weeks. But when we get there we have until July 14 to enjoy the many anchorages it offers.