13 | A Voyage Through the Tuomotu Archipelago

The Marquesas Islands have left a deep impression on us, with their soaring cliffs and dramatic scenery. But it was now time to set sail to a very different group of islands, the Tuamotus. In the Tuamotus, the dark green cliffs of the Marquesas have been exchanged for turquoise lagoons filled with coral and fringed by low islands covered in coconut palms. We extricated ourselves from the crowded harbor at Atuana, using the dinghy to retrieve the second bow anchor and to cast off the stern line. Once outside the inner basin, we briefly anchored once again to coil down the lines and hose the mud off of the decks in preparation for putting to sea. We left Hiva'aua today. We left from the Bay of Atuana and we are on the way to Kaua'iki in the Tuamotus. It's about 500 miles to the Tuamotus from here. It'll take us about four days or so to get there. Winds were light at first, as we were still in the lee of the island of Tahuata. But in the night, the trade winds settled in again as we pulled clear from the land. It always takes a couple of days to settle into the groove of passage making. Once we become acclimated to the strange sleep schedule and the motion of the boat, the watches pass easily. Hours can be spent just gazing at the endlessly rolling waves as they pass under the vessel on their own journey over the horizon. What's on the menu tonight? Corned beef hash. Conditions were generally pretty gentle, with good sailing breezes interspersed by occasional calms. The seas stayed low and the wind vane did most of the steering. We started to develop a bit of chafe on the wind vane control line. So far we have had zero luck with the fishing out here, which is very depressing. Try again with a longer line. As we neared the Tuamotus, the weather started to become a bit squally. We reefed the mainsail in the evening, and later dropped it entirely as heavy winds hit. The chafed wind vane line parted in the midst of a squall, so we had to hand steer through the night. The charted location of some of the islands is reported to be incorrect, so it was very comforting to have the radar confirm that the atolls were exactly where we thought as we approached them in the dark. The Tuamotus are atolls, thin ribbons of land surrounding a vast interior lagoon. They are the last remains from ancient volcanic islands that have completely eroded away. Only the coral reefs that surrounded the islands remain, continually repairing themselves with added layers of coral. Sand is pushed by the sea up onto the high points of the reef, forming a long line of small islands. In some places, there is no land at all, posing a serious hazard to early navigators in the area. We timed our entrance into the lagoon on Kauehi as near to slack water as possible, as the tidal currents that race through the passes can make transiting quite dangerous. When it was clear that there were no large standing waves in the entrance, we pushed on through the gap in the reef. As we walked through the village, we were invited to a house to share some drinking coconuts. So we just learned how to say thank you very much in Tahitian, and it's maruru roa. Thank you very much. When we arrived back at the beach, we found that the Ara Nui had arrived, and was disgorging a horde of tourists onto the island. The ship only stayed a few hours, and disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Passing rain showers are very welcome on the island, as captured rainwater provides the only source of fresh drinking water. Pulling our anchor out of the sandy bottom, we headed across the lagoon to an uninhabited reef. A bow watch is extremely important when navigating in the lagoons, as large coral heads called baumis reach up from the depths and linger just below the surface. Most are not charted, so good lighting and a sharp lookout are required. Anchoring in the Tuamotus is often in small sandy patches between coral heads. To protect the coral, and prevent tangling the anchor chain, it is often necessary to float the chain. This was our first time floating the chain, so we immediately jumped into the water to check out how it had worked. It seemed perfect, but we then came face to face with several very interested sharks. We quickly exited the water, and the sharks proceeded to circle the boat the entire time we were there. It seemed possible that fishermen may have used this spot, and tossed food over the side to the sharks. They were so dedicated to staying near the boat. While blacktip sharks are not man eaters, we decided to do our snorkeling from the beach, rather than from the boat. It's our second full day on Kaua'i, and we just moved anchorages from the village over to the southeast end of the atoll, and it's picture perfect. It is absolutely amazing. We're the only boat here. The sun is setting, and we just had a snorkel earlier, and saw some of the most incredible coral. Sharks, fish, an eagle ray. It's simply amazing. It's all a million shells. With the weather changing, we started to think about sailing to another atoll. Passages between islands can be tricky to plan, as you want good light and slack tide for the pass entrance at each end of the journey. Distances are long enough that it is not possible to make the passage on a single tide. We decided that an overnight sail to the island of Toa'u made the most sense. We had three different sources of tidal information on board, and none of them agreed. The weather can also affect the time of slack water, as waves break over the windward reef and fill the lagoon. The calculations are helpful, but it is best to arrive early and watch with binoculars to see what the waves are doing in the entrance. I do not like the look of this, but we're going for it. It was probably still a bit early when we entered the pass at Toa'u, as there was still a strong current flowing against us. We had heard about a secret anchorage tucked into an uncharted portion of the reef. With a few waypoints to reference, we decided to nose our way in and see if it looked clear enough to anchor. The entrance was wide and safe, and we continued deeper into the reef. The clear channel narrowed like a trap, and we suddenly found bommies just below the surface all around. Some were deep enough to pass over, but many were not. After several close calls, we found a clear spot and dropped the anchor. The last hour we have been conning for bommies trying to find a new route out of this anchorage. Jonathan's been rowing the dinghy, and I have had my face off the stern of the dinghy looking for anything that might be a keel clipper. Just about the only crop that will grow in the coral soil is the coconut palm. They are used for food and drink, but are primarily grown for selling as dried copra, which is shipped off and used for making coconut milk and oil. We wanted to visit the popular reef at Ensi Amyot on the other side of the island. Because the lagoon is choked with coral and shallows, we had to head back out to sea and pass around the outside of the island. Timing the passes is much easier on this journey, as Ensi Amyot is a false pass. The inner end is completely blocked by coral, so the current is low and it can be entered on any state of the tide. The colors in the water were stunning as we entered the bay, and we picked up one of the moorings that are provided to help protect the reef. Each day we would explore a new area of the reef, and then do some more exploration on shore. Each evening was finished with a glorious sunset. This was a side of South Pacific cruising that we hadn't yet found when sailing in the Marquesas, and we were loving it. So we think this is going to be our last night in the Tuamotus, which is a couple of days earlier than we thought, but there's a nasty swell that's going to roll in from the southern ocean coming in. It's gonna be like three meter waves where we are against the wind, which should stand them up and be kind of ugly. So we're gonna take off a few days early and try and beat that. Hopefully we beat it. The Tuamotus have been great. I especially love that I can jump in the water every day. It's been warm. Snorkeling has been fantastic. Much better than in the Marquesas, so that's been really, really good. It hasn't been as hot as I expected it to be here. The passes have been a little bit more intense crossing those than I expected, and just dodging coral has been an eye-opening, challenging experience a little bit, but it's been good. We survived and no coral has touched the bottom of our hole, so I'm happy. We're heading to Tahiti next, which is going to be like the big city compared to here. Go to Tahiti, Papeete, and resupply. My dad's flying in, so we're going to pick him up. Be on to a whole new adventure, the Society Islands. Last night in the Tuamotus. It's been good.