The island of Huahine

by Andrew and Clare / Freedom and Adventure on 2 Jun 2017 So when I last wrote we were peacefully anchored behind a small island on the east side of Raiatea. The water there is flat calm providing a wonderful opportunity for the locals to enjoy daily fishing trips or having family picnics on one of the many small island.

Rowing an outrigger canoe is also very popular with both sexes and terrific exercise. The guy in the photo above decided to catch our wake and sit directly behind Eye Candy as we were motoring. I took this photo sitting on the back step. I could have touched his canoe. A good idea but cheating I think :).

Hello Huahine

We left Raiatea last Tuesday accompanied by a pod of dolphins who altered course to play in our bow wave. A very welcomed sight which always brings a smile to our faces. We sailed twenty miles in light conditions and sparkling blue seas to the island of Huahine.

We knew that there were strong winds coming so we headed to the south east corner of the island and anchored in Avea Bay, a large bay with a good sandy bottom. Our anchor is totally buried which is a good thing as we have had gusts up to thirty knots all week. Fortunately the conditions have not effected us and we have had many lovely walks. We take advantage of the early morning shade and walk for miles along the road.

We have also found a great snorkeling spot with many varieties of tropical fish and a couple of resident eagle rays. We have visited this a few times as the water is lovely and warm at 28 degrees; just perfect. There is a resort nearby where we have had evening drinks and watched the sun go down. A lovely way to end a perfect day in very peaceful surroundings.

So as you can probably guess, it will be hard to leave. Especially when the added advantage is free Wifi from the nearby resort. We can connect from the boat and so we have had a great time catching up with family and friends. Not such a great time reading all the world news, I thought we had escaped all this craziness!

Back to earth

Andrew has been busy varnishing the bathroom doors. He has been on a roll, but fortunately he has just about run out of varnish. I appreciate these jobs being done but I am glad to have the dining table back. It is times like this when the boat is in a state of upheaval, that living on boat is like living in the back shed. A back shed with sails, can you imagine it?

Update from our last blog

Our friends caught out at sea in storm conditions all survived. Plastic Plankton arrived at Tonga before the storm hit. Flying Cloud travelling to Tonga and Tactical Direction heading for Fiji both got a pasting experiencing at least four days of up to 40 knots and 4-5 metre waves. Both boats suffered damage and crews were shaken. Thankfully they are all well.

The problem we experienced with double payments via Master Card has been resolved. A very worrying and frustrating time for us, but all is well.

So what's next

This afternoon we will go to the Island’s main town of Fare for some provisioning. We will stay the night and have dinner out at the Yacht Club. From memory the food is good and Happy Hour is very happy. Tomorrow we will sail around to the east side of the island where there are many terrific bays and much to see.

This article has been provided courtesy of the Freedom and Adventure.