The Society Islands

The Society Islands

As with any new destination, there is administration and service to execute. We needed to perform all the usual tasks: food, laundry, fuel and water, in addition to "checking in" with the Gendarme and collecting a certificate allowing us to purchase fuel duty free. I had also to collect Jean-Jaque's new passport, which the British Consulate in Panama had forwarded to a commonwealth office in Papaeete that turned out to be an Air New Zealand office. After so long away from mainstream civilisation Papaeete was quite a shock…. noisy, fast cars, hustle and bustle, we had to be on our toes as we were all easily distracted. I was surprised at how alien it all felt!!

Taking the bus into town, we had one of those days where all things just slot into place. Amanda and the Boys found a play park while I was doing the admin, we had lunch in town and on the way back spent a fortune at the supermarket.

In truth the selection was fantastic and the pricing was not dissimilar to Europe. After 2 hours we had restocked Pegasus, bought Louis' Birthday presents and completed the major part of our administration leaving us free to enjoy Louis' 3rd birthday on 4th July.

As is the birthday ritual, we decorated the pilothouse with balloons and streamers and when Louis woke he opened his presents with a little help from Jean-Jaques, before breakfast of banana pancakes and maple syrup.

The boys had a great day and we took them to the Lagoonaruim (sort of poor aquarium) and walked back to the boat via a fun fair where they performed a good double act on the bouncy castle, running rings around the ticket collector gaining a few extra goes.

It was festival time in Tahiti, culminating in big celebrations on Bastille Day, 14th July, coincidentally Jean-Jaques 5th birthday. We planned to be back in Papaeete on 13th July so were keen to spend the week looking at the island. We decided a circumnavigation was in order so on 7/7 we set off through Passe de Taapuna and headed south to a quiet anchorage behind a motu for the night before anchoring in Teeahupo the following day.

Teeahupo is a world famous surf spot and we intended spending a few days there before moving on. Our friends on Vagabond Heart and Lucy Blue appeared that evening and so there was plenty of social for all. We spent time snorkelling / drift diving the outer lagoon area close to the reef, collecting shells and watching the fish and stingrays. The waves breaking against the reef were huge and at night we could hear their thunder, while safely anchored inside the tranquil lagoon.

The snorkelling in Tahiti was just fantastic. The vibrant turquoise shallows close to the outer reef are just amazing. Every time is different as you just don't know what you are going to see or find. Saying that, its also weather dependant, as if overcast, windy or raining, its just not the same experience. We had our fair share of rainy overcast days as well.

We left through the Teahupo pass headed south to the wild side of "little Tahiti" the smaller southern island. The road stops at Teahupo and the villages on the south and Southeast side are cut off, with villages travelling by small speedboats inside the lagoon. We spent a few days in the south enjoying the solitude and local hospitality, and headed back up to the Tahiti Yacht Club on 12/7. After messing around with the anchor in a squall, we elected to pick up a club buoy and went ashore to settle up and find the lay of the land. I have to say that the club was lovely and felt very welcoming. The Secretary gave us a key for the showers and laundry and there was a small bar open. "Just one night? No charge - just bring back the key in the morning" We all went back ashore for showers, but sadly the restaurant was shut. We put the laundry on and headed out to find dinner.

Behind the club was a small sports hall with plenty of action and music?? We walked in and found a seat and watched traditional Polynesian song and dance for an hour or so. There must have been 60 dancers in full dress and it was spellbinding. We found out later that it was the last dress rehearsal for the Bastille Day dance competition in Papaeete. There is something very evocative about Polynesian dancing and we felt very lucky to have witnessed such a wonderful display.

Next to the stadium we found a pizza / brochette stall and enjoyed pizza sitting on stools beside the van. These vans are everywhere in French Polynesia and are really a restaurant on wheels. As you can imagine, the food is French, so quite delicious and it makes for a viable alternative with the Boys. Eating is taken seriously by the French, so restaurants tend to open later and the boys are usually just too tired to eat after 7pm. Lunch is always our best restaurant option.

Food in France and by influence French Polynesia is a way of life. The range available in Tahiti was vast and varied, but many imported items were very expensive. Baguette, butter, pate and some cheeses are subsidised, readily available in most islands. We stocked up on pate, Camembert, pickles, cured meats and sausage, which was our daily lunch, and Amanda bought what we required for dinners on board. She is really very talented at shopping and will buy what we need. I am no use in the supermarket as I'm always looking at the prices…"do we really need 4 of those" etc. However I never complain at the fair Amanda presents at sea and our table is always full of varied and delicious food. I have now rationalised my supermarket experience to fulfilling specific tasks with the boys….18 litres of milk ok,…4 dozen eggs…".right I'm taking the boys off for a coffee / juice". This is now much better for everyone

Leaving the Yacht Club the following morning we wound our way through the coral and exited the pass. Accompanied by a pod of dolphins, a rare sight in French Polynesia, we motored 5 miles back up to Papaeete. We needed to get back up to the shops to buy the rest of JJ's presents and get ready to meet Grand Mere who would arrive on the 15th.

We anchored out by the reef and I amused the boys (swimming) while Amanda went and finished the shopping. The boys went to bed excited and we decorated the pilothouse with balloons and pirate paraphernalia and wrapped JJ's presents. His main present was a boogie board, which he had specifically asked for, and he was delighted to open it the following morning.

The plan was to meet the Vagabonds and Blues in the anchorage by Tahina Marina on the afternoon of the 14th as we were hosting a joint Pirate party for the boy's birthdays. Everyone turned up at about 4 and there was lots of fun on board. Treasure hunts, party games and lots to eat. Amanda had prepared sushi for openers at JJ's request but the real winner was a watermelon full of melon balls with a chocolate dip, and of course the Pirate cake. Everyone had a great time and the Boys went to bed happy and tired.

Grand Mere had arrived in Tahiti late on the evening of 14th and we planned to go to the Hilton early the following day for breakfast and swimming in the pool. We arrived at 8am and the Boys had a great time swimming then we all had breakfast, a real treat. OK it was pretty expensive, but I do love an all singing all dancing hotel breakfast.

It was decided that I would leave the others in the hotel, and I went downtown to sign out with the Gendarme, as we planned to leave for Moorea, just 12 miles to the West, the following day. Mum and Amanda went off to Carfour after lunch for a few last minute items…a pair of fins for Grand Mere… and we had a great evening on board with presents for the boys and lots of goodies from the UK. Star of the show were a pair of Crocs each for reef walking, a present from Edwin my younger brother, and a large jar of Branston Pickle for the excellent cheddar we had found in Carfour. The Boys number one were a power ranger's suit for JJ and a Spiderman suit for Louis. They both love them, and are hanging up by their bunks today.

We set off for Moorea in good time, sailing in light winds under Genoa arriving in Opunohu Bay at lunchtime. This is a beautiful bay and we anchored in 4 meters of crystal clear water on sand. After lunch we swam off the boat and went ashore for a walk and swim A lazy afternoon. We had an early super and by 7.30 we were all in bed. (On Board we tend to eat and go to bed early. It just seems to be the correct rhythm to be in bed by 8 and up by 6.)

Our plan was to try to get to the northern islands and spend most of our time there before Grand Mere had to leave for the UK. We had a weather window and I was keen to make the 80 mile passage in fair weather, but was conscious that Grand Mere needed to get acclimatised to Pegasus first, hence our trip to Moorea. The following day we moved to a shallow sheltered anchorage, known romantically as the Club Med anchorage, and spent the day snorkelling off the boat, shelling on the Motu and watching stingrays being fed. By 4pm we were back on board ready to pull up anchor and depart for Huahine.

We were in no great hurry, again wanting to arrive in daylight, so sailed under Genoa alone, making 5+ kts in a slightly confused sea. We arrived at the pass at 8am and made our way down the West side of the island and finally found a sheltered spot to stop for a couple of days, swim, shell and relax. Huahine is a little off the beaten track and has few tourists so local interaction is more genuine. We spent a memorable hour with a local farmer who cut drinking coconuts and gave us Paw paw and bananas for the boat.

There was a growing desire on board to get to the shops. With impending windy weather we decided to head for the next island of Raiatea and the old capital of Uturoa. It was a short hop of 30 miles downwind and we arrived at a sheltered anchorage early afternoon. We organised a taxi and spent the following morning in town, stocking up with stores and wandering round the various shops.

I was keen to stop and put the anchor down for a few days. We had decided that we would spend most of the remaining time in Bora Bora, and as the weather looked good that day we made an uneventful 30 mile passage arriving at the pass Teavanui just after lunch. I had read our cruising guide, Charlie's charts and selected a sheltered anchorage behind a sandy spit, showing a good beach and walk over the Motu to another Motu…. Sounded lovely.

On arrival we found that those intrepid explorers messes Hilton and Intercontinental had visited sometime after our guide and built a sprawling hotel on the site. What a shame. This was very much the story with Bora Bora. Most of the beautiful spots had hotels on them with little huts on legs protruding into the lagoon and signs declaring the beaches private. It really was quite developed, and the overall impression was that of paradise spoilt. That said, the developments and indeed Bora is designed to be viewed from land and I'm sure if one were staying at the four seasons it would be breathtaking.

We searched and found some beautiful spots in the south of the island and spent 10 days in various anchorages, swimming, walking, shelling etc. Grand Mere had found the addictive nature of shelling and was building quite a collection, so much so that I think she had a concern about her baggage allowance!

The weather was varied. We spent 2 days on a buoy next to a restaurant called Bloody Mary's where it rained all day and blew 45+kts. Not too taxing in your little hut at the four seasons but a challenge on a boat with 2 small children. We walked, played on the (quite filthy) beach in the rain but had a good lunch. It all changes quickly when the sun comes out.

Grand Mere's departure was looming and we decided we would fly her back to Tahiti from Bora rather than waste a day on a windward passage.

Those of you who have been to Tahiti from the UK will know what a long process it is. Mum left on a Monday from London and arrived on Wednesday night in Tahiti. But I have to say that she organised it pretty well. On advise from the travel agent, and on the grounds that her knees are "just not what they were", she played the wheelchair card which effectively meant that she queue barged her way across the globe. In addition she is the only person I know who can have 2 family size suitcases accepted as hand luggage. It certainly made her trip less stressful, perhaps not the airlines!

It was time for Grand Mere to leave and we were all sad when we took the shuttle ferry out to the airport to say goodbye. We had last seen her in Lanzarote in October 2008 and who knows when we will see each other again. We all had a wonderful time and the Boys simply loved having their Grand Mere with them, sharing the close intimacy as you do on a boat.

It was also time for us to leave Bora and French Polynesia. I had been listening to the SSB following the passage of boats heading west and knew that the next leg to Tonga would be difficult. The weather predictions for this region are notoriously inaccurate as the South pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) can forcefully influence the region. Wind strengths were being seriously underestimated and the vessels that left the week before were being hammered in 40+ kts on predictions of 25's. The seas can be pretty big as well with 4-5 meter seas reported. The boats that headed on a more northern route, close to the Cook Island atoll of Suwarrow or Suvarov seemed to have better conditions. We decided to remain flexible and see what the conditions dictated. The weather worsened for a few days and after we had re-provisioned, carried out pre flight checks….mast inspection etc, and generally sorted our selves out, we left Bora on 6th Aug headed west.

I was glad to be leaving. The Society Islands are beautiful, but lack the expectation of discovery that we enjoyed. They suffer from being rather hyped and certainly overdeveloped. Finding real Polynesian spirit was difficult and we were looking forward to making our way back off the beaten track a little to discover atolls and island less frequented, offering a more intimate experience. In addition I was looking forward to some good sailing. I hadn't put the main up for over a month and we hadn't had the kite up since it was repaired 3 months past when in the Marquesas. Hopefully we would have a good trip to either Tonga direct (1300 miles) or Suwarrow (700 miles)

We are discovering, cruising the Pacific, that on arrival you really know very little about the intended cruising ground: nothing is relative as you have no experience. Moving downwind through the islands you constantly realise that there are islands now upwind that were passed over in favour of the visited mainstream islands. You are so fully immersed in the whole learning curve of Pacific sailing, weather, passage routes, food, money, tradition etc that disappearing off to unheard of islands is just a step too far, and too daunting to favour the unpopular over the popular, especially for those with novice status such as us. I'm sure current experience will open future adventure. I wish we had more time! To fully research the islands and passages, explore the more remote, outer islands, that would be a thing…….already, life is just too short

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Right Here, Right Now

Right here, right now…

Its 4am, 22nd August. Amanda's finished her 12-4 and I'm up now for the duration. Its 29 degrees and its going to be a hot one.

We're 15 degrees south, 165 west, heading 230 slowly….basically in the middle of nowhere…850 miles W of Bora Bora, 250 miles SW of Suwarow 250 miles SE of American Samoa and 450 miles NE of Vavau, Tonga, our destination.

It's harry flatters. I mean absolutely flat… glass, like oil. There's no moon or cloud, but light by the stars, mirrored on the surface of the water. Astern there's a trail of bioluminescence, a brief mark of our passage over waters were unlikely to see again, ahead a lost horizon, where stars stop and the ink begins. Breathtaking in its beauty and humbling in its magnitude, we are a speck on the Pacific. An insignificant 120 square meters of family life….Hmmmm…. don't want to dwell on that too long!!

I've got 2 hours before the boys are up and 7 weeks of blog to write…so that's not going to happen….I might get it wrapped before the wind kicks in… tomorrow, later, who knows, but when it gets here its going to blow old boots. Were in the SPCZ (South Pacific Convergence Zone) and its all or nothing. If historics are anything to go by we can expect 35Kts SW and 4-5 meter seas with a 5-7 second frequency…I had better tuck some more southing in the bank…

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The Tuamotoes

The Tuamotoes

We stayed only a short time in Haahopu Bay. It was lovely with a sandy beach and we all had fun in the surf, and snorkelling the rocks around the bay. I very nearly managed to catch a large octopus for the freezer, but it got away at the last. I wasn't that upset as it looked pretty big and I had no idea how it was going to react on the end of my lance. It was much more at home in its environment than I was, so I was slightly relieved when it and I retreated in opposite directions.

The weather looked settled and so on the evening of Friday 5th June we set sail for the 450 mile trip to the Tuamotoes, some times referred to as the dangerous archipelago.

The Tuamotoes are know as old islands where as the Marquesas are new?? Briefly, the Marquesas are tall volcanic islands that are not old enough for coral to have formed fringing coral reef. The Tuamotoes are old enough to have fringing coral reef but the islands themselves have sunk and eroded away, leaving just the reef and lagoons where the islands used to stand. The society islands (Tahiti, Bora Bora etc) are in between with tall islands and fringing reef and lagoons.

As the Tuamotoes are just low coral atolls, reefs and lagoons they are not visible from any distance and, due to strong currents running around the reef and motu (islands), have claimed many ships. To enter the lagoons and take advantage of the calm seas you have to get the tide right as the water can enter and exit the small passes through the reef at ferocious speed, making navigation impossible. In addition the lagoons are full of coral heads and reef so navigation is difficult and a good lookout with the sun behind / overhead is essential.

It is, therefore, not so much about speed on passage, rather the time of arrival. We wanted to arrive at our destination, Makemo atoll, in daylight and at low slack water. That put our perfect arrival at 11.15-1200 8th June.

We had a good sail down, with a rather lumpy cross swell, making 153 and 189 miles on the first 2 days. We caught a lovely big Mahi Mahi, but consigned it to the freezer as neither of us felt we could tackle eating fish yet!!. We were lucky and the weather was kind with 25 kts of breeze on the port quarter. We both still felt weak from the Ciguatera poisoning and it would have been a struggle had the weather turned nasty. But it was as expected and the following morning we spotted Makemo and headed for the northern pass. Our timing looked good, and we entered the pass at midday. Half an hour later we had the anchor down in clear, calm water at 17m depth. We could see the coral heads in the turquoise water and felt pleased and somewhat relieved that we had made our first pass without incident.

Lunch and ashore.

"Shark" cried Louis. "Look there" said JJ. There were 4 black tip reef sharks cruising the reef in 4 feet of water some 10ft from the beach. The boys were very excited, and it took some moments to persuade them that swimming with sharks was not a good idea. These were the first Pacific sharks we had really seen up close so we were all quite excited.

We walked down the beach and over to the windward reef looking for shells….one of our favourite pastimes. Its great to walk down a deserted windward beach as a family. The Boys love exploring the rock pools, finding crabs and fish, although there were quite a few baby Moray eels so we had to be careful, but they thought it was very exciting. Amanda and I keep a keen look out for shells and we always find a few nice specimens. There's a lot to look at and see. It doesn't matter where you are in the world…the boys love the beach. If we were back on the Isle of Wight, we would be doing much the same thing, although the marine life is more colourful and the shells more exciting in the Pacific.

Sometimes I find something useful…a marker buoy, a little piece of stainless steel, some rope…One day I found something I just couldn't leave behind. It was spherical with a Perspex dome on top, a solar panel and Arial. It was clearly a piece of scientific equipment designed to float at sea, and had a bar code with serial number on it. This, I thought, was worth the struggle. It must have weighed 20kg and after I had persuaded Amanda that we really needed this thing, I lugged it back to Pegasus. I thought I could trace the owner through the Internet and they must be keen to have it returned….the least I could do was to take the solar panel and LED light. My father googled the company and sent them an e mail. They replied that they weren't interested in its return and that it had been lost a long time ago. Ok, so lets take it apart…With hammer and chisel I gave it a good shot but I have to say that it was pretty indestructible. After half an hour I thought the best option was to return it to its home in the sea. It gave me some pleasure to think that some other cruiser will do exactly as I did in time to come.

WE had planned to stay in the north of the atoll for a few days and spend some time alone as team Lawrence. We found a lovely anchorage 12 miles down the lagoon and spent a week exploring, walking on the windward reef, making fires on the beaches, shelling and generally relaxing as a family. We were also recuperating from the poisoning and by the end of the week we felt much stronger and ready to move on.

The outer reef was just spectacular. Once you had made it through the bush, across the sharp volcanic lava full of fossilised coral (which makes up the atoll) then over the coral rubble, the outer reef lies ahead in no more than a meter of water. It forms a barrier around the island only 30 meters wide and the very outer 5 meters is slightly higher and solid coral. The colours were amazing with the solid, outer coral a vibrant pink and the inner coral a multitude of colour. We walked through the coral surrounded by fish, looking for shells and watching out for moray's and other nasties.

When on Pegasus we would all swim off the boat out to coral heads close by and watch the fish, keeping a constant look out for sharks as we had seen them from the dinghy when swimming. JJ is becoming a great diver and can touch the bottom in 3 meters of water, and Louis has just mastered his snorkel so we can all explore together. Louis got very excited when he really saw fish underwater for the first time. The Boys love to swim off the back of the boat, but we have a rule that we don't swim early or late in the day as that's shark-feeding time. At other times they're quite docile.

The weather turns about every 10 days or so being influenced by frontal movement way off to the south. The wind backs from the SE through E, NE then NW through to SW then back to the SE over a 2-3 day period. This causes havoc with the anchor rode and coral heads and also brings rain, wind and cooler temperatures. We found ourselves sitting on the beach in shorts and oilies thinking it was not so different from the Isle of Wight in summer. Even so, the boys were happy on the beach, harassing the large hermit crabs, chasing each other with palm fronds and generally doing what children do on beaches around the world.

We waited for a weather system to move over us, and as the wind backed round to the SE again we headed out of the N pass of Makemo and off to the southern pass at Fakarava atoll, some 90 miles west, but in effect 3 tides away. We planned to leave at last light…we had a track on the GPS so could safely leave the pass at roughly slack water and last light.

We planned to arrive in Fakarava at close to 11am, low water slack, so we were in no great hurry, sailing with just the Genoa making 5 kts in light winds. We arrived on 16th June at 10.45 am…perfect timing. We motored in through the pass without difficulty, with the surf breaking both sides only 20 meters away, and found our way easily to a suitable anchorage inside the lagoon, dropping the anchor in 12 meters of water in good holding. There were a few other boats there and we knew 2 boats, Vagabond Heart (with 3 children) and Lucy Blue (2 children). The Boys were very excited to see their friends again and its always a bit easier for us when there are other children around…not to mention good adult social as well.

We knew Vagabond Heat from the SSB Net we had been part of, on passage from the Galapagos, and first Met Australians Bill and Debbie (Edward 13, Alice 11, Will 9) in Anaho bay in the Marquesas. Debbie is a doctor (we discovered later), and they were anchored next to us when we had the ciguatera poisoning and looked after JJ and Louis the day after so we could sleep and recover. Lucy Blue we had met in Huku Niva (Marquesas) but had only met Ina, (Simon 12, Amanda 9) as her husband Buck was at work flying SAR helicopters in Norway. He was now on board for the rest of their passage to Australia.

We had a wonderful few days at the southern end of Fakarava. There is a little dive operation with a few guest huts on the motu by the pass, and plenty of other beaches on other motu close by. We would go off to the beach or swim / sail the optimist in the morning and get the children together in the afternoons. Its amazing how well they all integrate despite the age difference, with poor old Louis at the tail end, but the older boys are very inclusive and they all had a great time. Usually we would go and have a drink on board one of the boats and the kids would all watch DVD' s together for a hour or two, and it always made for a jolly evening. Debbie organised a treasure hunt on one of the motu one afternoon …. we built a fire, ate coconut and chatted as the sun sank over the horizon.

We drift dived / snorkelled the pass a few times. The boys loved it…loads of fish, rays,turtles, sharks, huge Maori wrasse, beautiful coral…quite spectacular. I took some great video for the production company and in a state of excitement viewed it on our return to Pegasus…..Nothing…a shark tail exiting the screen, fish just out of shot, close ups of nothing…really terrible. I had to go back and do it again the following day, but this time I got some great shots.

Our last night there, we all had dinner at the dive shack restaurant over the water. We had a great evening in the most spectacular setting Just 13 of us and 6 of their guests….flowery shirts bare feet and our dinghy's tied up outside the restaurant like horses outside a bar in a western.. I love travelling out to dinner in the dinghy…... There's always that little bit of adventure to look forward to on the way home.

The following day the Vagabonds and the Blues headed up island and we planned to meet them after lunch 15 miles further up the lagoon…I wanted to go and dive the pass one last time.

We motored up island and arrived in a beautiful anchorage early afternoon. It was perfect, just the 3 boats, no other people and virgin beach. We walked the beach looking for shells while all the children played and swam.

Now the shell thing was getting interesting, and there was just a little competitive edge starting to show between the girls. Ina found a rare and perfect shell right where we were all sitting on the beach…I think that started it. Anyway the following day we all went for a long walk on the windward side to try and find some large Cone shells, which had so far alluded us. We found some shells and Debbie was particularly pleased with a large cone shell she found..

That afternoon Amanda and I decided to walk across the island from where we were anchored, to try and find some beach that had not been picked clean. I reasoned that the more difficult it was to get to, the greater the reward…..extreme shelling…sounded up my street. An hour later it was apparent that we needed some tools to get through the jungle…a compass and machete. We had to abort.

The next day we cut a path through the jungle to some beach that I would doubt any one has ever been on. The boys handled the thick jungle well, and after an hour we arrived at virgin beach. We found some beautiful large cone shells, cowries and others and it was all very rewarding. We tried in another spot to cut through the island but after an hour had to give up. I think we were lucky to get through once.

The downside to extreme shelling is that your body gets pretty scratched up, especially if you happen to be up front with the machete. Not usually an issue, but when your swimming in the lagoon which is rich in coral and coral spores, any scratches soon get seriously infected. 2 days later I was off games and on antibiotics, but Amanda has some great new additions to her collection.

The weather was due to turn again, so we headed up to the North of the island to the village. Here we bought some provisions and had a few meals out as we waited for the winds to swing and return to the trade wind set. After a few days things looked a little settled but brisk and we decided to head off to Toan, the next atoll north. As the wind had been strong there was a lot of water flowing out of the pass and even though we left at slack we had a pretty rough little exit from Fakarava. We sailed gently round to Anse Amyot some 30 miles away, and arrived just before dusk. We dropped the hook and spent a few windy nights at anchor. Lucy Blue and Vagabond heart arrived and we had drinks and dinner on board Pegasus. We set off to Tahiti the following day, as we needed to arrive at least by The 3rd July to buy some presents for Louis' birthday.

I was looking forward to Tahiti. It's of one of those iconic places one dreams of sailing to, and finally on 1st July I could make the log entry "Bound for Tahiti"

Its 220 miles to Tahiti which means a day and a half, so we left early in the morning and sailed in a confused sea out through the atolls. Again we caught good fish, and filled the freezer with Tuna. When we cleared the islands the sea settled down but the wind was strong, and it was a squally, windy night, which kept me on my toes. After a fast passage, passing other sailing boats and some shipping, we saw Tahiti the following morning rising above on the horizon in front of us.

We anchored that afternoon having entered the lagoon at Papaeete, and motored round to Tahina Marina. The marina was full of super yachts and it all felt quite Mediterranean. This anchorage was great for us as there was a huge Carafour supermarket just round the corner, making restocking and servicing the boat an easier task, and the bus into Papaeete was close and apparent. The marina services were also available and there was a great atmosphere in the quayside bars and restaurants.

I think after so long at sea and in the islands we were all looking forward to a bit of civilization. We hadn't been to a city since Panama back at the beginning of April, and the boys were excited about their birthdays. Their key request for their birthdays was a trip to "Old Macdonalds", and, can you imagine, we found one close to the marina and it had its own beach!!!!…..now that really would go down well in Wandsworth!

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The Marquesas

The Marquesas

We arrived in the lee of Hiva Oa just at sunrise as the mountainous island appeared like a purple mass out of the ocean. It looked eerie and Jurassic and was certainly unlike any island we had seen. Steep cliffs with rugged coastline, green valleys and dramatic dark peaks. They looked old, untouched, magical

The Marquesas were going to be intriguing and promised great cruising and exploration, which we were all looking forward to.

We were met by Ben the cameraman, in a chartered boat, to film our arrival. How he managed to charter a boat is nobodies business, but here he was, camera poised, filming Pegasus in the rising sun. After an hour or so he transferred on board…rather dodgy…and we made our way into a crowded Taa Huka bay. I guess there must have been 20 boats in the small bay behind the breakwater, so we anchored outside the breakwater in calm conditions relieved to be at rest after 18 days at sea. Taa Huka bay was not the most picturesque bay. The water was dark and a bit spooky, the thought of sharks filled our heads. We launched the dinghy and made our way ashore so Ben could get his bag from the pension, and we could get a few provisions, money etc.

On arriving at Ben's pension, the proprietor put flower lay's around our necks, a traditional Marquesas welcome, and we felt like we had arrived in the South Pacific.

As it was a Sunday we could not complete our duty of reporting to the Gendarme, so we decided to head off to a bay with a beach some 8 miles away on the island of Tahuata. We dropped the anchor in a beautiful bay, protected from wind and swell and put the dinghy in the water, ready for our first trip to the beach. The Boys were excited, and after negotiating the beach break we pulled the dinghy up the beach and all took our first swim in the beautiful, warm, clear water of the south Pacific. We strolled along the beach and collected some coconuts and lemons from the trees and returned to Pegasus. That night the sky was clear and at sunset we saw the dramatic peaks of the island Ua Pou some 60 miles to the northwest. Quite remarkable. It looked like "The Land that Time Forgot".

Administration, as always, beckoned and we returned to Hiva Oa to check in with the Gendarme, fill our water tanks and re provision. There is always a work load on arrival after passage, lugging stores, water and fuel, stowing the purchases and the dreaded laundry. This was done by hand on shore under the standpipe, and as Amanda tackled the pile of laundry, with a few other boats doing the same, I took the boys off to town some 2 miles away for more supplies and a good walk.

We also had the additional issue that the drive belt linking the motor to the fridge compressor had broken again, and we needed a replacement for the replacement. This was to prove a real bore and caused us some frustration as our freezer was full, and the Marquesas (and French Polynesia generally) are really expensive.

Suffice to say that after ordering parts from Tahiti and waiting 3 days for competently the wrong thing to be air freighted to us, I had to order the parts from Australia and had them delivered by express delivery. We finally picked them up ten days or so after ordering, not without some administrative difficulty I might add. In all, our fridge freezer was out of action for nearly a month and the $30us drive belt cost some $600us after freight costs and cock ups ….quite amazing.

Our spinnaker also needed repair after exploding on day 15. I had organised with Russ, a skilled sail maker on his boat Zephyre to drop the sail off with him, to see what he could do. He arrived when we were in Hiva Oa so I took our Kite over to him so that he could mend it if it was feasible. On inspection he thought he could, but it would take a few days. I left the huge sail with him expecting an e mail in a week or two.

We had completed our check in and admin, so were clear to explore the islands. The wind had backed to the North so we decided to head to Fatu Hiva, some 70 miles south. We set off at midnight and arrived as the sun was rising over the island. We were to anchor in the Bay of Virgins, a quite dramatic tight bay with phallic rock forms rising hundreds of feet from the sides of the valley. In Marquesan the bay was originally called the bay of Penises, but the missionaries added an extra "e" and it became the bay of virgins. The missionary presence was most evident on all the islands we visited, with every small town having its own, well patronised, church.

Fatu Hiva was extremely green and lush. The valley had a stream running down its center and we had heard that at the head of the valley was a waterfall. We all wanted to walk up there. The small village on the beach had 30 odd houses and a small shop, but once through the village the road turned to a track, and past the track, to a path, quite overgrown. Occasionally a house was seen cut out of the "jungle" with a beautiful well-tended garden, and usually a couple of pigs and dogs.

We followed the river up the valley. Mango trees dropped their fruit into the river, huge grapefruit called Pamplemouse grew on trees beside the path, lemon and orange trees, and of course Bananas were everywhere. If you walked up a valley you could fill your bags with fresh ripe fruit, with the permission of the local home owner. All land and trees were owned and we were never refused.

So just a recap…abundant, varied fresh fruit for free, fresh water from the mountain, crayfish and fish in plenty, all free….this really is the closest we would ever get to the garden of Eden! From a physical sustenance point of view, the locals really wanted for nothing.

We continued our trek up the valley. Ben was doing a bit of camera work of course….just wait there, ok walk past the camera, JJ stop. Ok just one more time…no ..ok walk past the camera looking like a family , so together.. JJ Louis follow mummy,….Oh that's beautiful light, just on more time….all very natural…. At least we didn't have to carry the camera or tripod as the walking was getting tougher and we headed through the jungle to the head of the valley. Amazingly we passed remains of human habitation, cut stone and walls thousand of years old, small Tikis or carvings etc. We climbed further up…cant be far now!!! Louis, still only 2 was making a good go of it but as the path got less defined and the jungle thicker I had to resort to the carry. Finally at about 4.30pm we reached the waterfall. It had taken us a lot longer than expected, so I called a 5pm departure. We had to get clear of the jungle before sunset. I could see how impressive the waterfall could be, but today it was not in full flood although there was enough water to make it special and magical. We stripped off and swam in the cool fresh water. I piggyback swam both boys under the falls, which they loved. It reminded me of swimming in the Scottish locks as a small boy. I was constantly aware of the possibility of loosing a shoe in the water, so swimming was difficult. If a shoe was lost, it would make for a difficult and slow descent in the falling light…a recipe for disaster.

We left the falls at 5pm and descended quickly, keen to be clear of the thick jungle in good light. As we left the path for track, and track to concrete road the sun dipped and the rock of the valley walls turned orangy purple through purple to black as we found our dinghy and made our way back to Pegasus. Quite an adventure…Fresh tuna for dinner.

We spent a few days in the bay, as some friends had arrived after their passage from the Galapagos, and we all swam and played in the warm water. I did less playing and more scrubbing than expected. On our passage, Pegasus had become extremely dirty above the water line. Green algae and marine growth needed to be scrubbed off the topsides and waterline. This was quite a task and took me about 8 hours with a green scotch cloth. I was aware that scrubbing with a scotch cloth, although effective, makes a great key for more marine growth to cling on to. I would now have to scrub the water line every 2 days before we had an opportunity to beach the boat and polish the hulls.

The image of Un Pou (now 120miles north) still hung in our minds and we decided that we should leave Fatu Hiva and head North. Before we left I walked up the valley with the boys and picked a load of fresh fruit for our stores. The Northern islands were reputably drier so water and fruit would be in less abundant supply. We set sail at dusk and reached up island under full main, genoa and staysail making a good 8 kts average in 10 kts breeze. We dropped anchor in the little, empty harbour at about 10am and went ashore to explore. We met a few of the locals and bought supplies…ice mostly to try and keep the freezer reasonably cold. I bought Amanda a Pareau and at the shop enquired where we could find mangoes. Come with me she said and took us behind her shop where she had a huge mango tree. With a net on the end of a 20ft stick, I picked the largest mangoes I have ever seen They were the size of Louis head!!!, I dropped one from the net as I was picking it. It hit the ground and split. Oh dear, just have to eat it. I pulled back the skin and JJ and I took great bites out of it. I have to say that there were no stringy bits in our teeth. The fruit was smooth, sweet and juicy. Orange streaks dripped down our faces, as I tried to wrestle the fruit away from JJ. I'm sure we will never have mangos like those again.

The day we arrived I received an e mail saying the spinnaker was ready….in Tahuata, some 60 miles south east. It was pretty inconvenient, as we had to be in Huku Niva, 30 miles north on the weekend to collect our expected fridge part, and watch the big canoe race we had heard about. Nothing for it, we would have to cut short our time in Ua Pou and head south again. So 2 days after arriving we set sail at dusk and sailed / motor sailed SE to Tahuata arriving mid morning.

The beautiful bay had 8-10 boats in and we knew most of them. There were plenty of kids for the boys to play with and there was a jolly festive atmosphere. There was a boat Honey Mon there who happened to have an Optimist on board. Don and I had kept track of our positions across the pacific and on passage I was taking 50 miles off him a day. Now Don is a serial racer so was not too pleased with this, and so keen to right the balance he appeared in his optimist keen to spar. I launched silver and with we both sailed around the lagoon, Don with Louis and JJ with me. I'm not sure what was happening but Don could sail round us, in front of us and behind us without issue…..i just couldn't make silver go. By way of excuse, Don was state champion for a few years in Queensland….. I've got to look at the rig. Don was pretty pleased in a quiet sort of way, but the gauntlet is definitely down for a point in the future.

The bay was amazing and Amanda swan with Manta rays while Ben filmed her. I scrubbed the water line again, and sailed silver as the boys jumped and swam from the back of the boat. We were having a lovely time and stayed an extra day enjoying the party atmosphere. Russ was there with the spinnaker. He had done a marvelous job and I was most pleased that we now had our light wind sail back, although I would need to take greater care with it in the future.

22/5 at dusk we left Tahuata headed for Huku Niva, the largest island in the northern group of the Marquesas some 75 miles away. We wanted to arrive in good time and made moderate speed arriving at 8 am Saturday morning. The Big canoe race (40KM) had just started and after a couple of hours the boats entered the bay for a few laps. Canoeing is the national sport of the Polynesians and is taken seriously. 6 men in an outrigger canoe with support boats. These guys are fit, and we could see the exertion and exhaustion on their faces as they came past us at anchor. We dressed overall as did the other cruising boats and cheered the canoes as they passed close to Pegasus. We went ashore for lunch on the quay and joined the party atmosphere.

As our freezer had defrosted slowly we had been eating all the tuna we had caught. We had had it for lunch and supper in a variety of forms for a week and were quite tunaed out.

Lunch ashore was…Tuna, although it was yellow fin, far superior to our tuna. I had Poisson Cru au lait coco, with rice and plantain, and the boys ate sashimi, which was all quite excellent. This was the first proper meal out since the Galapagos and it was great to eat off the boat after so long.

Our dreaded fridge part was due to arrive on Saturday in Huku Niva, and we waited for its immanent delivery. Needless to say it didn't arrive. While waiting we took the opportunity to beach Pegasus, clean the topsides and waterline, and apply two coats of polish, which I hoped would keep the marine growth at bay. The Belts finally turned up on Wednesday afternoon and at last we were back in business….cold beer amongst other things.

The production company were getting anxious about the amount of time Ben had been on board. They had originally thought that he could film our arrival and then get to the Tuamotoes, the next island chain, to shoot turquoise water and desert islands. It was apparent that due to our fridge problem, amongst other considerations, that was unlikely to happen. I spoke with London and it was decided we would make to the Tuamotoes, weather permissible, at the earliest opportunity. We made a plan to set sail on the Monday 1st June, after a front had blown through. We headed round to the north of the island on Thursday morning to sit in the beautiful Anaho bay, wait for the weather, and try and get a few of the other shots they were after…collecting fruit, interacting with the locals, cooking fish etc.

Anaho was really beautiful and sheltered, with sandy beaches and a dramatic mountain backdrop. We collected fruit in the valley and met a local who climbed a coconut tree and prepared fresh drinking coconuts for us. I caught lobster…it was all going extremely well. Friday afternoon and we were fishing off Pegasus. I hooked a great meaty looking fish and after an hour had 3 more. Supper. I looked through our books but couldn't identify 3 of the fish, the fourth being a red snapper. They all looked similar and Amanda prepared a beautiful meal. Ben filmed and all was well. Louis was asleep by the time we ate, JJ only picked at the fish and Amanda, Ben and I ate well. The evening drew to a close and we all went to bed.

At about 2.30 am Amanda woke me. We had both had fitful sleep and my legs and teeth were hurting. We both felt really unwell, having raging diarrhoea and Amanda had been sick. "Jason, come and have a look at this" she said……In an electronic book on the computer she had identified the fish we had eaten….under the venomous and poisonous fish section.!!! Paddeltail…DO NOT EAT THIS FISH ….known carrier of ciguatera (neuro toxin). Big Problem.

I immediately woke Ben and he read the text. Basically induce vomiting, seek medical help immediately. The book said that symptoms could vary, but we all had clear symptoms and it appeared that Amanda, myself then Ben were affected in decreasing proportions. Luckily JJ was still asleep so we surmised that he was little affected. We waited for the symptoms to worsen. The valley we were in was accessible only on horseback so any medical help was out of the question. We did, however, have a mobile signal, so we telephoned the doctor who advised plenty of paracetamol, antihistermien, water and sleep.

The book had lead us to believe convulsions leading to coma and death was immanent. Luckily we had only a bad, not severe, dose so we would live. The symptoms stabilised by the morning and the other boat in the bay (who had children on board) took the boys off for the afternoon while we slept. We all felt terrible. Massive muscle fatigue, tingling skin, hot felt like cold and visa versa, my teeth felt like they had been pulled and my mouth was full off pepper. These symptoms decreased slowly over the next 3 days but were still apparent 3 weeks later. NO alcohol, mangoes, coconuts, coffee, or fish could be eaten. I tried a beer after a week and the palms of my hands and soles of my feet became intolerably itchy. It was 3 weeks before I could comfortably drink a beer!! (even though we now had a fridge full of cold ones!). We both thanked our stars that little Louis had not eaten the fish. I'm sure he would have been in serious trouble.

There was no way we were fit enough to sail, so the Tuamotoes were out of the question. We contacted the production company and they organised a flight for Ben the following Friday 5th June. Even though he was suffering himself, he managed to film the "fish poisoning" sequence for the company…stoic stuff. Ciguatera is not like fish poisoning at home…you know, throw up, feel bad, stomach ache etc. Ciguatera attacks the nervous system, and although your body tries to expel the poison, it can stay in your system for years. It's a most strange and unpleasant sensation, and we must all be careful now, of any fish we eat.

After five days recouping we motored round to the next bay as Ben had arranged a taxi for the Thursday morning. The Car arrived and we said our goodbye's. As he headed off up the valley we returned to Pegasus and motored to another bay on the West of the island. We didn't envy Ben's 40 hour journey back to London.

We are lucky that Ben fits in so well and we all like having him on board, but its always easier with just the family. Ben had been on board for all our time in the Marquesas, some 26 days, so it was good to be back with just the family again after so long.

We would wait for a weather window and head slowly and carefully for the Tuamotoes when it looked suitable.

We really liked the Marquesas and although we had spent nearly a month there, We don't feel that We had scratched the surface. We could easily spend months exploring the islands and jungle with its lost archaeological sites, waterfalls, secret caves, bountiful food and pleasant climate. The landscape is so prehistoric you half expect a teridactal, king kong or Harrison ford to appear round a bend in the river or over a craggy mountain ridge. Its clean, exciting and steeped in undiscovered history and as such fires the imagination. I really hope the islands remain unspoilt as the land that time forgot until we can get back to them.

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Galapagos to Marquises the long Pacific leg.

Galapagos to Marquises the long Pacific leg.

This is the leg I have been looking forward to. The start of our pacific cruise. 3000 miles away lie the Marquises Islands, part of French Polynesia and our next landfall

I had looked at the weather and the trade winds seemed to be steady but light, some 300 miles south of the Galapagos. Between them and us lay the ITCZ, a band of squally weather with little wind. My opening plan was to motor to where the wind was and pick up the trade winds as early as possible. This meant a course with plenty of south and not so much west. The only issue was that Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes, a sort of bible for ocean passage making, stated that the course out of the Galapagos should avoid an area where we wanted to go to pick up the wind. This was due to unsettled seas having been reported in the area., I guess from some sort of current/wind convergence. However, we were going nowhere fast without wind so we headed out SSW in search of the wind.

Pegasus can be a fast boat, but motoring is not fast for us as we only have two blade folding props and generally run only one engine when motoring. The first 48 hours we had little wind some 2-6kts SSW, so on the nose, not good for our daily run. We found the wind at 1900 on day 3 at 4.36 south…quite a long way as we had thought that we should find it at 2 degrees south. We were off and could start making west.

The marque from Galapagos to Marquises is 20 days. Within that your doing pretty well, another week your still doing well. I thought we should be able to do it in 18 days if we had wind and we were lucky. Day 3 and we were off, lets go.

We were sailing well and clocking off some mileage. The wind generally had been around 10-15 kts with some patches of lighter airs. As the wind came round to a more steady easterly we have been using the spinnaker all day and most nights. This is a great light wind sail and I can get her rigged so that she stays up without constant attention, which is a relief. We have been doing some god daily mileage, nothing spectacular for lack of wind, but constant.

One thing that strikes you about this place is just how big it is. We saw a purse sein Tuna boat on day one some 100 miles south of the Galapagos. Since then, 18 days, we have seen no other sign of man. No boats, no planes, no vapor trails in the sky. Just Orion on the forestay and the southern cross aft the port shrouds.

The stars are just brilliant, in the true sense of the word, and you feel you can just reach out and touch them, its remarkable just how many there are. I guess this is one of the places in the world with the least atmospheric and light pollution. We have also seen no rubbish, nets or buoys in the water which is a pleasant change from the garbage floating around the Atlantic. Saying that, on day 2 we did pick up a long line with our fishing gear but that was soon cleared and I suspect it was from a coastal fishing boat as we were only 5-600 miles off the Ecuadorian coast..

These longer passages are sometimes easier for family life than the 1000 mile / week passages. The boys get into a rhythm after a few days and life continues. They get up at dawn, go to bed at dusk, and eat and drink there way through the middle bit. They watch DVD's, do jigsaws, paint, play with their toys and play doe, and chase each other from one part of the boat to another making a mess. When Amanda is in the starboard hull cleaning up after them, they are in the port hull messing it up. I hope someday they will learn to put their stuff away. I'm sure I was never like that!!! No really they just get on with life and accept each day as it happens, and mess is just part of it. Ok there's a certain amount of destruction…this week, the light fitting in our bunk has been twisted off the wall, and one of the table hinges has been bent. (I couldn't have done that if I had tried!) But I can fix most things so its not too bad. I guess were asking a lot of them and so allowances have to be made.

We spice it up a bit with the occasional party, where they make party food with Amanda and we all wear hats and eat cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks,... which they seem to love. The boys really enjoy cooking and always help Amanda making bread, cakes and biscuits. Poor Amanda really has her work cut out, as they are pretty demanding…banana pancakes in the morning, Louis' shaped like dinosaurs, or Mickey Mouse (which is a bit easier) Jean-Jaque's like batman!? We've had a lot of banana everything. The stem we bought in the Galapagos all came good at the same time so anything you can make with Bananas we've had. It's a bit like that offshore; we've had our fill of Tuna as well.

At the end of the first week it was my birthday. Amanda decorated the pilothouse so when I woke there were balloons and a big Happy Birthday Daddy on the wall. The boys really enjoyed it, as did I. Amanda had bought presents and we opened those in the morning and had a party at lunch time. I'm looking forward to using the hammock Amanda bought in Cartagena, but somehow I don't think I'm going to be top of the list using that present. It was great fun and a special day. My last birthday was in Nassau, Bahamas, 17000 miles ago. Its amazing to think we have been on board more than a year now…ok we did have 3 months in England in the middle, but even so time seems to be ripping on. If it keeps going like this I'm going to get old very quickly.

Fishing has been interesting. We have lost some big fish, some seen, others not. I had a good stainless hook straightened and Amanda had hers broken…I guess a large bill fish. We caught a beautiful Dorado, but it just slipped off the hook as I was bringing lifting it aboard, great shame, but have landed 4 good Tuna which has put 30kg of fish in the freezer. Not much other wildlife seen, which is a surprise as were back in the warm water at 28 degrees centigrade. A few dolphins, but only once. Just thousands of flying fish,. Squadrons of them. Occasionally a squadron of Kamikaze will fly straight into the boat…just a wrong turn, ding ding ding ding, and a load of scales in the morning as evidence of their suicide pact. One day we saw 20 fish flying right over the boat, through the rigging, quite remarkable. They really are incredible. We seem to attract them and can have 20 odd fish on the nets and around the boat in a morning. I know of some cruisers who eat their road kill, but not us. On occasion I will throw them to passing bird, but generally they go straight over the side as a free breakfast for something. We went through a patch where we were getting a lot of squid on the boat. I really never knew that they could fly, but they must be able to as we have had them hitting us in the cockpit…makes you jump!

For the first time we have been really using the HF radio for some social and information. There is a radio net established and we check in every day giving our position and weather data. Like wise we get other boat positions and their weather data. We met quite a few Aussies in the Galapagos and so know most of the boats checking in. I guess we are spread over a 1000 miles or so, and our closest boat is now some 400 miles behind us. Quite satisfying as they left before us and were 100 miles ahead. (55ft monohull). I enjoy talking on the radio and think I may try and get my Ham radio licence in due course, which will open up new channels and enhance the experience. It's a bit of black magic really, bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere and talking with people 100's or 1000's of miles away. We also use it for E mail and weather data (Grib files, Weather faxes, forecasts etc.)

There is the usual run of ongoing maintenance and thing that will need doing when we stop. I've mended the hinges on 4 hatches (they all seem to go at the same time, unsurprisingly), the compass light, heads, children's toys, etc. During the second week I marked our entire anchor rode every 5 meters so that we know how much we have let out. This took forever as I was marking with a cross-stitch whip, 2 colours and 200 meters of line. But its now done and you only need to do it once. The new chain (stainless steel, quite extravagant) purchased in Panama is now fitted so we will test the new rig when we arrive..

We've had a few breakages on board. At one point we thought the fridge compressor had broken as it started making a terrible noise and then stripped the drive belt. Oh dear ( or words to that effect!). I replaced the belt and managed to get it going although its not right. It seems to be that if I hold the DC motor with a firm grip when it starts to cool the plates it doesn't make the worrying clicking noises and then seems to settle so I can leave it to cool the plates down. I don't know why it does, but it seems to work. Using the same logic, I may try talking to it as well to see if that helps. It would have been a disaster if it had broken. All our stores for the next month or two out of the window. I don't mind throwing out the bolognaise, it's the sides of fillet I couldn't bear to see wasted, and you can only eat so much before its no longer appetising. I don't know how many cows they have in French Polynesia, but I bet its not many!.

We have also had a bit of a disaster with our spinnaker. This was an old sail and I guess with it being in the intense sun for days on end and with the strain of wave and wind action it had just had enough. It's totally destroyed. I was just getting ready to take it down, thinking that we had had a good run, when crack, and the kite exploded from the middle out to the taped sides and down each side 4 feet. It's a big job and we will just have to see if it can be fixed. One of the chaps on the radio net is a sail maker and has a sewing machine, so I will take his advice. If its not repairable then were going to have to buy another…where I don't know, as there's nowhere for that sort of thing for at least a thousand miles, Tahiti, we'll just have to see. Whatever happens were going to need a light wind sail as we should have light airs for the next few thousand miles. Got to say we were just lucky it happened on day 16 not day 5, otherwise we would be at least a week behind. As it is, it has cost us a day in lost mileage over the last 2 days. Great shame, but that's what happens. There's a lot of wear and tear on a trip like this. My jobs list is quite extensive

Amazingly Ben the cameraman has got to Hiva Oa to film our arrival. The production company wants some footage of us in the pacific, and so he will be waiting for us when we arrive.. He only left us 5 weeks ago in Panama. It's a tough life!

Its now Saturday night 9/5/09 and we have 50 miles to go. We decided to turn the engine off so were making 3-5 kts and should arrive at first light. We've pretty much made it. There's no real wind, perhaps 6kts from astern and were goosewinged, just rising on the swell and taking a gentle glide forward. I think more pleasant than feeling round a strange anchorage in the dark

It feel odd to be going so slowly. For the past 18 days we have been pushing the boat at speed through the vastness that is the pacific. There's nothing out there, only sun , stars, wind and water….. and us, and our solitary pursuit of that distant point" beyond the west horizon" In a few hours that point will be reached and so the longest of the pacific passages will be over and some of the dreamtime lived. I think we will stay here a week or two and cruise the 7 odd islands. Then well carry on chasing Venus and look for the Tuamotoes

Stats
Daily mileage, 123, 100, 179, 192, 190, 197, 185, 193, 177, 169, 192, 187, 164, 163, 186, 203, 181, 140 and about 110 to go
Should be 18 days plus 14 hours

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Panama, the canal and on to the Galapagos

Panama, the canal and on to the Galapagos

We arrived in Shelter Bay on a Friday (27th March), so expected to spend the weekend finding our feet and get down to business on Monday. We had a lot to organize, not least the canal transit which could take up to a week.. Luckily there was a pool at the marina so the boys were delighted.. Ben the Cameraman arrived on Saturday morning with his "fixer" Eddie who was helping him with permits and permissions, and moved on board. On Monday morning we started the process of buying stores, fuel, spare parts and all those bits we would need for the next 6 months in the Pacific. Finally I could get my anchor that I wanted and some chain.

While in the marina I saw a good looking Catamaran ..a Gunboat 66 .called Sugar Daddy. These are the Ferraris of the cat world. All carbon and Kevlar, ultra fast and uber comfortable. I was keen to take a look. On enquiry I found it was owned by the same couple (Bruce and Nora) we had met in the Bahamas in June 2008 who then had a Gunboat 62 called Looking for Elvis (Bruce always said he wasn't looking too hard) He also had the same skipped and wife team with them, a great combo and they really travel, I mean 20000 miles plus a year. We all had a good laugh together and had a jolly evening on board.

It transpired that Bruce used an anchor called a supermax, he had two and really rated them. Now there's nothing like a personal recommendation and after reading what I could on the internet, I decided this was the anchor for us . After contacting the manufacturer I organized one to be shipped for collection in Balboa on the Pacific side. Great I had finally bought a serious anchor for our pacific leg, something I had been trying to do since the Caribbean

In addition to entry formalities and general organization there was a lot of paperwork to sort for the Canal Transit and exit papers for Panama. I decided the best thing was to use an agent. Often in places such as this, natural pinch points, to get things done without delay you have to throw money at it so that time is not wasted. You can really loose weeks in places like Panama so we just had to get on with it. $2500 on shopping! $1500 on boat bits! $1800 for agent, lines, line handlers and canal transit! $500 for marina fees!…and we hadn't bought any beer yet!

Whilst organising Pegasus and ourselves, the pool proved a godsend as one of us could be there with the boys while the other had Pegasus to themselves. In addition to servicing the engines and preparing Pegasus, I had some business that required internet access and managed to get all my contracts signed and sent, while Amanda had load upon load of shopping to prepare and stow, while reorganize Pegasus below decks.

The agent had told us that Thursday would be our transit day, so we prepared Pegasus and ourselves and were ready.

The morning of 1st April arrived but our agent didn't! The previous day I had phoned him but was told his phone no longer worked…. Oh Dear.

We were scheduled to transit that afternoon and would forfeit our bond if we were not on station at the correct time. Early afternoon the agent arrived with line handlers lines and fenders, much to our relief. The only thing we didn't have was the exit Zarpe and our passports stamped. He assured us that he would get this done and be back by 4, when we intended to leave. It was a close run thing and we met his launch as we headed out of the marina. We now had all our paperwork in order and were set.

It occurred to me that April fools day was not the best day to go through the Panama Canal, but as it transpired all went well, and after a night in Gatum lake we arrived at the Balboa Yacht club in the early afternoon of the 2nd April, and picked up one of their buoys. We had made the jump, and were finally in the Pacific. I had read a lot of things about the actual transit, which always heightens ones levels of apprehension, but all said and done it is just a series of locks and although the sizes and volumes are staggering it was relatively straightforward.

Sitting on deck with the last of the sun, we looked to the North were a mile away we could clearly see the Bridge of the Americas. It's amazing to think that the massive continent of the Americas is divided in two by the Panama canal, and there are only 3 crossing points. A rather rickety swing bridge in front of Gatum lock gates, the 2 lane centenary bridge and the 4 lane bridge of the Americas. I find it hard to imagine that they still have capacity .

Balboa, or Panama proper had a rather different feel than Shelter bay and Colon. Much more cosmopolitan, more business like and certainly wealthier. The Canal authority employs many people and the Canal is a massive earner for the country. They process on average 38 ships a day at an average $250000 US each so $9.5 million a day 365 days a year, with maybe a 5% loss for maintenance…that's…err…a lot. No wonder they think yachts are a bit of a pain at $650us each!

We had more shopping to do and a few last bits. We needed all the fresh food supplies and definitely a new DVD player for the boys. We seem to go through a player every 2 months. Amanda needed some time in the supermarket on her own, so I took the boys swimming at an open-air pool. A sort of Panamanian Tooting Lido.

There were only about 50 people in a 6 lane pool with 5 and 10 meter diving boards. It was the usual scene, the 16 year olds jumping and diving off the 5-meter platform, the 10-meter platform closed. Now Jean-Jaques loves to jump in the water, but Louis is not so keen. After half an hour or so I watched JJ approach, and start to climb up the ladder. Ok,, he won't do it but its good for him to have a look. The local boys helped him off the ladder and off he went. He just stood on the end and jumped. No thoughts, no worried looks, just jumped. He had a huge smile on his face and just went straight back up, time and time again. I was quite amazed. Louis, seeing JJ having a laugh indicated that he wanted to jump. Right, there's no way I thought. I took him up and held him as we looked over the edge. He made a little noise and clearly wanted to go back down. OK, that's sorted then. 5 minutes later and Louis had changed his mind. Up we went again. This time I asked if he was sure. Yes he wanted to jump, so I took off his swim jacket and held him with me. I looked over the edge and not wanting to be shown up by a 2.5 year old knew I had to jump, so off we went. Louis came up with a grin from ear to ear. So that was us for the next hour. JJ jumping alone, and Louis with me. The locals didn't know what to make of it, and neither did I, I mean it was really quite high.

After a week at the Balboa Yacht Club we were ready to go We were glad to be leaving. It wasn't really set up for yachts and we felt ..well tolerated but not really welcome, unlike Cartagena which was very welcoming and friendly. The Columbians were always asking questions, were extremely polite and hospitable, and proud of their city and heritage. We didn't feel that about the Panamanians although all that we met were polite and courteous, it was just different.

In Columbia we had felt safe, but in Colon it was definitely dangerous and although less so, Panama was also threatening. One afternoon we took a taxi to the Old Town with the cameraman and his equipment. To approach the old town you need to pass through some quite run down areas. On our approach, only a mile from our destination, there were suddenly 10 or so 20 year olds around the Taxi where there had been none a moment before. They had run out of a side street and blocked the taxi from going forward, shouting and slamming the bonnet. Sensing the situation the Taxi edged forward pushing the youths round the side of the bonnet. I looked up the side street and saw a woman clutching her stomach. Clearly she had been shot or stabbed, and the youths were trying to stop the taxi by force to help their situation. There was no way he was stopping and on seeing this, one of them tried to break the windows by throwing stones at the glass as he accelerated away. Had he stopped in that neighborhood we would all have been robbed within minutes. Every chancer seeing the scene would have been on the street within minutes. We would have been eaten alive. We were lucky the windows did not break and that the Taxi driver just kept going. It was all very sudden, but you could see it unfolding as it happened. The fact that there were children in the car made no difference to the stone throwers.

We had one last issue to sort before we could leave. Jean-Jaque's passport is due to expire in French Polynesia, so we needed to organise a new one. We contacted the British consulate and made arrangements to sort the paperwork. All seemed to be going well until we heard that the biometric printer in Costa Rica, where the passport was to be issued, was broken, and wouldn't be fixed until after Easter. After much discussion a plan was hatched. The new passport would be delivered to Panama, then forwarded to the New Zealand high Commission (commonwealth) in Tahiti where we would pick it up. I really hope its there when we arrive!!!

Ben the Camera man left on Tuesday, satisfied with the footage he had shot, and on Thursday 8th April we headed off to the Las Perlas islands 40 miles south of Panama for a bit of R+R before the passage to the Galapagos. We motored the whole way and in the early afternoon saw a school of Killer whales rising close to the boat.

The islands on the west side of the Isthmus are remarkably different. Gone are the desert island and coconut palms, replaced by an arid landscape with deciduous trees and only a very few coconut palms. They are mostly rock.

We stayed at Isla Contradora for 2 nights and had some good social with friends on their boat Mikado. A day on the beach, some walking on the island, dinner ashore and we were ready to leave. We all wanted to get going.

Its 850 miles from Panama to the Galapagos islands through the Inter tropical convergence zone or doldrums so we were prepared for windless days and had bought and stored an additional 200 litres of diesel. We expected to motor for a day or two then pick up some wind. We headed south out of the bay of Panama. This proved quite slow as we had at least a knot of current against us.

Our first night it rained heavily with distant lightening. We were filling our water tanks and there was a mighty clap of thunder overhead. Although I'm sure we weren't hit? Our wind indicator, which shows wind speed and direction, just stopped working as did the primary GPS. I suspect they are both fried. I don't think they are repairable and in fact I went up the mast twice and removed the wind indicator.

That was a difficult thing. Although all seemed calm at sea level, 60 ft higher at the top of the mast it was a job in itself just to hold on. I was being thrown around and had a sudden realisation that what I was doing was really dangerous and that I had to finish the job quickly or get down. There's no way I could climb up there at sea on my own, or even be winched up. You need both hands and legs just to hang on.

We motored, sailed and motor sailed for 4 days, and finally got a steady wind on day 5 where we could start to clock some mileage.

While motoring we saw some amazing wildlife. Eagle rays just leaping out of the water all around us. Manta rays on the surface, pilot whales, dolphins and sharks. I'm sure I saw a marlin sunning himself on the surface as well. The sea was alive.

As soon as the wind filled in we sailed hard and on the evening of the seventh day we arrived in Wreck Bay on the island of San Cristobal, Galapagos. We arrived at night and with a little trepidation felt our way into the anchorage and found a tight little spot dropped our new anchor and cracked open an anchor dram. There was movement all around and with a torch we saw at least10 sealions swimming around the boat making quite a racket. Surreal.

We were all up early the following day and the boys were delighted to see two sealions asleep on the engine room hatches. Amanda and I knew that they would be on board. During the night Amanda woke me up saying that she could hear something. She popped her head out of the hatch, to literally be kissed by an inquisitive sealion. I'm not sure who was more shocked, as both parties recoiled with some speed.

The water was much cooler in the Galapagos at 23-24 degrees so quite refreshing, not the 27 degrees we were used to. We all swam as there was a lovely beach just 50 yards from Pegasus and on Sunday and Monday the water was crystal clear We discussed our plans.

It was apparent that to stay any length of time we would need to clear in with an agent. The islands are spread out and to move your boat you need to sign in and out of every island, using a new agent each time. Generally its about $400 for paperwork and permits for a 20 day stay. Its really geared around local employment and tourists. We certainly didn't want to stay that long, as 2 small boys are not going to sit on someone else's boat for hours or listen to a guide, that just wasn't going to work. They need much more interaction. On our wish list were sealions, turtles, tortoises, and penguins. We decided that the penguins on Isla Isabella would have to wait for another day. All the others were available on San Cristobal. Having arrived on Saturday night, we checked in on Monday morning for a 72-hour stay. We were told that a free stay was now limited to 24 hours. A little short but it suited us fine. We saw giant tortoises, swam with turtles and sealions and had a good meal ashore. On Tuesday we bought fuel and supplies and had some Internet time for weather routing.

The Grib files looked good so after picking up my Zarpe or exit clearance and a final swim, we were ready to get going on the next leg, Galapagos to Marquesas some 3000 miles.

I started to pull up the anchor and found I had a problem. Our anchor rode was well wrapped around a boulder in 5 meters of water. I repeatedly free dived but just couldn't clear it was at the limit of my range and the visibility was pretty bad due to a large swell that had been running for the last 12 hours. We were stuck!

I called a friend on the radio. They said they had a friend who had some diving gear on board. 30 minutes later we were clear of the bottom, the only casualty a cut rode / chain splice.

Its amazing the help you can summon when you are part of the cruising community. That's the difference we have found being slightly off the regular cruising routes. There is a real spirit of camaraderie and a pool of knowledge with people keen to help others. Were not in the same boat, but on the same ocean with the same challenges and the same 3000 miles ahead of us.

We motored out of Wreck bay at 1600, 21/4/09, on a glassy sea with some 3000 miles to our next landfall.

Stats
Las Perlas to Galapagos Daily mileage 105,101,117,98,151,184,172 (part)

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Curacao, Cartagena The San Blas and down to Panama

Curacao, Cartagena The San Blas and down to Panama.

"Its 8pm and dark. I cant expect the half moon until after midnight. We have 3 reefs in the main, half staysail and half genoa making 8-10 kts in 15 kts wind. The sea is just aft starboard beam so were taking a bit of green every now and then, but making good way. Not uncomfortable, but a bit rock and roll. We should arrive at Holandes Cay, Kaimou some time after lunch tomorrow. Its about 180 miles from Cartagena. And about as different as you can imagine. Just think of you're A typical desert island with tall coconut palms, crystal clear water and white sand beaches, all protected by a fringing reef, and you've got it. Were all looking forward to a week of downtime, just gentle cruising again, not running west"

We left Cartagena in the afternoon after a week at anchor between Club Nautico and the naval base. Sheltered, with all amenities we needed, but pretty dirty as you would expect in a big city. It was a bit of a shock for us to be in the city with high rise buildings lining the Bocca Grande a mile to the west, the old town a mile to the North and the Isle of Manga 300yards to the East. The smells and sounds of a big city, always in the warm air. A pulse not felt sine…. Nassau I guess.

We had arrived at 3am, and in the still and peace of the inner harbour we had the anchor dram and listened to the city, excited about the new horizon and our first stop in South America. Neither of us quite believing we had sailed from Cowes to Cartagena, the Isle of Wight to Columbia, our dream now reality.

Cartagena is a difficult place to get to. It's a rough passage from Curacao, with a big confused sea, and is renowned as one of the 5 windiest passages in the world. We waited in Curacao until we saw a window where it looked like the wind was peaking at 25 kts. I had been worried about this leg since the Caribbean and knew it would be rough. We sailed up the windward side of Aruba having decided to head offshore for possibly stronger winds, but a less confused sea. We can handle the wind and big seas, but a big confused sea with short wave frequency starts to get worrying and uncomfortable. Our other option was to go the inshore route staying on the 500-1000 meter line, but we found the seas large and very confused off the north coast of Aruba in 500 metres, so headed offshore to the 3000 meter line.

Well our 25 kts of wind turned into 45kts and we had pretty large seas. We used the 4th reef in the main (Thanks Jerry, Medina sail care, I knew we were going to need that) for the first time and were making pretty good way. The problem comes when you get lifted up on a 30 footer and get hit by 40 kts at the top. Old Pegasus just accelerates away and your doing 16-18 kts boat speed down the wave…ok during the day but at night it's a bit much. Luckily we had a full moon so we could just about see what was going on. Whenever were in a sea like that I am just amazed at how well Pegasus behaves. Were lucky she's such a great design. We pretty much sailed with either 4 reefs in or no main, and a slip of staysail for the last 50 hours. I was just glad we weren't there the week before. It would have been a cauldron with 60 Kt winds and ferocious waves…extremely dangerous. I always held the feeling we were in a place we shouldn't be and didn't want to hang around long. Rather like crossing a motorway at 3 am. You know you can get away with it if your careful, but it would be death trying it at 9am!

It took us a while to get into Cartagena as we had to take the waves abeam to come inshore. It was pretty rough with strong winds but as we approached the coast the wind backed allowing us to head closer and closer to the harbour entrance. At one stage we thought we may not make the entrance, the city or the country, the wind and waves forcing us further south than we liked, but they eased and we pinched up the last 15 miles with engines running to push us up to wind. It was a bit of a trip, but much the same as everyone else who we met in the club. We were very glad to get in and tucked up after 3 tiring days at sea.

We all enjoyed Cartagena. The old city is really beautiful and vibrant, and the restaurants good even though they all have the same menu…steak basically. Highlights were Simon Bolivar square, mandarin juice from the street vendors and small, sweet coffee readily available every 20 yards or so at 10c a cup. Yep, it was pretty cheap, which made a change from Curacao. Being on the mainland there was also an abundance of fruit, which the boys loved. After our week there we were ready to leave and after our fairwells in the club, set off for the Ssan Blas islands.

Stats
Curacao to Cartagena daily milage, 210, 193, 123 (Part)
Cartagena to san blas daily milage 191

After the big city we were all looking forward to just cruising. A fast 24 hour passage and we arrived in a small anchorage between 4 islands and settled down for a few days. I launched Silver (our new optimist dinghy) for the first time and we all had great fun with the two boats sailing from island to island around the small reefs, protected in the lagoon from the Atlantic swell. The Islands are basically spatially habitated with fewer people the further east you go. There were island we wanted to see, and we had allowed ourselves a week there so we moved every few days. We spent a magical night in Bandaros Cays where we had an island to ourselves with Pegasus anchored just 50 yards from the beach in the lea of the island. That night we had a BBQ on the island making a fire from coconut husks and cooking steak (from Cartagena) and sausages…a favourite with all the boys. It was really beautiful, quite magical. Picking shells off the water line, swimming whenever you felt like it. The boys were in heaven

During that week we stopped at 4 island anchorages and walked many beaches. Being where they are at the far west shore of the Caribbean sea, the shelling was terrific in addition to many varieties of sea beans we found. The Local Kuna Indians were all pretty friendly approaching us in their dugout canoes as soon as we had dropped anchor. We bought Molas…decorative and intricate needlework designs…and gave fresh water, coffee, biscuits etc to those who asked. We allowed ourselves one night of Lobster…very extravagant at $25 for 3 biggies..oh… and 2 beers for the fisherman. They were delicious.

One night we anchored at a place called Dog Island. In the morning a Kuna came alongside in his dugout canoe , "could we charge his mobile phone", well when it rang I thought I would try mine and yes reception was available. Quite remarkable really, and very useful as I had things going on in London and needed to make some calls. I had a surreal phone call to London sitting on the stern of Pegasus watching the Kuna in his dugout ( which was tied to our stern) catching quite large fish with his hand line. My conversation was peppered with "oh he's got another one"….. A long way from the environs of my telemate.

We were heading for Panama some 80 miles west and decided to push on. After speaking with the production company it had been decided that Ben the Camera man was going to meet us in Colon and film the canal transit. So we had a rendezvous, a deadline, a city to make.

After a night in Isla Grande en route, we arrived at Shelter Bay marina on the Atlantic side on Friday the 27th March. It was a great sail under spinnaker down to the breakwater outside Colon harbour. On the way we caught our first Tuna. 3 small (10kg) Black fin, duly dispatched and frozen.

As you approach Colon you know your somewhere special, the crossroads of the world. On the way down there are ships arriving, departing, and anchored, and every stage in between. On the AIS I was getting 165 signals. That's 165 ships within 15 miles. We felt very small and insignificant as we stole quietly through the 300yard entrance in the breakwater and headed 2 miles west to the marina that held our reservation.

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