Get Lost On Purpose

Category: French Polynesia

  • Swimming with the Rays

    Yesterday morning for me was just like any other morning here on Dosia…i woke up, wiped the sleep from my eyes, glanced out the window to see what morning weather the day had delivered, and poured myself a cup of french press java. Boat Monkey (a.k.a. Drew) dropped into the galley from the cockpit above and was too quick to throw out “ready to go feed some stingrays and swim with some sharks!?”  Okay, 1) can i at least finish my cup of coffee and 2) you seem WAY too excited about this!

    I, in particular, was not quite as thrilled as Drew to be throwing myself onto the kitchen table of these sea monsters just because we had some old oyster and shrimp meat we needed to get rid of. My palms started sweating, I got antsy, and suddenly that cup of coffee was doing nothing to help keep my mouth from feeling like one giant cottonball. But I quickly realized that I was not getting out of this so I unwillingly threw on a bikini.  Mom….you’ll be glad to know that I finally wanted that BIGGER bathing suit you always encouraged me to buy. One that would cover more (if not all) of my skin!

    Due to large cruise ships and resorts around here there was an actual feeding area for these rays. I was pretty relieved to know that they expect the feedings and were used to it even though it is not at all a controlled environment. The sharks…well they just crash the party on their own. As we dinghied into the area Drew pointed out several black tips just off the pass. One or two choice four letter words later and I was checking to make sure I was completely inside the boat with no limbs hanging out!

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    We found a good spot, threw out the anchor in about four feet of water, and within fifteen seconds a torpedo of stingrays was headed our way. After they cleared out from under the boat Drew hopped in and they were ALL over him. He was as calm as he could be while I snapped away with the camera. His prior diving experience and time in the water allots him a level of calmness in these situations that I very much lack.  About that time I glanced over to see a guy holding his toddler aged daughter in the water and she, too, was surrounded by them. Alright you big pansy…if she can do it, you can do it (even though she was screaming bloody murder)…

    In I went, raw fish in hand, and there they came! I don’ t know who was screaming louder, me or that little girl. For me, all I could think was “one of these killed that crocodile hunter man.” I was definitely freaking out and grabbing onto Drew to shield them off and protect myself. There is just something NOT normal about this massive grey thing with a long tail swimming up and down my body looking for yummy treats.

    Of course, within thirty minutes or so, I had calmed down quite a bit and began to enjoy myself. I can officially say I’ve looked eye to eye with a stingray before and it was pretty flippin’ cool! When feeding them it’s almost like a suction effect when they glide over your hand and take it from you. I loved running my hands across their wings towards their tails which  almost felt like running your fingers over a wet mushroom. Very soft, almost slimy.
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    Believe it or not I was more calm around the sharks than I was around the stingrays and of course Drew was swimming around chasing after them. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that they were not trying to feed out of my hand. They pretty much minded their own business and tended to the scraps that the stingrays happened to overlook. Being that close to them was pretty incredible. I know some people who read this may think I’m being a wuss, a baby, making a big deal out of nothing…. but for me, this was a HUGE step. There have been times that I would not jump off the boat because I was afraid something below would bite me. So to see that there was something in the water that could this time and I still jumped in, big step towards overcoming some major fears I have had for a long time.

    Thirty minutes later, still relishing in my accomplishment and “let’s do it again one day,” Drew and I went for lunch at a roadside roulotte and began discussing future plans. Over sandwiches he decides that we will not visit Auckland in New Zealand later in the year if I won’t agree that while there, I will hurl my body off of one of the largest bungee jumps in the entire world. I dropped my fork, removed my shades, and gave him my very best “you’ve got to be kidding me” looks. One step at a time Drew, one step at a time…………

  • Memorial Day in Moorea

    Over here in French Polynesia we tend to completely forget about the good old American holidays.  We could go diving on a Wednesday, hiking on a Monday, and then end up spending an American holiday like yesterday pulling apart the alternator after discovering the engine compartment filled with grey smoke.  For our friends and family who don’t know much about boats, we run the motor (of the little Honda generator) every 2-3 days to charge the batteries that give us lights, refrigeration, etc.  When we use the main engine to charge, we have a high output alternator that increases the rate of charge and allows us to refill the large house battery bank in a shorter amount of time.  It appears my 150 amp Balmar alternator has finally crapped out.
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    I can’t really complain. I’ve asked a lot of that little piece of machinery. It’s worked flawlessly for 4 years on a single belt setup that I ruthlessly tension every couple of weeks. The reputation of Balmar alternators out here is dismal to say the least but I don’t really know whether Balmar itself is the problem or cruisers expecting way too much of their products. Regardless, two things make me very happy. One, I have a rebuild kit on board. I don’t actually have the correct tools to complete the rebuild myself (who carries a E-5 Torx socket and a Hi-Temp Soldering Iron) but at least I won’t have to order in the parts. Two, I’m happy I carry a spare alternator. It’s the original one that came with the boat. I had it rebuilt in the states before I left, wrapped it in bubble wrap, plastic bags, and duct tape, and stuck it in a deep, dark storage hole where it’s sat for 5000+ miles. It only puts out 40 amps and doesn’t have a dedicated negative but with the wacky winds we’ve been having over here, I think we’ll like having the engine to get back to Papeete. Plus, with a spare on board, we didn’t have to rush back to town for a repair and miss the potluck party on board Zen last night. They invited the whole anchorage over so there musta been 15 people on board. Margie’s salmon cakes were a hit. She was especially happy about that since it was her first cruiser potluck and the first time she’s made her new specialty for an audience other than myself. It was great meeting everyone and marveling over the engineering feat that is Zen, a brand new Atlantic 48 catamaran.  Tom, Monique, Cammi, and Cole were gracious hosts and we hope to meet up with them again farther on down the road.  As for the rest of today, we’re taking the dinghy down to the western corner of Moorea to feed the stingrays and sharks.  I do believe Margie is in for quite a shock!

  • Bacon, Beer, and Baguettes

    When you’re shopping in French Polynesia it’s important to have your priorities in order.   I won’t rattle off a list of items and their corresponding ridiculous prices but take note of the pic below. 1895 FCP is about $22 US and yes, that’s YELLOW TAIL!
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    You need to have a list and stick to it. For me, I walk into the Carrefour grocery store in Papeete with the 3 B’s mentioned above in mind and first, I make a “B-line” for the bacon. You have a choice of frozen American Smokehouse bacon, deli-fresh bacon, and classical French lardons. I usually gather a selection of all three since my rapidly expanding culinary expertise calls for all three and we all know there’s no such thing as leftover bacon. Next I’m off to the beer isle. At $50/case there’s only room for twenty-four in the cart with a hope and a prayer it lasts all week. There’s cans of Hinano, big bottles of Hinano (best deal but not realistic to store on Dosia), and regular sized bottles of Tabu. We prefer the Tabu but those cans of Hinano are just so damn easy. Lastly, it’s off to grab a couple of baguettes. No need for more than two. If they sit on the boat more than 36 hours, you’ll break your jaw trying to gnaw a piece off. For Marge, she agrees on the baguettes in her top three but her other top priority items are lunch meat (jambon de Paris is our favorite) and, of course, Diet Coke.

    We’ve been anchored out here in front of Marina Taina for a few days. It’s an okay place; really crowded but close to the best store in French Polynesia. My little Honda generator is still out with the mechanic. He brought it back to me when they got it running but it had some voltage drop problems when I turned on a heavy load item like the battery charger or water heater. Yesterday was a holiday here so everything was closed and EVERYONE was out on the water. We met up with Seth, Tim, and Jessica from Honeymoon and later Les, from Obsession, on the sandbar south of the marina for a few afternoon beers. Figured we ought to celebrate the holiday even though we haven’t a clue what the holiday is.
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    We’re heading over to Moorea tomorrow for the weekend. Sounds like we’re not the only ones so it should be a good time. Sending out a Happy Happy Birthday to Margie’s mom, Janice Kopp today!

  • Finally new people!!!

    Dosia was starting to get a little lonely over the past week or two but lucky for her more and more boats are starting to arrive. Drew and I had planned to move around to another marina last Saturday but awoke to new neighbors, John and Les, that morning. Both are from California and have been cruising the high seas on Les’ boat Obsession. In roughly two weeks or so John’s girlfriend and Les’ wife are flying in to spend ten days here on the boat with them. We spent Saturday afternoon hanging with them in their cockpit, drinking beers, and the usual routine of “gettin’ to know ya” in the cruising world. I apologized to them later for having “talked their ears off” that day. We were just so excited to have English speaking people around!
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    No need for maps or directions, Drew’s a regular ol’ tour guide for newcomers if they pull into downtown Papeete. We’ve been here long enough and enough times that we can pretty much tell everyone exactly where they need to go to find any given thing. Most people pulling into Papeete are coming off a multiple day crossing from the Tuamotus so grocery stores, boat parts, and alcohol are usually in high demand. Three days or so of not very good sleep and A LOT of sitting around (which can suprisingly really wear on you) is like one or two really long days of lots of yardwork. You reward yourself with a refreshing cocktail and most of the time, one has never tasted so darn good!

    “Okay…we’ll leave tomorrow morning instead…” was the plan as of Saturday night. Sunday morning came early and in comes Elizabeth, Seth, and their friend, Tim, on Honeymoon. Seth and Elizabeth got married last August and instead of going the normal route, they decided to prolong their honeymoon into a year long journey around the South Pacific. Drew and Seth had been chatting back and forth via email so when they pulled in we knew exactly who they were. After letting them get their boat anchored and settled in we went over to introduce ourselves face to face. Naturally that led to “let’s do dinner tonight” so we stuck around that day as well, eager and excited to get to know as many people as we could! After dinner they came back to the boat, we invited John and Less to join us, and we had our first cockpit party of the trip! I LOVE to host and have people over whether it be on a boat, in a house, or in an apartment so I was just in hog heaven. Ummm….hog heaven….not sure if that will be understood by all. It’s a southern term and one of my faves. The beers and the rum went down really well that night. Must have been the great company!

    Monday morning came a lot earlier than Sunday for me. We cleaned up, tossed out the evidence from the night before, and motored over to Marina Taina and set up shop in about 19 feet of the bluest, clearest water right off the coral reef. New week, new friends, and a new spot to call “home” for a few days. We had our first grease fest at McDonald’s that afternoon to try and soak up some of the varnish from the night before and Drew and I spent the rest of the afternoon napping on the couch. How quickly one forgets how heavy that junk weighs on your stomach….

    We reloaded at the large Carrefour today on groceries and plan on sticking around here for a few days to see who else pulls in. We’re gearing up for a three to four week island cruise around Moorea, Huahine, and Bora Bora. More details of that to come!