Party on the Katinka

It's the weekend, and I'm being bombarded from all sides. Obviously, the anchorage in front of Papeete airport seems to be a popular swimming spot. Mobile huts besiege the outer reef and bring a party atmosphere with their music systems. Four of these boats are moored around me. The magic lasts until five in the afternoon. Then they leave and peace returns. But not for long. Only the clientele changes. Whereas in the afternoon it was mostly families with children, now it's the party crowd on deck. I fell asleep completely exhausted at three in the morning and only woke up again when it was all over.

Party boat Papeete, Tahiti

As it's a long way to get ashore in the dinghy, I start by dealing with the problems that have accumulated on the Katinka. First and foremost, it's the autopilot. A cable connection had come loose and the power supply to the autopilot was interrupted. I re-established the contact and, lo and behold, everything worked as usual again. Next up are the sails. The mainsail now has several tears in the cloth and is only still functional because it is a baked sail and the second layer is still holding. But for how much longer? Anyway, new sails are due and I start to measure the genoa and mainsail and make a sketch of the sails. I then send the whole thing to the fabric workshop in Greifswald, which takes care of the rest.

New sails are due

After the party boats made such a racket, as if the party had taken place on the Katinka, I decide to give Papeete Marina a try after all. So I sail the three nautical miles through the channel and try to reach the marina via VHF channel 9. No response. A little unsettled, I sail into the marina. On a jetty, I ask a sailor if I can choose my spot here. "No problem," he says, "anywhere there's room." So I find a free finger and let my neighbor help me with the lines. I can stay here for now. When I register at the marina office and ask for channel 9, the marinero just laughs at me and says: "We don't have a radio." I find that a bit strange, especially as channel 9 is mentioned everywhere in the documentation for making contact. But that's French Polynesia. And that's how it worked. Due to the ferry operations and the weather conditions, there is a huge swell in the marina, which is really pulling on the mooring lines. After more than an hour, I finally get some peace and quiet into the boat by tightening a little here and loosening a little there. In the meantime, Katinka is stuck with seven mooring lines like in a spider's web.

Port of Papeete, Tahiti

Fortunately, the wind direction changes and the swell decreases considerably. Which puts much less strain on the mooring lines. The Papeete marina is a city marina. It is located in the middle of Papeete, with all the advantages and disadvantages. It is very noisy here and the traffic only comes to a standstill in the late evening hours. The sanitary facilities are good and the shopping facilities are ideal due to the short distances. If you want to leave your boat alone for a longer period of time, you need someone to look after it. This is of course an additional cost factor. But now that I haven't been to Germany for a while, I have decided to leave the boat in the marina and make the almost 30-hour journey to Europe.

Marina Papeete, Tahiti

In the meantime, the sails can be produced, and I can have the engine thoroughly overhauled by a Yanmar service technician. I will organize this in the next few days. In the meantime, I get to know Papeete. Like so many port cities around the world, Papeete is characterized by contrasts. On the one hand, decay is gnawing away at some of the buildings and dusty, broken down blinds are evidence that there has been no business behind them for a long time. Next to it, something new is being built again, and the stores are lively. All in all, Papeete is a very lively city. At least during the day. Around 10 p.m. it becomes quiet. You only see a few people on the street. It will definitely be exciting to discover Papeete over the next few days. It is a place that is so different to what we have experienced over the last 12 months. There's a real party atmosphere on the Katinka.

Papeete, Tahiti

Yes, and what is Gaby actually doing? Apart from the fact that she's freezing in Germany, she's doing well so far. Her eyesight is improving and her dislocated arm is becoming more and more mobile. She meets up with friends and acquaintances, whom she hasn't seen for over a year, and enjoys spending time with her family. I just hope that by the time I arrive, the fridge in Germany will have warmed up. It's getting boring again, because obviously the climate discussion only gets going at a certain temperature, at least 25 °C. Below that, there is no climate change in Germany, at least no climate-related dangers. For my taste, the discussion could pick up a bit of speed again. With this in mind: fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.