We set off. Someone once told me at the very beginning of our trip that the hardest part was getting going. What he didn't mention was that setting off is always the hardest part. But once again we made it. Not very far, but the routine has completely changed again.
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| Point Vaipahu, Moorea |
We are moored at Point Vaipahu, the entrance to Opunohu Bay on Moorea. At the moment we have a light wind phase, which also prevailed on the day we set sail. After we left Papeete, I switched off the starboard engine and we chugged towards our destination of Moorea with one engine. The waves were moderate and the wind was almost non-existent at three to four knots.
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| On the way from Papeete to Moorea |
Point Vaipahu is pretty crowded and quite full with over twenty boats. We squeeze in between them in the far east and have been lying on four meters of white sand ever since. We are surrounded by spectacular nature and slowly realize what we have been missing lately. The clear water, the silence when the sun goes down, swimming in the 28 °C water. A blue-spotted ray burrows through the sand under our Katinka Enjoy. Every now and then a blacktip shark can be seen, which prompts Gaby to stay no more than one meter away from the bathing ladder. Meanwhile, I clean the underwater hull and remove the deposits from the long time spent in the harbor. The current should not be underestimated here, so I have a hard time attaching the suction handle to the boat in time to be able to hold on to it. Once I'm hanging on, the current keeps pushing me against the side of the boat. I only make slow progress with the cleaning, but that's not too bad because we have time.
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| Inner reef on Moorea |
Another challenge that we already had on the old Katinka is electricity consumption. Our solar system has so far generated an average of 4.6 kWh, but our consumption is currently averaging 6.6 kWh. This makes a difference of minus 2 kWh. We compensate for this with the generator. However, I would prefer to do without the generator. Quite apart from the fact that running the air conditioning is also a long way off. I've been told that you don't need it on an anchorage, there's always enough air coming through the wind. In fact, our bodies stick together at night because the air is still and we sweat. As a young couple, this may well be desirable, but when the eroticism shifts to eating and drinking as we get older and the sight of a full thong on the neighboring boat seems to be enough to satisfy our libido, bodies stuck together are a hindrance to a good night's sleep. We make the best of it and start by trying to get our power consumption under control. The first measure is to switch off the outside fridge. The freezer and the large fridge are now running and we save around 1 kWh in 24 hours. So we're still one kWh short. Until we think of something, we go on our first shore excursion.
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| Lunch break in a small restaurant, Moorea |
The dinghy is lowered into the water and the exciting question is: Will the outboard motor start? It starts and we sail the short distance to the stone jetty. It's not really a landing place, but at least you can tie the dinghy to a palm tree. Cell phone warning though! Just don't have it in your pocket. I'm up to my waist in water and take the anchor out of the bag to bring it out backwards and thus keep the dinghy away from the rocks, while Gaby watches from under the shade of a palm tree with dry feet. Once again, not prepared. Never mind, everything dries very quickly in these temperatures and before I have a chance to drink my first beer (attentive readers will remember the eroticism of old age), my trousers are dry again. We walk along the road towards Cooks Bay. Hilton has built a hotel in the reef right next to our anchorage. The huts are on stilts. The cheapest one is available for a mere 650.00 euros per night. We move on quickly before Gaby gets any ideas. The road meanders along the shore and then joins Cooks Bay. Small guesthouses and restaurants line the way. The traffic is bearable, at least during the week, and cannot be compared with that in Papeete. We stop in front of a small guesthouse and pizzeria. A woman stands on a ladder and fishes for a papaya with a pole about five meters long with a basket attached to the end. We ask her if the restaurant is open. She says no, but we are welcome to have a drink if we want. A short time later, we are sitting on the restaurant's jetty with a cold beer in our hands. In Polynesia, people understand eroticism in old age.
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| Eroticism is not neglected with us, Moorea |
But we didn't have to walk so far just for the eroticism. On the way back, we discover a small snack bar with seating at the landing stage. Here, too, our wishes are completely fulfilled. I'll tell you everything else we experience on Moorea until our friends arrive in the same place next week. Until then, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.
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