The Pearl Lodge offers 1/2 price cocktails for Friday happy hour.
This information was enough to convince most of the cruisers in Taiohae to walk the mile around the bay and climb the dirt road in the dark to the bar. We learned that it’s not such a great deal, since the regular price for cocktails is $15, so half price brought it down to a ridiculous $7.50 for a small fancy tropical drink. Still, it’s the first large cruiser gathering we’ve been to since the weekly potluck and pool party in Bahia del Sol, El Salvador, and it was great to be among our own. These are all people who’ve crossed oceans to get here, who’ve struggled with no wind, too much wind, and broken boat bits, and who are happy to be in this South Pacific paradise.
We were from Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland, Norway, Cape Verde, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Northern Ireland and the U.S. We shared our passage stories, discussed upcoming weather and cruising plans, and generally enjoyed getting to know each other.
The older ones among us settled up and started the long trek back to the dock shortly before nine o’clock but two young men in a pickup truck offered us a ride. Squeezed into the backseat of the cab and piled into the truck bed, we were grateful to be spared the walk and only had to contend with boarding our dinghies gracefully and finding our boats in the dark anchorage.
After so long on our own, Jack and I are enjoying the social activities, but damn, they wear us out!