Monthly Archives: August 2015

Its actually called that. The day after the shrimp feast we moved Escape Velocity from deep in the bay up to the reef. We picked a waypoint from the crowd-sourced recommendations on our chart and Jack gritted his teeth as we conned our way through coral heads. We dropped the hook at our mark and launched the dinghy for the circuitous trip even further into shallow water to Stingray City. We were advised to get there early before the tour boats arrived but we inserted ourselves right in the middle of the melee with excursion boats, jet skis and kayaks all around us. We dropped the hook and just hung out to watch. We’d left the boat so quickly that we didn’t have swimsuits or snorkel gear but it was fun just the same and we got a good show as the tour guides fed the stingrays and the tourists shrieked whenever the sharks swam by.  

    
    
   
One of the tour guides waded over to our dinghy so we could touch the rays clinging to him waiting for a piece of fish from his stash. They feel soft and mushy, like Jell-O instant pudding just before it sets.  

I don’t do shrimp but Jack does. We learned from other cruisers that a shrimp farm in Opunohu Bay sells shrimp to the public on Wednesdays from 10am to noon. We motored over from Cook’s Bay and joined Diana from Enki II and their guests to acquire shrimp the easy way. We found the farm but didn’t see any shrimp and thought maybe we’d missed it. Nope. They bring the shrimp in all morning as they sell it. You can’t get any fresher than that. Enki II hosted us for dinner where five people ate two kilos of coconut shrimp, along with breadfruit fries, wild rice and pumpkin with cranberries and a green salad.  

The morning after we arrived in Moorea we dinghied ashore and started on a hike that we knew would get challenging as we went. Our first stop was called Pineapple Point and overlooked the pineapple plantations in all directions. Nice, but we wanted more.  

 We followed the map on our Pocket Earth app (a must have for world travelers — downloadable maps you can use offline; saved our bacon many times) and even when the physical trail seemed to disappear, the route on our iPhone got us out of trouble. The path tipped upward and narrowed to a dozen rocky switchbacks to Three Pines Point, a dramatic view of Cook’s Bay with our boat just a teeny speck in the distance.  

We dropped back down to a gorgeous forest path that lead us to Belvedere, an view over both Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay.  

    
 As we came down the mountain we passed several archaeological sites.  

   
By this time our legs were aching and our feet were begging for a rest. Luckily we found our way to the Lycée Agricole and fresh fruit juices and sorbets. Jack and I will rarely pass up frozen delights and these were quite special. I had a scoop each of ginger and passionfruit sorbets; Jack had mango and lime. All four were the best we’d had in recent memory and worth the mileage.  

   
By the time we finally got back down to sea level and Escape Velocity we had hiked 10.77 miles (there’s an app for that too.) We were still feeling it for days afterward. 

It was very wet for most of the week we spent at the marina in Papeete. One day was so rainy we never even left the boat. The weather was unfortunate because it was a big splurge for us to spring for dock time but we did enjoy the social environment and being able to walk to the shops and explore the town without a dinghy ride. 

Monday morning the sun made its first appearance in days and with hope in our hearts we untied the dock lines, called harbor control, motored out the pass, raised the sails and set a course for Moorea, just 15 miles away.  

   
Then the wind dropped to nearly nothing and we motorsailed for a while, then dropped the sails altogether and just motored the rest of the way to Cook’s Bay, another tick on the Legendary Landfalls List. We arrived in a dreary late afternoon but even with the drab light the surrounding peaks form a dramatic, welcoming cocoon reminiscent of Fatu Hiva.  

   
We dined on a huge salad made with all the gorgeous produce we bought at the Sunday market in Papeete, a real treat after weeks of scrounging for rare and expensive fruits and vegetables in the Tuamotus. We’re hoping the weather improves this week. Listen to us; a few days with no sunshine and we get cranky. In Pittsburgh I loved rainy and dreary days because it made our little house seem so cozy and inspired bouts of cooking, baking and craft projects. I’m only impatient now because our time here in French Polynesia is limited and we don’t want to miss a minute of it.  

Sunday morning is the “big” market in Papeete and Jack, Diana and I roused ourselves for a 6:30am visit to see what made Sundays special. Oh my. In addition to the regulars in the market building, local farmers lined the surrounding streets with their produce, some all the way from the Marquesas. The variety on offer was suddenly punched up to eleven and we three were soon feeling like pack mules and had to talk each other down from the market overload brink. No one can eat this much produce before it goes bad. Diana at least has an excuse because Enki II has guests on board this week.    

    
 Back at the marina there were small gatherings all along the dock as we watched a Chinese research ship arrive. It’s the Yuan Wang 3, and get a load of those antennas. There’s never a dull moment in a big city port. We’d forgotten how much fun it can be.  
   

Port of Papeete.