Mark and I left our pretty and shallow anchoring spot near
motu Aito for three reasons: a change of scenery, supposedly decent WiFi (from
an internet service we still had soon to expire credit of) and to do some hikes
in Taha’a’s interior. We would return after a few days for the annual canoe
races. Once we arrived in Haamene Bay on the east coast of Taha’a, the weather
changed for the worst. The rain became more incessant, the already murky bay
turned orange/brown and the hiking trails melted into piles of mud. More than a
quick walk through town and up a hill was not feasible. The scenery was nothing
special and the expected and needed internet was fluky at best. In between rain
showers, we lifted anchor and gladly motored the 7 miles back to our – so far –
favorite Raiatea anchorage, across from the capital Uturoa.
Every year, the Hawaiki Nui Va’a races take place in the
Leeward Islands of the Societies. This year, over 80 va’a (skinny canoes with
an outrigger), each with six experienced and mostly professional rowers, left
Huahine for the first leg to Raiatea on November 5
th.
It was another rainy day and while keeping an
eye on the commotion in the distance – near the closest pass where the group
would appear – with binoculars, we hoped for a dry period before the outriggers
would reach the finish line. When the troupe of local fishing boats, ferries,
catamarans, jetskis, skiffs, any other local craft, and helicopters moved
closer to Uturoa, Mark and I braved the weather and jumped in our dinghy to
join the fun. Despite the wind, the waves and the rain, we did not want to miss
out on the biggest sports event in French Polynesia. Soon, we were part of the
immense chaos of zipping boats, massive chop and wake, and the sounds of drumming,
cheering voices, revving boat engines, and buzzing news and rescue helicopters.
While our little, almost invisible, dinghy bounced all over
the place and drowned in some salty waves, I tried to take some pictures of the
event. The movement of the boat and the stubborn rain did not create any
impressive photos, but I hope the shots underneath provide a good glimpse and
feel of what was going on. A nice surprise awaited us when we were ready to go
ashore and find some shelter. Our friends Patrick and Rachel on SV Namaste had
picked up a mooring ball on the sidelines of the event and we happily climbed onboard.
It was great to see them and to catch up on the last six months. They had
sailed all the way to Tonga and back, while we made our
emergency visit to the States, explored
Tahiti and
Moorea and received
visitors.
An hour into discovering the couple, a greater reunion took
place, when – unexpectedly – Phil, Zoë and their friend Scott showed up on SV
Namaste. We had not seen the youngsters since Christmas in Taiohae, Nuku Hiva.
It was a good reason to celebrate and soon, the rum went around and the mood of
the day was established. We chatted, watched the start of the women’s and
junior’s canoe races, went ashore to eat lunch and hang out, and became wetter
and muddier, when the rain became a consistent downpour and the paths swampy
rivers. In the evening, the three person crew of SV L’Obsession (a 45’ Lagoon catamaran)
invited us and Rachel and Patrick over for good times aboard. Finally wearing a
set of dry clothes by then, we enjoyed great company, food and drinks until
1am! Unfortunately, on the way back home, we were caught in another nasty
squall, which produced more wet clothes and towels to contribute to the growing
pile in Irie’s cockpit.
 |
| Blue skies again after a very rainy week! |
On November 6th, the race would start from
Raiatea and head to Taha’a. The rain had not subsided. When we were ready to
brave it again and drop the dinghy, we realized that the start line would be
out of reach of our slow mode of transportation, while the starting time was
already upon us. We decided to stay home and dry instead. The day after, we
were hoping to catch up with the race and join the rowers to Bora Bora with
Irie. It would have been a great spectacle with an awesome local party at
night, but, when we opened our eyes in the morning, it was pouring yet again
and the sky did not look promising. The wind was blowing like crazy, just like
the days prior. Around noon, the sun finally and surprisingly reappeared in all
her glory and the amazing blue colors of the lagoon blinded us. By then, it was
too late for us to get ready and head west, so instead we did laundry and felt
a hint of regret not being able to be present during the finishing touches and
celebrations of this year’s Hawaiki Nui.
 |
| Haamene valley full of palms |
 |
| View of Haamene bay from the top of the hill |
 |
| All our plants were swamped by the rain and some died |
 |
| While it rains, we get work done: a router out of cardboard! |
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| Mark and I reproduced a cardboard router based on the dimensions from the factory, to do some try outs |
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| Haamene Bay in Taha'a after more rain |
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| Chaos at the finish line of the first Hawaiki Nui leg |
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| One of the first va'a to arrive in Raiatea |
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| Passing the finish line |
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| Paddling in sync |
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| A cargo ship entering the commotion near the finish line |
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| Finally rest after a long ocean passage |
 |
| And a welcome sip of water |
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| Skinny va'a with outrigger |
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| The rowers don't mind the rain! |
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| A last effort to the finish line |
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| Patrick, Mark, Liesbet, Scott, Zoe, and Phil in Namaste's cockpit |
 |
| The women's (vahini) race |
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| Some of the heavily sponsored va'a onshore |
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| A wet and muddy day! |
 |
| The evening light casts some color on the busy inner harbor |
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| Soaking wet and ready to head back to our boats |
Mark arrived in Belgium, stayed three pleasant weeks, and
left again. We had arranged three four day weekends ahead of time, with friends
and family, and realized abruptly that this meant there were only three weekdays
in between. Duh! The math is not that hard, but somehow, we assumed weeks
contained more than seven days…
During those short “weeks”, we hung out with my parents, saw
other people, had a few health related appointments and caught up on things.
Just like everywhere else in the world and at any other time in the past six
years, Mark needed to take care of Wirie business as well. Usually (in French
Polynesia and New Zealand), our days would start very early, to take the time
difference into account. In Belgium, however, his main work hours were between
3pm and 11pm, to coincide with office hours on the East Coast of the States.
Fridays and Mondays were a bit difficult with those commitments and the need
for WiFi and a “quiet office”, but in general, our weekends were a blast!
The first destination was Holland, where my cousin Griet and
her husband Wim lead us throughout Zeeland (with its tasty mussels and oysters)
to Dordrecht, where we stayed in a vacation bungalow for three nights. The
objective was to explore National Park De Biesbosch, stroll through the
historic center of Dordrecht, visit the impressive and oh so typically Dutch
“Kinderdijk” with its picturesque windmills, taste some of Wim and his two
friends’ homebrewed beers and chill out in good company. We succeeded on all
fronts and had a wonderful time with beautiful weather.
During our second weekend, Mark and I borrowed my mum’s car
to drive to the Ardennes, in the southeast of Belgium. Our friends Rosy and
Peter had arranged a rental house for a group of eight adults and four
children. We happened to be in the country at the right time and were invited
along. What followed was a very relaxed weekend with interesting, multicultural
people, some hikes and perfect, sunny weather. We split cooking and other
duties and had a very nice time. On the last day, two of the families had left,
but Rosy, Peter, Yanou, Mark and I made a little trip to the pretty town of La
Roche, where we visited the castle and had lunch, before the long, traffic
ridden drive back “home”.
The weekend before Mark left again, we were welcomed by
Sabine and Michael, German friends we met many years ago while camping in
Mexico. Since the last time we saw them, three years ago, they had moved from
Munich to a cute town in the German countryside, where they are happily settled
in a very unique, historic and charming cottage. They showed us around the
area, introduced their horses and cars to us, took us out to dinner, let us
savor their amazing artistic creations (photographs, movies and pottery), and
joined us to Bonn for a not so impressive Africa Festival. As always, we had a
really good time with them, exchanging travel stories and future plans. Thanks
to my parents again for lending us their only car for another four days, a car
I have been using much more than they have the past seven weeks!!
