this doesn't suck

Ardea has finally left Mo'orea and we have moved onto Huahine! It was hard to say goodbye to Mo'orea and the awesome people I met there, but we ended up leaving at the same time as a bunch of other boats that we have recently made friends with. Young friends too which I'm finding to be a rarity in this cruising world. 

The last two days on Mo'orea were filled with some boat work, a nice walk through the middle of the island to the agricultural school, where I tasted the best ice cream I've ever had. Plus I finally got to do something I'd been wanting to do since I arrived; I rented a bicycle for the day and pedaled my way around the island. I did this by myself as the rest of the cruisers opted to go climb Mount Mouoputa; another gorgeous and impressive looking mountain with a hole in it. You can see in the picture (that I'll upload soon, internet is not so good on Huahine) that there's a lady facing upward, her hair coming down on the right, and her chin on the left. Legend has it that she was a king's wife, and she had an affair so he put her up there for eternity. Believable...I guess. 

sunrise watch

 I wanted to climb it as well, but it was my last day on Mo'orea and renting a bike by myself was refreshing. It's nice to get some time to yourself I'm finding; it doesn't happen very often on a 31 foot boat.  So I set off on the last day with my little fixie beach cruiser with a basket, thank goodness there aren't any big hills on Mo'orea. Except one, but it had the most gorgeous view so it was totally worth it.

 I ran into Taylor on his walk back from the hike and we went off looking for a waterfall nearby. We found it, but couldn't get to it as we lost our way on the jungly trail, but we found some bananas! Free food! Pretty awesome. 

Leaving Moorea

We left Mo'orea on July 26th around 3 PM. The passage was only 90 miles, so we arrived in Huahine (hoo-ah-hee-nee) in less than 24 hours. I got my first experience with watches, and sea sickness. The wind was blowing 15-20 knots the whole night, another reason we got to Huahine so quickly. Unfortunately though, the seas were at a constant 6-8 foot swell. Lots of rocking back and forth...turns out I get seasick. Luckily though, I got the 4:30-7:30 am watch which meant sunrise. Absolutely gorgeous. Ardea is in a beautiful anchorage right now surrounded by friends. Life is good, and in Taylor's words "this doesn't suck."

Huahine!

Much love.

jungle slog

Just to reconfirm, Ardea is, yes, still anchored in Cook's bay. I can't believe I've almost been here for almost a full month already! Connor is finally back from his family reunion and on his beautiful boat, and we're having a great time. Yesterday, I experienced my first real physical exertion since I've arrived in the Pacific islands; we climbed the tallest peak on Mo'orea: Rotui (pronounced ro-too-eeeee).

the summit

Rotui isn't that impressive when you compare it to the other jagged peaks jetting out of this wonderful island, but it most certainly has the best views that I've seen so far. We started the day early, at 5:30 and met up with other cruisers from boats Evergreen, Vulcan Spirit, and Barfly. Our team of five Americans, one Scot, one Brit, and one man from Poland found the trailhead by 7:15 and started the arduous day hike. It was a fun hike, lots of elevation gain quickly, and a verrrry spooky ridge climb to the summit. It was so spooky because on either side was a long drop, and the footing on the ridge was covered with ferns so it was hard to see, not to mention loose ground that could (and did) fall out from underneath you. It was a slog to the top once we got to the ridge, it was my first experience doing a tropical jungle climb. Other than that, it was a mere 3.5 hour walk to the top. I'd rate the ridge as probably a 5.3 climb, just because it was rather dangerous. Despite one fall, everyone made it out very safe and happy, but thirsty. Though it was quite the bushwhack so we all definitely came out with scratches. It was a very very satisfying day though, as I've been itching to get out there and do what I do best; be in the mountains. 

classic

When we all got back, we raced to the store for cold Hinano and Pamplemousse juice; a fruit similar to a grapefruit, but so much tastier. Almost like a hybrid of lime and grapefruit, but sweeter. 

Looks like we'll be heading out in a couple of days here to Huahini; our next stop. I'm very homesick at the moment, missing every one of my family and friends, but still having a blast! I love and miss you all so much!

Ooooooo-wheeee! Rotui!

just gettin' it in in the South Pacific

Much love

puff, puff...drag?

The last two days spent on Ardea in Cook’s bay have proven to be equally interesting, but in very different ways. Two nights ago, I said goodbye to Steve, the friend who we originally met as crew from Spirit Guide. Taylor and I had spent many evenings with him at the hotel Bali Hai, where we tie up Tuerto; the toughest dinghy around. We all enjoyed hours together drinking beers, wines, and enjoying delicious dinners of cheese, fruit and numerous pâtés, (we’re so French) while “cockroaching” off a bungalow of Bali Hai’s. The term cockroaching was newly introduced to me by Steve, and I embrace it wholeheartedly. It means using something that isn’t yours, but not necessarily stealing. We’ve spent four nights enjoying dinner and cocktails on the deck of a bungalow that’s under construction; there’s no one in it, so we just take advantage of it. So after a final night of cockroaching with Steve, whose quote of the night was “I think the thing we should really concentrate on tonight, is drinking”, we were all geared up for a final night of pétanque, only to get to the arena and find it dark and empty. We were all super disappointed but then made up for it by going to a nearby restaurant and enjoying more wine and hors d’oeuvres. When the rain started pouring down, we knew it was time to return to Ardea. We gave Steve a final hug goodbye and promised to keep in touch. He was truly a wonderful friend and I had such a great time with him. He's going to be missed for sure. We were going to return super early the next morning to give him one of Ardea’s famous beer coozey’s, but that night became so windy, we hardly got any sleep because of paranoia of running aground of dragging anchor. Sorry Steve! We’ll get one to you somehow!

Last night...well that’s a whole different story and that’s where the title of this post comes from. No Mom, it’s not a marijuana reference. The wind in Cook’s bay has increased so much over the past few days, and the real problem is that it’s not consistent. Huge puffs come through, sometimes at 20-25 knots causing little Ardea to spin in circles. Last night was the puffiest of all, and it was officially my first stressful night aboard. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. After making a decision to re-anchor around dusk because a fellow cruiser had anchored way way too close for comfort, we started to regret this decision. Around 7 pm, the wind really started to pick up and we had already given up our solid anchor for a new one, and we were dragging. This means that our anchor was dragging beneath us and we weren’t stationary; something very unnerving when you’re 100 feet from shore and even closer to other cruisers. A very stressful night ensued with minimal sleep; Taylor and I were both poking our heads out to check our position. Not my choice way to spend Bastille Day, but hey, I still can’t complain. I expect more stressful nights aboard Ardea, but I certainly don’t look forward to them... 

All is well though! Even though we continue today to spin in circles. 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful friend Gus! May your day be filled with Salmon and Rainier!

Much love 

just call me rasta

As most of you know, I have been working on a set of my very own dreadlocks. They are really coming along, the salt water and sea air really makes them tighten up. Stephie you would be so proud! I find it really amusing that one of my nicknames from home has also become a nickname here; Rasta. At the pétanque parties I get called Rasta at least ten times because of my hair, and it makes me miss my friends a lot. Something about my hair in dreadlocks makes the locals talk to me about Bob Marley, make love not war,  and other rasta related topics, while giving me the hang loose sign, which I find highly entertaining. Every time I walk past the pétanque arena I hear "rastaaaaaaaa!" and I give a wave and hang loose.

new friends

the infamous pétanque arena and players

Yesterday was a wonderful day that I have been looking forward to since getting to Mo'orea; I finally got to travel out to the beautiful beach at Opunohu bay and spend some quality time slack lining, drinking a local fruit cocktail "Tahiti Drink" and snorkeling. Don't get me wrong, staying in Paopao and hanging with the locals has been wonderful, and working on Ardea, giving her a fresh coat of varnish has been...not as wonderful, but hey! Can't really complain can I?

la plage

Slack lining was very entertaining, as I kind of blanked on how to set it up, but we managed somehow and soon we were getting strange regards from onlookers. Mostly children. They would come over and watch me try and mostly fail to walk across the line; I tried over and over to get them to join us but I think they were too embarrassed to give it a go. Soon some fellow cruiser friends on Bombaleíro kayaked from their boat to where I was posted up and gave it a go as well. The snorkeling was fun, nothing extraordinary as Opunohu bay is very heavily traveled, but there were some cute little fishies out there, no Nemo's or grumpy clown fish though. 

cute little guy

The landscape here in Cook's bay gives me itchy fingers; meaning that my fingers are itching to get on the huge walls and rock faces that make me want to go rock climbing so badly, especially after having spent such a kick ass week at Smith Rock with great friends. Hey Jeff, someday you can lead trad here and we can all go up after you! 

look at those walls just waiting for the first send!

But for now, I suppose I'll just kick back and enjoy this wonderful island.

Much love. jah mon. Rasta.

we get around

So Ardea is still anchored in Cook's Bay in Mo'orea, and she'll be there until the 18th or so when el capitán Connor returns from his trip back home in the states. I can't say that I mind staying in one anchorage for so long though, it has really proven to be a blessing. I have met so many new friends here in Cook's bay that I'm sure leaving will be hard.

Taylor and I went back to Tama tattoo, the shop where he got his wonderful piece of art, to give the artist a few beers and to show him the music of Sound Tribe Sector 9, which is now permanently represented on Taylor's back. There, we ran into another cruiser named Steve who's on s/v Sprit Guide; a 53' Amel.  Steve was getting a tattoo done as well,  and since I was there, he had me translate for him so that he could get exactly what he wanted: a shark inside a turtle representing the fact that he is now a shellback (he's traveled across the equator). We left him to get his painful tattoo and ended up meeting back up with him at the dinghy dock with his captain, Captain Billy. We got some beers with them both and captain Billy convinced us to come over to Spirit Guide the next day for some "pain killers." Don't worry y'all, I'm not doing heavy drugs. A pain killer is a type of drink, usually made in the Caribbean. Ingredient are: Pusser's rum, pineapple juice, coconut milk, mango juice and to top it off, freshly ground  nutmeg. Captain Billy made them stiff and we quickly went through a whole bottle of rum. He's very good at convincing, and he had us come back the following day to do some work for him since he's heading to the island of Ra'iatea to put the boat on the hard. We happily obliged and did a half days work for him, and found ourselves 100 american dollars richer. Woo! Enough to pay for beer for the next week. I'm seriously missing Rainier right now. Hey Gus, send me some!

Last night we took Steve over to the infamous Pétanque arena. Walking in my warning words were "you're going to be exhausted by the end of the night." I said this because I've been to the Pétanque party three times now and each time, I find myself inundated by the locals who speak minimal if any english, and french with a tahitian accent. Speaking French, I get exhausted trying to hold a conversation with the wonderful people of Mo'orea, I can only imagine what it's like for my friends who don't speak French. For me, it's entertaining to say the least...

what a wonderful culture

I've officially been in French Polynesia for more than a week now, and it's amazing. We're still in Mo'orea, anchored in Cook's bay, which is a dream. The scenery here is beautiful, even though one bay over in Opunohu bay is better. Though I think we choose to stay here because of the locals. Two nights ago, I was walking back from the store with fresh baguettes and more Hinano, and a local waved me down. He lives right on the water, and he said he had seen us driving in our dinghy back and forth from the boat to shore, and he wanted to invite us over for a barbeque! This is the one thing about this land that I don't think I'll ever get enough of; the wonderful giving locals. He didn't even know my name before I was invited over to his house to break bread with him and his family. Taylor and I showed up a few hours later (after Taylor's tattoo was finished) with Hinano in tow. The man I met, AJ told us that we were going to first drive to a nearby resort before starting up the bbq, so we accompanied him and his friends John and Frank (real authentic Tahitian names) to the Mo'orea Pearl Resort; a hotel right on the water, with exclusive amenities. We were blown away and a little awkward, we knew this place was going to be expensive. A few drinks in, AJ informed us that they were paying for everything. After some objection, and arguing about it, we consented. He told us not to worry about it, one of his joys in life is showing and sharing the Tahitian culture which means meeting tourists and cruisers and taking them out. Can't say no to that right?

Unfortunately as soon as we were finishing up our last drink and heading back to AJ's house, the monsoon started. I'm not talking Seattle rain, I'm talking serious soak you to the core downpour. AJ's house is a tree house that he constructed himself, one of the coolest houses I've ever seen. Way simple, and wonderful with a spiral staircase and typical roof made of palm leaves. Though a wonderful place to hang out on a sunny day, the house was inadequate for an inside bbq, as most houses are. We were forced to return to the boat for our own tuna melts and we took a rain check (literally) with AJ.

Taylor recently got a tattoo from a local artist named Tama. A very chill cool dude with dreadlocks and a heavy Tahitian accent. Though he barely spoke any English, Taylor managed to communicate very well his needs and wants for his tattoo.

I hope everyone back at home had a wonderful fourth of July! I felt a little sting in my heart when I realized this is my second fourth of July in a French territory; very un-American of me. Can't complain too much though, I am in a tropical paradise. Today it's off for some drinks called "Pain Killers" on a fellow cruisers boat. Hopefully I'll be able to sneak into the nearby hotel for a shower. I've been here for more than a week without showering. I apologize as I'm sure you can all smell me from home. Happy 37th Anniversary to my parents too! Much love. 

Pétanque and Hinano

Hi from the South Pacific! I stepped off the plane after an eight hour plan ride from LAX (most confusing airport ever btw) at 9:35 pm on the 27th of June. I made my way through customs pretty easily, they didn't go through my stuff which I was grateful for since I had way more coffee than I was allowed to bring in duty free. No taxes for this girl! Unfortunately I wasn't able to bring copious amounts of duty free booze as I was expecting and hoping. The only duty free shop in LAX in my terminal was closed so no whiskey for the boys on Ardea. It's ok though, we're making up for it by drinking lots of Hinano beer, pretty much the only available beer in French Polynesia except for Budweiser, and who wants to drink that crap? 

Ardea motored from Papeete Tahiti to Cook's bay in Mo'orea (Tahiti's neighboring island) two days ago, and the scenery here is unreal. It's been less than a week and I'm almost adjusted to boat life. Still a little jetlagged but what are you going to do? Everything is exactly and nothing like I expected. The French culture is abundant here, for example fresh delicious baguettes are available all the time, everything written is French first with Tahitian under, and things here are deliciously slow paced. So unlike the fast paced American culture. It's wonderful. I haven't picked up much Tahitian as it's very different than any language I've learned, but I'm working on it. Friday night was spent at a local party spot, where we were the only white people, let alone americans. The Hinano was flowing, the native music of the live band was loud, and all the men were deep in a Pétanque tournament. Pétanque is their version of bocce ball. They take it very seriously here. Connor and Dana were brave enough to play a round, but were shown up pretty much instantaneously. As for me, I conversed with as many locals as I could in French. It was wonderful to not have English available as a back up, it forces me to speak French which is much needed.

Last night was spend with another cruising boat named Off Tempo who hails from Seattle. It was nice to be able to talk about home with them. Today, Taylor and I have already finished our boat projects for the day; he installed a new stereo and I a new salt water hand pump for washing dishes. We have many more projects to work on, but maybe we'll start them later. My free time will probably include lots of reading, drawing, maybe some slacklining and definitely Hinano drinking.

Thinking of everyone.  I'm already missing live music and dancing, but I got a little taste of that on Friday. I hope everything is wonderful back home. Much love.