Columbine at Tahanea

Wednesday, July 13, Columbine departed Fakarava and completed a two-day, one night passage to Tahanea Atoll, where we are now comfortably anchored at 16°50.5'S, 144°41.8'W. This was only a 90 nautical mile trip, but it consisted of 18-25 knot winds right on the nose the entire way. It took hours last night after anchoring to clean off most of the salt that had encrusted our beautiful boat. This was the second-most miserable passage of the trip thus far, and we vowed to never plan an upwind passage again.

So far, Tahanea is a really beautiful place. We are the only boat in the lagoon, and I'm not sure how many, if any, people live here. It is supposed to have really great snorkeling, and is the nesting place for a rare, endangered bird. It also has beautiful beaches on uninhabited motus (islands) that we can use for a bonfire tonight to celebrate our anniversary.

Monday or Tuesday we will leave for Papeete, Tahiti, about a two day passage from here. Yesterday it was Bastille Day, and all of French Polynesia goes crazy over that. Much like the US with the Fourth of July. So we wanted specifically to avoid Papeete during that holiday, when it will have been a complete zoo. We talked with other boaters who were there and they confirmed lots of boats and very tight anchorages. We are hoping that a lot of them will have cleared out by next week.

Looking forward to Papeete. It is a real city, and will be the first stores we have seen since San Diego. We seriously need a few critical boat parts, and I have been craving an onion and bacon cheeseburger. We will probably stay there at least two weeks before moving on to Moorea and Bora Bora.
But the sun is up now, and for the next few days we will be enjoying Tahanea!