Fakarava – Part 1

We weighed anchor at noon on May 14^th in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva, starting passage to Fakarava. We planned our ETA at Fakarava for 0730 (7:30AM) on May 18^th. This is slack tide which is when entry into an atoll is safest. No fighting tidal currents through the narrow passes. The trip is about 550nm and we planned for 5.5-6kts average speed to make our ETA. The course to steer for Fakarava is southwest at about 220˚. We raised sails at 1300 (1PM) and started sailing with full main and 2^nd reef in the genoa. Winds were 16-18 kts, gusting to 22 kts out of the ESE as we left Nuku Hiva. Typical trade winds for this time of year. About 1600 (4PM) we put 1 reef in the main for the night. Just before sunset, the wind dropped to 9-10 kts and it was a little difficult to keep the sails full but after the sun went down, the wind picked back up to 16 kts. On day 2, May 15^th, we still had the Easterly trade winds at 15-20 kts. We had 8 foot swells on our port beam which made for “rolly” conditions. We also passed by and through several squalls but no winds over 25 kts and no thunder or lightning. By 1700 (5PM) the squalls had dissipated, and swell dropped a bit for calmer and more comfortable conditions.  For the rest of the passage we steered about 220˚with ESE trades at 15-20 kts on port tack and a broad reach. Great sailing conditions but the problem was we were going too fast! We were averaging 6.5-7.5 kts which would put us at the north pass into Fakarava 12 or more hours ahead of schedule on a flood tide. We found ourselves in a position where we needed to “put the brakes on” a little bit. The best way to slow down is to reduce sail area. To do this, we left the 1 reef in the main and kept putting 1 to 2 reefs in the genoa. One day out from Fakarava, May 17^th, we actually dropped the main and sailed with genoa only to slow us down more. We still arrived at the north pass a little early at about 0600 (6AM) on May 18^th. There was a passenger/cargo ship heading into Fakarava that we had to allow ahead of us. That added some delay and we ended up entering the north pass at about 0640 (6:40AM). Close enough to slack tide and we had no issues making it through the pass. We motored up to Rotoava and dropped anchor about 0830 (8:30AM). All in all a great passage, one tack all the way and mostly on a broad reach. Perfect sailing conditions!   Now turning it over to Cindy as I have boat stuff to do. 🙂

The crossing from Nuku Hiva to Fakarava took us 89 hours, a little over 3.5 days. The seas were lumpy the first night but they improved over the next few days, and I got used to it.  I recognize now, that the first night is always the worst and it gets better.  Tracy and I took naps during the day and we both took turns doing the night watch.  Admittedly, Tracy did more of the night watch than I did, but I like to think I helped some.

We were speechless at the beauty of this atoll.  It met and surpassed our expectations.  We anchored in white sand around 08:30 AM  and avoided all of the coral bommies. The water is a vibrant mix of colors, most notably turquoise with various shades of blue. No need to edit your photos here. We spent the rest of Sunday putting the boat back together, enjoying the view and resting.

Fakarava is a rectangular atoll located in the Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia. It’s the second-largest atoll in French Polynesia, after Rangiroa. It is in the Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia, about 260 miles northeast of Tahiti. It has been classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO because of its exceptional ecological value. The Atoll is 60 km long and about 25 km wide and the population is approximately 855 people.

Fakarava is famed for its incredible biodiversity and breathtaking underwater scenery (including a ‘wall of sharks!’). Diving enthusiasts come from all over the world to swim with the majestic gray sharks in the waters of Fakarava, explore the coral reef and drop-off, and admire the sea turtles, rays, barracudas and a host of other marine species. A veritable natural sanctuary where each dive is even more magical and thrilling than the last.

After catching up on sleep, we ventured into the village of Rotoava to explore the area and meet a couple of friends for lunch.  We first met Linda and Alan back in La Cruz, Mexico, where we were neighbors in the marina, and met up with them again in Nuku Hiva.  It’s a small world!   We decided to buddy sail to Fakarava and are having a nice time catching up.

Before lunch, we located all the markets, (there are 3), and discovered the post office, ATM, Medical office, bike rentals, City Hall, and a few restaurants. It is a charming little village with wonderful people and all the necessary amenities.

Tuesday, May 20^th, we went into town again to drop off laundry and rented bikes to explore the atoll.  During our ride Tracy was able to finally find some pearl floats to attach to our anchor chain to protect our chain from hitting any coral by floating it above the coral.   We found a beautiful spot for lunch at the Havaiki lodge.  You have your choice of sitting at a table in the water or under a thatched roof.  We chose undercover since were not in our swimsuits.  While enjoying our lunch, we were able to watch several sharks swim by very close to shore.  It’s incredible to see as they cruise by people swimming or having lunch nearby at one of the tables in the water.  We are told they are well fed and not interested in humans.

Wednesday, May 21^st, the supply ship came in and word spread that if you want fresh produce you should arrive at the market by 10:00 AM.  Tracy and I arrived about 9:00 and we are glad we came early.  There was already a small line of people waiting for the produce to be put in the bins for purchase.   Once we were able to select our fresh produce there was probably about 20 other people waiting in line for their turn at the bin.   We spent about $60 on a couple of cucumbers, kiwis, onions, pears, apples, 2 avocados, carrots, Pamplemousee (pomelo grapefruit) and tomatoes. The supply boat comes in once a week, so this is big day for the boaters and the locals.

Later, we met up with our friends for dinner at the local pizza place and spent time talking about our snorkeling outing tomorrow scheduled with Rotoava Excursions.  The pizza was very good and the place was busy as they provide take out as well. 

Thursday, May 22^nd, we arrived at the dinghy dock by 7:20 as our guide boat was meeting us at 7:30 AM.  We left the dock with 6 people and picked up 5 more along the way with our Captain Swami (sp?), and our guide Paui (sp?).   We headed  to the southern side of the island which took about 90 minutes on a ‘fast’ boat.  Along the way, Paui started making each of us sun hats made from palm fronds.  It was fun to watch him at work. Especially as the boat is traveling at a good speed with plenty of bumps and rolls. During our boat ride we had a brief squall.  This happens occasionally but doesn’t typically last long and makes the skies look dramatic.  They brought out raincoats for us to wear to give us some cover.

We then stopped at a lovely snorkeling spot where we snorkeled with a nice current pushing us along the reef.  The sea life was amazing and once again we saw several large sharks swimming in the deeper waters.  I think I have snorkeled twice in my life many years ago and I was a little nervous.   Fortunately, I bought the mask and fins in Mexico at a professional shop, and they fit great.  It was a phenomenal experience, and I look forward to doing it again. It doesn’t hurt that the water is a very comfortable temperature too.  Of course, Tracy was there for support as he is experienced in snorkeling, boating, swimming and diving–pretty much anything to do with the water.

After snorkeling our guides took us to a ‘pink’ sand beach where we could jump in the water and walk along the beach.  Sharks were plentiful here too but we’re losing our fear of them.  I’m not sure if that’s good or bad!

Next, we went to Hirifa Beach in South Fakarava and enjoyed more snorkeling and a BBQ on the Beach.  It was a beautiful sandy beach with picnic tables, several hammocks, and a small restaurant.  Our tour guides were preparing lunch on a huge grill.  There were at least 5 piglets along with 3 or 4 sows roaming around the area as well.   No, they were not part of our lunch but I’m sure they will be someone’s meal at some point.  Our menu consisted of poisson cru (translates to raw fish) with coconut milk, mango, onion, cucumber, and lime juice.  We also helped make coconut bread after our guide picked a coconut, cut it open and shred it.  He added it to a mixture of flour, sugar and coconut milk to create a dough.  We then rolled out the dough, added more shredded coconut for a filling and rolled it up like an empanada.  They also served BBQ chicken, pork skewers with vegetables and grilled fish.  It was quite the feast!

While lunch was cooking, they took anyone who wanted to do more snorkeling to an area just off the beach.  Of course, Tracy went while I took a nap in one of the hammocks.  After lunch, our tour guide demonstrated how he weaved our sun hats and then let us all try.   We got back to our boat about 6:00 PM after we picked up our laundry.  Yes, Fakarava has a laundry service!   A nice woman provides the service out of her home.  They have washing machine(s) and hang everything on the line to dry.  We waited 2 days to pick it up and cost was $25.  This was helpful for our bigger items like our sheets and towels.   We tend to wash most of our clothes by hand and hang them on the back of the boat to dry.

The weekend was quiet after our big snorkeling outing.  We had some heavier winds keeping us on the boat, so Tracy and I did some chores cleaning the inside and outside of the boat.  Tracy cleaned the hull, changed oil, made water several days and we both cleaned the cockpit.  I cleaned the heads, galley and all of our general living space.

We watched a few movies, read books, played a game called Skipbo several times for entertainment.

We also used the time to research and plan for some of our next travels.  For example, we plan to be in Tahiti by mid-June so we reached out to a couple of marina’s to see if we can reserve a slip.  Tracy needs to get the main sail serviced and he inquired about where and how to get that done. We applied for New Zealand Visa’s and are in the process of reserving slips there as well.

As we end this post, we decided to leave our current anchorage and head to the south side of Fakarava where we were going to meet up with our friends. We were waiting to for the next supply boat to come in so we could pick up more provisions because the new location is very remote without any supplies. We also decided we wanted pizza on our last night here and ordered take out to pick up about 6:15 Wednesday evening. By the time evening rolled around, the winds had picked up and it was raining. But we jumped in our dingy anyhow and went into town to pick up our 2 pizza’s; one to eat for dinner and one for lunch or dinner tomorrow during our sail over to the south side. It’s about a 10 minute ride in the dinghy to the dock, and from shore it’s another 10 minute walk to the pizza restaurant. Needless to say we got wet but we did remember to bring a garbage bag to wrap the pizza boxes in to keep them dry. Once back on Quid Sea, we appreciated eating our pizza on our nice dry boat, sipping our drinks and talking about our next adventure.

That’s all for now!