Rangiroa - Tuamotu 24 June 2024
There was no wind in the night so we motored slowly about 6kts. Andy had the 8-11.00am watch, Joyce 11.00am to 2.00am and I the 2.00am to 5.00am watch. In my watch I made some water which was successful so hopefully the watermaker following my repair will continue to work going forward.
At about 4.30am I saw a red light on Rangiroa, which I first thought was another boat but then it became clear it was fixed and in the moonlight I could see an outline of the atoll and the radar picked up certain sections. We had calculated that High Water was about 6.04 am and so we should go through Passe Tiputa then as it would hopefully be slack water.
Rangiroa is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus having a circumference of about 100nm. It is 40 miles long and 17 miles wide at its closest point making it the second largest atoll in the world with the largest being the Great Chagos Bank taking up an area of 4,881 sq. miles most of which is underwater. The ring of Rangiroa is formed of 240 motus (islets) separated by 140 channels called “hoas”. There are two passes -the main one being Passe Tiputa and the other Passe Avatoru, both on the Northern side and quite close to each other. The total population is about 2,000. Black pearl farming is a major operation. The passes have a reputation for strong currents and rips and can be fearsome with wind over tide.
As it is the largest Tuamotu it is the most visited and has its own airstrip and a number of hotels including Hotel Kia Ora which I will come back to. The biggest draw here is what is under the surface of the water. Diving is a major pastime and apparently to dive through the Passe Tiputa is one of the best dives in the world and has achieved cult status in the diving community. It remains one of the best places in the world to see sharks, manta rays and dolphins for example.
At about 5.30am we were only a few miles from the Passe Tiputa and we decided to wait a bit for slack water so we meandered about and then we saw a cargo type boat called Arunui V come towards us and it entered the Passe. We had seen this boat twice in the Marquesas. Once it was through we approached the Passe. It was quite wide but had reefs either side which waves were breaking on and in the channel the water was disturbed with some rips. It did not seem too bad but should not like this we thought at slack water. We entered the channel and there was still 4 kts of current against us. We carried on and had to go round the coral sand bar which is off to the right as you come in and there is a buoy you have to go round before you can turn right to go toward the village and the anchorage.
The anchorage had about 15 boats in it and in looking at the weather a storm was coming in which may last for 4-5 days with winds from the East gusting up to 36 kts (Force 8). This meant we had to ensure we had a good anchoring spot and that the anchor was well dug in. We came round the back of the anchorage and found a spot behind a catamaran in about 14 meters of water. We could see there were some bommies closer in and we could not see deep enough where we were. Although it may be better to be in slightly shallower water the issue there is wrapping the chain around bommies. We made sure the anchor was well dug in and put out 60 meters of chain. We had plenty of swinging room and no one behind us. Hopefully the atoll itself will give us some protection from the East.
It felt good to have arrived and I cooked poached eggs on toast and we had a pot of coffee (see picture of us looking refreshed). We had got out of Ahe and in here at the right times and travelled some 88nm. After breakfast we had a rest and then got the dinghy down and headed ashore. On the way I saw another Hallberg Rassy 53 which we had seem in Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas. The man was in his dinghy and approached and asked what we were doing about the storm. He was toying with whether to stay in this anchorage or to go to one in the south of the atoll although he was worried about going through the bommies and there was no marked channel. He said he may follow some catamarans which planned to go there. He had spoken to the skipper of a catamaran who was going to Tikehau an adjacent atoll.
We went ashore and left the dinghy at the wharf and at the quay was a bar/shack restaurant and just beyond it a small craft market where they sold necklaces and bracelets. There was a concrete road which led to the north point of the atoll and we walked up it passing two shops which were closed and a pizza shack which was open in the evenings. The atoll has quite a lot of palm trees which line its extremities on this side. We continued on and there on the right was a view of the Passe we had come through which was now a bit of a cauldron of water swishing up and down like rapids and it must have been in full flow and it would not have felt good to go through in those conditions. There were however people snorkelling at the edges where it was calmer. We saw some dolphins playing in the cauldron.
We watched for some time and the road continued for some way before any further buildings and so we decided to go back to the snack bar for lunch which was not bad. As we were waiting for our food I saw the Skipper of the Catamaran and went to talk to him. He was going to Tikehau as his guests had flights from there. He said the anchorage will be uncomfortable but if bedded in we should be fine. He said the south anchorage was better and just use google earth to navigate. However ,whilst I can use it is not straight forward going 28 miles through an unchartered atoll with just that.
We discussed as crew and decided we would stay put and trust the anchor and boat. After lunch we went to the shops and bought a few things and returned to Stormbird. We thought we would like to do an excursion tomorrow so we went to the Kia Ora Hotel which is ashore level with us to ask if they knew of any tours. It is an upmarket hotel where you stay in huts with reed rooves. They could accommodate us on a tour tomorrow of what is called the Blue Lagoon and Isle de Reefs. We therefore booked it and decided to have a drink in their bar over the water which was on a wooden platform. It looked over the lagoon and Stormbird was at anchor not far away. This will mean we will at least see some of the atoll before the storm comes in when I doubt excursions will run.
Whilst we were having our drink we saw lots of fish of different types and then some sharks. The bar had a bowl of old bread rolls which you can throw for the fish which then fight over it. We had an enjoyable time and returned to Stormbird just in time before the heavens opened.
Andy cooked a light supper of macaroni cheese and we went to bed looking forward to our trip tomorrow before the wind comes in.
Crewing Opportunity Year Two
In addition, in year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we move through French Polynesia and beyond.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk