Rangiroa - Tuamotu 29 June 2024 -Strong Winds

I got up in the night a couple of times to check things out. The wind had notched up and we were moving around more but we held well. The day dawned and this was the worst so far. It was very windy.  and a bit grey.

We had cereal for breakfast with bananas we had bought and it was not easy to go ashore due to the conditions. We therefore settled down to stay aboard for the day and read and chilled out. I did some emails and then read. The wind howled and then it rained for short periods. I guess if you have to be stuck somewhere this is not a bad place.

The morning passed and the conditions continued and the waves rolled in -probably about 0.5-1.0 meter. You can move about but you had to be careful of your footing. At lunch we had prawns with garlic and some fruit  We then had a rest and chilled.

I looked at when we could move on and one possibility is on Tuesday when the wind will lower a few kts so I did some planning. I am thinking of going to Fakarava next which is about 130 nm away and this will take bearing in mind our having to navigate around other atolls probably about 24-29 hours.

We read and then had some tea and then a sundowner in the howling wind. There was a superyacht here with a helicopter at the back and it took off and we think took its owner to the airport. The big oyster that disappeared a few days ago has returned. Otherwise, everyone is riding out this storm like us.

We had the last of the tuna for supper with purple mash and tinned peas (we are now out of fresh veg) which was ok. We then watched a  Room With A View – an old film whilst the wind howled and we rolled around in the swell.

The picture is us at anchor – you cannot really see the white horses that well.  

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