Toau – Fakarava -Tuamotu 8 July 2024

The wind died down a bit in the night and we slept well. I got up once to check we were facing the right way but we were fine. We woke to find us in the middle of the channel with reefs either side but there was no way we were going to hit them. The bay looked quite attractive and we saw a dive boat go out of the passe as I guess they were diving on the reef.

The snorkelling looked as if it may be quite good but we decided to move on to Fakarava – which as the crow flies was 36 nm away to its entrance. We upped anchor about 8.20am and headed out the passe and toward deeper water. Once in deeper water we put up the main and genoa (yes it has not been out for some time ) as the wind had finally lowered to about 14-16 kts. We had to sail parallel to the atoll to get away from its coast and in order for us to sail direct to Fakarava we had to go out about 10nm from its Northeastern corner.

The swell was a bit lower bit still had some roller and we sailed well but we knew that each mile was not getting closer to our destination but we had to do these miles to be able to sail the right angle. This is what sailing can be about and it can be frustrating. We decided to tack at 11.00am and we were then on a good course for Fakarava and our judgement had been correct. We had about 31nm to go and we wanted to get to the passe no later than 4.30pm so we had to average about 6kts. This started to become tricky so we decided to have the staysail up as well as the genoa and main and this helped us achieve our required average. We were sailing down the east coast of Toau and we began to see its mutus and palm trees on them. The course we were on was direct to the passe at Fakarava which was good. The swell was initially an issue as it slowed us down as we sailed into the waves but as the day wore on the swell declined as predicted. However, the wind was also to decline during the day so we watched this and were keeping an eye on the time as the day progressed.

The wind held up enough for us to make the right progress and it was only for the last 4 nm that we put on the engine and motored for the northern passe of Fakarava. We saw at least 4 boats on our passage which to us was an indication that with the lighter winds’ boats were now starting to move again. We hoped that there would be space for us at the anchorage off the village of Rotoava. We motored toward the passe and this one is the widest in the Tuamotus but on the ebb the tide can be 6kts and flood about 3. We approached about 4.30pm and this was on the flood. It looked very wide but the chart plotter showed reefs and shallow patches around it. There was another yacht waiting to come in and we saw no reason to wait and decided to continue. We entered with no problem bit had about 2.5 kts under us helping us in which was no issue. There was a bit of troubled water but nothing to worry about. Once in we headed for the village some 4.5nm to the east. We had to avoid a reef on our left which was marked with a red post and then about 2.5nm further two reef on our right. We continued toward the village.

We arrived at the anchorage about 5.15pm so  did not have that ling before dark. There must have been about 30 boats anchored here which was surprising. However, it is a large area and there were not many areas left we could anchor in without being in quite deep water. In the end we anchored in about 22 meters and out down over 85 meters of chain. It dug in and we are not expecting any high winds for a while. Just as we were anchoring it started to drizzle but this was not for long.

Once anchored we breathed a slight sigh of relief as we had been meaning to come here for about a week and have now only just arrived due to the strong winds. We had a drink to celebrate and it was very quiet and there was a good sunset with cloud shadows.

 Fakarava is the second largest atoll in the Tuamotus and it is 32 nm long and 15 nm wide. Three sides if the atoll, Northern, Northeastern and Southeastern have many mutus and palm trees. The Southwestern side is low lying and some underwater.  The Lonely Planet describes Fakarava as one of the largest and most beautiful atolls and the stuff of South Seas Fantasy. Heavenly white, pink sand,  ruffled coconut trees and an unbelievable palette of lagoon blues. It says the atmosphere is relaxed and that is it a great place to unwind. The diving is legendary amongst divers and you should dive both passes.  Its real jewel is the variety of sea life which has been designated a Unesco nature preserve. Its suggests that after a few days you will struggle to pack to leave.

Well, we will see once we explore. We had supper and look forward to waking up and going ashore. We hope we will be able to get some new provisions.  

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