10 September 2024 – The Bora Bora Show!
We slept well after no sleep for a couple of days but at one stage it rained in the night. It was a pleasant morning when we woke and eggs on toast was called for and which went down well. We were going to go ashore and to explore Bora Bora.
With only the two of us the first issue was to get the dinghy off the deck in quite strong winds and the normal way we do this is to haul up the dinghy vertically on a halyard and then once above the guard rails we lower it down into the water but it takes at last two really to hold it blowing away in the wind and we usually have 4 of us doing this. I therefore thought of a new method of horizontal launching. In other words, to use one halyard to raise the bow to just over the guard rail height – about 3 feet and another to raise the stern to the same height and then swing it around over the guard rail and then raise the bow high enough to then lower into the water over the guardrail. It was to take out the wind effect and it worked well and the dinghy was in the water without any issue.
The dinghy I felt was in need of some air as I had seen various members of crew getting in and out and it seemed soft. I had not put any air in since I got the boat in May/June 2023. I got out the pump and fitted the pipe on the right sponson (float) and it then went down flat. Lesson to myself – should I have checked how to do this first? I then quickly looked up how to use the valves and I had done this correctly. The pipe on the pump had two options to be attached to - In or Out. You would have thought you would have put it on the In to put air in – but no. I had put it on the In and it had I suppose brought the air In to the pump not air In to the dinghy. Once I changed it to Out it worked – I think it must have been made in China and got lost in translation. Once I got the hang of it the sponson inflated again and I had to get it to 0.2 bar and there was a valve on the pump to help with this. The other two sponsons had gone down to 0.1 bar so I filled them all. The dinghy was then in a good solid shape and hard.
The next challenge was to get the big outboard on to the dinghy with just the two of us. This had not been done before as we always used a minimum of 3. However, I thought we could do it with 2 with using the crane. We got the dinghy in the right position on the back of the boat and attached the crane and the safety line as a backup. I lifted it up off the rear bracket and it was then in mid-air hung by the crane. I then got into the dinghy and Keith lowered the crane and I got it on to the back of the boat and then secured it. Job done.
We are anchored in front of the Bora Bora basalt peaks and see the picture of the day. What an iconic picture and I am sure these peaks have been photographed so many times.
We headed ashore and initially toward the Bora Bora Yacht Club which was just round the corner from our bay. This was I suppose about half a nm. We came round the corner and approached the pontoon which was adjacent to a wooden platform with tables being the bar/restaurant. We came to the pontoon and Keith (with his rucksack on ) went to stand on the platform and as he did so I could see in slow motion the dinghy moving away and the gap got bigger and gravity took over and the Commodore went in -in front of the Yacht Club. Luckily he came up Ok and said, “Oh S-it” and we managed to get his rucksack off. He then had to swim to the other end of the platform and climbed out of the sea dripping. I tried not to laugh but even Keith thought it was funny. I have him 10 out of 10 for the diving score!! He sorted out his rucksack and no harm was done. We booked a table for dinner and there was to be a Polynesian show tonight too.
We got back in the dinghy (he did not want to go back and change) and then headed to the main town Vaitape which was about three quarters of a mile away. We skirted round one bay which had a restaurant on the front which we later heard was called St James and which looked nice. We could see houses and shacks along the shore with their boats moored and some were lifted out of the water on slings with a wheel to wind them up and down. We carried on round and there was a little harbour where the cruise ship tenders come in where they are greeted under a wooden hut with palm trees leaves as roofs. We found a place for our dinghy and wondered ashore. This bit of the town was geared up for the tourists and cruise ships as there were lots of pearl shops, clothes shops selling colourful dresses, shirts and sarongs and Polynesian souvenirs. Once past this we headed for a car hire shop and reserved a car for tomorrow.
We walked one way for some time coming across more pearl and clothes shops but also supermarkets and you also got a feel for some of the houses and how people lived with views of the lovely lagoon. We then walked the other way and came across more shops but some snack bars, a cafe, chandlery, a Polynesian B&Q equivalent, supermarkets and a petrol station. We also saw two large churches and there are many churches in French Polynesia. Just behind all of these buildings is the great view of the peaks on one side and the lagoon on the other. We went to a café and had a wrap and a sandwich.
We walked around a bit more and then came back to Stormbird and chilled before we showered and with our Harrington Dash shirts on we headed back to the Bora Bora Yacht Club. They gave us a table on the front of the platform and we looked across at boats on moorings and the sun gradually going down over the horizon although it was partially obscured by cloud. It was a fantastic position and a great place for dinner.
We ordered our food which was a limited choice because of the show but was nice. This started with the sound of the pom pom type drums and then the dancers came on dressed in their Polynesian costumes. They provided about a 30-minute routine with lots of dancing and hip wiggling at a very fast pace on their grass type skirts and it was amazing to watch. It was so vigorous that you could see them sweating profusely. They invited members of the audience up to try it but luckily for everyone Keith and I politely declined. It was a great spectacle and it is one of the must sees here. We had a great evening and felt spoiled.
We headed back to Stormbird and today had been a much better day and Bora Bora is warming on me. Tomorrow we hire a car and will explore further.
Crewing Opportunity Year Two
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 then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. 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