French Polynesia to Australia

It has been ages since last writing this blog and many things have happened since then. I have sailed from the island of Tahiti, to the Eastern shores of Australia, and sailed back Eastward to Auckland, New Zealand. I've had a great number of experiences, and will try to catch everyone up to where I sit now, which is in Durban, South Africa.

While the boat was in French Polynesia I managed to have a great time. I had time docked in Tahiti, and anchored off of lots of different Polynesian islands. Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Fakarava, Rangiroa, and a many others make the list.One of the best things to do in French Polynesia is to go diving. I've developed quite the passion for diving, and I think that being at some of the best dive sites in the world has certainly been a catalyst for this passion. One of the dives I had in Rangiroa is still my absolute favorite. Rangiroa is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu group of French Polynesia. An atoll is a coral island whose coral forms an inland lagoon. Look it up on google images by clicking here and you'll see what I am talking about. On Rangiroa there are two major passes where the sea flows in and out with the tides. Us divers are dropped out at sea on an incoming tide, and drift along at 3-4 knots as the underwater world passes us by. The passes into the atoll hold a huge variety of sealife. Curious and playful dolphins were sometimes a nice surprise, they would swim along with us, and come very close just to hover and stare. Massive schools of fish would sometimes surround me, and the variety of life amongst the coral was astonishing. Drifting along, the current whisking me away from each underwater spectacle, only to show me another one. Diving in Rangrioa was not the only thing I did in French Polynesia, but it was certainly one of my favorite. I haggled with local pearl farmers in Fakarava to trade a bottle of Mount Gay Rum for a couple of nice black pearls. The Rum in that part of the world is barely tolerable, and a nice bottle of Mount Gay was just what they needed! Not to mention the fact that I bought it for eight bucks in Antigua and traded it for pearls worth hundreds! I dove on wrecked airplanes and sunken vessels off the coast of Tahiti, not far from where our boat was docked in the big town of Papeete. I took the ferry from Papeete to a little island off the coast of Tahiti called Moorea. Moorea was heaps of fun. The crew and I rented a bunch of motor scooters and dune buggies and tore around the island. We drove to the highest point to stand and lookout, stopped for some local food, but mostly just enjoyed riding on the winding roads in our chinese import motor scooters. When anchored off Bora Bora I celebrated our arrival in the traditional way. They laid out a massive feast, all cooked by burying hot stones in the ground with your food. We watched fireworks on America's independence day with a group of friendly natives ashore on some island whose name I have since forgotten. They were quite amused by our spectacle. French Polynesia was wonderful, and after a couple of months we set sail for Fiji.

The trip to Fiji was fairly uneventful. Rough quartering seas made the journey quite rolly, which for me is great. I sleep extremely well when the ship is rolling from side to side. Upon arriving, we cleared into customs, fueled up the ship, and set sail to our captain’s favorite island in the Mamanuca group, Malolo LaiLai. We had a beautiful anchorage amongst coral reefs, which meant scuba diving right off of Athena was easy. I joined the Musket Cove Yacht Club, rented a little sailing boat on the weekend, but mostly just sat out in the sun with a book and a cocktail. Apparently joining the yacht club at Musket Cove is a bit of a sailing accolade since you have to have sailed in from a foreign port of call in order to join. There is a great article about it that can be read by clicking here. We visited several other small Fijian islands whose names seem to have escaped me. We found uninhabited beaches, local tribes, and untouched wilderness in Fiji. The local culture is definitely an interesting one. Fiji is dotted with small islands, and on many there are small villages, which we were able to visit on several occasions. The villagers wear a minimum of clothing, and lead a very simple but beautiful lifestyle. Only the chief of the village was able to wear sunglasses and a hat for some reason. The chief was often the only person in the village that was able to speak English, and in order to use the water around the village (for anchoring our boat usually) we had to go to a sevusevu ceremony. At the ceremony we would bring the chief a bundle of kava root as it is their custom. Kava root is milled then made into a sort of tea that has mild to strong effects of a sedative. At first only numbing your mouth, but then a feeling of relaxation sets in after a couple of coconut shells full of kava. Too much and you begin to drool, which is never a good look. The villagers survived mostly on fishing and selling handicrafts, but they didn’t need much. There was no electricity or running water in any of the villages. Chickens, goats, and pigs would run around the village, and a citrus fruit trees were always amongst the huts. The villagers wanted for nothing, and had such a nice, simple life. The local culture was definitely the most interesting thing I experienced in the Fijian island group. Fiji is somewhere that I am definitely going back to. After several months it was time to set sail again, this time for Australia.
The first stop for Athena was Newcastle for maintenance. Newcastle is an old coal mining town around 100 nautical miles north of the more famous Sydney. While Athena was in for repairs, myself and the crew reveled in our newfound civilization! After being away from all the niceties of a western lifestyle for so long, we were happy to be able to have the ship on a dock, enjoy the local pubs and the local wineries in the nearby Hunter Valley. The girls did a bit of shopping, and I even had time for a week long holiday in Arrawarra. Arrawarra is a sleepy little beach town north of Newcastle. Every day I would sit on the porch, listen to the waves crashing on the beach, and read my book. It was wonderful to not have to stand an anchor watch at two o-clock in the morning, and sleep in a big bed! I did a few diving trips while I was there as well. Arrawarra is a short boat ride to the Solitary Islands, and the diving there is awesome. But even after all that relaxing and recreation, I couldn't wait to get back on Athena and get moving. Forget the big bed and the cocktails on the beach, I was ready to go sailing again.

After Newcastle we headed south to Sydney for their epic New Year's Eve celebration. We arrived in early December, and had a good amount of time to have a look around the city. It's a beautiful city, really clean, well organized, and plenty to do. I did the things I always do when I get to a new big city, see the aquarium, see the maritime museum, and find the best pub! I can't even count how many maritime museums I have been to, but I know it's still less than the number of pubs! Sydney harbor is amazing in that it is still a true working harbor. Leisure boaters share the water with big commercial freighters and cruise ships. Water taxis zip people from peninsula to peninsula. Big ferries take commuters back and forth to work every day. The city's harbor is truly alive. The sailing culture is big in Sydney, and I got the opportunity to see it first hand. On the weekend there would be countless little sailboats tacking back and forth in the harbor. The amount of boating activity was astounding, it was like seeing a bee hive that been shaken and all the little bees had come out to buzz around! however, one of the best things I was able to see in Sydney was the start of the famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Spectators lined the harbor in the thousands to watch the beginning of the race, and I had a bird's eye view from the foremast of Athena. Even after all that I have seen and done on sailing boats, I am still amazed by the power of the wind and man's ability to harness it. Watching these boats leave Sydney yet again, to battle the notorious Tasman Sea, I couldn't help but be awestuck. But I digress, we were there for th New Year's eve celebration. Athena was docked in the heart of Sydney, with a view of the opera house off the stern, the harbor bridge on the starboard side, and the city skyline to port (in between the bridge and the opera house in the photo to the right). We had an awesome view of the fireworks, and it was by far the best fireworks show I have ever seen. Even better than the Independance Day fireworks I had seen in New York two years prior. Once again, the harbor was filled with boats, the streets were lined with people all looking up, and the atmosphere was vibrant. Athena was an un-designated star of the show, and thousands of photographs with her in the foreground came out the next day. But there I was, sitting on Athena's boom looking up at the sky, truly appreciating where I was and how I got there. Knowing that it doesn't get much better, and the grass was not at all greener on the other side. But it was almost time to set sail again, destination; New Zealand.

Our first port of call was a small town in Northland New Zealand by the name of Russel. Russel has a rich history. It was the first European settlement and port in New Zealand, and had a major role in European relations with the local Maori tribes. Now, it is a small village with restaurants and cafes dotting the streets, but Maori culture is still strong in the area. Strong enough, in fact, that I was able to have a traditional hāngi meal while I was there. A hāngi is just like the tradtional meals that were cooked for me in French Polynesia. It involves heated rocks tossed into a pit, followed by the meal, followed by burying it all and letting it sit for several hours. These slow cooked meals always have the most tender meat, and one day when I have a place of my own to dig a hole I'm going to have to give it a try!

But onwards, onwards to Auckland. Athena was due in Auckland for a major refit, and we had to get moving and get started as soon as possible. On the way out of Russel we hit some heavy seas, and she was bashed around quite well, but like the good ship she is, Athena took it and wanted more. After the sail south we arrived in the largest city in New Zealand and got to work. Athena was to be completely disassembled, revamped, restored, repainted, and put back together again. No small task on a 90 meter schooner. We pulled out the masts, coiled up the lines, put a big tent over her, and weren't planning on sailing again until she looked like new. Work aside, I have gotten to know the city of Auckland quite well. Auckland also has a rich maritime history, something that I am interested in wherever I go. There are lots of things to do there as well, and so much to see in the surrounding areas. New Zealand is a magnificent country. The rolling paddocks, picturesque mountains, outdoor lifestyle, and friendly people make it a place that is definitely worth going. I drove up and down the north island, taking it all in on the winding roads. As a matter of fact, driving is one of the things that I liek to do best in New Zealand. Almost all the roads are well maintained two lane roads that wind around the mountains in a fashion that would excite any driving or outdoors enthusiast. It seems as if they are put in some places just to flaunt the beauty of it all, almost as if the civil engineers planned it, "Like the view around this corner? Well check out this next one!"

As of writing this long overdue update Athena is still in Auckland, putting on the finishing touches. I however, am in South Africa getting some maritime certifications. In order to move ahead in the sailing industry I need to get some qualifcations through the MCA, and one of the schools to get those qualifications is located in Durban, South Africa. I figured I'd never been to Africa before, so why not eh?

See some photos of my past travels by clicking here.