May 2023 – August 2024
Written by Alene (mostly) & Bruce in French Polynesia, Niue & Tonga — Aug/Sept 2024

Foreign boats can stay in French Polynesia for two years before they must leave the country (or pay import tax). Now, at the beginning of our second year in French Polynesia, we couldn’t fathom how time had passed so quickly; there was still so much we wanted to do!

Our plans continually changed as many friends decided this was their last chance to visit us here, and Bruce had to make several unexpected (and sad) trips to the USA.

Alene’s missives to her mother will continue to tell the story.

How is Hao Now?

25 June 2023

Kura Ora,

We had a beautiful 18-mile spinnaker run from Amanu to Hao (pronounced how) & we’ve been busy since our arrival. We are in a little harbor about one kilometer from the village, tied up against a concrete wall for a change. There are 4 other boats here so we’ve been socializing as well as seeking out our old island friends & making new ones.

The evening we arrived, a local man came to welcome us, then ran home & came back with a fresh baguette. That’s a nice welcome!

Early the next morning, we awoke to voices on the quay next to the boat. Two little girls were sitting talking quietly, waiting for signs of life aboard the new arrival. The older girl, Mihi (10) asked if they could come aboard, so we invited them below to see the boat. Mihi’s older brother Alec arrived, & the 3 of them latched onto our 3 ukeleles. 

Things haven’t changed much in Hao. We put our bikes together & rode off to find the people we met when we were here in 2008. We easily found two of our adult friends — they were living in the same house as 15 years ago. However, it was more difficult to find the children who were now grown. There was a little girl named Amalon who we’d spent a lot of time with. When we found her, unbelievably, she remembered my name after all these years. She has 3 small children now. And we connected with Angelique. She & her best friend Terava were my shadow when we were in Amanu in 2008. Angelique has 2 boys: a 2-year old & a baby. She & her husband grow & sell dragon fruit. 

It was really neat sharing our photos with everyone, since no one had phones then & there were few cameras.

Manuia,
says ADR

Sally! – Makemo, Tahanea, Fakarava…

15 June 2023

Kura Ora,

We had not seen our friend Sally from New Zealand for a decade. She was surprised when I asked her to help celebrate my 60th birthday in French Polynesia, but it didn’t take her long to book a flight to meet us in the Tuamotus. It was good fun spending time together diving, exploring, & showing Sally some of the places we’ve come to know fairly well.

Sally arrived at the atoll of Makemo with lots of goodies for us. Together we sailed to Tahanea, then Fakarava.

One of the advantages of having guests is that we tend to defer boat projects during the time they are aboard; fortunately, Migration has been doing great; needing only routine maintenance & leaving us plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful place & have fun with Sally.

Manuia,
says ADR

There were several reasons we spent so much of our time in Fakarava this second year: with multiple flights a day from Tahiti, it’s one of the easier atolls to get to which was important as BB needed to fly to the US twice. The diving is some of the best in the world and we wanted to be in Fakarava during the time when the groupers spawn which happens only once a year.

Fakarava: Grouper Groupies…

5 July 2023

Kura Ora,

Third time’s a charm, cuz we finally got to see the groupers today!

After the first try when we nearly swamped the drop-off dinghy (due to too many people & too much dive gear in 6’ waves), then swam the wrong way & didn’t find the groupers at all … And after the second try, when the waves were too big to even try to go outside the pass safely, finally, we revised our dive plan to have fewer people in the dinghy & with the waves a bit smaller, success!

And it was incredible. Better than all the photos & videos we’ve seen. It’s just indescribable seeing thousands of groupers who have amassed for spawning, all in one place. Most of the spawning activity happens on the full moon at this time each year, but there is often spawning throughout the days & nights before & after the full moon also.

Once we finally located the groupers at the outside edge of the pass, we dedicated ourselves to spending time with them before they dispersed back into the lagoon after the spawning.

Quite something to experience…

Manuia,
says ADR

Fourth in Fakarava…

8 July 2023

Kura Ora,

Because there were so many boats in Fakarava for the grouper spawning, we decided to have a party on the beach for Independence Day. Despite the overcast weather, it was good fun. We organized a tug-of-war, a 3-legged race, an egg-in-a-spoon relay, kite flying, trivia… Lots of people came! Friends from Spirit of Argo, Aldabra, Infinite Grace, Sea Bella, Fundango, Tereva, Ounte Vas II, Limelight, & Annexy as well as several boats we hadn’t met.

Manuia,
says ADR

Aratika for Heiva…

21 July 2023

Kura Ora,

We had a delightful one-day 40-mile sail from Fakarava to Aratika, a small atoll where we planned to celebrate Heiva (an annual celebration with dancing & music) & meet up with our friend April visiting from California…

Manuia
says ADR

April in Aratika (& Fakarava)…

25 July 2023

Kura Ora,

We had a fun visit with April, BB’s friend of many years who is also a children’s book author. She flew to Aratika (one flight weekly) where she got to see the last couple nights of the Heiva celebration, then together we sailed to Fakarava.

April was with us for over a week & we did a lot: snorkeling, beachcombing the outer reef, miles of great sailing, meals on deck, yoga at sunset, games, socializing, etc. The nights were very dark with the new moon, & April was amazed at the number of stars in the sky. Living in LA, she said, “Where has this sky been all my life?”

Manuia,
says ADR

Night Diving with Sharks – Fakarava…

30 July 2023

Kura Ora,

We were fortunate to make the acquaintance of a Belgian sailor who had completed many dives with the sharks at night. It was nice to do this for the first time with someone who had experience!

Seeing the difference in the behavior of the sharks during the night vs. the day was really something. In daylight hours, the sharks swim lazily to conserve energy, but at night they are significantly more energetic, swimming rapidly to & fro looking for dinner. They are not at all interested in the humans observing them except for our lights which occasionally illuminate a fish that has been flushed from its hiding spot. That fish, unfortunately, is often doomed, since, once in the sights of the hunters, 10 or more sharks will descend on it simultaneously, giving it little chance for escape. One fish can outrun one shark easily, but a fish is not fast enough to outrun & outwit many sharks coming from multiple directions. It was very exciting to watch the sharks plunge their snout into the coral, their body writhing as they attempted to locate the hidden fish that they can smell. We try to be very careful to not damage the living coral when diving & snorkeling, but the sharks are hungry! 

Manuia,
says ADR

BB needed to go home again to see his family, so I was alone on Migration for a couple of weeks. I stayed in Fakarava. After dropping BB off at the airport, I sailed the length of the atoll (30 miles) so that I could do more snorkeling & diving in the south.

Why Bruce Left… (written by Bruce)

When you read the above Missives to Mumfy, it might seem that our life is always amazing (except for the occasional gale or 2-year refit). The truth, of course, is that life is, well, life, and it offers great joy as well as deep sorrow.

I made two trips to California in July and August. I was there to say goodbye to my wonderful brother Doug.

Doug had been diagnosed with a form of ALS but the doctors were never quite sure as the disease wasn’t progressing. However, in 2023 it came on with a vengeance and Doug decided he would not fight it.

I was lucky to be in a place where I could fly back to Los Angeles. And lucky that Alene could take care of Migration on her own while I was gone. (Though Alene has been alone aboard Migration before — notably when my Mom contracted cancer — this was the first time she sailed our boat by herself… I was very proud of her.)

My brother was a good man. He was kind. He was thoughtful. He was funny. He was nuts in his own way. And wonderful in his own way. We hated each other when we were kids, and grew to love each other deeply despite the fact that we drove each other crazy. He was a mensch.

If you’d like to know more about Doug in the words of the people who loved and admired him, you can view the book ADR and I put together in his honor.

I’ll finish with these words from a letter he left us:

So, here’s what I’d wish for those of you reading or hearing this. Be curious, be brave, be silly, be kind, be honest, be honorable, be fair, be forgiving… with yourself and with others. Sing. Listen. Laugh. Always keep a bottle of good Champagne on hand in your refrigerator. And don’t wait for a special occasion to treat yourself. Don’t just make plans to go somewhere you’ve always wanted to go – actually go. In sum, don’t just exist – live!

Cool Kauehi…

19 Sept. 2023

Kura Ora,

After BB returned from California, we sailed to Kauehi & spent a long time there moving around to visit various areas of the atoll.

Kauehi’s population is diminished since we last were here. Unfortunately, they no longer have a big Heiva celebration like the one we attended in 2009. But we did find old friends & made some new ones…

We also did some bicycling… From the east side of the atoll we rode our bikes 17 miles roundtrip to the village. We dodged palm fronds, coconuts, pandanus leaves, crabs & crab holes… It was a good adventure & very beautiful with the glowing lagoon on one side & the ocean on the other.

Manuia,
says ADR

Friends in Fakarava…

9 Oct. 2023

Kura Ora,

We had two different sets of visitors in Fakarava in October: Pat & Shannon from Seattle & Michel & Susan from Stanford, California.

Shannon & Pat visited us for 10 days & we had a fabulous time together. They quickly ran out of adjectives & exclamations to express their surprise & excitement at discovering the beauty of this corner of the world. They were enthusiastic about discovering the different environments that make up an atoll & asked a million questions — they were curious about every little thing.

After diving the south pass so many times, BB & I are pretty good at getting it right (the timing of the currents, finding the grotto, ascending in the right spot, etc.), so Pat had some amazing dive experiences while Shannon snorkeled above. They were both enjoying every moment in the water & kept saying, “pinch me — I can’t believe this is real.” I think they’ll be visiting us a lot now that their kids are in college.

Manuia,
says ADR

A few days after Pat & Shannon left, Michel & Susan arrived. We packed a lot into their 3-day visit & had a great time together.

Michel was deeply affected by the tranquility we frequently get to experience – one of the things we so appreciate about our life. He wrote about it more eloquently than I:

“When I close my eyes, it is interesting to see what images come up first, and which places marked me the most, and why. What I see first is the beach of blinding broken corals where we walked. The light was so bright it seemed supernatural, the ocean had the most perfect shade of marine blue, and the lagoon so inviting I had to go sit in it. Mostly, there was not a soul around except us. It was the epitome of remoteness and peacefulness. These few intense moments of silence on their own, broken only by the sounds of small waves, would make the long journey across worth it.”

All our friends marveled at how healthy the marine environment is, with so much to see & discover…

Marvelous Makemo…

25 Oct. 2023

Kura Ora,

Due to unsuitable weather for passagemaking to the Marquesas, we’ve gotten to stay longer than expected in Makemo. The water is very clear, so we’ve spent a lot of time snorkeling.

One of the things we love about these atolls is that the air is so fragrant. Just after sunset is the strongest time for the floral scent that absolutely fills the senses & makes one almost swoon. Just wonderful.

Manuia,
says ADR

Breaking Things – Makemo…

3 Nov. 2023

Kura Ora,

We had a little hiccup in our voyage from Makemo to Amanu. After sailing 80 miles to the SE towards Amanu — we were about halfway there — we turned around & are back in Makemo. Why?

We departed around 0930 after waiting an hour & a half for the whitewater to subside. Then we motorsailed for an hour to clear the island & get a good wind angle. All fine. Wind was up & down throughout the day & night, but mostly we saw max winds of only 12 knots, which is perfect for upwind sailing. So we were reading our books, taking turns sleeping, & making good progress towards Amanu. On the second day out, a squall came through & winds increased to a steady 20 knots gusting toward 30. BB woke me & said we should reef. We were in the process of putting a double reef in the mainsail when the boom fell onto the deck. The gooseneck — the attachment point of the boom to the mast — had broken. Fortunately, it was a controlled & rather gentle fall due to the sail holding up the boom, so it didn’t do any damage to the deck. As we were securing the mainsail, I noticed that the mizzen (our second, smaller sail) was ripped across the top third of the sail, so we dropped it immediately. Thus we were left with only one sail. We turned around & limped slowly downwind under our foresail & dropped anchor back in Makemo the next day.

We were lucky enough to find someone who could weld the metal gooseneck piece in Makemo, so we were able to put the boom back on the next day. As for the mizzen sail, I spent 3 days hand stitching it.

There is a positive note to this. It’s a good thing it happened while we were still in the Tuamotus & not en route to the Marquesas. It wasn’t too far back to Makemo, & it also gave us the opportunity to fill our propane tanks, so that’s a bonus. And we really cannot complain as this is the only major breakage we’ve had during our time in French Polynesia — not bad for a 55-year old boat.

Manuia,
says ADR

Amazing Amanu Again…

12 Nov. 2023

Kura Ora,

We made it to Amanu this time around, but the weather was a real test for our repaired gooseneck & mizzen sail. We experienced a bit of everything on the voyage: calm seas, confused seas; no wind, steady 25 knots; clear blue skies, complete overcast with lightning & rolling thunder… We haven’t seen that much lightning or heard so much thunder for years. It always makes us a bit nervous with our two lightning rods (masts) sticking up in the air, so we put all the electronics we weren’t using to navigate in our oven for the duration of the passage. Supposedly it will act as Faraday cage.

When the wind increased to 25 knots, we were sailing under a scrap of jib & double-reefed mizzen in order to have the minimum amount of sail up while keeping the boat balanced. Then, at 0330 (disasters often happen in the small, dark hours), I heard a zipping noise & knew the mizzen had torn. Again. Not my repair, but the next seam down. I had predicted this might happen. Since my repair was good & strong, the next seam was the weak link. That repair would take twice as long to sew; thus, when we arrived in Amanu, we dug out our old mizzen, buried deep in a lazarette. This sail is the original mizzen BB left California with in 1996 & which we used until we arrived in NZ in 2009. Yes, that sounds pretty darn old & well-used; however, it was immediately clear to both of us that the cloth is of superior quality & the stitching is solid — certainly more so than our current failing sail.

We’d changed the boom & sailtrack so had about 2 days of work to modify the sail & attach new hardware. Though the sail is stretched out of shape, we feel it is more reliable. Fingers crossed it holds together until we can get a new sail in NZ in about a years’ time.

Part of what makes Amanu special is that the kids run to the quay when we arrive in our dinghy. And when we anchor in the little port surrounded by the village, they can swim out to the boat & play. We made friends at Amanu in 2008 & many of those people are still here, so it’s fun to see them again. They are a very traditional people who still have dance festivals & play the songs written by Amanu ancestors. Many islands are losing their traditions, but not Amanu. The mayor invites every visiting yacht to lunch at his house. No other mayor does that!

We will wait for good weather to jump to the Marquesas. We’ve both decided we’re happier sailing slowly upwind in light winds even if the passage takes many days longer. We certainly don’t want to sail in the same convection system weather that we had coming to Amanu, so we’ll stay until the weather is right.

Manuia,
says ADR

After several days on the E. side we sailed back across the atoll to the village where we spent time with our local friends.

Together with Mary Grace & Frank of s/v Ticket to Ride, we did some diving outside the atoll. The coral is in excellent condition & there are a spectacular number of fish, especially near the passes. 

Thankful That’s Over – Tuamotus to Marquesas…

7 Dec. 2023

Kaoha,

Despite our plans to celebrate Thanksgiving in Amanu, we ended up departing on Thanksgiving Day for the Marquesas as that was our best weather window. Even still, our passage from the Tuamotus to the Marquesas was no fun with lots of adverse weather & more wind than anticipated. But we made it in just 4 days & are happy to be done with that upwind voyage & back in stunning Fatu Hiva. 

Now we can finally offload a bunch of things for the locals we’ve been carrying around since my visit home in March. These are all items requested when we were here last year. People were very happy to get their new carving tools, wood stamps, & grinders. They seemed pleasantly surprised we had followed through — I think many sailors don’t.

We also spent time hanging out with other cruisers in Baie de Hanavave (also known as Baie de Vierges) getting multiple boat washes & weathering the 40-knot gusts that regularly come ripping down the valley. 

Although Fatu Hiva is beautiful, we finally got fed up with the gusty & inclement weather & sailed to Tahuata to swim with the dolphins & begin Christmas celebrations with friends.

Mokai,
says ADR

INTERMISSION: A few cool photos that we like…

More Matava’a – Nuku Hiva…

1 Jan. 2024

Kaoha,

The Matava’a festival in Nuku Hiva was fabulous! We’re so happy we were able to be here for this truly spectacular cultural event.

We enjoyed five full days & nights of dancing with hundreds of dancers & drummers under the blue sky & blazing hot sun, then later under the stars. The events took place in 3 different venues on the island of Nuku Hiva, always in a traditional marae (a communal or sacred place that serves religious & social purposes in Polynesian societies). There were dance troupes from each of the six populated islands in the Marquesas plus four Marquesan dance troupes from Tahiti — over a thousand dancers in all. They had clearly rehearsed well, & the handmade costumes were wonderful. 

Traditional Marquesan dance is very powerful. The accompanying music is incredible — particularly the drums. The drums are all hand-carved from wood with animal skins lashed across the top. No metal is used. There were often more than a dozen drummers (sometimes 30!) with many of the drums taller than their players so that the drummer had to stand on a box to play. 

What a memorable experience. Photos simply cannot do it justice, especially since everything was on such a grand scale.

Mokai,
says ADR

On the 3rd day of Matava’a, the daytime event was located across the island on the north coast in Hatihe’u at a very sacred marae called Kamuihei. The site is surrounded by a banyan forest with 600-year old trees. It’s gorgeous.

Our friend David arrived on Dec. 18th from New Zealand; just in time to enjoy the last 2 days of the festival.

Each island participating in the Matava’a gave a gift to Nuku Hiva to thank them for hosting the event. We visited our friends from Fatu Hiva — the ones we brought carving tools to — who were carving their gift during the festival to be presented at the end…

New Year in Nuku Hiva…

16 Jan. 2024

Kaoha,

It was fun having David with us for the festival & over the holidays. After Matava’a, we sailed around to Baie d’Anaho on the north side of Nuku Hiva to celebrate Christmas & then to Hakatea (Daniel’s Bay) for New Year’s; however, our celebrations were somewhat subdued since I contracted Covid during the festival despite all the events being held outdoors. This was my first case of Covid & it hit me pretty hard. Fortunately, BB only got a light case & David stayed healthy.

Mokai,
says ADR

We celebrated Christmas a second time with our friends on s/v Cleo & s/v Margot on January 7th when I was feeling better… It was a fun group for appies, a semi-traditional Christmas dinner, games, Christmas music, homemade eggnog, & an outdoor showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas…

After David departed, we needed to decompress & recover for a few days. Everyone had been all fired up about Matava’a & the holidays, but afterwards most sailors were at loose ends, including us. The supply ship wasn’t due for a couple of weeks & most everyone was running low on provisions, so no one wanted to venture very far from Taiohae Bay, including us. Thus, the neighboring bay of Hooumi seemed like a good idea; however, 20 other boats had the same thought. As a result, our time in Hooumi Bay became a bit like summer camp with yoga class each morning under a pavilion on shore, get-togethers on the beach & on various boats for cocktails, potlucks, BBQs, games, a drum circle, whiskey tasting, a 2-day beach cleanup, etc. So, lots of socializing.

The locals of Hooumi were very welcoming to cruisers. While walking through the village, we met Herve & Lisette who kindly gave us as many bananas & pamplemousse as we could carry as well as homemade cookies to fortify us on our walk.

Locals Fred & Larissa wanted to show us a special sacred marae site with very old tikis, so a group of us joined them for a daylong expedition up into the mountains.

There had recently been a flood which swept a lot of debris down the river which ended up on the beach, so the sailors spearheaded a beach cleanup effort that lasted for two full afternoons. The beach was littered with waterlogged coconuts, big logs, mango seeds, matted grasses, lots of driftwood & trash… so we collected it all & threw it into big piles to dry out & subsequently be burned. 

The locals thanked us with a big kaikai (meal). They provided the Marquesan main dishes while the sailors made salads, sides, & desserts. Hervé killed a goat & a pig & made pork in coconut sauce, pork in its own blood, & pieces of goat in soy sauce. They also made a dish with river eel, plus fried bananas, taro, breadfruit, & rice. It was a ton of food & a very nice party on the beach with singing, dancing, & games.

Our plan now is to continue sailing around in the Marquesas Islands until friends visit at the end of February, then go back to the Tuamotus as soon as it feels like it’s safe enough (it’s cyclone season now) — possibly in March. We love the spectacular beauty of the mountainous Marquesas, but quite honestly, we both prefer the atolls with their gin-clear water. We are looking forward to returning there.

Mokai,
says ADR

Extraordinary Eiao…

16 Feb. 2024

Kaoha,

It was only 60 nautical miles from the west coast of Nuku Hiva to Eiao, but it felt so remote — like stepping into another world. The island is uninhabited — except by about 3,000 sheep. The anchoring can be quite challenging, so very few boats visit.

We departed Nuku Hiva at 5am to make certain we’d arrive at Eiao before dusk & were anchored in the bay on the NW side by 4pm. The sailing was easy — idyllic, actually. Wind aft of the beam at only 12 knots so we were scooting along at 6 knots in mild seas.

Eiao is a small island with spectacular cliffs plunging into the ocean. The water was a delightful temperature, so we swam every day in just lycra. We found mantas gliding along the shelf on the south edge of Baie de Vaitahu. At the bay’s southern point were hundreds of one-spot silver dartfish that swarmed all around us when we dove down. Magical!  There were also plenty of trevallys, schools of spotted eagle rays, & curious grey sharks. The water clarity was good — in fact, the best we’ve seen in the Marquesas — probably 50 feet.

Our friend Silke on s/v Ocean Maiden joined us on this adventure. We had a great time together for several days & then she headed off, so we were all alone. It was wonderful to have time to ourselves after the hectic days of the Matava’a, the holidays, & Hooumi summer camp. It’s been a year since we were in such a wild place with no lights on shore to disturb our stargazing. The moon rose after we went to bed, so we had lots of time to look at the beautiful sky, count satellites, & use our StarWalk app to find out what we’re seeing. Pure joy.

Mokai,
says ADR

Horsing Around on Ua Huna…

26 Feb. 2024

Kaoha,

The inhabitants of Ua Huna (until recently it was called Ua Huka) is a very different-looking Marquesan island – red earth, few trees, & a rather spartan landscape. The island is known as Ile du Cheval due to all the wild horses. It’s lovely to see them everywhere & it was fun to spend a day on horseback for something completely different…

Mokai,
says ADR

What’s a Melon-Headed Whale? – Fatu Huku…

11 March 2024

Kaoha,

It’s great that BB is making electronic charts from satellite images (The Chart Locker) because during the process he has the opportunity to see the world in great detail & it inspires us to go places that others might not. We’ve always done that to some degree, but now with the influx of so many more cruisers, we’re even more inclined to find places off the beaten track. 

Case in point:  There’s an uninhabited, little-known, & rarely-visited Marquesan island — just a rock, really — named Fatu Huku, only 17 miles north of Hiva Oa. Fatu Huku is only one mile by half a mile, but it stands 1,182’ feet tall. It has steep dramatic cliffs all the way around that make it look impossible to summit (so we won’t be trying), but apparently fishermen have climbed up there & evidence of their visits remain. But now there are just birds — lots of them.

We don’t know of any other sailor who has been to Fatu Huku. Anchoring there can only be done in very settled conditions during the rare times the tradewinds stop blowing. We were fortunate to have a couple days of just that; however, because the island is so small, the swells coming from 3 different directions still made it pretty wild. Even aboard stable Migration, walking around required more handholds than usual.

But so worth it!

First of all, the water color is gorgeous. Because there’s so little land & the bottom is white sand, the hue is like that in the Tuamotus — crystal clear aquamarine. A balm to the soul after a week in the murky choppy waters of Ua Huna.

And second, the melon-headed whales are here!

Our original plan was to scuba dive on the sunken fringing reef. We assembled the gear & headed 2 miles north of the island. The swells were pretty big out there, but the reef is deep so they weren’t breaking. We put my gear in the water & as we were preparing BB’s, there was an explosion of bubbles. My o-ring had split & we didn’t have a spare. We began heading back to Migration (2 miles again) when we came upon the melon-headed whales. There were hundreds of them! They escorted us along, riding the dinghy’s bow wave the way dolphins do. We couldn’t resist stopping the boat & getting in the water with them.

Melon-headed whales are actually a member of the dolphin family but they don’t have beaks like common dolphins. They get their name from the shape of their heads. They are supposedly shy, but we found they didn’t mind our presence. They were all around us as they went about their activities: hanging by their nose from the surface (a resting pose), bumping, caressing, & jostling each other, creating a dolphin sandwich (squeezing one dolphin in the middle of others), tail slapping, spy-hopping, & also swimming by to eyeball the strangers in their midst. Frequently a group would point straight at us & hit us with the chirps & squeaks of their sonar which we could feel throughout our whole body. And the chatter! So much chirping, whistling, squeaking, groaning, creaking, & occasionally a noise that sounded like a monkey. Sometimes when there was no distinct noise louder than the others, it was like birdsong when there are hundreds of birds all singing together.

We thought it might be fun to dive with them since they seemed perfectly comfortable with us (& since we already had our dive gear ready), so we returned to Migration for the o-ring, then dinghied back to where they were hanging out. As soon as we stopped, they milled around right next to Plover until we got in the water with our dive gear. However, as soon as we descended, they all disappeared. We could still hear them, but they stayed too far away to see. They clearly did not approve of the dive gear, so we ditched it & just snorkeled. They came back right away.

After about 4 hours in the water, much of the time rolling, spinning, swimming upside down & generally mimicking their behavior to entice them to come closer, plus dealing with the relatively rough sea conditions, we were exhausted & began swimming back toward Migration, still towing Plover. Incredibly, they stayed with us for a long time before turning back toward their resting area.

How fortuitous that we had the opportunity to spend the day with these compelling creatures that we had previously only heard about.

Mokai,
says ADR

Whirlwind Tour – Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Ua Pou, Nuku Hiva…

1 March 2024

Kaoha,

We’ve been going non-stop since Pat & Michael’s arrival. We rented a car & picked them up at the Hiva Oa airport, then drove across the island to Puamau to show them the largest tiki in French Polynesia. The drive is spectacular & the setting of the marae in Puamau lush & mystical. They both said they felt immediately transported to another world.

We wanted to give them a thorough tour of the Marquesas so they could experience the different feel of each island, so we did a 12-day whirlwind tour of four of the islands. Luckily we had great weather & fine sailing.

Mokai,
says ADR

Tuamotus: Time Too Short – Takaroa & Fakarava…

12 April 2024

Kura Ora,

We’re back in the Tuamotus, currently in Fakarava after spending ten days in Takaroa, where there were no other boats. It was wonderful to see Robert & Maina again. You’ll recall that they are the inspiring couple in their 80’s who live alone on a motu 4 miles from the village. They have some great stories of their life & their travels.

One of the highlights of this visit to Takaroa was going to see the shipwreck of The Country of Roxburgh. It’s a four masted iron merchant ship built in Scotland in 1885. The ship was bound for Melbourne, Australia from Caldera, Chile when she was caught in a cyclone. On 8 February 1906, with her sails torn to shreds, massive waves dropped the ship high on the coral reef of Takaroa where she still rests. It was fun exploring that little piece of history.

Our sail from Takaroa to Fakarava was just over 100 miles & it was dreamy downwind sailing. 12 knots of wind on the beam — just how we like it. Scooting along at 7 knots all day & most of the night. Migration feels so comfortable & happy in those conditions.

We spent one day getting our dive tanks filled & provisioning (despite the stores being fairly empty since there’d been no supply ship for weeks), then sailed the length of the atoll (30 miles) to the south pass (Tetamanu) to do some diving. This visit to Fakarava is bittersweet since we know it will probably be our last. We sure will miss French Polynesia, especially these beautiful atolls.

Manuia,
says ADR

Toau to Tahiti…

Toau, Tahiti – 6 May 2024

Ia orana,

We made one last stop at the atoll of Toau in the Tuamotus to visit our friend Morton, then departed Toau on a less-than-perfect weather window resulting in a rather uncomfortable voyage to Tahiti. Fortunately, it was only a 36-hour passage.

Manuia,
says ADR

Et maintenant nous sommes arrivés à Tahiti dans les îles Société.  We arrived in Tahiti last night at sunset. 

It feels so strange to be in a city environment after 2 years of tranquility in less populated islands. Airplanes overhead every hour, speedboats zipping past, traffic noise, sirens, bright lights, motorcycles, loud music, big screen TVs, jet skis… Many noises we haven’t heard for a while.

Our friends Rémy & Bénédicte, Tahiti residents whom we met in the Tuamotus last year when they were out cruising, welcomed us with a tour & an all-day hike which involved fording a river a dozen times & swimming in a lovely waterfall pool. 

Heading West – Moorea & Huahine…

Moorea – 31 May 2024

Ia orana,

After our busy time in Tahiti, we sailed just over 20 miles to the south side of Moorea for a little alone time.

Manuia,
says ADR

It was just an overnight passage – about 85 nautical miles – from Moorea to Huahine. Sailing conditions were perfect — a nice easy tradewind breeze pushing us downwind throughout the starry night… We had some good adventures in Huahine, including a bike trip across the island to the main town & an all-day excursion in Plover to visit several different spots on the island.

Magnificent Maupiti…

27 June 2024

Ia orana,

It was a pleasant overnight sail from Huahine to Maupiti passing several islands along the way, including Bora Bora which we gave a miss since it has become less cruiser-friendly, more touristy, & we’d already visited in 2009.

Although only about 40km from Bora Bora, Maupiti is one of the lesser-visited islands in the Societies as the pass is often difficult & sometimes completely impassable. There are only 1,200 residents.We brought our bikes ashore, so we’ve been pedaling all over the place. And during our first week here BB did two visits with the school kids, talking to them about writing & how to become an author — all in French! Now all the kids know us & run over to honk the horns on our bikes (&, in my case, do cartwheels together) — super fun.

Manuia,
says ADR

Maupiti reminds us of the Bora Bora of yesteryear — no big hotels, just small home stays. Also, no jet skis, which is a good thing because one of the great experiences here is seeing the reef manta rays that regularly visit cleaning stations in the lagoon. We’ve been swimming with the mantas almost daily, including a nice hour-long snorkeling session this morning with 3 different mantas. There are some tour boats here, but if we go out at first light, we get the mantas all to ourselves. Just wonderful.

The tallest peak, Mount Teurafaatiu, stands 1,250’ (381 meters) over the anchorage. We climbed to the top for the stunning views of the outer reef with the brightly-lit shallow sand spits that make up large parts of the lagoon. Watching the cloud shadows move over the clear water was mesmerizing, & observing the conditions in the pass was very helpful in understanding how it changes from minute to minute.

More Maupiti…

Maupiti – 3 July 2024

Ia orana,

We’ve been having a great time in Maupiti. There was a dance event at the Heiva grounds on the last day of school. It was good fun watching all the kids we recognize show off what they had learned during school recess — (we had often seen them practicing…)

Because it only took a couple of hours, we climbed to the summit three different times for the spectacular view, plus did numerous bike trips around the perimeter on the only road. We snorkeled the reef & walked around the pretty motu we’re anchored behind. We also attended a traditional kaikai (meal) with the other cruisers in the anchorage. After eating, the kids from s/v Breizh Zion organized a creative marble race on the beach. They built a course which included a bridge with a tunnel, coral, leaf & rock obstacles, short cuts, ponds (half a coconut filled with water), mine fields, jumps, etc… Very fun!

Manuia,
says ADR

We ended up staying in Maupiti for 6 weeks because in addition to the Heiva activities, we wanted to see the once-in-a-decade event called pêche au cailloux (fishing with rocks) happening on July 11th. The entire island participates as well as many people who have moved to Tahiti who come back to be with their family for the event.

It’s a traditional fishing effort requiring months of preparation because it is all done with natural materials. Palm fronds are woven to make a 1,000 meter-long fishing net, & rocks are carved to accommodate a rope that is also hand woven. The boats & people are decorated with natural materials as well.

In order to scare up the fish, they take boats to opposite ends of the lagoon & swing the rocks as they move toward the net. (The boats used to be paddle powered but are now motor driven; however, they have one traditional paddling catamaran.) The fish are herded into the open end of the net managed by hundreds of people. The net is then closed & made smaller & smaller by pushing it along the shallow bottom.

This will be happening where we are anchored, so we will need to move Migration out near the pass.

Manuia,
says ADR

The Last Outpost: Maupiha’a…

30 July 2024

Ia Orana,

Maupiha’a (also called Mopelia) was the very last island we visited before departing French Polynesia. 

Maupiha’a is an atoll with one long motu (island) & only a couple of other small motus. The entire southwest side is exposed with only a fringing reef.

There are only 9 residents currently living at this small atoll — an interesting mix of people that we got to know during our two-week stay. The island is not visited by a supply ship, so the locals count on sailors for transport of goods & people.

We went spearfishing & lobster hunting with Hina & Harry – quite an adventure! We were gifted heart of palm, fresh coconuts (drinking & mature), lobsters, fish, crabs, tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin, & papaya. We were also invited to dine ashore several times. They made sure we ate very well.

We reciprocated by providing things we had aboard that would be useful: food staples, lights, knives, fishing gear. We also invited our new friends out to Migration for a waffle brunch – one of our specialties.

Manuia,
says ADR

We are so happy that we could spend two years in French Polynesia this time around. It truly is an amazing cruising ground with clear aquamarine waters, palm tree-lined white sand beaches, soaring mountains, gorgeous diving, fantastic snorkeling, exciting hiking, wonderful people, and a fascinating culture.

We’ve been continually spoiled by the beauty above and below the water. Most of the islands have little tourism and have therefore retained their authenticity. The ocean and island ecosystems are relatively healthy. Regardless of how one feels about France’s colonialism, their presence in this huge area of the Pacific – about the size of Europe – has kept other nations from raping the seas here as they do in other parts of the world.

As sailors, we marvel and appreciate the accomplishments of the Polynesian seafarers who travelled across vast distances to populate islands thousands of miles apart; navigating by the stars, birds, clouds, winds, currents, and waves, in sea-faring catamarans hundreds of years before European cultures dared such voyages.

Though we travel in far more comfort and ease with the aid of GPS, satellite communications, and modern materials, when we sail between these islands under a star-strewn sky, we can’t help but feel a little bit connected to those who sailed here a thousand years ago.

Now we head west with the wind, the direction from which the Polynesians came. New lands await, but it is very hard to leave. Nous sommes tristes.

Merci beaucoup, Polynésie française, pour ces bons moments. Gardez toujuors ton esprit.

Be safe. Have fun.
says ADR

The post |33| More Missives to Mumfy appeared first on Migrations.

April 2022 – May 2023
Written by Alene (ADR) in French Polynesia — June 2024

Who is Mumfy? That’s the name I created for my mother when I was six or seven, and that’s what I still call her. She’s 85 now, living with her marmalade cat in Ohio and happily in good health. 

I write to Mumfy frequently. During our time in French Polynesia, in addition to our regular correspondence, I sent mini photo updates (when we had a mobile signal) to keep her informed of our adventures. 

This update is a compilation of those missives.

says ADR

2,300 Nautical Miles Across the Pacific…

9 May 2022

Mornin’,

We departed Isla Clarion (the most westward of the Revillagigedos islands in Mexico) on Thursday April 28th with fine downwind sailing. We have said repeatedly, “Can we please sail like this the entire 2,300 miles?” The wind gods say no – you must pass through our gauntlet of trials: the ITCZ. The boat ahead of us by a few days had a squall 16 miles across with 50+knot winds. However, the real question will be whether we can avoid the lightning; that’s our worst fear.

When we departed Clarion there was a lot of whale activity: tail & fin slapping by at least 3 whales. We commented to each other that they must’ve been waving goodbye since we’ve seen no whales since.

Even after leaving Clarion 200 miles behind, we still had booby birds with us. They swoop around the boat all day, occasionally landing on the water for a rest. The flying fish that we chase up with our bows are an easy meal for them. There is no moon right now, so the stars are brilliant & the bioluminescence dazzling.

The waves have gotten much larger, but they are rolling under Migration from behind as we surf downwind, so they don’t concern us. We’ve been making good speed (6-7 knots) & we’ve been able to sit in the cockpit under the shade awning, as there’s no water coming on deck. I just love that we don’t heel. We can walk around the boat per normal, leave our dishes sitting around, & do projects. So nice!

Skies are getting cloudier which signals our approach to the ITCZ, now less than 2 days away. I have my poem to Poseidon ready for our 7th crossing of the equator.

We had a bunch of bananas that we bought green over 2 weeks ago & it looked like they would never ripen, but suddenly today we awoke to find they had turned yellow, so we had bananas on our cereal. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it was such a pleasant surprise!

Today, we threw over a message in a bottle. We only send bottles in open ocean & haven’t been very far from shore since our sail to the Aleutians in 2017. Now we get to do it again!

With love,
says ADR

Landfall in the Marquesas…

18 May 2022

Kaoha,

We’ve arrived in Nuku Hiva!

We had some rambunctious days over the last week of sailing — the kind that don’t make one enamored of long-distance voyaging. However, there were a few perfect sailing days and nights thrown in so we wouldn’t get too discouraged. Once we found the west-flowing currents, it was much nicer knowing we were making good progress.

Passing Ua Huka in the early hours of the 14th of May, the bright moon allowed us to see the silhouette of the island about 12 miles to the south. Ahead of us, the moon set behind Nuku Hiva outlining it against the tradewind clouds. As the sun rose behind us, we approached the dramatic cliffs of our destination.

As soon as we dropped anchor in Taiohae Bay we were greeted by a woman in a kayak. We did not know her; friends on s/v Jacaranda who spent quite a few years in French Polynesia had asked her to welcome us & to deliver a fresh baguette as well as veggies & fruit — so thoughtful!

We were also warmly greeted by friends on s/v Paseo & s/v Ticket to Ride, again with gifts in hand … Such a different experience from our last time arriving here when we didn’t know anyone!

The weather is perfect, the mountainous island is beautiful, & it’s nice to have the boat tranquil after 16 days at sea.

With love,
Bruce & Alene

13 Years Later: Baie d’Anaho, Marquesas…

31 May 2022

Kaoha,

It was wonderful to revisit Baie d’Anaho on the north side of Nuku Hiva — one of our favorite places 13 years ago…

With love,
says ADR

Matava’a Festival in Fatu Hiva…

19 June 2022

Kaoha,

The start of the Matava’a festival was today & it was fantastic!

It began with an ouverture parade with all the participants walking from the wharf to the festival grounds in costumes made entirely of vegetation. The parade was led by the president of French Polynesia & other dignitaries. At the festival site, representatives from all the islands performed together — about 500 dancers, drummers, & singers. Then each island did a presentation dance welcoming everyone to the festival. Seeing all 6 groups dancing & drumming at the same time was really amazing, especially with those big drums placed all around the perimeter of the field. Some drums are more than 5’ tall! A very powerful performance.

There were artisans from all the islands displaying their wares, so whenever there was no dancing, we walked around talking to the artists. 

On the second & third day the performances were at night. Each night 2 dance groups performed. We especially liked the dancing from the island of Ua Huka. They did the ‘bird dance’ with 6 women in gorgeous exotic feathery costumes representing different birds from each of the 6 populated islands. The dance went on for over an hour with the women doing a lot of sensual movements & the men doing mostly haka warrior-type dancing. But they don’t dance as couples — the sexes are nearly always separate. At times the women moved to the front; at other times the men had their time in the spotlight. When the men are being featured, the women sit on the ground around them or stand behind singing or chanting. When the women are in the spotlight, the men kneel on one knee or stand in tough-looking poses. All the while the drums are drumming, the chorus is singing & the conch shells are being sounded. It’s a lot to take in, but all of it is fascinating. 

On the third day there was a traditional kaikai (meal). All 6 islands made individual ‘umus‘ (earth ovens) with enough food to feed everyone at the festival. The umus were dug the previous day & a huge wire box containing fish, goat, pork, beef, potatoes, yams, bananas, & manioc (tapioca) surrounded by leaves (to protect the food from burning), was lowered into the hole. The food was cooked overnight. They also served huge bowls of poisson cru (raw fish in coconut milk), mussels, salted fish & crab, coconut rice, etc. Plenty of food — it was nice to try so many traditional dishes.

We’re glad to’ve been here for this biannual event. It was really fun to see our local friends performing & get to know their families. We also made new friends from various islands. One night, I had my own personal interpreter sitting right behind me. An older lady from Tahiti who grew up on Fatu Hiva took it upon herself to explain to me in French what was being said in Marquesan so I could then translate for the other cruisers. She also described the meaning of the dances. Her grandson practically levitated when each of the beautiful bird dancers appeared. His enthusiasm was infectious!

Apa’e,
says ADR

The Band-Aid on Our Bow…

19 July 2022

Kaoha,

Along with the evening dance shows, there’s been a bit of drama in our anchorage. 

On the second day of the festival, things began to get really crowded with more & more boats arriving in the anchorage. This created a rather dicey situation because the gusts are still pretty fierce. A recently-arrived boat anchored too close to two other boats, then everyone aboard the new boat immediately departed for the festival. The two closest boats had asked him to move, but he refused. While they were gone, their boat swung into another boat and hit it despite the efforts of 3 dinghies trying to push it away. 

The following day we were hit by a boat that had dragged & was attempting to re-anchor. They were motoring around the anchorage & did not allow adequate space when passing in front of Migration, so when a 40-knot gust came through & their bow thruster failed, they smashed into our port bow. We’ve been in direct email communication with the owner. Fortunately, he’s a decent guy & said he would pay for the damage.

Here are some photos of Migration’s owie. The pics are mostly crooked cuz it’s such a difficult angle to photograph either from the narrow piece of foredeck or the bouncing dinghy.

Apa’e,
says ADR

To the Tuamotus! Takaroa Atoll…

4 August 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

Takaroa was our first stop after an easy 3-day sail southwest from the Marquesas. It has a very long pass (almost a mile!) with a dogleg at the end — quite challenging, but worth the effort.

We’ve met some wonderful people who are proud to share their life on this atoll with us. Robert, 89, was born on Takaroa but has lived all over the world with a variety of interesting careers. He’s chosen to spend his retirement years here.

Maina, 77, was an air hostess for many years & also a pro golfer. Fascinating people. They both speak English, but we speak in French also. We’re really enjoying spending time with them.

Ua here vau ia oe,
says ADR

Terrific Toau, Tuamotus…

16 August 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

We had an easy downwind overnight sail from Takaroa to Toau, adjusting our sail plan to time our arrival at Anse Amyot at sunrise. We caught two big yellowfin tuna as we passed the atoll of Takapoto & kept both fish so we could give some away. We’ve been enjoying tuna every day since.

We spent quite a bit of time with local friends Gaston & Valentine in Toau back in 2009. It was fun to see them again.

It is just beautiful here. We are on a mooring within a stone’s throw of a magnificent coral garden that is not only inspiring to look at from the surface but also provides fabulous snorkeling. It slopes up from the 35’ we are moored in to just 3’ & goes on at mostly shallow depths for half a mile. The colors are incredible. We weave through hills & valleys of pure white sand punctuated with groups of healthy coral rising nearly to the surface. There are lots of peepholes through the coral in which fish hide, but also plenty of fish just milling around, going about their fishy business. Blue-green chromis hover in groups, changing color as one passes by; adorable little black & white humbug dascyllus never stray far from their coral hideouts – the babies exact copies of the adults; picasso fish poke about in the sand, parrotfish of all sizes & many varieties peck at the rocky bits; pink starfish cleave to the sides of outcroppings … I could go on & on — so much to see.

We also have half a dozen big remoras living on our hulls. They are completely unafraid of us, sticking to the hull only a foot from where I am cleaning the bottom. When we throw food scraps overboard, there is a frenzy of many different types of fish fighting for the pieces. The remoras often win out as they are largest & very fast. Fun!

Ua here vau ia oe,
says ADR

We are happy to be seeing healthy reef mantas in these islands. Here are photos of our manta encounter in the middle of Toau atoll, where we saw our first mantas way back in 2008.

We also sailed around the outside of the atoll & through the pass to enter Toau’s lagoon…

Fabulous Fakarava, Tuamotus…

22 August 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

Fakarava is one of our favorite atolls, not just for the diving but also for the fun of sailing 30 miles the length of the atoll in flat, protected water. Migration’s hulls just hum along — feels like we’re on rails…

But getting into the atoll can be a bit more boisterous…

Manuia,
says ADR

Sharks! Diving in Fakarava, Tuamotus…

27 September 2022

Kia Ora Koe,

We did our first dive since the Revillagigedos (Mexico) at Tetamanu, the famous south pass of Fakarava. It did not disappoint. Lots of sharks! And there were plenty at 55′, so we didn’t have to dive deep which is always nice when we haven’t dived for a few months.

Apa’e,
says ADR

Taking Our Time in Tahanea, Tuamotus…

10 November 2022

Kura Ora,

We spent nearly a month at the atoll of Tahanea. There is no longer a village on the atoll, but there is great diving, snorkeling, exploring, & adventuring…

Manuia,
says ADR

We also did some night snorkeling because the underwater world looks very different at that time.

Halloween in Katiu, Tuamotus…

14 November 2022

Kura Ora,

Returning to Katiu after 13 years was really wonderful — seeing old friends & making new ones who welcomed us warmly.

We spent time in the village of Katiu as well as at the south end of the atoll where we were all alone.

We came back to the village earlier than planned because we had heard that there was going to be something happening for Halloween. Halloween?!

Celebrating what we thought was a very American holiday in a remote atoll in French Polynesia was a kick. We paddled ashore at 5:30pm with our treats: brownies & marshmallows. There were kids riding their bikes & running around in costume as we walked to the quay & there were lots of decorations! Proper Halloween decor: orange lights, fake spider webs, black & orange paper chains, plus some creative local touches such as spiders made from coconut shells & pipe cleaners & orange pearl buoys painted to look like jack-o-lanterns. The best decorations were jack-o-lanterns carved out of green coconuts with candles inside. Those were really cool.

At the quay we told Serina, the schoolteacher, that we were a mobile bon-bon station (’station’ is how she referred to the houses giving out candy). So just before we departed there was a rush for the brownie platter with one kid loading his plastic pumpkin bucket with at least 5 brownies. I hate to think what a mess that created! But most kids ate them there & then, & I made sure the adults got some too.

There were about 30 kids & the costumes were great. Among them was a dragon, a King Tut, a jester, a very good Dracula, a scary mask with LED lights, lots of witches, a couple of princesses… One little princess showed us that she had glow-in-the-dark stickers all over her arms — so cute.

At 7 sharp all the participants began walking together with a boom box in a baby stroller blasting dance music. The amounts of candy given out were astonishing! Huge handfuls were dumped into each plastic pumpkin — no holding back. We were offered candy also, but the best bon-bon was the homemade cake given out by the house with the coconut jack-o-lanterns.

It took about an hour to visit the houses along the route, with the kids yelling “bon-bon ou boucan” at every station (boucan means noise). At Lea’s magasin, she made the kids dance for their candy — that was fun.

Clearly, Halloween is now celebrated throughout French Polynesia & has been for several years. They have really embraced the holiday as we know it but have also made it their own. It was odd, but really fun!

Manuia,
says ADR

Octopus Sex – Raroia, Tuamotus…

8 December 2022

Kura Ora,

We had a nice easy 2-hour sail from the northern end of Rarioa to the middle of the western side of the atoll; we had to move because a weather system was headed our way & we wanted good protection. That made it a long dinghy ride to the village the following day (pop. about 200), nonetheless, it was kinda fun weaving through a bunch of reef areas that look like they’ll provide excellent snorkeling. Little did we know what was in store for us on those reefs…

Our reception at the quay was very welcoming. Three guys (with their 3 dogs) greeted us with fist bumps. Titi immediately offered us some of the fish he had in a bucket. He gave us directions to the shop, I gave him a plastic bag, & he said he’d clean & fillet the fish & give it to us when we returned to the wharf. Nice!

Gerard & Vaia at the store were also very talkative & helpful with interesting information about the atoll. We bought a few things, including a piece of Vaia’s homemade Nutella cake to eat as we walked to find Jean-Jacques who cultivates a veggie garden. The store’s ‘fresh’ items were scary-looking potatoes that resembled shrunken heads & very smelly onions.

En route to the garden, we met a trio of people (& again, a trio of dogs). We talked to them for some time before mentioning that we were looking for Jean-Jacques. The man said, C’est moi! So we accompanied him to his house where I cut & bagged lettuce while BB picked cucumbers, then Jean-Jacques gifted us a local variety of bok choi with instructions on how to cook it.

Once back at the boat, we were ready for some water time. As expected, the snorkeling was lovely. For months we’ve been lamenting to each other how frustrated we are at not seeing any octopuses. That was about to change. We had the most rewarding octopus encounter ever!

BB was the one to spot an octopus out in the open in only about 4’ of water as the octopus was moving onto a rock where he then became nearly invisible. (The only time we seem to be able to find them is when they are moving.) When I dove down a few feet for a photo, I saw another octopus just a couple feet from where I was holding the camera! Both seemed unperturbed by our presence & didn’t move while I took photos. After a few more minutes of admiring them at close range, they both shot quickly around to the edge of the reef & under an outcropping, changing color rapidly as they went. The male turned black with white spots with his papillae standing tall, then dark red, then flecked caramel color….

Then, as we continued watching, the two came together & I saw the male’s mating tentacle reach under the female. I can’t believe we got to see this! It was now clear to us why they didn’t care about us being there…. They were busy! It only lasted a minute, then they both dropped to the bottom, about 17’ below us, where the female sat outside her lair while the male moved around quite a bit, first going into one hole, then another, then a third, all the while changing colors & patterns. Sometimes he was completely black, sometimes peppery like granite, but more often exactly the color of whatever background he was on, making it difficult to find him again if we looked away.

Finally he settled into one hole & the female disappeared into her lair. We now have the coordinates for that spot, so we’ll go back to see if we can find them again. What an exciting snorkel! 

As I sit on deck writing about this on a starry, calm night, the air is fragrant with the scent of tiare flowers. We enjoyed our parrotfish dinner with a fresh salad (merci, Jean-Jacques!), & tomorrow we plan to move closer to the pass & do some diving. Reports from other cruisers have it that there are lots of sharks in this pass & there have been sightings of tiger sharks. More undersea adventures! Yay!

Manuia,
says ADR

Upwind to the Marquesas – Landfall Ua Pou…

15 December 2022

Kaoha,

Our 420-mile upwind sail back to the Marquesas was no picnic, so we’re glad it’s over. We’ll spend the months of cyclone season (November to April) in these tall islands that are north of the cyclone belt.

Manuia,
says ADR

Holidays in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas…

30 December 2022

Kaoha,

Our holiday celebrations were enhanced by a visit from our friends Ella & Charlie from New Zealand …

Hinenao,
says ADR

Touching the Spires: Ua Pou, Marquesas…

20 January 2023

Kaoha,

The hike to the top of Ua Pou is our favorite shore adventure in the Marquesas. It’s a 10-mile hike with more than 2,000’ of vertical up to one of the spires left over from the island’s volcanic origins. 

The hike is quite strenuous — sometimes nearly straight up & down requiring the assistance of ropes. The scenery changes from prehistoric-looking jungle to pandanus forest to slopes of ferns to pine-covered ridges on which one step sideways puts you irretrievably over the edge of a cliff.

As a bonus, there is a refreshing waterfall with an idyllic pool to swim in. The first time we did the hike we did not know how to locate the trail, so went to Manfred’s chocolate farm to ask & swam in the pool before the hike. The second time we went the other way around which meant we got to visit the waterfall at the end of the day. Much better!

Either direction, a stunning hike & an extremely satisfying adventure.

Mokai,
says ADR

Dolphin Rescue – Tahuata, Marquesas…

21 February 2023

Kaoha,

We had a very busy & quite amazing day today at the island of Tahuata. The bay in which we are anchored has a resident pod of spinner dolphins, but they haven’t been around all week. However, they showed up today.

They played on the bow of the dinghy this morning as we headed off for a really beautiful dive. They like to ride the bow wave as we speed along. When we returned, they were still in the bay so we swam out to snorkel with them. The water was really clear & groups of 20 or more would swim below us in close formation twisting and spinning to look up at us. Just gorgeous to see them & hear their squeaks & whistles.

BB & I both noticed a long thin line about 10′ below the surface. It appeared to be just floating, but laid out straight. I had a suspicion, so I went toward one end while BB started gathering the other end. It was a strange kind of fishing line — multicolored — not normal monofilament. BB carefully gathered in around 50 meters of line until he reached the end; however, I found a dolphin tangled at the other end.

BB swam to a nearby boat to borrow a knife while I continued to shorten the line to the dolphin while swimming along so the line didn’t become too taut. Although we don’t know how long he’d been tangled up, he was obviously exhausted & swimming pretty slowly. Other dolphins were near him, but staying clear of the line, thankfully.

When BB returned, the dolphin was hanging at about 10′. Whenever we pulled too hard on the line, the poor dolphin thrashed about so BB dove down and cut the trailing line, leaving only a small piece attached to the dolphin. I tried to send calming messages to the dolphin to tell him we were trying to help. We both worried that the dolphin would swim away once the line was cut, but he didn’t. He stayed just beneath us, twisting & turning about, so BB dived down to see if he could remove the line wrapped around his mouth, fins & tail. The dolphin floated up with him, & at the surface, BB hugged him with both arms while I continued clearing the line from his tail. There were 3 tight turns around the dolphin’s beak & behind both fins so that he was bound tightly in something like a horse’s bridle, but BB was able to successfully unwrap the line from the dolphin’s beak & fins once I got his tail free & created slack in the line. We were grateful there was no hook embedded in the dolphin.

And then the dolphin was free! Wow… What an incredible feeling to see him swim away. He didn’t depart quickly, so perhaps was a bit traumatized, but we’re pretty sure he’ll be okay.

BB’s fingers did get a bit sliced up from the line, but they’ll be fine in a couple of days. It means no getting in the water (& no diving) for a few days, but he considers that a small price to pay for the privilege of hugging a dolphin.

We both felt so lucky to’ve been in the right place at the right time & able to save a dolphin that otherwise might’ve starved to death since he was unable to open his mouth. What a gratifying experience.

Mokai,
says ADR

I didn’t get very good photos of the dolphin rescue because I got busy helping the dolphin, but here’s what I did capture…

Just Hanging Out – Tahuata, Marquesas…

26 February 2023

Kaoha,

We spent a lot of time at Tahuata — it’s one of our favorite Marquesan islands due to the friendly locals, the good diving, the resident dolphins, the sheer beauty & good protection of the anchorages…

Mokai,
says ADR

Return to the Atolls – Amanu, Tuamotus…

24 April 2023

Kura Ora,

Before departing the Marquesas, we visited Baie Hakatea on the island of Nuku Hiva where local friends have always been generous with their fruit. We wanted to take as much as we could to the atolls where they cannot grow fruit as easily as in the verdant mountainous islands of the Marquesas. Pamplemousse and bananas make great gifts in the Tuamotus!

That one-day visit paid off as we departed with 50 pamplemousse, 3 stalks of bananas, about 100 limes, a dozen starfruit, 5 coconuts, basil, ginger, lemongrass, lots of small spicy peppers — all gathered in the pouring rain. 

Now we are on our way to the Tuamotus. Sailing has been slow so far — we’re making 4 knots in 7.5 knots of wind on a peaceful sea — but the wind is supposed to pipe up to 20-something in a day or two. It’s currently quite warm: 30 degrees C with puffy white trade wind clouds in the bright blue sky all around us. We’ve had dolphins accompanying us several times & we just passed through a bunch of booby birds & frigate birds fishing from the surface while the fish jumped all around the boat. Very cool!

Our destination in the Tuamotus is Amanu, a small island with only about 200 residents. There is no airport; it can only be visited by boat. It was one of our favorite atolls when we first visited it in 2008. We’re really looking forward to re-connecting with the people in Amanu since we have lots of good photos of them from 15 years before.

Upon arrival, we discovered that it has hardly changed at all except that the kids we knew before have all grown up. The people are very friendly & welcoming; Francois, the mayor, invites every visitor to dine at his home with his family, & the kids run to the quay to accompany us walking around the village. They also love to come out to Migration to play!

Manuia,
says ADR

Alone in East Amanu, Tuamotus…

26 April 2023

Kura Ora,

As much as we enjoy being in the village at Amanu, we also love hanging out all by ourselves out in the remote corners of the atoll…

Manuia,
says ADR

Amanu Spectacle, Tuamotus…

5 May 2023

Kura Ora,

Spectacle is the French word for an event or show. When the National Geographic ship ‘Orion’ came to visit, the locals pulled out all the stops. There was live music & the guests were given flower leis as they arrived. Then there was a procession through the village to the pass where the kids danced while the adults sang & played. The visitors were also given woven palm-frond hats & taught to weave one themselves. An eventful morning that we were happy to be part of!

Manuia,
says ADR

When I traveled abroad with a backpack for two years in the late ‘80s, the only possible way of corresponding with my family was via letters and post cards. They patiently awaited word from me and were always happy to know I was okay, but they had no way of writing back.

In the early 2000’s when I began cruising, email was an established form of communication that allowed us to correspond with each other — a vast improvement. My parents made a concerted effort to learn this new technology and it has allowed us to stay in touch even from some of the most remote places in the world (a special thanks to Ham radio operators worldwide who provided a network for sending and receiving email over HF radios). For decades, Mumfy, despite being a two-finger typist, has always taken the time to respond to my emails. She is a thoughtful correspondent, always commenting, asking interesting questions, and making parallels with her own life.

Her interest inspires me to share our life and take the time to reflect on how amazing the world is and how lucky I am to experience it from the deck of a sailboat.

We visited only 15 islands during the first of our two years in French Polynesia. There are so many more and we’ll cover our travel to some of the least visited islands in Part Two of our time in French Polynesia. Until then,

Be safe. Have fun.
says ADR

The post |32| Missives to Mumfy appeared first on Migrations.

November 2018 – April 2022
Written by Bruce & Alene in French Polynesia — October & November 2022

Primero y lo más importante, queremos darle nuestro más sincero agradecimiento a la gente y al gobierno de México por su calorosa hospitalidad y amabilidad durante los años de Covid.

First and most importantly, we want to give our heartfelt thanks to the people and government of Mexico for their warm welcome and kindness during the years of Covid.

Mexico by the Numbers

Wow, what a ride. México was a fiesta and a siesta. Mexico was hot desert, cold mountains. Mexico was teeming cities, isolated islands. Empty resorts to busy hotels. Long-term guests to months alone. Boogie boarding on abandoned beaches, soaring with giant mantas. Mexico had so many faces during our 3 years there. But always we were met with friendliness and kindness… even during the worst months of Covid.  How to measure our time in Mexico? Well, the best way to measure anything is to start with the numbers:

4 months we planned to stay in Mexico
41 months we actually were in Mexico
17 nautical miles sailed toward French Polynesia in 2019 before we turned back

We left California on 22 November 2018 expecting to spend 4 months in Mexico before heading to French Polynesia. How appropriate that it was Thanksgiving Day; we ended up having much to be thankful for during our time in Mexico. We say our lives are normally ruled by hurricane seasons and visas expirations. But 2019 to 2022 were not normal years. The reason is obvious for 2020 and 2021.

Why 2019?

We decided to let giant fish rule our lives. Here’s what we wrote to our families on the 5^th of May 2019:

Hi Everyone,

We left the Mexican mainland 3 weeks ago and arrived at San Benedicto Island in the Revillagigedos 3 days later. Since then, we have had some of the most amazing diving experiences of our lives. The Revillagigedos are known for their resident population of giant manta rays who happen to be very social and seem to enjoy being around humans. And it’s true! Over a one-week period at San Benedicto Island, we dove once or twice a day… each time with one, two, or three mantas who glided by so close we could have reached out and touched them. These are big mantas – some are 18 feet from wingtip to wingtip. 

Besides mantas, we also found turtles, plenty of sharks, lots of fish, and… dolphins!  Very playful dolphins that seemed to enjoy showing off their hunting techniques and swimming around us. Often there were whales outside the anchorage. Though we didn’t scuba dive with them, at Socorro Island we were able to snorkel with a mother humpback and her calf. It was awesome.

But the seasons are changing and it was time to get going on our 2,500 nautical mile voyage to the Marquesas. We left today at around noon, both of us excited about the passage and feeling that Migration was in good shape and certainly very well-provisioned. We headed southwest in a nice breeze. It was fine sailing. As we finished our late lunch on deck, I (BB) mentioned that I was sad we were leaving the Revillagigedos as we probably would never dive here again. I said I could almost stay in Mexico another year so we could come back. I’d mentioned this several times yesterday but Alene didn’t think I was serious. But now, upon realizing that I had meant it, it opened up a possibility she hadn’t really considered.  We discussed it for over an hour as we continued on our course for the Marquesas. We talked about the pros and cons. Made a list. Rated each pro and con. Added up the totals. Flipped a coin. Talked some more. And finally, turned the wheel and headed back north!

So tonight we are back at Socorro Island. We’ll stay a few more days here before heading to the mainland, then work our way north into the Gulf of California where we will spend the summer (the same place we spent our first summer together in 2006).  Early in 2020 we will return to the Revillagigedos and then, sometime in April, start off again for the Marquesas.

That is, unless we change our plans again…

Love to all,
BB & ADR
5 May 2019

And thus, we spun the wheel and turned around. We told ourselves we’d go to the Marquesas in 2020. But the world, as you know, had other plans.

5 trips to the Islas Revillagigedo
31 days sailing to or from the Islas Revillagigedo
18 weeks diving with giant oceanic mantas at the Islas Revillagigedo

Our visit to the Islas Revillagigedo changed our lives.

It’s true. No other place we have visited has changed our plans, focus, and level of happiness more than the Revillas.  The islands captured us and forced us to change course — to become different people.

We spent the majority of our time at Isla San Benedicto. This island’s stark volcanic beauty – it erupted in 1953 and is still mostly covered in ash — sits in intense juxtaposition to what lies beneath the sea at its feet. Much larger Isla Socorro is covered with vegetation and offers painted cliffs and striking vistas when anchored beneath its 1,150 meter (3,770 ft) volcanic peak.

But it is our time underwater at the Revillas that affected us most profoundly. Snorkeling and diving with magnificent sea creatures: whales, sharks, turtles, dolphins – but most especially our interactions with giant oceanic manta rays with 6 meter (20’) wing spans – is the reason we aborted our 2019 voyage to French Polynesia so we could do it again, and again, and again.

The Parque Nacional Revillagigedo was created by the Mexican government in 2017. It is the largest marine protected area in North America covering over 150,000 square kilometers (57,000 square miles). The national park was created to protect the unique species of the area by stopping the Mexican fishermen and foreign poachers from decimating the fish populations as well as killing sharks and mantas. Though Mexico does not have the necessary resources to patrol the entire area, the park designation has helped. The Mexican Navy’s presence on Islas Socorro and Clarion, the development of a tourism industry for divers, and the occasional visit from cruising sailboats, help to keep the poachers away… at least from the waters near the islands.

As I write this, over three and half years after our first visit to the Revillas in April 2019, we are still in awe of what we experienced there. Imagine you are hiking in a forest, come across a clearing, and sit down on a log to rest. Suddenly, out of the trees walks a full-grown bull moose. It is a wild animal that weighs almost 3/4 of a ton. Instead of attacking (you are intruding in its territory), or running away, it ambles over, lowers its head and clearly wants you to scratch it under the chin. After 30 or 40 minutes of scratching & silent communion, it strolls back into the trees leaving you with your mouth agape and wondering if that really did happen.

Replace the forest with the clear blue waters of the Revillas, the moose with a manta ray that weighs twice as much as the moose (nearly 2 tons!), and maybe this communicates a small sense of the astonishment of diving in this extraordinary locale. Though there were plenty of dives when we spotted no mantas, we had dozens of dives with giant rays that clearly sought us out (they can hear our exhalation bubbles) and swam with us just to be near us. Their big black eyes stared right into ours as they glided by majestically with hardly a movement of their great wings, often circling around us and back again for more time together. They were truly awesome in their beauty, and we were honored and astounded by their choice to socially interact with us.

It wasn’t just mantas that we saw while diving and snorkeling; we regularly had six different species of sharks in the water with us (tiger, hammerhead, Galapagos, silky, white tip, & silver tip), plus dolphins, turtles and the thousands of beautiful fish who seem to get ignored because of the presence of the larger, more charismatic species. Though we saw many whales on the surface, only once did one pass by when we were scuba diving… that was a very memorable dive!

We are at a loss for words that can do justice to this remarkable part of the world. The best we can do is try to share a little of the experience with our photos and videos.

Sharks

Happy divers

says ADR: Swivel-head Dives in the Revs (and Tiger Sharks!)

23 April 2019

Another awesome morning dive at the Pinnacle. We opted to go in the water later (0800) for better light, but still a very nice dive with one dolphin, mantas, & sharks. We’re grateful that the dive boat told us the best time to dive that area. And I don’t mind getting up early if it means diving with dolphins!

As we swam away from the boat (on the surface), BB was navigating us to the pinnacle with the compass, so didn’t see the manta that was swimming along underneath, about 30’ down. I began going in the wrong direction, trying to get a photo of the manta, & he called me back on track. It’s easy to get distracted by these beautiful mantas! He navigated us right to the pinnacle, & we hung around it for a while, but there were no dolphins — until suddenly there was one. I was pleased I had brought the camera for this dive, & I had set my computer for a 48’ alarm so that I wouldn’t exceed the 50’ depth restriction of the camera. When there are dolphins, it isn’t a hardship to stay above 50’ though, as the dolphins zoom all over the place, usually between 10 – 50’.

When the dolphin swam out of sight, I busied myself looking for octopus or taking photos of the fishes that we rarely give a second glance because there’s too much other amazing stuff to see. I also took a bunch of pics of BB in the beautiful clear blue water. Then a manta came by a couple of times. Then there was a hammerhead shark. Then another shark came quite close to BB. That’s always exciting. So all in all, a very satisfying morning dive.

We had about 2000 psi left after yesterday’s dive which we used for the today’s morning dive, then used a full tank for the afternoon dive. We’ve been doing really well conserving air, & often have enough for 2 dives on a tank.

We used the portable depth sounder to find a place to anchor to dive the Canyon in the afternoon. There were 2 dive boats out there, & when we asked where we could find the Canyon, one guy led us to the spot. We dropped the dinghy anchor & it held.

We descended to about 70’ (BB went to 85’ to move the anchor from rock to sand) & then we swam around a nice rock formation for about 15 mins. before a really big manta appeared. He swam right above us, clearly trying to get our bubbles to hit his underside. The first time he didn’t linger, but he came back & back again, more than a dozen times, & each time, he hovered right above us for longer & longer, enjoying the sensation of the bubbles tickling his belly. A couple of times we purged our regs to make more bubbles, but Jake on Socorro Vortex said they don’t like that as much — it’s too many bubbles. 

At one point, the manta came so close to us that BB’s head was almost hitting the manta’s underside. It was like having a spaceship hover above us, with the strange silhouette of the furled cephalic fins (the horns) creating such an odd outline. It’s clear that these mantas, as we’ve heard, really do enjoy hanging out with divers. This one clearly heard our bubbles, & came to us.

Now here’s the totally amazing part (as if it wasn’t already…!) Disclaimer: Don’t read this while eating… 

On the third pass, just after going over us, the manta pooped! Oh, yes. There’s no doubt that’s what it was. A huge brown cloud of sandy detritus was suddenly expelled, then further bits followed. And I was close enough to see that the manta’s large intestine (colon, rectum?) actually came a couple of feet out of its body to expel the matter. I could see the anus at the end of the colon contract with each expulsion. I can’t believe I actually saw this — the dive master who filled our tanks after that dive, who has been diving here for years, has never seen it. Each time we ascend, we just keep saying “wow!”, wow!!, WOW!!!” & shouting with elation at the spectacularity of it all. (We later emailed a top manta researcher whose work we have been supporting for many years and asked about this. She told us it is called an “intestinal inversion”; a rarely seen behavior mantas perform to clear out parasites.)

We also saw a couple of small sharks on this dive, but, as is so often the case here, the highlight was the manta encounter.

It probably sounds like we’re spending every waking minute diving, but we’ve only done 2 dives a day at the most, & on Easter, we didn’t dive at all. Just relaxed & colored eggs.

But between dives, there is still plenty to see. There is usually a silky shark or two & some jacks hanging out under Migration, & each time we throw food overboard (peelings, etc.) the sharks & jacks come to investigate. And at night, if we shine our strong spotlight into the water, the fish & sharks come to see what’s going on, & we get a good show — sometimes as many as half a dozen sharks. The silkies swim like sharks in the movies: with their dorsal fin out of the water. We rarely see that except when reef sharks are in very shallow water. 

• 

• 

Also, we spend a lot of time outside (eating, studying French, sewing or other projects), & we always have binocs handy. We often see humpbacks, pilot whales, & schools of dolphins just outside the anchorage. The birds usually tell us where we’ll find the action: booby birds of all sorts, including nazca boobies (my personal favorite), frigates, & terns.

At night, the hunting begins. We constantly hear splashing & thumps on the hull from fish being chased. Last night I had to rescue a big needle fish that landed in Plover! We also hear the dolphins coming up to breathe every night around the boat.

• 

• 

And the cinder cone keeps us busy cleaning up ash. The wind blows the ash everywhere, & when we return from a dive, we make a mud bath of the deck. All flat surfaces are covered with grit, even just after I clean them. But it’s totally worth it for the spectacular view we get to enjoy.

---

3 April 2021

We all dove together at Cabo Pearce after carefully placing the anchors of our four dinghies on the rocky portion of the reef. We were in the water by 0830, but we’ll have to dive earlier tomorrow because the dolphins that were on the surface when we arrived were gone by the time we got our gear on & began our dive.

This dive is pretty advanced: current flows over a very tall, narrow reef creating considerable surge & current that swirls around & changes constantly, so we all needed to be very aware. We held onto our anchor lines while descending to ensure we didn’t get swept away, but once we were behind the reef wall, the current abated somewhat, so we were able to stay in place without too much effort. I hovered at about 70’ for a long time scanning for the mantas who ply that area, but the only pelagic sightings were sharks, both hammerheads & white tips. There were lots of pretty fish flitting about on the reef, & since we needed to stay close to the reef to keep out of the current, I spent a long time studying the reef at close range. 

BB found a nudibranch, which is always appropriate around Easter, since looking for them is like an Easter egg hunt, particularly since they are usually very colorful!

After about 40 minutes & no mantas, we began our ascent & hung above the reef at about 50’.

Wait, what’s that? A flash of white!

I couldn’t believe it, but yes, an octopus, right out in the open! She was stretched over a head of coral, & when she moved, the webbing between her tentacles flashed white, then returned to a brownish-purple. I approached slowly. She stayed in place, watching my approach with those alien-like horizontal pupils. I had motioned to BB, making the universal hand signal for octopus, & pointed her out, for once not needing to point into the abyss of some crack or hole where he cannot distinguish much.

She moved a bit further from us, wary. But she did not hide. She remained in the open, watching us carefully. I extended a hand. She moved away a bit, but again, stayed out in the open, on top of the rocks. I tried once more – this time she did not move away, but I did not force my hand; I only hoped she might meet me halfway. She was still wary & did not extend a tentacle, but she was clearly curious. After about ten minutes of communing she did find a crack & squeeze into it, disappearing from view. 

I scanned for mantas (as always, when I’m not focused on an octopus) as we ascended another 10′. I swam around looking for the octopus, not really thinking I’d see her…

But there she was, back out in the open! 

Conveniently for us, she had moved to a spot higher on the reef which corresponded with our ascent. So again, we watched each other warily, but with considerable curiosity on both sides. I was able to get much closer with my hand, but by this time all our friends were in their boats & we had been underwater over an hour. We  knew that our friends waiting topside might be getting concerned, so we said adieu to the octopus, taking careful note of her location for future dives.

Woo-hoo! That’s our best octopus encounter while scuba diving ever. Whenever we find an octopus while snorkeling, I get frustrated at having to surface for air, so this was a real privilege to be able to just hang out & observe her color changes, & the changes in the texture of her skin. Simply fascinating.

I hope we can find her again….

After our phenomenal octopus encounter during the morning dive, I invited all the girls for a snorkel in the afternoon. Sarah & Anna joined me for an excursion snorkeling on the wall & off the point. They haven’t done much snorkeling in surf zones, so it was fun sharing with them the joy of swimming through the bubbles (like the mantas do!) for the tickling sensation & the feeling of flying through upside-down clouds. Watching surf crash underwater when you can be safe from it is truly beautiful. There were lots of pretty fish, the water was clear, & it was a nice outing with just the girls.

• 

• 

---

26 April 2021

We had a mind-blowing dive at Cabo Pearce today. 

We tended the dinghy at the surface while Ashley and Paul dived. After we picked them up we got in the water. 

We swam out along the reef to where there is a shark counter float at about 70′. The reef was pretty, but there wasn’t much activity, so we swam back against the current toward the landward end of the reef. We were headed for the Temple of Tallness (our moniker), which, we now realize, does not reach the surface as we previously thought, but is a tall pinnacle. We had learned from the other trimaran that it is a cleaning station for mantas, & sure enough, there was one manta being cleaned there. We watched the manta for a while, but did not move close. Then another came. Then another. At one point, we had four mantas in view all at the same time!

Definitely a swivel-head dive.

It was awesome to watch the continuous action. Ten or fifteen of the Clarion angelfish (the cleaner fish here) would swim out to meet the manta and go to work cleaning. The manta would hover, or sometimes swim slowly, & occasionally stop and slip backwards and down while being cleaned. 

Some mantas were completely absorbed in their spa experience while others were clearly curious about us. If they were into the spa treatment, we left them alone until they chose to come visit us. One chevron manta did over a dozen tight circles right around both of us right at eye level. Looking, looking – eye to eye. 

Once, when a manta passed close by us with a lot of cleaner fish, some of the Clarions defected & came to clean us! They bit at the zippers on the sleeves & legs of my wetsuit — I suppose, to a cleaner fish, those are the areas that would harbor parasites….

Because the mantas tended to stay more in one place than usual, we tried an experiment this dive:  We swam like a manta, flapping our arms slowly & gracefully like their wings, rolling our bodies from side to side & making banking turns as they do, & positioning ourselves for a belly-to-belly greeting when they came near. This brought some of the mantas closer than ever before — we definitely had their attention.

• 

• 

At one point I was at 45′ & BB was at 35′. We were about 20 feet apart & I was just floating in the blue. One black manta swam in tight circles about 10′ above me for five straight minutes, getting cleaned by the Clarion angelfish on his back, & having his belly massaged by my bubbles, just as though he was getting a full-on spa treatment. This led to my naming the area Magic Manta Mountain Spa. The whole experience was so over-the-top — almost like an amusement park.

It was glorious, incredible, & wonderful. We kept putting our hands on our heads & shaking our heads in disbelief.

Then a hammerhead swam by. That was surprising. We still point out the hammerheads to each other since they are still rather rare; however, we usually don’t bother to acknowledge the small white tips because they are so numerous!

After the hammerhead sighting, more mantas arrived. Not just for cleaning but to hang out with us and glide right up and over us. We must’ve spent quality time with at least 4 different mantas, & saw at least six. It was hard to keep track!

Then I saw a tiger shark off in the distance, in the surging bubbles of the reef. I pointed it out, but it was just a silhouette, & BB didn’t see it.

The mantas were still all around us. All different sizes, both black & chevron, 8′ to 12′ wing spans.

Then the tiger shark re-appeared much closer to us. He did one slow circle, then disappeared into the blue.

BB was getting low on air so he signaled that he was beginning his ascent. We moved away from the reef and ascended to 20′ for our safety stop.

And there was the tiger shark again. It circled us a couple of times, then moved away.

We’ve had sharks pass by us before, but not circle.

A minute later it was back. Now we were a bit nervous.

We moved close together, trying to make ourselves appear as large as possible. We instinctively put our feet out in front of us, & reminded ourselves to remain calm while our hearts began beating faster (which they can sense). We did not take our eyes off the shark. He circled and then turned. While looking at us with those black eyes, he swam — slowly — directly toward us.

It was hard to tell how big he was because we were floating in the blue with nothing for comparison. But we later guessed he was probably 11-12’. However, with tigers, it’s not the length that is most noticeable; it’s the bulk. It’s a very stout shark.

We were both a bit frightened, but we knew it was partly because we’ve both just finished reading a book about sharks Paul had loaned us that was a compilation of accounts of horrific shark attacks with grisly photos. 

Also, at the beginning of that dive, BB’s knife holder was falling off of his BC, so we took it off & left it in the boat. My knife is much smaller, but we got it out anyway. However, the lanyard was so short that it would be of no use in this situation. Of all the times to not have the bigger knife….

• 

The tiger shark veered off when it was about 15’ away from us.

Then a manta came! But we didn’t pay any attention as we were still completely focused on the shark. I signaled to cut our safety stop short & BB agreed. We surfaced, & while I kept a lookout below, BB inflated our safety signal. Luckily Paul was pretty close and zoomed over. We got in the boat quickly — our hearts beating fast.

We were so elated from our time with the mantas and the adrenaline of the shark, & our heads were so full of the entire dive experience that we could barely speak coherent sentences.

We know that we really had nothing to be scared of. Despite all the divers in the water, there has never been a shark attack out here. The tiger shark was just curious. But we’ve never been the object of a tiger’s curiosity before, & feeling so defenseless out in the blue without a reef at our back, well… it definitely made us nervous. 

Our heads are still buzzing from that dive & every so often, one of us will blurt out, “can you believe it??” or “how amazing was that???” or “that was such an awesome dive!!!”.

BB’s poem for today:

APOLOGY TO A TIGER SHARK

I am sorry I was frightened of you.
I know there was no need,
but the book I just read,
the photos...
movies…
Well, you know, it all just adds up.

But, of course, you don’t know.
You are just doing your thing.
You are curious.
We were the objects of your curiosity.

It was rude of us to be so nervous
when all you were doing
was having an afternoon swim 
through your neighborhood.

Perhaps it was profiling.
Stereotyping.
Whatever we are guilty of

Please forgive us.

And next time we are in the sea with you...

Please don’t eat us.

REV-ELATION! How the Islas Revillagigedo Changed My Life

The news of the 2016 presidential election was easy to follow when we were in Japan. Except for our time in the Aleutians, the remoter parts of Alaska and British Columbia, and some of the spots in California’s Channel Islands, during the next 2 years we usually had a mobile signal… and therefore a connection to the all-powerful internet and the… no, not 24/7 news cycle, but the 86,400 seconds/day news cycle. Much of the world, and in particular, the United States, has become obsessed with news. And since news has become entertainment, news now means bad news. As Hans Rosling said in his book Factfulness, no one reports on the thousands of flights every day that don’t crash.

I was able to keep close track of the downward spiral of our country under the previous anti-environment, climate change-denying administration that turned lies into normal speak, and childish tweets into accepted behavior from the most prestigious office in our country.

It wasn’t until we sailed to the Revillagigedos in 2019, and I was without internet for an entire month, that I realized I had been sucked down the same hole the rest of the country had already set up camp in.

Very suddenly… I was happy again.

The realization bloomed out of my head like a pop-art scene from the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. The world was beautiful and there was no need to remind myself every single day of the unkindness and despicable behavior of the president and half of our country’s voting population. It was still there, of course, and I was aware of it, but not drowning in the mountain of bad news, and the despair of the realization that so many of my fellow citizens approved of this miserable state of affairs. Being away from it allowed me to re-recognize the beauty of the natural world and experience happiness.

At the end of that month, I made a promise that when we again had access to the internet, I would only look at the news twice a week. Alene can vouch for the fact that I have kept my promise as she is often well-aware when Tuesdays and Fridays roll around; she senses my discontent, or rage, or despair.

So here’s a suggestion:

You try it. Turn off the news feed on your phone, tablet and computer. Only look at the news for a brief period two times a week. And for God’s sake, PLEASE, look at multiple sources of news. One of the reasons our county is in the fix we’re in is that people get their news from places that only reinforce their beliefs, never challenge them to look at an issue from another point of view, and play to their fears, bigotry, and hatreds. Social media platforms – Facebook in particular – are some of the worst offenders as they feed you what their powerful algorithms determine will keep you glued to the screen. However, television news and forwarded emails can be just as bad in narrowing your view.

Limit your news intake. Diversify your news sources.

It will make you happier. And it will do the country good as well.

I promise.

BB

P.S. I usually visit several of these websites on news day: BBC, Newsweek, NPR, USA Today, Reuters, Associated Press, New York Times, Al Jazeera, sometimes the Washington Post or The Guardian and, occasionally, when I’m feeling strong, Fox News.

Here is a respected, unbiased rating of the many popular news sources — check out where your news sources fall and decide if you are reading news that is fact or opinion.

Sailors: For another take on the internet and cruising, check out my October 2022 Cruising World article.

4 boatyard haulouts
8 months on the hard
6 months of boatyard work

In Japan in 2017 we hauled Migration and painted her bottom with Coppercoat; a more environmentally-friendly and longer-lasting antifouling coating than traditional bottom paints. It worked great until we got to the warmer waters of southern California and Mexico. And so began our arduous Coppercoat ordeal. One of the benefits of Coppercoat is that it is supposed to last for 10 years. We thought we would avoid hauling Migration for a long time because it’s often difficult to find a yard that will haul a boat so wide, but it was not to be. To be fair, we found several structural problems we needed to deal with, but each time we hauled, we continued our Coppercoat experiment. You can read more about it if you are interested.

Too much time in the boatyard. Too much time sanding. Too much time repairing. But, as we always say, better to find the problems now than out at sea. Thank goodness for the help of good friends with amazing boatbuilding skills: Russell Brown and Milton Sanders… we love you!

FOR SAILORS: Should you haul out at Astilleros Cabrales in Puerto Peñasco?

Astilleros Cabrales in Puerto Peñasco has received a lot of attention in recent years as they’ve pivoted toward servicing cruising boats and not just the local shrimp boat fleet.  However, though the yard is often represented as being a fantastic place, it may not be the paradise it is sometimes made out to be. I think it’s important to have all the information possible before choosing a location to haul your boat and this is my attempt to provide another perspective to help people make informed decisions.

Here are a few of the problems that existed at Cabrales when we hauled in 2019, some of which still exist today.

1. STEEL vs. FIBERGLASS AND WOOD: Cabrales has decades of experience hauling 100 ft. shrimpers, but they didn’t seem to understand the difference between those tough steel ships and cruising sailboats. Several boats we know were damaged while being hauled, launched, or moved. When our trimaran was moved to the storage yard, the lift driver began to release the slings before there were any supports on the outer hulls. Luckily the ground crew saw what was happening and stopped him before the boat fell on her side. Along those same lines, we nearly sustained extensive damage when we were launched. The driver had not lined the lift correctly over the ways so he began to tilt the boat sideways to make her fit. If we hadn’t demanded the driver stop — by shouting as loud as possible over the roar of the ancient travel lift — things would have turned disastrous. Even so, we sustained stress fractures in many areas. That said, they’ve hauled hundreds of boats since 2019 and one would assume they are better now than they were then. Nonetheless, if your boat is “non-standard” (like our trimaran), I would give careful consideration to their level of experience.
2. MISSING INFRASTRUCTURE: The infrastructure of the yard was not (and still is not) designed to support the number of boats and people who haul out there. One by one, the showers and toilets became inoperative. Power was often spotty. In later years there were burglaries, the yard was swamped with sewage, and simply finding a ladder to climb onto your boat was sometimes impossible. Even now (2022), over 3 years on, we just received an email from close friends saying “Resources like stairs, ladders and sawhorses are thin and the water/toilet situation is a problem at least once a week.” Given the hundreds of boats that have been through the yard over the last 4 years, it seems strange that so many of these problems still exist. Addressing them is clearly not a priority for the owners.
3. EMPTY PROMISES AND UNSKILLED LABOR: Though we try to do most of our boatwork ourselves, we really appreciate the benefit of local labor for jobs like sanding the bottom. Promises of available yard labor were often just that. Additionally, I would not hire the yard to do any skilled work… they don’t have the expertise. However, when we did get yard labor for sanding, the prices were very reasonable. We wouldn’t recommend going there expecting to have the yard do a lot of work for you, regardless of what is promised.

So why don’t you read much about these problems? For boats that plan to return, the last thing they should do is criticize the yard publicly; it’s a sure way to have a bad experience when you haul out again. But why return?

There are a number of reasons.  The prices are reasonable, it’s extremely convenient to the USA (for travel and parts), and you can do your own work. Some people may fall into the “devil you know…” syndrome. Also, many new cruisers are advised to go there and have never been to another yard in Mexico so may not know better. And it’s north of the hurricane zone. Lastly, the community of cruisers is very strong. People get together to help each other and hang out after a hard day in the yard. Having others to complain about the problems to, and who understand the complaints firsthand, goes a long way toward making boatyard life bearable.

Sailors also have short memories for the miserable part of sailing life. If we didn’t, we probably wouldn’t go back to sea after a bad storm. We let the wonderful experiences take precedence over the misery. That’s a great thing.

No yard is perfect, that’s for sure. And you can find horror stories about nearly every yard if you look hard enough. If you are a hands-on, DIY, boatyard person who needs little outside assistance or labor, Cabrales might be the place for you. Or if you just want to store you boat for the summer. A lot depends on your expectations. In my opinion, Cabrales still has a way to go to deserve the hype it has been lucky enough to receive.

Wherever you haul out, here’s hoping you’re back on the water quickly.

9 months exploring the Sea of Cortez

When we originally thought our decision to stay in Mexico would be for only a year, we were excited that we could spend the summer in the Gulf of California – also known as the Sea of Cortez.

In 1983, when I (BB) was 24, I sailed to Mexico as crew on an old Piver Trimaran. The owner got sick and left me and my friends alone on the boat until he could return. It was here that I fell in love with cruising and knew it was the life I would someday lead. During those weeks, we met a cruising couple who had just finished a circumnavigation. They seemed ancient — but were probably the age I am now. They were so experienced, had been to so many places, sailed so many miles. We sat in their cabin one night listening to their stories; I was riveted. I will always remember them saying that the Sea of Cortez was one of their favorite places in all the world.

Though Alene & I have not circumnavigated, we have sailed a combined 122,000 or so nautical miles. And we definitely agree with them. The Sea is a magical place. The Baja is the 2^nd longest peninsula in the world with towering mountain ranges and the sea is deep — over 3,000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet); the dry desert is adjacent to the sea, the cold and warm currents, the blazing sunsets – these all combine to create a unique and powerful environment that one would have to work hard to not fall in love with. The Sea does not usually grab you and shake you and force you to pay attention…it slips in through your eyes, ears — into your soul — and invites you to pay attention to one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

says ADR: Caves, Burblings, & Nighttime Gurglings

August 6, 2019

We headed for the very small bay at the top of Isla San Marcos today & were pleased to discover that it’s a place we visited together in 2006 when we were first sailing together. We both recognized the caves on the shore as we pulled in. It’s a spot we remember fondly — one of our favorites in the Sea of Cortez.

After setting the anchor, we got in the water & snorkeled thru the wonderful arches, tunnels, caves, caverns, & swim-thrus along the shoreline discovering little hidey-holes & secret pockets in the rocks because it’s very porous. There is a cavern with a hole in the ceiling, grottoes where the wave action makes thumps & burblings & musical sounds in the holes in the rocks, a spot where you can swim under a wall of rock in only about 2’ of water, a narrow swim-thru filled with lovely red sea fans, & many places where you can look through a hole in the rock to the green water on the other side, filled with fish. And there are so many fish! Mostly sergeant majors of all sizes (including tiny baby ones in the shallows), but also trigger fish, king & cortez angelfishes, mullet, & hawkfish (good eating).

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Seeing those good eating fish had us getting our spear gun out, especially since we’ve caught nothing trolling, but we haven’t used the gun for so long that it needs some maintenance before use. But we still have a big bag of chocolata clams hanging off the stern, so we’re not short of seafood.

We love having an anchorage to ourselves. It’s so tranquil with no one else around. We put the cockpit cushions out on deck & watched a movie in the moonlight, then slept out under the stars. Delightful.

Because it’s so quiet, each night we hear the animals around us, both in the air & the water. Last night I heard a whale passing by; I could hear it breathe about every minute – surprisingly loud in the quiet of the night. And there were two pelicans fishing in the dark because they can see the fish in the bioluminescence, which has been very strong lately. The other night we heard a group of dolphins fishing under & around the boat – they sure make a lot of noise, splashing about & breathing every few seconds with that popping sound. We can also hear lots of fish activity; things coming up from the deeper water to eat whatever’s at the surface, making many snapping, gurgling & bubbling noises. And then, of course, there’s the popcorn sound of mobulas fwapping down onto the water after going for a flight. They fwop & fwap all night long, but no one is sure exactly why they jump…