Helen: ok, looks like I spoke too soon. No big boat shaped birthday present for me. Boo hoo. We packed up all our worldly possessions (alright, I packed them, and then got in trouble from you know who for not having packed 'properly'), we shiped them over to our new boat (took two dinghy rides - we had even picked out a name for her), and then we spotted a problem that would probably involve taking the mast off (expensive in both time and money). So we were swithering about whether to buy the boat anyway, and then about 2 hours before we were due to go meet the owner to move her to take her out of the water to buy her, we ended up having tea on another boat where the owner said 'oh, for a bit more you could have bought my boat' - which is gorgeous and full of equipment and spares (and a sewing machine and a welder). We thought that was too good an opportunity to pass up so agreed to buy it there and then, went to tell the French guy that the first deal was off (you keeping up?) and then yesterday morning owners of boat number 2 said their boat was for sale...but not til Fiji. Which is too late for C. It would only make sense if we kept the boat for at least another season, as Fiji is pretty much the end of the Pacific route - the only place people go from there is Aus or NZ. So...we have to decide if we want to be serious long term live aboard cruisers or not. I'm really missing having a base, but C says he wants a motorbike shaped adventure soon instead...
But, besides all this, now we're off Nomad (yey!) our immediate problem is getting a god damn bond to prove to the immigration people that we will leave when our visa is up. Not a problem when you're on a boat, but now that we're land lubbers for a while, it's a problem. And the bank won't take our money. So we called our bank in the UK and have been fighting with admistrative morons ever since. Looks like we'll have to buy plane tickets instead, which is expensive cos they don't refund the tax you have to pay. ARRRGGGGHHHH. Oh well, at least we're not at work!! (I said this in the travel agents just now...realised it wasn't such a good thing to say to the poor lady still stuck at her desk).
So, we've had a roller coaster of a few days - I'm sure everyone in the marina thinks we're totally flaky as every time they see us we have a different plan! C changes his mind more frequently than he changes his pants. But, things are beginning to settle now - we're staying with our frineds on Gaviota, which is lovely, and we have several options for crewing to NZ to consider - wish we had our own boat though as I'm pretty much fed up with living on other people's schedules. Ho hum. Looks like the most likely two choices we have are crwing on a J160 (fancy luxurious fast boat) or doing a delivery on a large cat - neither of which is really that bad!!
Who knows, by next week we might be going to travel home from Tahiti by donkey and waterski. ??
Love H & Cxx
Thursday 26 June 2008
Monday 23 June 2008
Un grand cadeau
Helen: Well...it appears that we might have just gone and bought ourselves a boat!! She's a lovely little (and we mean little - she's only 30ft) French aluminium boat. We're taking her out of the water on Weds and, as long as there aren't any big probs (which we're not expecting) then she'll be ours!! She doesn't have much gear though, so looks like we have lots of shopping to do (and lots of begging and borrowing from other folk - we are so in debt at the karma bank just now!!). Will write more soon to keep you posted. Would be a pretty cool birthday pressie for us both though!!
H and Cxx
H and Cxx
Tuesday 17 June 2008
The Big Smoke
Helen: Feeling v old just now - we hiked across Tahiti today and yesterday and now everything aches. Knees, feet, hips, shoulders. C only turned 30 three days ago and it already feels like we're falling apart - that's what 6 months on a boat does for your fitness! My big 30 is in less than 2 weeks - dreading it on the one hand (there was so much I wanted to do before 30....) but on the other hand, my Mummy has sent me a birthday package with Marmite in it, so it can't be all bad.
We really like Tahiti. It's big and noisy and full of people, but it has a certain charm. Once you get over the initial shock of traffic jams, sirens and industrial estates (which was a considerable shock after months on near deserted tropical islands) it's great to be back in civilisation - fast internet connections, bars (although the beer is as expensive as ever) and a real buzz about the place as everyone's gearing up for Heiva (the Polynesian version of Bastille Day - a big holiday here as it's a French territory) which is 2 weeks worth of celebrations. For C's b'day we through caution to the wind and had 3 beers, went to a traditional dance display, had steak and chips at the local kebab van and then rum and limes on Andreas' boat - C woke up with a stonking hangover the next day as we've been nearly tee-total for months now - the booze is so expensive that you just can't afford anything nice - our skipper drinks 'Chateau aux Carton' but I just can't bring myself to do it - it's worse than paint stripper. (Speaking of which, apparently you shouldn't eat Chinese produced food stuffs just now - loads of people died in C America recently becasue of Chineese produced toothpaste with antifreeze in it!!)
Right, gotta go - will write again soon
Hx
PS have to tell you about Don and Marcy - an American couple in their late 50s who are crew on another boat here - they're great and they came hiking with us yesterday. They have so many stories and are the only people we know who can drop things like 'that time when I got arrested in Venezula' or 'after I got shot the second time' into conversations! What a hoot... Hope we have stories to tell when we're all grown up...
We really like Tahiti. It's big and noisy and full of people, but it has a certain charm. Once you get over the initial shock of traffic jams, sirens and industrial estates (which was a considerable shock after months on near deserted tropical islands) it's great to be back in civilisation - fast internet connections, bars (although the beer is as expensive as ever) and a real buzz about the place as everyone's gearing up for Heiva (the Polynesian version of Bastille Day - a big holiday here as it's a French territory) which is 2 weeks worth of celebrations. For C's b'day we through caution to the wind and had 3 beers, went to a traditional dance display, had steak and chips at the local kebab van and then rum and limes on Andreas' boat - C woke up with a stonking hangover the next day as we've been nearly tee-total for months now - the booze is so expensive that you just can't afford anything nice - our skipper drinks 'Chateau aux Carton' but I just can't bring myself to do it - it's worse than paint stripper. (Speaking of which, apparently you shouldn't eat Chinese produced food stuffs just now - loads of people died in C America recently becasue of Chineese produced toothpaste with antifreeze in it!!)
Right, gotta go - will write again soon
Hx
PS have to tell you about Don and Marcy - an American couple in their late 50s who are crew on another boat here - they're great and they came hiking with us yesterday. They have so many stories and are the only people we know who can drop things like 'that time when I got arrested in Venezula' or 'after I got shot the second time' into conversations! What a hoot... Hope we have stories to tell when we're all grown up...
Monday 9 June 2008
Rangiroa
Helen: Rangiroa is the worlds second biggest coral atoll - apparently. At the moment though, its grey and rainy instead of lush and tropical. There are lots and lots of palm trees, turquoise water in the lagoon, dolphins and white sandy beaches - but to be honest it doesnt look that much different from Scilly on a good day!
Our yacht is anchored just off a swanky hotel - the sort of place where London bankers come on honeymoon. I felt v scruffy when C and I traipsed through their reception hall with several black bags full of dirty washing the other day - Im sure thats not what the guests were expecting for their 400 quid a night!!
Weve been diving once already (there isnt much else to do!!) and saw dolphins, lots of fish and a shark - not sure I want to see them any closer though! Was v strange as we swam away from the reef to see the dolphins - first time weve been in 'the Big Blue' - easy to see how people get disoriented and cant tell which way is up... Unsurprisingly, our skipper didnt want to come diving with us - hes barely been off the boat - seems like such a shame...
Today weve hired bicycles - its a brilliant place to ride as its totally totally flat - the highest things on the island are the palm trees, which is why this was a v dangerous place to sail and navigate until the advent of GPS. You can see most islands from 20/30 miles away, but these atolls arent visible til about 3 miles...
The winds pretty strong just now which makes getting into and out of the atol through a narrow pass quite tricky - looks like well be here for a few more days - there are worse places to be stranded! Id like to visit the local vinyard - no kidding - there is a vinyard here - but C says we should wait til NZ. We did take a trip to a pearl farm though - v interesting. Oh, and we spent last night at a German film evening! C even managed to keep up with the conversation and slipped in his favourite phrase which served him well in GCSE oral exams but is a complete lie 'Ich bin einzelkind'...
OK, as ever, have to go - post office about to close. But, this connection has been better than most and we have managed to get a few more photos onto our Flickr site. Enjoy§
Lots of love
H and Cxx
PS we think its about time to move on from boat 5, so if anyone knows anyone whos looking for crew from Tahiti to NZ do let us know.....
Our yacht is anchored just off a swanky hotel - the sort of place where London bankers come on honeymoon. I felt v scruffy when C and I traipsed through their reception hall with several black bags full of dirty washing the other day - Im sure thats not what the guests were expecting for their 400 quid a night!!
Weve been diving once already (there isnt much else to do!!) and saw dolphins, lots of fish and a shark - not sure I want to see them any closer though! Was v strange as we swam away from the reef to see the dolphins - first time weve been in 'the Big Blue' - easy to see how people get disoriented and cant tell which way is up... Unsurprisingly, our skipper didnt want to come diving with us - hes barely been off the boat - seems like such a shame...
Today weve hired bicycles - its a brilliant place to ride as its totally totally flat - the highest things on the island are the palm trees, which is why this was a v dangerous place to sail and navigate until the advent of GPS. You can see most islands from 20/30 miles away, but these atolls arent visible til about 3 miles...
The winds pretty strong just now which makes getting into and out of the atol through a narrow pass quite tricky - looks like well be here for a few more days - there are worse places to be stranded! Id like to visit the local vinyard - no kidding - there is a vinyard here - but C says we should wait til NZ. We did take a trip to a pearl farm though - v interesting. Oh, and we spent last night at a German film evening! C even managed to keep up with the conversation and slipped in his favourite phrase which served him well in GCSE oral exams but is a complete lie 'Ich bin einzelkind'...
OK, as ever, have to go - post office about to close. But, this connection has been better than most and we have managed to get a few more photos onto our Flickr site. Enjoy§
Lots of love
H and Cxx
PS we think its about time to move on from boat 5, so if anyone knows anyone whos looking for crew from Tahiti to NZ do let us know.....
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