April 29, 2014
Vaiare - Moorea (French Polynesia)
S 17°30.468 - W 149°45 838
Moorea is a beautiful island, even on a chart. It's heart-shaped, with 2 big notches to the north (Opunohu and Cook's Bay.) Vaiare is Moorea's main harbor and town, 12 NM from Papeete harbor: ferries, shopping and ATM in town. There is also a marina but you'd be hard-pressed to find a spot. If you so desire, contact Papeete's harbormaster. There are 2 main anchorage areas, on each side of the passe. We decided to follow the advice of the local yachtie "Ratafia" from Freres de la Cote and anchor north of the pass, close to the PGEM marker. There are also 3 mooring buoys for smaller yachts, 1st-come, 1st serve. But I must say that when the Ma'aramu started to gust from the SE on our last night, I was on anchor watch: not for our own anchor, but for the boats on mooring balls that were swinging into us, just a few yards off our bow. A word on this anchorage: the current can be swift at the WP indicated above, coming from the north, and when the Ma'aramu starts blowing from the SE, you're in a wind-against-current situation: DOMINO sat cross-current and on top of her anchor... not a comfortable situation for most yachts.
Oh! The color of the water! Sapphire blue, gin-clear... imagine a bottle of Bombay gin with Lady Di's sapphire ring at the bottom. The white-sand bottom is covered with a black weed, the water runs fast and clear with the current, and all this contributes to the most stunning water I've ever seen. Seriously! I spent hours just sitting there and staring at the measly 5 meters under our hulls... it's not quantity, it's quality!
It's a 10-mn dinghy ride (when the ma'aramu isn't blowing) from that anchorage to the ferry dock, so JP gathered our little family and we had ourselves a great weekend, never going to shore! While flocks of "meduses" were invading Moorea's beaches and the authorities had decided to close all beaches, the reef side was clean.
It looks like the PGEM (Management Plan for Marine Environment) in Moorea is bearing fruit. The reef in Vaiare is very healthy, vibrant, with lots of life. Just take a swim and enjoy, don't gather the wildlife, no fishing on the reef side.
4/28 - The kids went wild, jumping off the platform for hours, kayaking and swimming... and, yes, doing their homework and practicing their violin. They're very much at home on board DOMINO... we're thinking of putting them to work when it's time to paint... but again, maybe not!
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| Tahitian Tifaifai, reversed applique, entirely hand-stitched. Here: Tiare Crown, in traditional red-and-white I'm in heaven! |
On Monday, I took the early ferry to Papeete to visit the "Salon du Tifaifai." But that's a story for the next blog. When JP picked me up again in the late afternoon, the Ma'aramu was blowing at 25 knots, he was soaked from the dinghy ride and we had a rather anxious night, exposed as we were to the SE winds. Time to seek shelter to the north, back to Cook's Bay!
Till Next time...
dominomarie