what day is it??

We have to look to see what day it is: our time in French Polynesia is such a blur, with one wonder after another.

Yesterday we left Maupiti after a FABULOUS layover where we went biking, snorkeling, swimming, dinghy riding, kayaking; ate, drank, relaxed; and repeated it all over again.

Today (Wed.) finds us in Raiatea - having stopped at the base last night to replenish our water and provisions (mainly beer & wine) and have our generator looked at. Shortly we will leave for Huahine to meet up with Liz Clark (www.swellvoyage.com) ... everyone is doing well, havinga great time - too darned busy having fun to write or pirate wifi so  remember: no news is good news!! Look at KC Matlock's FB for pix, I will post more hopefully tonight! 

~ Betsy  

GREMLINS OR GUIDES?

Bora Bora! We arrived at this famed island after a gorgeous sail from Taha'a. The departure from which was spectacular, as we shot through the pass in the coral reef: with massive waves breaking on either side of us. 

Thursday we'd had a wonderful morning (it started early with 7AM departure from our anchorage - which meant arising at 6 to get the coffee etc rolling - to get to Alain and Christina's by 8) Alain packed so much into the 5 hour 'Vanilla Tour' which in fact covered the entire island; the history, heritage, plant origins and medicinal purposes ... all delivered in a gentle velvety French accent. It was magnifique!

The rest of the afternoon we lounged, napped, shopped (at Sophie Boutique) kayaked,  cocktailed - all from our 47' catamaran HUDSON ..  It was another super day.

This morning we had a more leisurely pace, but still were off by 8AM for our departure to Bora Bora. The sail was beautiful, uneventful (in a good way) and after eyeballing Mai Kay Marina (which was packed) we came to Bora Bora Yacht Cllub where we tied up for water (alas the ice was gone) then picked up a moring, and mostly lounged, swam, laughed a good deal, before dinner at BBYC.

SO much is going on and at such a nonstop pace of wonder after wonder after wonder, i have little time digest and write.  

Ironically, I am having technological issues ... I think I've killed the Canon Rebel for good. 

Yes, I admit I am a camera killer: i have hard on them. But it simply doesn't want to work. I've tried new cards, batteries, etc - I htink it is tired after so much rough traveling here & there. But I have my backup camera ... althoug that one does not want to charge: not via my laptop, not plugged directly into the wall, etc.

So I am wondering how Im supposed to 'work' - do take pictures for the guest and for articles and for my blog and .wonder also, is this some sort of sign that I'm not supposed to be shooting? Bizarre. I am trying not to let it get to me, becuase if I do I will totally wig out.

Been cooking and cleaning a lot and had a tiring day. Breakfast & lunch aboard (plus cleanup), mooring, docking, refilling water, dumping trash, remooring, did a bucket of laundry,and when the dinghy didn't fire up, paddled the boat to BBYC. So fairly exhausted - as I should be at 11:30 I suppose, so good night OX 

SATURDAY

Another fun day following a fairly sleepless night. The cat swung wildly on her mooring as rain squalls pummeled through. In the crew quarters - accessible only by a top hatch - this means you are trapped: unless you choose to fling open the big hatch, exposing youself and your bunk to the torrents of rain, dash across the deck to the salon, and check hatches. Instead tonight, I dogged my hatch and hoped that everyone would fend for themselves. They did.

We did a foray into town today: souvenir shopping for some, a light & early lunch, but for me more grocery shopping. This is a fascinating hobby: grocery shopping in foreign lands. It is always a mystery to see what they do and don't eat in other cultures, and other peculiarities: like the lack of eggs in French Polynesia. Presumably a bout of salmonella led the islanders to slaughter all their hens, so we cannot get any oeufs. 'Makes certain types of baking - and my planned Mother's Day quiche & brunch - a bit impossible. We'll make do. 

We got a r/t lift from Bora Bora YC (charming new management) downtown, then returned to the cat, stowed all thenew provisions (and massive quantities of beer & wine) then headed sw to an anchorage off a motu where the surroundings and snorkeling were amazing. Where the channel ended the cobalt water was streaked with neon greens and electric blues ... we did a little swimming in the shadow of Bora Bora's famed silhouette, then headed to Bloody Mary's for a big Saturday night ... closed! Impossible! We had nine crazy women ready to dance on the tabletops but for some unannounced reason it was not open.

Instead we had bbq'd tuna (we got from some fishermen late yesterday: marinated with wine and herbs, and dressed with a wasabi mayonaisse) plus fried rice with freshly stir fried veggies. We have been fairly well fed: breakfast and lunch or dinner each day, plus cocktail hours ... I try each day to get a jump on whatever meal(s) we are going to serve aboard and honestly, the prep and cooking and cleaning up can be exhausting. But tonight, as everyone howled around around the table, and the revelry continued on the foredeck where these women - many strangers until this trip - laughed and joked and really connected, makes it worthwhile. Although my writing is suffering ... and my photography nil (I looked into buying a new camera in town: a cheapie Nikon Coolpics would be 350K CFP - roughly $400 US: forget it! So funny: how my goal was to write and shoot and here I am, hands tied as far as doing either. Well how nice.

Just 10PM but we hope to leave for Maupiti tomorrow: weather permitting. No news is good news, I suppose!

XOXO 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!  

DAWN CHORUS (MONDAY)

My friend Jane recently wrote about the dawn chorus (www.ecology.com) and there is no better place to experience this I'm convinced, than our bungalows on Raiatea - where the peculiar scratching and clacking (of crabs?) in the dark of night is but a prelude to the racket of birds welcoming the new day: each adding their own distinctive voice to the choir - a crazy unscripted yet perfect harmony of morning song surrounding our quirky cabin 20 feet from the satin smooth waters of Sunset Beach, where I'm watching the day turn from slate to pink to Tuesday with the rising sun.

There was no question last night, about why this is called the Sunset Beach Hotel (a collection of funky but more-than-adequate sleeps-five circa-60s cabins with spacious decks and lawns jammed with fruit and flower trees galore). We had a perfect westward view of the fiery sun as it set alongside Bora Bora -the clouds in the hills behind us turning rosy and bold, the sky streaked red and gold and grey, reflected in the still waters of the lagoon. Time froze as we stopped everything to watch and applaud the end of another great day.

It began in Papeete -in a mild rush to (re) pack, return the car, board the plane for Uturoa, simultaneously 'ahhhhh' as we approached the isle; were met at the tiny open airport by the charming strapping Moana who shuttled us to the market for more baguettes (and booze) and then the bungalows on our private beach. It was heaven.

We had a potluck picnic on our deck, swam, snorkeled... KC did a little surgery on Barb (who skimmed one of the many spiny black urchins along the reef). Tina and I followed the path through a canopy of flowers to the 'office' where a cluster of lifejackets, snorkel gear and other odds and ends lived, to pick up some paddles, then back past the trio of parakeets, grabbing some bananas and pomelos from a table labeled 'help yourself' - we kayaked over the crystal clear waters while others chatted and napped. Later, as we enjoyed frosty (expensive) Hinanos and Original Tahiti Drink(s) the Pacific Voyagers sailed by! What a thrill to see them - as I last saw them at Cabrillo Beach (LA) nearly a year ago: these hardy and lovely eco-warriors are sailing the Pacific Rim to boost awareness about the environment and Polynesian culture. We all stood - as if to salute them - until they had journeyed 'round the point and were no longer in sight. (See a story about their mission also at www.ecology.com and the April issue of SAILING magazine.)

That night we rallied for dinner at Les Voiles d'Or - a delightful restaurant at the nearby marina, where an impromptu band performed the same songs over and over. "Dancing Cheek to Cheek" was playing as I entered the room: with its low slung ceilings, the music, the tepid air embracing your skin - it was decidedly romantic, and old feelings surfaced but I let the warmth of the night and my friends swallow me up; and the laughter - as we tried to communicate with our jolly waiter Pascal and met the sailing team (conspicuous in their matching royal blue polos) from Poland at one of only three or four occupied tables. We capped the night of beaucoup Bordeaux with coconut creme brulee and called it an early night: Tuesday we re-pack (oh for the final time for two weeks: hallelujah!!) and set sail with Dream Yacht Charters.

At present a portly blackbird with a bright yellow beak is chiding me - "tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk!" - telling me, I supposed, it's time for me to start my day too. More dispatches will follow as wifi permits: we leave for Taha'a today.

ADDENDUM - TUESDAY

The drudgery of the first day (packing & moving your stuff. waiting to board the boat. the time involved checking out the boat and reviewing the charts. provisioning. stowing, etc. while everyone is just so damned eager to  off the dock!) was amplified by the fact we 'lost' a cart of groceries. In their haste to get us out the door (it is a holiday celebrating the day the US liberated France, we were told) they started checking us out while we shopped, so each time we filled one of the little carts, we wheeled it to the cashier, she rang it up, boxed it, and it was lugged out to the pickup we subsquently climbed in the back of, and jounced to the marina. Eventually we realized some things were missing, and in a last-minute dash Holly & KC went to the market while I stuffed things in various cubbies ~ we finally, finally got underway - made it to the anchorage off the eastern shore of Taha'a, ate slow cooked (unintentionally, with our charcoal bbq) steaks, salad more baguette, champagne which Owen contributed for a toast and now at last AHHHHHHHHHHHHhh we get to go to sleep!! 

WEDNESDAY

Spectacular day!

We left our anchorage just north of Passe Toahatu (after a quick swim- jump in anywhere and the water is delightful and snorkeling worthwhile) and cruised around the north end of Taha'a sightseeing. We stopped just off a trio of motus where a brisk stream of water runs over a spectacular coral grove. Anchor set, we all started piling into the dinghy - only to discover we (9 of us) didn't all fit! So KC and I kayaked while the others dinked past a cluster of high-rent cabins on stilts perched over crystal clear aquamarine waters. At the entrance to the Coral River (near a wooden sign decorated with sea shells, titled "Jardin Corail") a local gentleman amusedly okayed us bringing our boats ashore. He showed us a pen where he had a black tip shark and held it - thrashing - while we admired its strength and beauty. wed (we were thinking tangs and pretty coral) we traipsed the length of the islet to the edge nearest the reef, donned masks and fins, and entered anyway: begining a most amazing snorkelling experience. From the get-go it was like being immersed in an aquarium: with a shocking abundance of brilliant friendly fishes ... we were swept along with the current: at times making quick jogs or retreating against the current, to stay in waters just deep enough to avoid the corals and urchins. Woe is me being a girl with a generous bow: I was convinced at various shallow parts the length of my body would be swept with fire coral or needlepointed with spiny urchins - alas we negotiated the length of the river unscathed, and in utter amazement. We kayaked / dinghied back, pulled up anchor and proceeded a wee bit futher south, at an anchorage off Chez Louise.

A delightful few hours with nothing to do ... we followed by our assemby and shuttle (two loads) to the very tentative docks at Chez Louise. Her daughter Maina hosted us, we alone at water's edge, with geckos scurrying the tables and posts (including one who hopped from the water bottle to Jane's dinner plate). Maina brought out a beamy split bamboo laden with lobster, shrimp, mahi, and poisson cru - all dripping with butter; and a partner bamboo stuffed with baguette and rice. To keep them from rolling she propped these 'serving platters' with Hinano bottle caps. Vin blanc and vin rouge kept our feast company and we toasted "manuia" (?) "cheers" ... What a delicous memorable meal in an unforgettable setting. After we were sated we loaded the dindgy and ventured across the blackened channel to our yacht. Ironically her name is Hudson :-) after my favorite river, oh so many miles away. Tiny bits of bioluminescence twinkled in the water: but they were no match for the spect=acular stars that spotted the sky.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we will start EARLY: pulling up anchor by 7 (!) for a half-day tour of the inland of Taha'a: the vanilla plantations and other inland farms and preserves. After that we plan to spend the night and head to Bora Bora, and later Maupitu (if conditions continue to be favorable).

Our internet access has been ... nil. Hence the stacked up dispatches. Remember: no news is good news :-)

Swimming beneath the waterfall ...

It took my breath away: swimming beneath the towering waterfall at Papenoo (Les Tres Cascades de Faarumai) but my new friends - 11 year old cousins from Papeete - had coaxed me in, and I obliged. The water was cold (Il fait froid!) but the warmth of these budding Tahitian beauties too much for me to resist. Hazel urged me closer to the waterfall and the refreshing downdraft we enjoyed at the footbridge became a weight: a heavy drum of icy vapor barreling down from on high. It was breathtaking - literally. 

The Mahalo Sailing Wahines had a wonderful day - jealous of Trisha's pre-planned island tour, the rest of us decided to pitch in and rent a car (a clumsy van as white as us haoles, which only once did we have to push off the black sand beach) circumnavigating the islands of Tahiti and Tahiti Iti ... too much to say in one dispatch. But from our hikes to waterfalls and a delightful swim shared with a local Tahitian family - to a foray at famed Teahupoo beach where we watched Polynesian moms & dads teaching their little 'fingerlings' (some just toddlers!) how to boogie board on knee-high waves (with utter glee!) - collecting spring water roadside - watching the sun set behind Moorea: its sharp grey silhouette outlined by pink and yellow striations of the retiring sun - and greeting RAGE (one of the boats finishing the TPYC Tahiti Race) downtown: it was awesome.

And then, the creme de la creme. I introduced myself (on the TPYC B.O.D. for eight years) to the crew of the arriving yacht. In our small talk, the skipper told he had done the 1993 Transpac, and when I piped in "I did too" his wife pulled me aside. "You! We heard  you girls in the bathroom at Kaneohe YC talking about what fun you had and I went right outside and asked my friend if she ever wanted to race to Hawaii ... " That silly giggling bathroom (rum infused no doubt) chatter spurred them to do the following year's Pacific Cup with an all-girl campaign. "You have created a legacy" she said. I was stoked. :-)

Monday morning now and all busy packing for our next leg: the flight to Raiatea and departure (tomorrow) on our two week cruise! ~ Betsy Crowfoot

PS - our SPOT locater is not working properly so please do not be alarmed if you don't see SPOTs. No news = good news ;)

ALso check my FB continually for new photos!!! 

Work and play

5 MAY - 1AM

I know how glam it seems, going to Tahiti. Believe you me I about wet my choneys when I pushed the 'send' button to book the boat (a gorgeous mod 47' Catana catamaran). But while everyone else is aiming to sink into a vegetative state about par with a tomato, my goal is to raise the bar a bit over the next three weeks.

• write every day. regardless. post as often as pirated wifi allows
• shoot with a journalistic eye. i have been surrounded by such great photographers, hopefully some of their talent has rubbed off ... and discipline! 
• be more intimately involved with the navigation and systems onboard. I plan to get my Captain's license this year. hop to!
• serve our guests with a cheerful heart

(This is of course in addition to lots of snorkeling, exploring, morning swims, evening skinny dips, dancing at Bloody Mary's, shopping at Le Grande Marche, etc.) 

And I have a lot of thinking to do. I'm at a fork in the road: do I try to buckle down and get my own place and a steady job Or keep freelancing here & there? Or just throw it all in and live at sea? Surely the winds of change are blowing, and blowing hard. 

So Air Tahiti Nui is pretty civilized (with the exception of the ridiculous $75 charge for the extra boat bag. Boo! Hiss!) The decor is a refreshing mix of turquoise and cornflower blue (I am conspicuously dressed to match by some fate, and b-l-e-n-d in to the seats :-o) The flight attendant passes out small heavenly smelling flowers. Dinner (pasta salad and salad0-salad) comes with rice pudding. We get little foot mitts and eye covers (all matching my ensemble) and blankets (are you listening American Airlines?!) When I order a Bloody Mary - she gives me a petite bottle of wine (French) while I wait (to stave off the DTs?) until she can get my drink (free) ... five minutes later. Of course all these niceties don't exactly make up for the ridiculous $75 luggage charge, but if that wasn't lurking in the minus column, I'd think they were pretty bomb.

Well a sane person would be sleeping right now. I think however I'll review some paperwork, finalize the provisioning list (and budget) and see is slumber comes ...

And they're off!

Our Air Tahiti Nui flight left just after midnight Friday - we sank into our pretty turquoise and cornflower blue seats (some of us too excited to sleep, others exhausted!). The flight attendants passed out tiny white (heady) flowers and red (French) wine as our eight hour journey commenced. How thrilling to think Saturday morning we will wake up to a new day in Tahiti!

We arrived in time for sun rise ... unable to check in so early we raided our luggage for swimsuits - half of us swam (me of course) the other ate. I barely dozed in the lounge chair:  sandwiched by the cool tinkling of the pool and a fringe of palms and plumeria, I listened to the morning chorus of birds - squawking, singing, clucking, mewing, screeching - slowly fade and the hotel come alive with the sounds of people: flip flopping by, dragging lounge chairs, splashing, playing, the clink of plates and glasses. Welcome day one, in Tahiti! 

[photo: a bit grotty, we drag ourselves into the Sofitel Maeva Beah at 5:30AM] 

And The Universe says ...

Today's note from The Universe.

"Plan the celebration now, Betsy. Sweep the floor. Clean the slate. Pick a date.

Window shop, buy a few things, go out on a limb.

Rearrange the furniture, pick some flowers, take some time off.

No, no, Betsy. Not necessarily because the tipping point has been reached... but because this is how you reach it.

How's today looking?
    The Universe"

testing the automated blog posting ...

Ready or not – here we come!!