Yep, that’s our anchor chain laying on the sandy bottom in Oponhu Bay on Moorea. The water is so clear and calm it’s like being anchored in a sandy bottom swimming pool.
Nope Nothing To See Here
Craving a dive we set off in the dinghies with Brad and Kat from Ghost and Roger from Beaujolais in search of a Catalina Seaplane and cargo schooner wreck reported to be in the area.
Delos Explores the Tuamotu Archipelago, Part 2- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 9
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 2 of 2).
I’m not sure what it is about Tahiti, but everywhere we turn there seems to be a party.
Delos Explores the Tuamotu Archipelago, Part 1- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 8
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 1 of 2).
We’re not normally fans of organized cruising events, or things with fixed dates and timelines in general. We decided to make an exception to join the Tahiti to Moorea rally though, mostly because we heard the free t-shirts were really cool.
Delos Sails The Marquesas Islands, Part 3- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 7
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 3 of 3).
French Polynesia is famous for its black pearls. Most of the pearls come from the Tuamotu atolls. Visiting a pearl farm and getting pearls was on our list of things we wanted to do but fell behind diving, surfing and finding a remote atoll with nothing but us.
Delos Sails The Marquesas Islands, Part 2- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 6
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 2 of 3)
Delos Sails The Marquesas Islands, Part 1- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 5
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 1 of 3).
After an overnight sail from Apataki the outline of Rangiroa slowly became visible in the dawn light. For the last few hours we slowed Delos down to 4 knots in order to time our entry into the pass.
We ended up in Apataki by pure chance. Being indecisive about the multitude of atolls in the Tuamotus we narrowed our list down to two.
After leaving “that one island where everyone was wasted” we had a great over night passage to Nuku Hiva, the biggest island in the Marquesas.
We’re currently in the third island group in French Polynesia – the Society Islands. We landed at Papeete, Tahiti, on Tuesday morning and were thrust headfirst into the biggest city we’d seen in months.
On one of our many dinghy rides on Fatu Hiva we spotted an interesting hole cut through the rock cliff face just outside the anchorage in Hanavave.
On the passage from Mexico to the Marquesas I read two books by Thor Hyerdahl (Fatu Hiva and Kon Tiki).
I have always liked tattoos, Polynesian style in particular. Living in Florida isn’t the best place to find a good Polynesian artist, so when I was invited on this trip one of the first things I did was start researching tattoos and artists of French Polynesia.
I never thought much about getting a tattoo. Not that it bothered me or was too permanent, the thought just had never crossed my mind before sailing to the Marquesas. Before the trip Erin and I read, and read, and read about the islands and people. We read cruising guides, travel guides, memoirs, fiction, and non-fiction books. In reading about the Marquesan culture the theme of tattooing is prevalent, dating to the earliest times of the culture. Men and women alike went under the needle, or boars tusk at the time, and had their bodies adorned with meaningful symbols.