Hooning to Huahine

An early-in-my-books start saw Silver Fern departing the stunning island of Moorea at dawn. Once we’d pulled up (and painstakingly flaked 110m of) the anchor chain, we slipped out of the reef into the open ocean. Up went the main sail to one reef and unfurled the jib. The early morning sun shortly came over the island, piercing our sleepy eyes and warming our faces. Silver Fern was tiptoeing along at this stage, under-canvassed, but we were expecting stronger winds once away from the island so we had to sit tight and wait.

Moorea in the morning haze

Then bam! The wind arrived! In the first hour we covered 9NM and as the day progressed, we saw boat speeds of 11.5kts as Silver Fern surfed down some 1.5m waves. The swell is quite small today but the chop is picking up to accompany the increasing wind strength. Most people were outside for the first wee while as the day became sunny and clear before we settled into watch keeping. Mackerel sky clouds kept us company as we chomped down the miles west towards Huahine, leaving Moorea behind us in the haze.

Main sail up to 1st reef, Jib is coming next. Look at those weary eyes and happy faces

Liz, Ken and Pattie looking far too happy.

Morning tea, lunch and lollies were eaten as the day passed. Being at sea on a day like that is just pure magic. It’s indescribably consistent and fills you with content. It’s a feeling of elation and awe as you realise that nature is pushing us along at such a speed, knowing there is so much more that you and the boat can handle. Around 3pm, the call of “Land-Ho!” was heard around the cabin and Huahine was off our starboard beam. A gybe then another hour or so of sailing until we reached the gap in the reef to enter the sheltered waters. Sails were struck and the engine went on. The anchor went down right at…. ahhh… sunset! How pretty the sky was, how fortunate we were to experience the serenity of a sunset like that after a fantastic fast sail. At the end of the day, we had covered 98NM in 12 hours from anchor up to anchor down. We could not have asked for better conditions for such a spectacular day. Dinner was served and the stars came out as the weary crew crawled into their bunks for a well earned rest.

Ken says “Land-Ho!”

Resting at anchor. Spot the Southern Cross.

Good morning Huahine. What will today bring? Snorkeling? Archaeological visits? Pearl Farms? Shell Museums? Bike Tours? Beers at the Yacht Club? These are just some of the activities and locations the crew visited today. We dropped them ashore armed with a guide book and a curfew of 5pm to explore Huahine and get a taste of Tahitian culture. The crew were dropped ashore at the village of Fare on the western side of Huahine and to get the stories you’ll have to ask them! All I heard was it was a fantastic day exploring the island by bike while Jason and I stayed with Silver Fern (with a lunchtime snorkel on a wrecked yacht). Cheese and crackers were the focus on board during the evening and a fabulous quiche was made for dinner, courtesy of Debs and Pattie. Tomorrow, Jason says we’re going to BoraBora! It will be another big day sail so we all went to bed early.

-Hannah.