Our basil plants – raised in tropical Panama – are dying. They look pathetic and in order to prevent them of becoming totally extinct on Irie, we have to move to warmer climes. They just do not like the cold and gusty conditions in the Gambier Islands and neither do we.
After a terrible night in Rikitea – the most annoying one in
our sailing career – without any sleep, keeping an eye on our neighbors, having
to start the engine three times to avoid collisions and sailing at anchor for a
total of 3 miles, all because the wind came in strong gusts from different
directions and our light catamaran flew all over the anchorage (and the
monohulls didn’t), we made the final preparations for the voyage to the
Marquesas. We plan to spend 6-8 days at sea and hope it will be a more
comfortable trip than the one to the Gambier. Meals are prepared, tanks are
full, some boat projects have been completed and the spirits are high to get to
warmer weather.
I was going to write a summary blog about the Gambier
islands, because there is so much I have left out previously (who wants to read
1000-word blogs?), but I am running out of time, so the contents will have to
be turned into an article one day. Once we leave here, there are other adventures
and experiences to be had and to write about!
No place in the world is perfect, otherwise, we would have
to stay and quit the traveling… Mark and I enjoyed our time in the Gambier and
if it wasn’t for the crappy, cold and stormy winter weather, we would have stayed
much longer in this area. The islands are beautiful, bountiful, lush,
interesting, special, diverse, cultural and friendly. And for that we say
“Maroi nui” and “Nana” to the people and the archipelago of the Gambier Islands!
Choppy seas and white caps in the Gambier lagoon, seen from Rikitea
Our track on the crappiest and most sleepless night in Rikitea. We moved all over the place within "our anchoring circle", we "sailed" a distance of about 3 miles! Yes, there were other boats anchored within this circle, and the water is deep (45 feet), so you need a lot of chain out...
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