Taking It Slow and Easy on Irie

Something very interesting is happening on Irie these last few days. Whether it is because of the rainy weather or the fact that it is weekend, or that we feel like time is our biggest form of wealth at the moment, or that Mark is basically “waiting” for the final stages of the heart of our new Wirie product – The Wirie^pro – to be completed abroad, I don’t know, but we are taking the concept of R&R (rest and relaxation) very seriously, if not up to the next level! I do feel more inspired to write and do errands in the mornings, while Mark catches up on business as usual, but the afternoons are filled with everything but work or activities. This time of the day, we both retreat to our bunk and “veg”. Mark has been playing a new (to him) video game for hours on end, and I am finally catching up on reading sailing magazines collected from the States and Belgium; partly to see myself in print (vanity, indeed), but also to learn about new places and to get inspired and write more. We are also soaking up information about the area we plan to visit over the coming months, since we literally had no idea what to expect from all the anchorages in this lagoon.

On November 1^st, the rainy season in French Polynesia officially started, on paper and in reality. The sky has been grey ever since and we wonder when we will see the sun again. Maybe it is a little bit too early to despair, but we have heard many stories of excessive rain and explosive mildew growth during cyclone season in the Leeward Islands of the Societies. I guess, if it will really be that bad we will have to find refuge elsewhere. The wind also has picked up, temporarily, but with a vengeance, so our boat batteries are happily full and the fresh water tank is getting there. Now, if only we could find a decent WiFi signal to disappear behind our computers again! It is one of our goals for getting to Haamene Bay in Taha’a, which we think we can reach even in cloudy weather – there is a well-marked channel around the island and into many bays. We will just have to wait until we see its outline again, before moving on…

Flower stands for All Saint's Day (November 1st) in Uturoa

Vegetable market in Uturoa

"Catamaran row" in the Aito anchorage, which - with its 6ft depth - is too shallow for most monohulls

Taha'a - our next destination - on a sunny day in the Aito anchorage

Sharks swimming by the boat (Aito)

Mark enjoying a new video game in bed

Stingray in the water alongside Irie (Aito)