Pacific Crossing
Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, April 2011
A relative simple (to the legs we've done) 36 hour steam to Papeete, and civilisation at last.
Headed straight to Marina Taina close by to downtown and near the airport where SKIE would reside for three or four months while Jim went back to Calgary Canada to his family and back to work as a builder of homes, and me to my own flock (Sheppard's have flocks), friends, and the business.
Now I must say I was a little apprehensive but completely relieved with the reception we received at this marina.
Firstly Phillippe the manager couldn't have been more helpful, and put us in the best spot in the marina completely away from any surges that came from the ocean, even though the marina was behind a coral fringing reef.
Secondly when we tied up it seemed every boat owner and marina worker came to help us do the tricky manouvre of Med mooring and see we were snugged up safely. I was certainly taken by their welcoming and friendship.
Our wonderful agent Cindy Dittrich appeared straight away and completed our formal entry into French Polynesia, to formalize our first entry done back in Hiva Oa, our first landfall.
Cindy made us feel very welcome with her typical German efficiency, as we were only the second registered boat with the Pacific Puddle Jumpers Group to arrive, the first being was another Australian boat who was on a swift delivery getting back home.
First thing to do was to get a cleaning crew on board, and then was when we met Tama, a giant Tahitian, who looked after 12 other boats on the marina.
Tama had little English, but was a professional captain, had a cleaning crew, was a diver, and the main man at the marina. I engaged Tama to take responsibility for SKIE for my time at home, and with Cindy kindly keeping an eye out for SKIE as well.
The whole marina and it's people were very friendly, had some nice restaurants close by which we ate at quite often, and consequently met many new friends.
When I return I have booked into a dive shop at the marina to get my training and certification as a scuba diver, and can't wait to visit some of the training dive sites just a stones throw away.
Being to so many places and marinas over the past 4 years I would say that this marina is the most welcoming I have ever been to, and clearly the most delightful people I have met so far. This is not to detract from many other great places we have been to including Alaska, the west coast of USA, and of course Mexico, but this was better than any marina we have back home in my book.
This has also got me thinking about basing SKIE here for quite some time, as it has so much going for it as a jump off place for the Leeward islands such as Moorea, Raiteira, Hauhine, Tahaa, and Bora Bora, so very close by.
After a week in Papeete I steeled myself to go home for a reality check, and to get home to hug my family that I had not seen for 4 months, apart for Marg being on board for a while for the trip down to Mexico.
I was also excited for the return of our second daughter Melanie, and our two beautiful grand daughters, Isabella and Alessia, coming home from Europe after 3 years, and thankfully for good.
