Fakarava supply ship!

16º 13.476s 145º 33.449w

Fri Jun 14 2019

Fakarava – the supply ship arrives!

Normally the supply ship arrives on Wednesday, but there was a religious holiday of some sort on Monday so the ship came a day later this week. As we’re on a mooring in the little sheltered bay by Pakokota Yacht Services and Resort, Isabel was able to join cruisers from several other boats on a shuttle run up to the village of Rotoava.

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Supply ship day is a great big deal! By the end of the day the shops are generally out of such things as fresh lettuce and tomatoes and other lovely vegetables. Isabel’s debriefing revealed that it was like being at a Walmart on Black Friday; vultures circling around for the next box of whatever rare and yummy item might be unpacked. Apparently the particular store she visited opened up on schedule, but the ship was late getting in so folks waited around several hours until the ship was unloaded and the store staff could bring the crates of fruit and veg in and set it on a big table. That is if the crates lasted until they got to the table. Nothing scarier than a bunch of impatient hungry (hangry?) food shoppers. . .

Anyway, there was also a farm along the way to the town, and while Isabel and the other cruisers were milling about trying to nab whatever appeared, one of the resort staff drove down to the farm and collected absolutely beautiful lettuce, bok choy and eggplant. In the shop lots of yummies appeared, including various cheeses, sausages, and other meats. One of the Kiwi cruisers noted that the New Zealand lamb she purchased was cheaper than what she would pay in New Zealand! It’s obvious that various bits are subsidized by the government; steaks, sausages and other meat proteins along with a number of French cheeses are very reasonably priced. French wine is also pretty reasonably priced. Not that we drink wine, or course. Ahem.

The shuttle didn’t return until mid-afternoon; apparently after nabbing all necessary groceries, the next step is to get in the checkout line which took Isabel about another hour wait. While she was gone I rebuilt the mechanical mount system for the programmable alternator regulators in the port engine room. It’s a project that’s been on my list for some time. Stuffy work space as the day was one light shower after another so I couldn’t leave hatches open for ventilation.

This morning Stephen from Triple Shot and I paddled our SUPs for about 45 minutes before dinghying our lovely brides to the beach for the provisioning expedition. Paddling SUPs is a good workout and I took advantage of another break this evening to get another 30 minutes in, touring the anchorage and looking for interesting fish. Just standing on a boat that’s pitching and rolling gently is excellent core body exercise; try paddling a SUP around a rough anchorage in a stiff breeze! This lifestyle does make it a bit easier to maintain a decent level of physical fitness – Isabel notes that I eat like a growing teenager and don’t seem to gain any weight. I reckon I’ve got a pet tapeworm.

Hey! That reminds me of a joke Brad Pedersen told me in 1986, one involving a tapeworm, hard boiled eggs, cookies, and a hammer. But I digress. . .

Anyway, Isabel was both exhausted and all bubbly when she returned from the shopping scrum, chatting excitedly about all the wonderful things available for purchase, and the very reasonable pricing for so many items. She even noted there were at least four varieties of camembert cheese available for purchase in the one little shop, and this place was not much bigger than a 7-11 back home, just more densely packed with goods. One of Isabel’s keenest observations was how Andrew and Julia from SV Hullabaloo managed to score so many goodies; apparently Andrew stood close to the table where boxes were opened for pillaging, and with his superior long arms he could grab items and pass them back to Julia who waited with her basket. This all took place at the most popular shop near the wharf where the supply ship docks, but then Andrew and Julia noted that they visited another shop a bit down the road afterwards, and it had most all the same stuff but now crowds. Figures.

Well that was yesterday the 13th, rainy off and on all day, and today Friday the 14th it’s a beautiful sunny day with strong trade winds, so that means LAUNDRY DAY. We were quite happy to pay the fine folks at Pakokota Yacht Services wash our sheets, towels and other bits but something’s gone wrong with their solar energy storage and they can’t run their washer. That means I got an upper body workout, operating the magic plunger like a madman, squishing away at two loads of laundry in our collapsible bucket. Now it almost likes JollyDogs is dressed all around, but actually it’s wet things flapping crazily in the stiff breeze. Wonder what’s already blown away? More clothes pegs on the shopping list for when we arrive in Tahiti.

Darned if Hullabaloo didn’t show up in the anchorage last night, so they’ll be our guests on board for dinner. That’s always impetus for a cleaning frenzy, so while I’ve been squishing laundry and building a new dinghy hoist system, Isabel has been scurrying around doing what amounts to a serious amount of interior cleaning and tidying up. We’ve warned Andrew and Julia that we don’t stock an English bar, can’t even make a gin and tonic, but there’s margaritas on offer and they appear quite pleased at the idea. Darned if we’re not starting to feel like social butterflies, and for sure we’re looking forward to some good fun tonight!