It's just a little shark

15º 49.553s 145º 07.072w

Sat Jun 08 2019

Snorkeling and beach combing with Isabel . .  .

Today was another day in paradise. It’s a hard life, trying to decide what to eat for breakfast, then which boat project to work on, then plan on which atoll to visit next, then go on an adventure, then return and eat, maybe split a really bad local beer, have a hammock nap, then work on another project, then download weather, then examine the tidal flow in the pass (departing here and arriving there), then it’s time for a shower and dinner, then think about a book or movie.

Honestly, I don’t know how we find the time for it all.

We always have at least one task to work on, as JollyDogs is a very demanding girl, and salt water is the evil incarnate. It’s a good idea to dive on the anchor every day, as there are bommies all round and even though the anchor itself is in a nice sandy patch, the chain can get wrapped on a bommie if we experience lots of wind shifts.

The temperature and humidity are lovely, but sleeping at anchor isn’t always a restful experience as the wind frequently howls on and off, and it seems there’s been a shower late every night. I’m generally up once or twice a night and look around the anchorage and the chart plotter to ensure we’re not dragging our anchor. Maybe spend a few minutes looking at the stars and hoping to see a meteorite.

We go to bed around 2100, awaken around 0530, then generally look for a short nap opportunity in the afternoon. That keeps us pretty well rested, and the snorkeling and long walks on the beach keep our appetites up. If the anchorage isn’t too rough we can paddle for an hour or so on our SUPs or do a good yoga work out on the front deck or cockpit. Altogether it seems we’re staying pretty fit, between finally getting enough rest, after what I reckon was 28 years of sleep deprivation at the helicopter company, and the exercise we get just being in this environment. Bodies heal themselves while one is sleeping, so that’s kind of important, and Isabel is always focused on our nutritional intake. A good maintenance program, clean fuel, and regular operation keep the helicopter running well.

Today our snorkeling adventure yielded lots of interesting colorful fish, some amazing clams, very beautiful, and a couple of white tip reef sharks, one of which was a good two meters long. They stayed well clear of us, and we did our best to not disturb them. Afterwards we dinghied a couple of miles over to the inside edge of the atoll at a spot where the Google Earth image hinted at a path across to the outside of the reef. We found a nice two track and soon were on the beach at the high tide line, wandering along looking for interesting bits.

There was a lot of plastic debris, washed up on the beach from who knows where – could have traveled thousands of miles, so we’re really getting down on plastic, especially bags and bottles. There’s just no way to pick it all up, so after a while we just try not to notice it and concentrate on the sea creatures in tidal pools and hunt for shells. Isabel has an eagle eye for pretty shells, and when we completed our expedition today her pockets were full of various shiny cowries. She’s got a basket for shells, and as she finds better or more interesting ones, something has to go. I’m betting she buys another basket soon.

We’ve been bobbing around this atoll for a week now, and it’s time for new scenery. Looks like we’ll blast off around 0600 to make the pass during slack tide, then have a nice gentle sail over to Fakarava, a much larger atoll to the West. There’s lots of ecotourism there, a few resorts and restaurants, and decent bandwidth internet. It’s about time we took care of some business online, so off we go. You can bet we’ll try real hard not to look at the news – it’s just a bunch of noise anyway, and we’re feeling pretty mellow right now.

Oh, and it’s about time for the captain to treat the crew to a nice dinner out.