Well, the wind came around to the East a few days back and we moved back up to the anchorage just NW of the middle pass at Tahanea to meet our friend Mike who was on his way from Nuku Hiva. Mike’s a single hander, a former Olympian, and just all around good guy. He was kind enough to bring us some goodies from the Marquesas, so now we’ve got dried bananas, oatmeal, even a couple of pamplemouse.
While waiting for Mike to arrive we did a bit of drift snorkeling on the NW pass with our friends on SV September A.M. It wasn’t without a bit of excitement. There we were just minding or own business and observing rather carefully a group (it’s a murder of crows, isn’t it?) of gray sharks about 15 meters below us. They seemed to be uninterested in the 6 of us when suddenly one of them broke from the pack and began a high-speed vertical ascent to the middle of our group. Sharks swim faster than people. Even scared people. I watched it all unfold with a rather unsettled feeling, when about 4 meters from us the shark veered off, apparently deciding we didn’t look like brunch after all. I wish that had happened when that silly shark bit my SUP with me on it.
We saw one really big dog tooth tuna during that drift snorkel, a fish that would have fed us all for days but had anyone been bold enough to go after it with a spear gun, the sharks would have arm wrestled for it. Best just to have a look.
Mike also brought worm medicine and some dog food for the abandoned mutt that Yo and the other copra workers left at their camp in the Southeast corner. Lassie is a sweet pup, probably around 10 months old. When we first encountered her she was about half starved and hairless from mange. Several of us cruisers have been feeding her, bathing her with home-brewed medicated shampoo and then rubbing her down with medicated coconut oil. We’ll try more food and worm meds next to supplement the love we’ve been showering upon her, and maybe she’ll return to good health. Perhaps if she looks healthy the copra guys will actually care for her and take her back to Faaite when they leave next time. We were encouraged to see her fur coat returning, although her bare tail resembles that of a rat.
For the most part French Polynesians have a much different attitude about dogs than us Westerners. Isabel and I had 2 Jack Russell Terriers which were obviously our fur babies. Our friends with pets regarded them as family members. Not so here, where dogs in the Marquesas are used for hunting pigs and goats, and often the pigs tear the dogs up. No telling what the real purpose of dogs is here in the Tuamotus unless it’s to keep the rat population down. Anyway, we’re guests in their country and it isn’t appropriate to lecture them, however perhaps we can change some behavior by setting a good example. Worth a try.
The weather map looks almost like that we experienced just about 2 weeks ago. Last night around midnight we were up making sure we were ready to get underway then things settled down and today has been pretty mellow. Naturally now that it’s dark it’s rotating around the West and blowing up a bit, so we’re spring loaded to up anchor and move out into a holding pattern in the lagoon. No more 40 knots and breaking waves over our bow with a lee shore – we’ll launch out of here if things start to get interesting.
Looks like POTUS is planning a big indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma this weekend. If you’re a fan, you should go support him. If not, you should hope all his supporters turn out for the event. Seems that coronavirus is making a comeback, so either the rally will help that herd immunity concept move towards 100%, or there will be a few less Trump supporters in a few weeks, or at least folks will take this thing a bit more seriously. New Zealand declared themselves Covid-19 free, and it’s already popping up there again. Wonder if they’ll keep on schedule for the America’s Cup racing in 2021?
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