So today, after about 2 months of being confined to the Tuamotu atoll of Raroia, we finally shifted from anchorage/housekeeping mode to “let’s go to sea” mode. I relocated the 80 pound valise-packed life raft to the saloon, did the same with the ditch bag, removed and stowed the sun and rain protection canvas and covers, then secured the dinghy for passage. At 1220 local time after a lunch of grilled fish and veggies, and after a monster squall finally passed, we weighed anchor and motored carefully from our spot near the Kon Tiki motu through the bommies to the pass on the West side of the atoll. The tide was still running out and the wind was at our backs, so no wind over tide, all should be good. There was some interaction between the outgoing tidal current and a current running outside the atoll which created some low standing waves, but about 1330 we motored through a calm section of the outflow then turned towards a waypoint about 5 miles South of the atoll of Taenga, 40 miles from the pass at Raroia.
Once on heading out came the jib and off went the engines, and voila, we were doing about 5 knots SOG towards our objective. Taenga blocks our direct route to Makemo, and the decision whether to leave it to port or starboard was made after evaluating the sea swell and wind conditions after getting out of Raroia. It’s now 2110 ship’s time and in about 6.5 miles we’ll reach that waypoint then turn about 25 degrees to starboard to lay the course to the East pass of Makemo, just by the village. The second leg of this short journey is about 36 miles, and we don’t want to arrive before 0800 when the tidal flow is flooding into the lagoon, the wind is with the tide, and there’s good sunlight to see the bommies when we get to the small village anchorage. The wind after our arrival is forecast to be 10-12 knots from the East Northeast and tapering off, so the anchorage should be pretty settled and safe for our stay. A supply ship is due in very soon so with luck we’ll score some fresh veggies and other provisions.
Moving safely between atolls takes a bit of planning. Wind direction and strength at departure and arrival destinations need to be considered for the planned pass transit times. Depending upon the orientation of the pass to the prevailing wind, either an incoming or outgoing tide might be desired. Wind and sea conditions enroute dictate sail plan and which side to go around obstacles. The hops are short enough that the real trick is figuring out how to make the boat go slow enough so that arrival is at the desired time. For this 76 mile passage we’ve had just the jib out and we’ve been averaging around 4.1 knots. Once we turn the waypoint we’ll still have about 10 hours to go only 36 miles, so unless the wind drops off a bit we’ll roll in a bit of the jib to slow down. That turn will put the seas dead astern rather than on the port aft quarter, so the ride will be more comfortable, but it hasn’t been at all uncomfortable today, just a slightly obnoxious roll at times.
We need to keep a little speed for ride quality when moving through lumpy seas, but with the seas dead astern even 3 knots should provide a nice ride. It seems odd to be thinking about ways to slow the boat down – generally we’re looking to make speed on long passages until we’re in close range of an anchorage, but here we are, playing tricks to go slower. With bare poles and 10 knots dead astern we’ll still do almost 3 knots, as the stern of JollyDogs presents as a barn door to the wind.
It sure feels good to be at sea after being confined in our own private Idaho for about 2 months. Raroia was really great, but it’s time to move on. Makemo has 3 shops, an ATM and internet that actually works! We’re talking metropolis here! Today the government announced that spirits can now be sold Monday thru Thursday, odds are we’ll lurk the village until Monday before departing and wandering up to the Northwest end of the atoll. Remember, Shawnee?
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