Raiatea to Bora Bora

I received this two days ago and just managed to get it posted. By now Suzi and David should be on their way to Bora Bora, their next destination. They have a camera now, so if the internet cooperates, Suzi will be sending photos soon.  - Kris


It is about 10:30 PM and we just got back from having pizza at the local restaurant with some other cruisers who are also tied to the city dock. It was really good and always interesting chatting with others who are from Australia, Holland, and the US. It was definitely a serious workday, and David was able to measure, think about, and strategically cut what needed to be done for the new roller furler to fit. We will finish the installation in the morning.  I got to shop for goodies in the supermarket, and as you know, that was really fun for me as well.  The day was windy and even a bit chilly at times but I must never think it to be cold. That would be nuts! We hope to be done with it all by noon tomorrow, and there is a river that we can go up just down the east side of Raiatea, a fun thing to do tomorrow afternoon. We shall see what happens as the day unfolds. 


Received this Aug. 18:
We said our good-byes to Richard, a wonderful guy we will miss; as David said this morning after being with him yesterday afternoon and evening,"This guy has more stories to tell than I do!" and we have enjoyed hearing them all.  Sidewinder and Freedom sailed up the west side of Tahaa around noon to an area called the Coral Gardens, dropped anchor in 7 feet of water, and it is beautiful. (S 16 degrees 40' W 151 33') We are just off of a resort called Le Taha'a Private Island and Spa, with rooms built on the water, and there is good snorkeling between the motus. Even though it is very shallow, it was a fun adventure this afternoon weaving in and out of the many varieties of colorful coral and fish who are used to being fed. even seeing some fish I haven't seen before. Unfortunately it is a very touristy area, but we did manage to get quite lost in the maze and had great fun finding our way back. The day was a bright, clear sunny day, and there is absolutely nothing to complain about. We plan to leave here sometime in the morning and sail our way to Bora Bora tomorrow, hoping to spend our last week exploring over there. I have a great internet signal here near the hotel, but for some reason I cannot log into HOTSPOT tonight, so I will try again tomorrow morning before we leave. I know this blog needs pictures to liven it up a bit!