ADVENTURE
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Bret and Chad Van Roden's voyage of the broken compassPublished: October 01, 2010
September 2010 blog from the Broken Compass
Monday, September 20
Bora Bora
We were welcomed into Bora Bora by 20 knot headwinds supplemented with 3 knots of current through the pass. Darkness falling quickly, Bret and I tested our sailing skills tacking up through the pass to find safe anchorage in 80 feet of water. Bora Bora is geographically superior to the other islands we have visited.
The main island has two peaks with the largest called Mt. Otemanu reaching 2,399 feet. There are dozens of smaller islands called Motu's scattered within the circular reef surrounding Bora Bora. The clear blue lagoon is calm, with several resort vacation bungalows clustered along the coastline.
Tourism is the main source of revenue for the island, and
the locals are not as easily approachable as in other places in French
Polynesia. As a result, we have spent a majority of our time socializing
with other cruisers. We celebrated our joint birthday by snorkling,
spearfishing, and enjoying a freshly speared octupus coupled with sunset
drinks on a catamaran called African Innovation. Spearfishing various
reefs on the island is a daily activity. The underwater life is lush, and
we swam with numerous lemon sharks patrolling the outer reef (the
largest exceeding 10 feet). Another day we circumnavigated the island
with two other dingys to dive with manta rays, snorkle various reefs
with pit stops at distinguished bars along the waterfront. We hiked the
second highest peak, called Mt. Pahia, with a group of friends. The
highest peak has no identifiable trail and requires rock climbing gear.
Makai joined us for the hike and gave us a real scare when she catapulted off a 12-foot cliff. She miscalculated her trajectory, and the landing left her clinging for her life on the edge of the trail. One long pull-up later with her two front paws, and she was sitting looking at us wondering why we were taking so long. Bret and I are enjoying our time in Bora Bora and plan on spending another 10 days here to explore the north side of the island. After our stay here, we plan on island hopping the 1,100 mile jump to Samoa, where we plan on catching up on boat work and perhaps installing a few luxuries – such as an engine.
| Bret and Chad Van Roden's voyage of the broken compassPublished: October 01, 2010 |
September 2010 blog from the Broken Compass
Monday, September 20
Bora Bora
We were welcomed into Bora Bora by 20 knot headwinds supplemented with 3 knots of current through the pass. Darkness falling quickly, Bret and I tested our sailing skills tacking up through the pass to find safe anchorage in 80 feet of water. Bora Bora is geographically superior to the other islands we have visited.
The main island has two peaks with the largest called Mt. Otemanu reaching 2,399 feet. There are dozens of smaller islands called Motu's scattered within the circular reef surrounding Bora Bora. The clear blue lagoon is calm, with several resort vacation bungalows clustered along the coastline.
Tourism is the main source of revenue for the island, and
the locals are not as easily approachable as in other places in French
Polynesia. As a result, we have spent a majority of our time socializing
with other cruisers. We celebrated our joint birthday by snorkling,
spearfishing, and enjoying a freshly speared octupus coupled with sunset
drinks on a catamaran called African Innovation. Spearfishing various
reefs on the island is a daily activity. The underwater life is lush, and
we swam with numerous lemon sharks patrolling the outer reef (the
largest exceeding 10 feet). Another day we circumnavigated the island
with two other dingys to dive with manta rays, snorkle various reefs
with pit stops at distinguished bars along the waterfront. We hiked the
second highest peak, called Mt. Pahia, with a group of friends. The
highest peak has no identifiable trail and requires rock climbing gear.
Makai joined us for the hike and gave us a real scare when she catapulted off a 12-foot cliff. She miscalculated her trajectory, and the landing left her clinging for her life on the edge of the trail. One long pull-up later with her two front paws, and she was sitting looking at us wondering why we were taking so long. Bret and I are enjoying our time in Bora Bora and plan on spending another 10 days here to explore the north side of the island. After our stay here, we plan on island hopping the 1,100 mile jump to Samoa, where we plan on catching up on boat work and perhaps installing a few luxuries – such as an engine.
Bora Bora
We were welcomed into Bora Bora by 20 knot headwinds supplemented with 3 knots of current through the pass. Darkness falling quickly, Bret and I tested our sailing skills tacking up through the pass to find safe anchorage in 80 feet of water. Bora Bora is geographically superior to the other islands we have visited.
The main island has two peaks with the largest called Mt. Otemanu reaching 2,399 feet. There are dozens of smaller islands called Motu's scattered within the circular reef surrounding Bora Bora. The clear blue lagoon is calm, with several resort vacation bungalows clustered along the coastline.
Makai joined us for the hike and gave us a real scare when she catapulted off a 12-foot cliff. She miscalculated her trajectory, and the landing left her clinging for her life on the edge of the trail. One long pull-up later with her two front paws, and she was sitting looking at us wondering why we were taking so long. Bret and I are enjoying our time in Bora Bora and plan on spending another 10 days here to explore the north side of the island. After our stay here, we plan on island hopping the 1,100 mile jump to Samoa, where we plan on catching up on boat work and perhaps installing a few luxuries – such as an engine.
