Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Passage to Tahiti March 18, 2018


The trip started with plenty of good wind and some rain falling from the sky.


We sailed around this white squall. Water dumping heavily into the sea.


That is the nice part about the ocean, you don't have to stay between white and yellow lines. Sail where the wind is that you want and avoid the nasty stuff if possible. Tack! The dark cloud is now behind us.


This eerie UFO looking cloud was just ahead of that big black cloud.


The wind was good for sailing, but the squalls kept coming.


A big thunderhead off in the distance.


Then suddenly, the skys cleared except for this wild looking spiral cloud. Reminds me of the movie Moana (which means Ocean, by the way)


The winds were getting light and fluky, but the sunsets were still a show in themselves. I love the little color topped finger tip clouds.


And just like that the clouds went away and took the wind with it.


I just can't help myself, when the clouds glow this orange color, I must photograph them.


You would think a sailor would get tired of looking at nothing but sea, sky and clouds, but the amazing thing is, that it is always changing.


Not sure how the sun refracted to make this one crazy little spot turn so orange.


Rain dumping out of a cloud in the distance.


Sail on, sail on, this is what we do.........


Still another amazing sunset. The low clouds over the horizon look like they might be islands, but not this time.


These clouds looked like Mr and Mrs Santa riding their sleigh across the sky.


The next day was glassy calm again. Not a ripple of a breeze! But still that incredible blue!


There are still bumpy swell waves rolling under the water, but no wind waves.


Can you see the cloud reflected in the glassy water? Like a painted ship upon a painted ocean......


There is the cloud that was being reflected.


When we started to get a puff of a breeze, it was the perfect time to hoist the spinnaker!


The spinnaker reflected in the Pacific Blue.


The refraction of the sunlight in the sea, along with some spinnaker glow.


Hangin loose baby, waiting for that next puff! We had very little diesel, so sailing was the order of the trip.


March 25th, Land Ho! Mahetia, a volcanic cone island due West of Tahiti.


The wind finally has come back! Yea! The sea looks quite different now.


Little shinny wind waves on top of the rollers.


Every once in a while a growler rolls up behind us now.


Mahetia, are you getting closer yet??


She has steep greenery on this side.


Which turns into blank black lava rock on the other side.


There are cracks in the rocks, like the lava slowed, then came again later.


We disturbed some Boobie birds swimming on the sea surface and they flew off.


Brown Boobie was circling us for a while. Please leave our lure alone!!


Probably a masked Boobie with a mostly white chest and underbelly.


What is that thrashing in the water?!?!


Yellowfin Tuna, that's what! Nice work Miguel!! Must have been what those Birds were watching!


The night of the 26th we were hit with a squall that brought the boat speed up to 10.2 knots!! That is a bit fast for us!! But the morning of the 27th we see Tahiti getting pelted with some rain in the early morning light.


The city of Papeete is coming into view and the deep crevasses of Tahiti show in the sunlight.


The perfect way to end a 10 day passage, sailing right into the end of the rainbow!


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