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Hello Fiji

By on June 27, 2015 in Domino

HELLO Fiji!   June 3, 2015 – (crossing the dateline, we think that we are June 3rd, but not so sure!) –
 Sunset on the mooring field at Copra Shed Marina

Copra Shed Marina, Savu Savu, Vanua Levu Island, (Fiji’s North Island)     A dream come true… not just the Fiji destination, but the voyage from Pago Pago to Vanua Levu.  65O miles in 69 hours, with light winds in our back and following seas.  Never better… but no fish on the troll, sadly.     
Fiji’s 2 main islands.  Vanua Levu to the North, Viti Levu to the South

Arriving Fiji by full moon was a bit of magic!

Copra SHED MARINA  – We dropped anchor at the entrance of Nakama Creek, called the marina on the radio and within an hour we had received all the officials on board.   

The town of Savu Savu, Nakama Creek 

Clearance procedure: All officers came on board, shuttled by the marina attendant.  We later walked to town to pay our fees and collect documents… Easy peasy!  BEFORE leaving American Samoa, we had sent a notice of arrival to Yachtsreport@frca.org.fj (the form can be found on the frca.org fj website and a notice of biosecurity available at www.quarantaine.gov.fj  .  We were in good standing!  
– Health (172.5O Fj)   Fijian 1$ = US$ O.48
–  Environment and Biosecurity (89.7O Fj)
–  customs gave the boat an 18 month clearance (free)
– immigration stamped our passports for 6 months (free)  
– The marina charged us a bit for organizing all this 
      *Clearing fee $15 Fj 
      * Cruising permit $8 Fj 
       and even got us an introduction letter necessary to visit the Nabavatu plantation on Vanua Balavu. 
Staging field for Fiji cruisers


For once, we grabbed a mooring ($13.25 Fj per day).   This was by far the easiest clearing in we’ve ever done, thanks to the efficiency of the staff at Copra Shed Marina.    http://www.coprashed.com

   When cruising Fiji, there are a few essentials to dispense with.  
 – The coastal cruising permit issued by Customs (free
 – the weekly yacht reporting with the customs office at yachtsreport   Yachtsreport@frca.org.fj
  – Attend the Sunday cruising seminar by Curly who gives cruisers a 3-hour crash course on Fiji weather, customs, and destinations.  
  – Obtain proper attire for attending the Sevu Sevu (AKA Kava ceremony), meaning a long skirt and short sleeves blouse for women, and a Sulu (long skirt) for men.  
– Load the boat with enough Yangona (kava roo} to present to every village on the cruising list.  
– Stock items to trade against fruits and vegetables in the villages. Items of choice are sandals, T-shirts, pens and pencils and notebooks for the schools, toothpaste and toothbrushes for the kids, flour, sugar, rice, fabric, thread, sewing kits… and, if you like, cookies and candy for the kids.  
– At last, stock as much fresh produce as possible since there is virtually no fresh supply in the islands. 

Mala gives me a crash course in Indian cooking

     It took us a week to prepare our 7-week cruise, rushing back and forth between the fabric store and the tailor, the Yangona man where we loaded 14 bunches of Yangona(that’s gonna be a lot of Kava to drink!} , and the marvelous fresh produce market where I discovered new foods.   

Fresh veggies every day


Savu Savu, the main town in Vanua Levu, is rich in Indian culture.  Soon, I met Mala, a very enterprising young woman who took me shopping at the produce market, then returned to DOMINO to teach me the basics of Indian cooking.  In no time I had down a basic Curry, a Chutney, simple fresh veggies… yum!   All on DOMINO’s cooking blog


Eggplant curry, tomato chutney, sauteed Bok Choy, rice… in no time!

But the ladies at the market got to know me quickly. I spent quite a long time asking them for recipes… jackfruit in coconut milk or Jackfruit curry, taro leaves, fresh beans, okra, and the ever-present Bok Choi.  If I didn’t always understand the words, but sign language worked and sounds like “cut cut” or “chop chop” were communication enough. 



Jackfruit curry


 We did indulge in a lovely dinner at the marina’s restaurant (curry and more curry} while the regular happy hour crowd enjoy their daily quota of delicious Fijian beer.    It’s good to be cruising in group again.  There is quite an active cruising community, a healthy exchange of waypoints and destinations.  The Copra Shed Marina is the staging point of cruising the North Island of Vanua Levu and if we are to judge by the comings and goings on the mooring field, we’re going to have a great time here.  Now we’re off to our 1st stop, Fawn Harbor, in search of a hurricane hole for the season.   

Until then…

   dominomarie

Laurent Bourgnon Missing

By on June 26, 2015 in Domino
Laurent Bourgnon missing
  June 26, 215 , Fiji  
JAMBO in Moorea

 It is with an immense shock that we are reporting the disappearance of our friend Laurent Bourgnon.  

According to sources in Tahiti, Laurent was diving on his own in Toau (Tuamotus) and did not resurface from his dive. 

He was diving the East reef at Pass Otugi, much more treacherous than the false pass in the West at Anse Amyot.  Otugi Pass is notorious for its strong currents and the sudden, almost cliff-like depth change, from 1,200 meter to 80 meters within 500 yards.  This is the only pass where DOMINO had to wait until slack to enter, so strong was the turbulence caused by the outgoing current.
Diving is a major activity on JAMBO

  Did he get swept by the current?  If so we hope that he was able to get back to the surface, dump his tank, drift and wait for rescue.  This was 2 days ago and the extensive search by the MRCC helicopter and the locals have not yielded any success yet.  But we still hope.  Laurent is a tough old sea dog, resourceful and tenacious.        

The reef at Otugi, Toau

Renown in the world of international sailing and racing, victorious of 2 Route du Rhum and a Transat, Laurent readily admits that he is an adrenaline junkie… anything that goes fast … rally cars, airplanes, fast catamarans… when he decided to retire from competitive sailboat racing and take his family on a world cruise, Laurent turned his attention to motor catamarans.  If you could not go fast on a sailboat, at least you could go in comfort and safety in a motorcat, and still enjoy a fair speed.  In collaboration with Sunreef Yachts, he designed and built (in Poland) the 80′ JAMBO .  From Europe to the canals of Patagonia  to French Polynesia and New Zealand, JAMBO has proved to be a spectacular cruising platform.      

Laurent’s brother Hervé who circumnavigated on the small Hobie cat (here in Marina Taina, Tahiti) is on his way to direct the search for Laurent in Toau

We met Laurent and Jambo in Tahiti 2 years ago and no sooner had JP and Laurent eyed each other’s boat that they were in long discussions of what makes a great motorcat.  Laurent had added wave piercing bows and extended his aft platforms to enclose a full dive center (tanks, compressor, etc..) His love of motorcats and his dedication for their vulgarization and acceptance in the yachting and cruising world was remarkable.  To JP he felt like a brother.  They energized each other.  They were 2 peas in a pod.   The news of his  missing is just shocking and we hope that he was lucky enough to resurface and we dare hope that he will be rescued any minute now.
Laurent and his wife Caro run luxury charter cruises aboard Jambo in French Polynesia.

  To Caro, Basile and the kids, to Hervé, all our hearts!
  dominomarie

Pago Pago: Home Port

By on June 5, 2015 in Domino

PAGO PAGO: HOME PORT

DOMINO is home

May 30th, 2015
Pago Pago, American Samoa

Why in the world did we chose Pago Pago as our home port?  As a U.S.C.G. Documented vessel, we had our pick of any U.S. Port.  As we went down the list of choices, Pago Pago popped out.  Since we were in Paraguay at the time, we quipped, “Pago, Pago, y sigo pagando!” (I pay, I pay, and I keep on paying) or the equivalent of B.O.A.T. (Break Out Another Thousand.). Somehow, that seemed fitting.  One “Pago” for each hull of the catamaran.  But American Samoa looked like such an impossible destination.  Would we ever make it there?

Well, my friends, we’re happy to report that after 5 years, 35 countries and 29,000 nautical miles, DOMINO is securely tucked in her home port.

And what about the port?  Are all the nasty stories we heard true?

Is the port filthy?  Nope… The fisheries have long ceased to dump fish guts into the harbor and the EPA is keeping tight control on the Star Kist cannery and the Samoan fishery.  The tuna fleet is here, spanking shiny in navy blue, and what splendid ships they are, helicopters and all!

Just a sunday and the bay shimmers at sunrise

Does it stink?  Not all day long, but only when the canneries vent their fumes….  About an hour or two a day, and I was reminded of the sardine canneries in Portugal!

Is the bottom a trash pile?  It has not been our experience.  I questioned Port Authorities on this.  Divers have removed the various wrecks that were littering the bottom after the 2009 Tsunami and the 2011 hurricane.  For the most part, the bottom is clean… But there are coral heads to watch!  If the water is murky, it’s because of the constant rain.  But if there is no rain for a day, you can actually see the reef around the Harbor.

Is it noisy?  Absolutely!  The generators from the power plant on the north shore are on 24/7 and a total nuisance.  Anchor or grab a mooring as far as you can from this noise pollution.

Tuna fleet at the dock

What about land pollution?  If the streets were once littered with styrofoam containers and plastic trash, it is no longer the case.  The town is really clean, thanks to a massive campaign “I’m not your Mama, pick it up!”  Or “Leave no butts behind,” and trash cans  are everywhere.

Lush greenery, little busses to visit the island, and clean clean clean streets and homes

Tsunami devastation?  Oh, there are still a few telltales of the 2009 tsunami that caused some 50 deaths on the island, but there are many new buildings and an enormous effort in roadworks.

Mothers Day… sons and grandsons on the line and a rainbow overhead

All in all, Pago Pago is extremely convenient.  No problem arriving at night; excellent sheltering from bad weather; shopping shopping shopping; and, the main reason for cruisers, the U.S. Post office.

Postal Services –  The U.S. Post office is only a short walk from the harbor.  Every Friday evening, the flight from Honolulu brings all the Priority Mail From all over the USA.  On Saturday at noon, cruisers pick up their packages.    First Class mail enjoys an extra delivery on Wednesday.  This is U.S. Territory, no tax, no duty, just a customs inspection.  To get your goodies mailed to Pago Pago|

Big or small, the mail gets here

Your name
Your yacht’s name
General Delivery
U.S. Post office
Pago Pago, A.S. 96799

In most cases you can get all your stuff within a week if you time it well.

Shopping is easy and you can do it all by bus… Hop on any of the many small busses toward TAFUNA and tell the driver where you want to go… He’ll get you there for $1…  Here are our favorite stops on the line:

– “The Mall”.   At the Blue Sky building you can purchase your internet and phone cards.  $25 for a week of unlimited Wifi access… That’s 7 x 24 hours, so if you disconnect from the Blue Zone network between your sessions, these 7 days easily turn into a month!  We found the Blue Sky Wifi signal from McDonald’s was very fast, especially with our WiriePro wifi booster! There is also a Blue Sky kiosk next to the market, a stone’s throw from the dock.
– The mall is also home to a great grocery store with specialty items (bread flour) and beautiful SAMOAN shirts.

MacDonald’s yellow building… fries and Wifi

Further up the TAFUNA Road, another great stop: TMO… The hardware store made JP super happy as he found the selection greater and less expensive than ACE.  Around the corner is TMO beverages, THE place in American Samoa to purchase your liquor.  After 18 months in French Polynesia where the booze is, basically, out of reach ($60 for a bottle of Pastis) we found it refreshing to find rum at $18/liter… And indulged!  If you spend $500, TMO will deliver to the dock! Round up a couple yachts its and that’s not hard to do.

New tool toy for the boss… a Puller… go figure!

Back on the TAFUNA bus, continue to the NA.. PA store.  Some yachts found their happiness there… And who doesn’t like to browse the hardware store?

Hop on the TAFUNA bus again… Off to the Cost U Less warehouse shopping.  This is the place for yacht provisioning, but the booze is a bit more expensive than TMO.  We topped off our provision supplies.  Again, great service to the yachties: spend $300 and you get a free ride home.  Easy!

When in A.S. gotta have SPAM… lite for less fat…

In one day we were able to complete all our shopping and get it all delivered at the dock.  This has been the best!

If it had not rained constantly for 2 weeks, we would easily have stayed.  The bay itself is quite pretty in the sunlight.  Thursday Taco Tuesday at the Mexican place in Pago Pago, at the bottom of the bay, is THE cruisers rendez vous and we bumped into old friends…. ELYSEUM who had watched us get zapped in the San Blas; RAVEN who had sided by us in Portobello; SILVER LINING, our neighbor in Tahiti, en route to FIJI and Thailand… There are only about 3,000 yachts that circumnavigate and we are bound to bump into each other.  In fact, KAYA’S SONG, currently in FIJI, requested some supplies from ELYSEUM who delivered coffee and dill pickles to our boarding platform, goodies now secured in Domino’s hold, scouring FIJI in search of Kaya…. That’s how we shop!

One of the more gorgeous fabrics I found in A.S.

Sick of the rain and with a forecast for no wind, we raised anchor for our FIJI passage.  WAIT!!!  Pago Pago Harbor was not willing to let DOMINO leave, yet.  The chain would not come up.  Maneuvering right, left, more chain, less chain, nothing helped.  JP donned his emergency dive tank…. Uh oh… We might have to abandon chain!  The ½” links had been swallowed by the bommie that bloomed 2 meters above the mud-and-gravel bottom.  Twenty minutes and a tank later, JP asked for the hookah.  It took him 2 more hours of diving into mud and feeling his way through the bommie’s crevices before he yelled “raise the anchor, quick!”  Cut, bloody, exhausted, JP hopped back into the cockpit while I cancelled the professional diver who had just arrived on the dock to save us!  We owe Howard a beer for being so responsive on a Saturday afternoon… If you see him, please buy him a round of beer, we’ll pay you back when we bump into you!

This one will make a nice quilt

FYI – Pago Pago harbor

Good anchorage at 14*16.343 S – 170*41.6806 W – good mud
Bad bommie at 14*16.414 S – 170*41.674 W
Moorings on a 1st come 1st serve basis.  The port services assured me that divers inspect them regularly.  Some appear to be newer than others.  A your own risk!

Divers : Sean Gregg – 688-7722
               Howard – 733- 4167

Formalities –
• Port Captain Cpt. Silila is THE CHIEF.  Whatever you do, report to him first and last.  He also operates the tug, so he’s quite busy.  He’s a sweetheart, really, get to know  him!
• Health will want to fumigate your boat.  Having a fumigation certification on hand will clear you and save you $$$.
• Agriculture will want to see you too!
• Port operations, downstairs at the port building, will log you in and out
• Port operations, upstairs, will prepare your bill
• Cashier, downstairs, will take your money ($25 x 2 plus $2/day on a mooring or at anchor)
• Customs, downstairs at the port building, will stamp you clear ($50 x 2)
• Immigration is downtown, a 10 minute walk away.  They are willing to stamp you in and out at the same time if you only stay a few days, especially if you want to leave on a weekend.
• Cruise ship in town?  You’re not supposed to access the port when cruise ships are docked.  I did since it was a Friday and didn’t want to wait till Monday to leave.

Always a sad sight… boat on the reef

It’s only with a 3-hour delay, under pouring rain and a 29 Kt wind hitting us at the headland that we left Pago Pago, keeping an eye on the reef where the Taiwanese long liner #68 had crashed a few days before, spewing some of its 40 tons of fish into the waters… fish that the locals were trying to salvage, to the horror of the EPA and EMC tactical unit.

Too much rain, not enough sun…. time to go west!

Past the south point of American Samoa, we found the sun, at last, no wind, calm seas, and turned DOMINO WSW, towards FIJI 620 miles on the horizon, and enjoyed one of he most placid crossings ever.

Till next tale…
Dominomarie

SAMOA Show me the Tala!

By on May 29, 2015 in Domino

SAMOA: Show me the Tala!

DOMINO in Apia, in front of the cathedral

May 22,2015 – Apia, Samoa

You’d think that after 5 years traveling through34 countries and dealing with officials of multiple cultures, politics, economics and language, I’d be a bit thick-skinned.  You’d think that Paraguayan Customs officers, La Marinha do Brazil, and Belize’s Park Rangers would have taught me the ultimate patience.  Oh, but that was before having to deal with the operations in Apia, Samoa.  Admittedly, some cruisers have had a wonderful experience here… Not us!  Since I am still upset over shelling $500 in 5 days to see nothing under water, I’ll just be clinical about this post.

Apia, on our iSailor… forget the Navnet charting, it’s one mile off!

Fishing – You’d better catch your fish before getting to Apia, cuz the sea is rather sterile around here.  But the bank around American Samoa is excellent if we’re to judge but the tuna leaping alongside Domino and the 20-lb Mahi cooling in the fridge!

Fifty man long canoe 

Date Line – When you go from American Samoa to (Western) Samoa, you cross the International date line; in other words, you’ve just lost a day.  We thought we arrived on Friday afternoon, but noooo… We were Saturday.  And on a Saturday at 1pm, don’t expect to get any official attendance to your entry.

Apia, from above

Port Captain – Arriving Apia, the only official port of entry in Samoa, you are to call the port captain on VHF 16, and he’ll clear you for traffic, then direct you to the anchorage or the marina.  Our calls were ignored, and only when we were in a position to drop anchor did the port attendant OK’d to drop.  When we left the harbor on Wednesday, port control did not respond to anybody ‘s call until way into the afternoon.  So, don’t count on the port captain!

Another nice bay where you’re not to anchor

Apia Marina – The marina has been rebuilt after the 2009 tsunami and the 2011 hurricane, and it looks quite nice.  At the time of our arrival there were 3 spots at the docks, including a large one for Domino, and all the pylon spots were free.  According to Samoa Port Authority (SPA) all yachts are to dock at the marina.  We were directed to drop anchor in the bay, though.  Another problem: draft.  The marina has a 2.2 to 2.4 meter limit.  Sailing yacht Ariel IV was denied entrance due to their 2.6 meter draft.  Of course, the Nordhavn 87 Zembra was on the hook as well.  What should you do?  Usually, cruisers inside the marina will scramble to find you help!

New cathedral  Try the 9 AM Sunday mass and enjoy Samoan singing at its best… check out the woodwork on the ceiling, continue with touring the half dozen churches on the main street

Fees – The fee structure published on Noonsite is, for the moment, correct.  Catamarans pay 150% of these published fees.  Now, be aware that even though we were at anchor in the bay, we were assessed the same fees as inside the marina, or 87 talas/day. That’s US$ 40/day, my friends!  These fees also apply to the days when officials are not around to process your clearance, an extra 2 days while you are denied access to shore, just flying your “Q” flag.  But wait!  There is more!  SPA has just leased the marina to a private operator.  We went to his office and asked for clarification on the marina fees.  He had no idea, except that the marina partners were going to raise the fees, not willing to lose money the way SPA did…. Really?
Cruising Permit – Are you or are you not allowed to cruise around the islands?  JP met with Claire, on the 2nd floor of the SPA building.  Yes, for US $100 you could get a cruising permit that also included your anchorage fee in Apia.  But if you went to Matautu Bay in Sava’i there was no cruising fee, but you needed to get permission from the Ministry of the Prime Minister at the government building.  Uh?

R.L Stevenson’s house

Clearing In – After spending Saturday and Sunday on board, patiently flying our Q flag, we were anxious to proceed with our clearance on Monday morning.  By 9AM, Port Control had come in on VHF and promised to send the officials on board… Do NOT go to shore!
1. Health showed up at noon, cleared us, and we could now take our Q flag down.
2. Immigration called us for pickup at the dock an hour later and stamped our passports.  He also filled out our exit papers, agreed to stamp our exit so that we could leave directly from Sava’i…. But didn’t, and that would bite us in the rear 3 days later.
3. Customs called for their pickup late in the afternoon, but cleared us in a few minutes.
4. No visit from port captain or marina officials.
5. Agriculture???  Ah, that would be the next morning, another dockside pickup and a 4 Talas fee for our on-board trash.

Every morning at 9AM, flag raising at the Government Building

6. Ministry of the minister… By 10 am on Tuesday we had finally secured our clearance and cruising permit, and we’re ready to tour the island… At last!

One of the tree house hotels in one of the giant Aoas.

Touring Upolu – For 250 Talas ($120) our taxi driver took us around the island of UPOLU.  And what a splendid island it is, there is no denying it.  But the weather wasn’t with us as low clouds and rain marred the sky and obstructed the views.

Tapa-lined walls

Robert Louis Stevenson’s house is worth a peek for its classic architecture, manicured grounds, tapa-lined walls, and just the famous writer’s local lore.

Bahá’í House of Worship

The Bahá’í House of Worship is also a relaxing stop, knowing that all religions are welcome to worship in one single place.  Again, the grounds are a source of wonder.

Gardens at the Baha’i temple

Papapapa-something Waterfall?  Yep, it was supposed to be there, behind the curtain of clouds.

What’s your worship… any one will be OK

Aoa tree house?  Yes, we could kind of see it, perched in the enormous Aoa Tree.

Baha’i ceiling

Sliding rocks and swimming hole?  Not for us today, under a deluge.

Waterfalls… because it rains so much!

Lunch?  We had asked for typical and local food fare, and we should have stopped with the “Kéké Puha”, a taro flour steamed bun filled with spicy pork… Yummy… But our driver insisted on taking us to “good food.”  We ended up at a resort, offering nothing better than pizza and fish and chips…. But the Indian Chef prepared a raw fish salad and a beef curry, just for our driver and us…. A very special $100 treat indeed!

We paid more village entry fees for hilltop vistas and swimming in a grotto… And we’re only too happy to return to the boat.

The best thing, really, was to drive through the lush vegetation and observe how the villages are organized, the houses without walls surrounding the meeting hut.  Samoans still live a rather simple lifestyle.  The streets are clean, the grounds manicured and there is no crime.  This, according to our driver (the son of a local chief, soon to be chief himself) is thanks to the chief’s authority who has the power to punish and even ban the malfeasants!

Matautu Bay.  Our anchorage… in red, how to take the dink to shore, and snorkeling area

Savai  – Matautu Bay –  The wide bay opened to the North is a no-brainer.  Come in and drop the hook… Quiet and peaceful and the surrounding reef holds the promise of splendid snorkeling.  The local dive boat has been hopping from one site to the other and we’ve noted his moorings, even got his permission to tie up at his moorings.  Otto’s a very cool guy.

The reef tries to come back

Question is, how do you go to shore?  The reef is forbidding and extensive.  At high tide, though, you can cross the reef in the direction of the old jetty and, keeping the white sticks on your starboard, carefully head to the beach at the resort.  The owner is quite accommodating.  The store across the street will gladly sell you a Wifi Card and you can arrange to tour the island.  Sava’I is, according to local lore, the island that Hawaii was named after, 1,000 years later, and it’s supposed to be the most beautiful of all of Samoa.  We didn’t experience that, too antsy to check the underwater scene.

Sea anemone and clownfish are one of the rare occupants

And what a disappointment!  The reef at Matautu is dead.  Dynamite fishing and the resulting shockwaves, as well as root-brew fishing have killed it all.  If the locals were able to stun the fish and paralyze it so it would be easy to catch, they also have destroyed the entire reef life.  Dejected, we abandoned our underwater quest and hoped for better experience on land.  But the wind shifted to the north and we just hightailed it out of there, back to Apia to process our out clearance.

One of the more delicate seaweeds we found… no idea what it’s called

Clearing out – We figured that an afternoon would be enough to process our clearance, right?

1. Immigration – Taxi downtown to the immigration office, queue in line, get passports stamped, done!
2. Port – Taxi over to SPA, go upstairs to Claire to process fees?… Oops, Claire took the day off, no replacement… So much for our all-inclusive $100 fee… The gentleman downstairs kindly offers to take care of us…. So, 87 Talas x 5 day =435 Tala, or $200…. We complain: but we were at anchor, not inside the marina!  But we were at anchor only 2 working days, waiting for the officials and cruising to Sava’I the rest of the time!  No matter, mate…. Pay up… But Claire promised it would just be $100 all-inclusive cruising permit… But Claire is not here, is she?  Finally, after much coming and going, the guy shakes JP’s hand, “Gentleman’s agreement, US $100”. And gives us a receipt for 100 talas!
3. Customs – We rush there to beat the 4pm cashier ‘s deadline.  Hand out our stamped passports and SPA receipt.  Oh, but where is your clearance letter from immigration?  Uh???? To make a long story short, immigration is supposed to give you a clearance letter IN ADDITION to stamping your passports.  Oh, but you must return to the immigration office and get your clearance!!!!  That’s when, in tears, I blow up and start at the customs official… “This is just not acceptable… The official should have known his job and didn’t do it… Call him ….” I choke, barely holding my anger… JP agrees, “please call him and tell him to bring the clearance, I’m not paying for another taxi!”  Agreed… An hour later, the immigration official shows up with our clearance and rushes out of the building… Here, Mr. Customs official, here is our clearance… OH, but this won’t do, it is only a copy and I need the original !  ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????  We argue some more and customs finally accepts the document.  PHEW…. We pay the 54 Talas ($22) clearance in exchange for a very nice document with an enormous bright blue “clearance” sticker reminiscent of kindergarten.  DONE!  It’s 5 pm and we made it.

We needed to celebrate… Walked to the KK grocery store and spent our last few Talas on a nice bottle of scotch.

EPILOGUE– As we walk past the marina entrance and wave at the security guard, he hails us over… What now?  “Aren’t you guys forgetting something?”   Hum…. Got our clearance, got Scotch, paid our fees, waved  goodbye… Nope!  He hold our passports in his hand… Customs Guy just dropped these for you!  In the confusing mess, our passports had remained stuck somewhere on his desk!  Thank you after all, Mr. Customs Guy!

Saturday, 7am, VHF 16 .  “Apia Port Captain, this is Domino, do you copy?  …. Request clearance out of the harbor, do you copy?  Nothing heard!”  And we steam out, only too glad to affront the 22-29kts on the nose to return to Pago Pago!

That was our Samoan experience.   Yours may be totally different.

Until Next time…

SUWARROW… no go!

By on May 27, 2015 in Domino
On the hook north of Tom Neale’s Jetty
SUWARROW… no go!  May 1st 2015 … Suwarrow Atoll …. (My computer is on the fritz, some keys are dead, so I’m improvising ….  13°14.86S, 163°6.467W… > “Suwarrow, Suwarrow, Suwarrow caretaker, this is the motoryacht DOMINO, DOMINO, do you coly, over”   no response.  …  Let’s keep on fishing, then! 

Entrance into Suwarrow by calm weather

 For the last 3 hours, we’ve been trolling the NW end of Suwarrow with fantastic results… 2 nice size wahoos and 2 yellowfin tunas.  Didn’t matter if the wind blew a stink and we were pelted by rain, we were NOT to abandon the sixty pound fish on the hook!  Now, the freezer is full again, especially after catching a 35lb Mahi during our crossing, just north of Maupelia.


Nice Mahi… our first in a over 6 months!
We’ve done all the paperwork required by the Cook Islands Customs… form 27 gave us permission to enter Suwarrow in the presence of the park Ranger, but we were not allowed to “LAND” on the atoll in the absence of the Caretaker.  The caretaker had agreed to meet us there on the 3Oth of April… we were now May 1st and nobody answered on VHF 16.  By mid afternoon, the wind and seas were picking up and the forecast for the following day was nasty.  We decided to take a peek inside the lagoon, just to make sure that there, indeed, was nobody waiting for us.  Deserted… nobody in sight.

Now, this twin hooku] made rejoiced us


Now, we were in a quandary… We could have diverted our route north penrhyn, but the rates have gone up so much (NZ$3 a foot a day!!!! }  that we did’t even consider it. Making an executive decision, our chief dropped the anchor north of the jetty in 1O meters of blue water, we floated our chain and waited.  That was a good decision, as it turned out.  The next day, we were still hoping to see the ranger’s transport show up on our AIS… what we saw was a 26 meter sailing yacht slushing through 35 to 4O knots of wind… “DOMINO, do you think we can anchor inside the lagoon#  It’s too rough out here, even for us… but we have a 12 food draft and the seas are bad, visibility sucks…”  We talked for a while and the yacht decided to continue on to Western Samoa.  Needless to say that we didn’t leave the boat, didn’t drop the dinghy, didn’t go to shore… we just looked at the dozen shark that had decided to check us out.  It was cold, rainy, and we had no desire to go for a swim.

What do you do with all that fish  .. Tuna Tartare on a bed of avocado, tomato and hard boiled eggs
We kept checking the AIS, hoping for the ranger to show up… nothing.  And what a shame, really!  Suwarrow was such a dream for us… just reaching this destination was an accomplishment… we wanted to experience one of the best diving in the pacific… It didn’t happen… in the morning we raised anchor and waved goodbye to Tom Neale’s retreat, the coconut crab we didn’t hunt, the reef we didn’t dive, the gin=clear water we didn’t experience.  I’m sure that other yachts do stay  even if the ranger is not around… if fact, I know several who did… but I’m not one to defy authority and I was such a paranoid mess to deal with for those 36 hours inside the lagoon that my skipper was only too happy to leave.


Into the West
Off to American Samoa, then… Home port of pago pago!




Here goes nothing!
Until then… dominomarie

ADIEU BORA BORA

By on April 26, 2015 in Domino
ADIEU BORA BORA

Bora Bora’s crater, viewed from the south
Mai Kai Marina – April 26, 2015 – On a mooring. 

–                    Note about moorings at the Mai Kai:  just grab one and don’t even try to anchor here!  It’s 30- meter deep with lots of coral at the bottom.  Nasty gusts constantly rush down the mountain, tossing boats around.  Just yesterday, some guy dropped anchor not far from us; an hour later, he was dragging into the mooring field, tried to raise his anchor (by hand) and snagged a mooring chain… big mess!

–                    Note about your dinghy:  There has been a rash of dinghy/motor theft, not only in Bora but also Huahine and Raiatea.  As I said before, LIFT it, LOCK it, or LOSE it!

–                    Happy Hour at the Mai Kai: 1700-1800 –

Well, this is it.  Tomorrow morning at 0100 we’re slipping our mooring lines and making off to Suwarrow (AKA “Suvarof”) –

Moorings at the Mai-Kai Marina – After our cruise to Motu Piti Aau (SE of the atoll)   

CLEARING OUT – Clearing out of French Polynesia is much easier here in Bora Bora than it would have been in Papeete.  The normal clearing procedure in Papeete starts 3 days before your intended departure, as follows:  you e-mail a notice of departure to the Port Captain (Ken Vernaudon), who emails it to Customs, who clear the document and email it to immigration, who notifies you that you are now able to pickup your clearance.  Then, you go to the Customs office to get your document, hand-carry it to the immigration office who stamps (or not) your passports, and you MUST leave Papeete before midnight THAT day, not to touch land anywhere in French Polynesia, lest you would be considered as a “drogue-trafiqueur” and be subject to fines and boat seizure.  IF you want detaxed “export” fuel (about 1cent/liter less than detaxed fuel), you must do it AFTER immigration gives you your clearance, but BEFORE leaving Papeete before midnight that night…  good luck!

What did we do?  Got our regular detaxed fuel document from customs, cleared out of Papeete with the Port Captain, destination “Iles sous le vent” (you must clear out with the Port Captain when you travel 50 miles from Tahiti and beyond) – Then, we fueled up in Raiatea and made for Bora Bora (with a detour by Maupiti) where we have been waiting for a weather window.  This morning, Sunday, we went to the “Gendarmerie” and cleared out (immigration, port and customs, all rolled into ONE gendarme) and have 24 hours to leave.  None of that “Before Midnight” nonsense. (The gendarmerie is open 7 days a week.)

Going around Bora’s East end – Green track
But we had a few days to explore the SE end of Bora Bora’s lagoon, a bit further down than we did last time.  
Nasty S-turn, but well marked – Just don’t go to sleep!
As before, I found the “S” turns in the lagoon a bit unnerving, but we had great visibility and navigation was no problem.

Off to a little snorkeling
Motu Piti Aau – 16°31.95S – 151°42.595W –   We anchored in 8 meters of blue water, sand, right off the 2-meter sand shelf.  Many boats DO anchor on the sand shelf, all the way to the S end of the motu, in front of the little pension.  We try to stay further from land to avoid potential mosquitoes and “nonos.”

Stunning coral flowers in gin-clear water… and nothing else!
We were anxious to re-visit what had enthralled us 20 years ago, the “Coral Garden” at the southern point of Motu Piti Aau.  But what a disappointment!  Where were the 2-feet wide giant clams?  The multitude of fish?  The variegated coral formations?  All there is left is a desert of rocky formations, once live coral, with a few blooming coral flowers in iridescent pastels.  Stunning water clarity and beautiful coral blooms… BUT: hardly any fish remain; the bottom is littered with thousands upon thousands of giant clam shells, many smaller than 6”, a graveyard not only for the “Pahuas”but for the entire reef life.  Nothing made me sadder in this entire trip.  (Note: when you snorkel this area, watch out for the current, it’s very strong at that end of the lagoon.)
Impressive water clarity… and a harvested 6″ pahua…sad: pahuas used to reach 24″ here… no more!
Not far, local guides were conducting a shark feeding operation, a dozen tourists strung on a line, sharks circling freely, and I couldn’t stop wondering when these shark feeding operations would be outlawed.  This shark-feeding practice is a total nonsense to me.

Crystal clear view of… a whole lot of nothing left
To try and feel better, we checked out the snorkeling at Motu Piti Uu, on the land side of the island.  The fish population was plentiful, though the specimen were mostly juveniles.

Auger
Some cone….
In despair, I decided to check out the sand shelf and found a few sand creatures: marlinspikes, augers, miters, cones, dartfish, and even a blenny… or was that a goby?  I’m still confused between them, especially when I can’t see the dorsal fin.  And, of course, lots of stingrays and eagle rays.

And a tiny little goby… or blenny, nestled in a tuft of stray algae
As we motored back up towards the town of Vaitape and the Mai Kai mooring field, we took a last look at the hundreds of luxury bungalows strung over the turquoise waters.  Bora Bora is no longer the “Pearl of the Pacific.”  It’s beauty has been sacrificed to the $$ god, its motus thrashed, its underwater treasures pillaged.

Cones are common here
Big marlinspikes are easy to find: just look for their trails and dig at the head of the trail… there they are!

Pearl of the Pacific?  We just got back from our provisioning trip.  It’s been raining and we’ve had to slog though mud in the streets, just like we did in Paraguay or Brazil or Guatemala, and we couldn’t help comment that, in spite of its thousand-dollar-a-night hotel rooms and the luxury ship Paul Gaugin anchored just a few yards from us and disgorging its white-dress –clad misses, Bora Bora reminds us of a third-world village, far from the classy, responsible, ecologic tourist spot it pretends to be.

The impressive volcano is still there; the lagoon is still blue in appearance; the sea life is depressingly absent.

And so we’re off to Suwarrow, hoping to catch some fish during our 3-day passage, because we have not caught a single fish in all our stay in the Society Islands.
Off to Suwarrow…

Until then…

dominomarie

ADIEU MAUPITI

By on April 25, 2015 in Domino

ADIEU MAUPITI
Getting into Maupiti… mooring field to port, once passed the Cardinal marks

Maupiti – April 16th, 2015

            – Mooring balls: 6 at Pte Tamaupiti (just west of the pass) and 3 more in town

            – Town dinghy dock

Getting to the pass, coming from the south… this is as good as it gets
We had hoped to stay a short week in Maupiti.  But you don’t PLAN a stay in Maupiti, really.  You get there if there’s a good weather window and you get out like a bat out of hell if the swell is contrary.  Twenty years ago, we waited a whole week to get into the pass, but we never had a chance.  This time, we did make it… and rushed out 3 days later.

This was a good day to enter Maupiti!
            The trick in Maupiti is that the pass is very narrow and faces south.  Any swell from SE to SW creates breaking waves and sheer walls of water, making the pass impossible.  It goes without saying that the locals can be quite isolated from the rest of the world.  The commercial shuttle “Maupiti Express” has ceased its money-losing activities; the supply ship can’t always come in on schedule; the airport landing strip is too short for any plane larger than a 12-seater.  Isolation is the norm, here.

Any swell from the south makes entry/exit into Maupiti impossible
            But we were lucky this time and threaded through the infamous ‘Onoiau Pass with absolutely flat seas and no wind at all.  Still, even at mid-day (Solar tides here), the out-flowing current was strong.  But trust “Big-D”… she got us through smoothly.

            The area just west of the pass hosts 6 mooring balls, and that’s great.  There is nothing better to do than jump in the crystal-clear water and wait for the rays to show up.  Some are stingrays, but the majority are leopard rays (spotted eagle rays), bat rays and other specimen of the Myliobatis family.  I call them the little sand-pigs.  Just watch them bury their rounded snouts into the fine white sand and shake-shake-shake, like little piggies in mud.  I wish my Lumix underwater camera had not broken down on its 4th use… I have no underwater photo to show you, sadly.

Maupiti town
            Off to town, then!  There are 3 more mooring balls and a dinghy dock, to our great satisfaction.  For more snorkeling, we dinghied to the north end of the atoll and snorkeled the area west of Motu Paeao.  It’s worth a trip, even though it’s not the greatest coral or fish population. 

Varieties of butterfly fish are everywhere
Our trip to shore was quite a “raté”… we’re OK with water activity, not so good with land-based stuff.  The waterfront restaurant was closed: out of food and the supply ship, the red Teravao was just docking… no food till tomorrow!  So, let’s climb up the volcanic peak and have a view from the top, we hear it’s a spectacular 300-degree shot over the lagoon.  But we took the wrong trail (the one by the grocery store instead of the stairs) and I gave up after an hour, JP giving up shortly after.  So, let’s take the bikes out and explore around the island… tomorrow morning… and that’s when our mooring neighbor announced that the charter company had just ordered them to leave Maupiti IMMEDIATELY or they would be stuck in the lagoon for the next 5 days.

When all else fails, picking flowers and collecting shells can fill my days
Ten minutes later, we had slipped our mooring lines and were chugging towards the pass.  Just in time!  We were greeted by a 15-foot wave, thankfully well-rounded and not breaking yet.  It was quite impressive to watch “Big-D” climb to the top only to be greeted by a major mascaré beyond.  We were tossed around in that washing machine and were thankful to have a big, powerful boat that got us out of there quickly.  We felt a bit sorry for the 36’ sailing cat that was to follow us… mercy!

That’s how it is in Maupiti… you get what you get and are thankful for it.  Indeed, we are grateful to have had this opportunity, 20 years in the making.

Adieu, surprising Maupiti!

Next stop: Bora Bora.  Till then…

dominomarie

Adieu Raiatea

By on April 24, 2015 in Domino
ADIEU RAIATEA

Motu Nao Nao – Day anchorage. or overnight by settled weather only

Motu Aito (Raiatea) – April 13, 2015

–       Mooring balls: 6 in Faaroa Bay (3 mid/bay, 3 at the entrance of the river)

–       UTUROA Fuel dock (fuel usually cheaper than in Marina Taina, detax accepted, fuel sampled and analyzed before being pumped) – Currently 70.5 CFP for detaxed fuel.
–       SHOPPING– Supermarket and town market steps off the dock, excellent provisioning.

–       UTUROA TOWN DOCK –  Very easy access, OK for a short time.

Motu Aito – 16°42.742S – 151°26.466W –  For the last time, we anchored at Motu Aito, the artificial motu across from Uturoa.  This has become somewhat of a controversial anchorage with the locals.  Long-term cruisers, especially the ones who have registered their children in Uturoa schools, have elected this site as their quasi-permanent anchorage.  The locals have a tendency to see them as “squatters.”  The main issue is with local water taxis and shuttles who use the channel north of Motu Aito, a channel often obstructed by the yachts at anchor.  Fed-up with the not-so-nice attitude of a few cruisers, the locals are asking for a ban on this anchorage.  It would be nice if the city installed mooring balls, just as they have in other places, or designate a safe anchorage for long-term cruisers.  But for now, we can still anchor at Motu Aito. 

Snowflake eels are all over the place at Motu Aito
I like this anchorage a lot.  Snorkeling is always good, with plenty of eels and angelfish, and it’s a short swim to the reef where giant triggerfish are sure to cruise.  I’m still looking for the leaf fish supposed to hang around there, so far no luck.  We said goodbye to friends we’d been cruising with for the last 2 years: Spirit of Pontapreta and DigDoug –  But before leaving for good, we had to explore 2 more places.

My favorite angelfish: Racoon

Faaroa Bay and River Trip – 16°49.S – 151°24.9 W –   Twenty years ago, we started our first charter with Stardust in this bay.  We remember anchoring just NW of Pass Iriru, behind Motu Tipaemau.  Impossible now: the entire area is a pearl farm and you must be careful threading between the buoys.

Up the river in Faaroa Bay
The charter base is long gone, but Faaroa Bay is a popular destination and there are now 3 mooring balls mid-channel (in front of the restaurant) and 3 more and a dinghy dock at the bottom of the bay.  Anchoring in mud is no problem either!

For once, we took Do-mini  for a river trip, threading between palm trees and a profusion of flowers.  This is a super-fertile area and home to a healthy agricultural activity.  There is even an egg farm… you may not find eggs in store in the other islands, but Raiatea always has eggs from Faaroa!



Motu NaoNao – 16°55.18S – 151°25.89W  – Motu NaoNao is considered one of the prettiest in the Society Islands.  No doubt, it’s very pretty.  The anchorage is small, surrounded with coral heads, so better put your heaviest anchor and keep a short leash.  We snorkeled all around and found that the best snorkel was on the south shore of the motu: dense coral hills, lots and lots of fish, and healthy anemones and their little Nemos.  We like this snorkeling spot a lot better than Bora Bora’s Piti Uu site.

Motu Nao Nao… snorkeling is better on the motu side than on the reef side
This may not seem like a lot of fun for those who like to walk and prefer land-based activities.  But for me (I’m not speaking for JP), this is HEAVEN!!!

Blue-headed rockskipper
We are taking Pass NaoNao to exit: it’s wide and currently absolutely flat!

Next stop: Maupiti.

Till then…

dominomarie

Adieu Tahaa

By on April 24, 2015 in Domino
ADIEU TAHAA

The small town of Haamene has become a welcome sight
 Haamene Bay – April 12, 2015

            3 mooring balls – Town dock


Behind the palm trees, our friends Marcel and Helene watch us moor.
If no mooring available, this is also a very good holding anchorage
           
NOTE _   Mooring balls have also been installed on the west side of Taha, possibly Hurepiti or Vaiorea Bay, but not at the coral garden.  You still have to anchor SOUTH of the coral garden.
Haamene Bay – Our favorite hurricane hole in the Society Islands
With another storm system coming our way and 35-40kt wind forecast, we seeked shelter once more; this time, in the deep Haamene Bay.  To our great surprise –and delight—3 mooring balls have appeared close to town!

The red roof of Haamene’s church is a hallmark.
The little ice house to the right is where Marcel hangs out every morning at 6 AM
The library is just behind the ice house.
Do-mini at the town dock.      
  Tahaa is investing heavily in making its bays more attractive to the cruiser.  The new boardwalk is almost finished and the library (located behind the ice house) is happy to lend books to cruisers… and accepts books as well!

Every morning, JP takes Do-mini to town for fresh baguette
            
Our friends Marcel and Helene who run the ice house greeted us with smiles and shell necklaces: no hiding from them since we were moored right in front of their house!  We decided to take them for a farewell picnic at Motu Mahaea.

Motu Mahaea – 16°38.327S – 151°25.6 W


           
Motu Mahaea is the islet bording the northern end of Pass Toahotu.  North of that motu is a very large shallow anchoring in good sand.  Just make sure you don’t anchor in the path of the seaplane track, although we’ve never seen a seaplane around here, it could happen…

Can you say, “blue water anchorage?”
            It’s a lovely place for a picnic, kayaking and just fooling around in the water, and a respite from the bay where the water is always murky.  
Amethyst Olive
Our friends and their motuas (granddaughters) enjoyed the day, and Marcel even found some nice shells: marlinspikes and turrids and even a splendid Amethyst Olive.

            
After a last trip to buy vanilla, it was soon time to say goodbye and it was with heavy hearts, though loaded with grapefruits, coconuts and bananas, that we kissed our friends Nana.
            
Adieu, beautiful Tahaa… next stop: Raiatea.

Until then…

dominomarie

            

Papeete’s New Marina

By on April 24, 2015 in Domino
PAPEETE’s New Marina

Photo Jean-Baptiste Calvas

April 24, 2015 – Bora Bora

Big news in French Polynesia!  At long last, Papeete has a downtown marina.  It opened yesterday, just in time for the ARC Rally to inaugurate.

To summarize:

–       80 spots: 60 for regular sailboats, 20 for mega-yachts, long-term stay OK

–       60 day-use spots for small boats (poti marara, small outboards), no overnight

–       Live aboard: 10% of the spots, max.

–       Local boat owners’ spots: fewer than 10

This is, obviously, a marina dedicated to international cruisers.  Locals will remain at Marina Taina, Arue, or even Moorea.

Cost?  Pretty international.  I have converted the prices from CP Francs to USD (US $1 = 100 CP approx..)

–       Day use for small boats: $5/day (no overnighting).  This is where you would leave your dinghy if coming to town from Marina Taina.

–       Monohulls:

o   12 meters: $15/day, $350/month (low season); $35/day, $800/mo (high season)

o   16 meters: $20/day, $460/mo (low season); $50/day, $1,100/mo (high season)

o   20 meters: $25/day, $600/mo (low season); $65/day, $1,500/mo (high season)

–       Multihulls:

o   12 meters: $22/day, $520/mo (low season); $52/day, $1,250/mo (high season)

o   16 meters: $30/day, $700/mo (low season); $70/day, $1,700/mo (high season)

o   20 meters: $38/day, $900/mo (low season); $98/day, $2,350/mo (high season)

o  

 

–       Docks are equipped with electricity (220) and water.  Supposedly, a pumping station (I have not verified)

A new 1-km long boardwalk follows the docks.  Permanent facilities to welcome cruisers have not been built yet, but have been budgeted.

This is a marvelous improvement and we congratulate the new government for having, at last, seen the marina project to completion.

Enjoy Papeete!

s dominomarie