All quiet in Mo’orea

Posted On 11 April, 2014

We have made it to Mo’orea! It is lovely here but you’ll have to wait till we arrive back in Tahiti for WiFi to send any pictures over.

You asked about our provisioning for the coming passage:

Well, we’re in great shape. We’ve fresh fruit, eggs and a freezer-full of meat which we hope will last the whole trip, so there is no danger of us going hungry. Tony, the resident chef, dishes up fresh bread most days and, of course, we also have our secret weapon, Matt, the resident fisherman. Much as we hate to admit it, he’s come up with a couple of great catches. Actually, we ripped into his efforts last night with a wahoo caught on the way up from New Zealand baked in a fish pie.

The cargo I mentioned that we were stowing down low is nothing exciting, really. No barrels of doubloons or tubs of whale oil. Only spare parts for essential systems, tools and more food stores. We did refuel today when leaving Tahiti and we loaded 5646 litres. It took a couple of hours to fill. Not the most thrilling job, but it has to be done!

The passage across to Mo’orea was pretty painless and you’ll be pleased to hear that I wasn’t seasick, but it’s only 10 miles and the sea was calm. We may not be here long because the news is that the radar could arrive in Tahiti tomorrow or Friday. Hopefully, then, we’ll be on our way by the weekend.

It was my turn to cook tonight and I treated the team to a hot Mexican chili soaked up with jacket potatoes. First signs were that it went down well, but we’ll give it some time, hey?

Matt and I are hoping to do some exploring tomorrow. We’ve a job list as long as your arm, so the sooner we get it done, the more of Mo’orea we’ll see!

Ben

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Hi Ben

Sounds like everything’s going swimmingly. I’ve checked your position on the chart and it looks like a spectacular anchorage – mountains all around and a 900-metre monster called Rotui less than a mile away! Are there many boats in there?

We’re glad to hear about the food, and the ladies at Berthon will be delighted you’re getting your ‘five a day’!

5000-odd litres of diesel, eh? Wow! That’s around 4½ tons. How is this big weight distributed around the boat? Do you have multiple tanks? Are they filled separately, or is there one big filler with a distribution system? And how is the fuel managed on passage? Do the boys switch from tank to tank to keep trim as they want it? Is this done electronically or does someone have to crawl around throwing valve taps etc.? On my boat even 350 litres of diesel makes a difference to trim, so it’ll be fascinating to find out what goes on with a vessel like GREY WOLF.

Sorry this is all a bit technical and probably the last thing you want to be thinking about as you discover the delights of the South Seas. Good luck to you and Matt ashore, and don’t feel you have to confess everything!

Tom

www.tomcunliffe.com