Pacific Odyssey - Leg 3

Today was a very good and full day.  We raised anchor at 0600hrs and moved further into the bay, outside the small village of Maroe.  It rained a lot last night and many of us ended up sleeping below.  We had a wet morning and all left for a 0900hrs church service in our rain gear.  As the morning progressed, the weather improved and it was hot again by mid-morning.  The parish was incredibly welcoming and also amused as 37 people entering their church unannounced and, like I said earlier, in rain gear.  The woman who spoke, spoke first in Tahitian, then in French and then in English, just so we could understand what was being said.  Usually the service is just given in Tahitian!  The singing was fabulous; the sound pushed against the walls of the small church, filling it, voices multilayered, a sound one doesn´t forget.  There was no accompaniment; someone would start singing and everyone would join in, the voices singing in harmony.  Church was done by 1000hrs and groups split off, some swimming off the dock, others hitch hiking around the island, still others walking and climbing a mountain.  The sun was hot and many of us are feeling very tired. The village is very small and initially, we found ourselves thinking "there´s not much to do here,´ and feeling somewhat bad, thinking so, our North American expectations creeping in.  What it allowed though, was for the day to evolve into something, to allow us and the locals to find something to do together because we weren´t busy running off ´doing´ everything there was to do.  Jose brought a group of young people to the boat that he had met yesterday and they stayed with us for several hours, making crafts with my younger kids and playing music with Stephen, Skipper, Jose and Noah, on the drum.  They brought a ukulele and sang Polynesian songs for us, while we joined in with our guitars and mandolins.  It was very relaxed and they seemed comfortable here.  One of the fellows ended up giving his ukulele to Jose as a gift, writing the names and addresses of their group on the back.  On shore, trainees were hanging around the dock and the volleyball net.  Trainees and the locals were swimming together off the dock, floating the homemade boats Stephen and my kids had made off the beach, playing a game of soccer with Tristan and a few others, and rotating through people on the volleyball field.  This went on for about 4 hours, younger kids tended to be playing with our trainees in the water and at soccer, while the older ones played volleyball.  The locals play well as they have a lot of free time to play together.  At 1800hrs the zodiac returned the trainees to the boat, ready for roast beef dinner.  Some trainees spent some of their day on the boat, swimming off the side, swinging on the outhaul rope, catching up on laundry, and reading or writing.  There was a very good feeling everywhere, both on and off the boat and everyone was very excited about their day.  At the Sunday service tonight, we all had a chance to say what our expectations are for this leg and why SALTS appeals to us, why we keep returning.  For many, it is the sense of community they feel on the boat and the chance to interact with cultures like we did today. Traveling as we do allows us experiences that an average traveler does not have and the trainees are aware of that and appreciate it.  Some said that sailing on this leg gives them the time to think, to re-evaluate, to learn more about themselves and offers the chance to meet people in a more deliberate way.  Arwen made peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies again; she spoils us.  Tomorrow we leave at 0800hrs for the next island.  It is very late; I think I am the last one up again.  The moon is nearly full and the sky is quite clear. Until tomorrow, good night,
Bonice.