Pacific Odyssey - Leg 3

Sometimes I wish we´d have a boring day; there´s always so much I want to write about, yet everyday I´m anxious about describing it well and full enough.  So much happens in a day.  I would like to relate to you more details about each specific trainee and crew member, but when we move from bay to bay and island to island, the routine is much different than weeks spent out at sea together.  We are more separate from each other;  I don´t have the chance as easily to be an observer.  I would also like to have trainees share their journals with you but I´ve had difficulty getting them to volunteer.  I´ll keep trying.
Today we raised anchor at 0800, ate breakfast in two sittings and spent an hour moving to a different bay, Baie de Haamene.  The wind continues to blow strong, with gusts up to 60kts; the woman from the pearl farm said it is somewhat windier than usual, though the trade winds always provide a breeze.  We lowered dories and went ashore in two groups; one group hiked 1 1/2 hours up a mountain to an incredible view over the islands of
Tahaa and Raiatea, and the second group walked quite a way to what we thought was a turtle rehabilitation program.  Instead, it was more a restaurant that had a few turtles in pens to look at. They did rescue turtles and reintroduce them back in to the wild, but it was not a teaching centre as we´d hoped.  It was a nice, albeit hot, walk along the shore.  The hike up the mountain, which the kids, Skipper and I were a part of, followed a 4x4 dirt trail that zigzagged it´s way up.  Parts of the trail were very muddy and we were quite covered with it by the time we returned to the dories. The vegetation was incredibly lush and very green, beautiful.  The smells were many and heavily floral.  We could also smell the wood fires, which always remind me of Pitcairn Island, especially alongside the smell of vegetation.  Along the way we met 3 men husking and chopping coconuts and bagging them, perhaps preparing them for copra production.  At the top, Becca slipped and took off one of her toenails.  Fortunately Tavish had an excellent First Aid kit with him, and he and Antony were able to wash the very muddy and bloody toe, and bandage it up, so she could hobble her way back down the mountain.  She´s a trooper, especially as she´s already dealing with another foot wound that is taking it´s time to heal.  Little cuts and scrapes are watched very closely on the boat, as it is so easy for a wound to get infected in the tropics. Karen has her hands full, keeping on top of everyone´s cuts and scrapes; she does an amazing job.  Gillian baked delicious bread early this morning, and we were able to take a bag lunch with us ashore.  We all met at the dories at 1400hrs, happy, having had a chance to see something new again, and to get some much-needed exercise.  We raised the anchor again and headed to the island of Raiatea, a slightly busier island.  It is in the same lagoon as Tahaa.  We anchored in Baie de Vairahi, in the lee of the shore.  This is important because we are finally able to put up the tarps, which means there may not be a mass exodus below tonight when the rain starts. Thanks goes to Tristan and Jacob and a crew of others who put up both of the big tarps in the dark for us. The moon is large and very bright.  It looks beautiful shining over the water.  Jose and Skipper tried taking some night photos with the full moon shining large alongside the masts and rigging.  Stephen and Jordan taught Celestial Navigation to the Seniors this afternoon.  They are hoping to write up a hand-out as well, that would help Seniors remember the steps in taking a sight and doing the computing to come up with a position.  Karen taught the juniors their Chart work lesson.  Supper was early tonight, 1730hrs.  This was so that we could eat on deck in our watches while it was still light out.  Conversations went on well over an hour.  Carolyn (the twin, there are 2 Carolyn´s), Tom and Tavish were interrogated in their watches and many funny and serious details emerged.  Tom eagerly shares his knowledge of the grocery industry with us, all kinds of details we never think of.  He is looking forward to scuba diving tomorrow; he brought all his own gear, except for the tank.  Other options are a hike to a waterfall somewhere close by and/or to a ´marae,´ an archeological sight.  Gillian and Katie are looking for a grocery store.  Before supper, Jose set up a few climbing problems on the jumbo boom and the foreboom.  Paul, Tom, Chase, Noah, Caelan, and Susan were able to do it, many others tried, and yet more hope to try when nobody else is watching!  At Paul´s request, Karen organized a game on deck once dishes were done, and watches were clustered in groups with a headlamp working through some kind of word list.  I was putting boys to bed and am not sure what game exactly they were playing, but it sounded fun. It is a nice sight at night with small groups of people busy at various things, with their headlamps providing the only source of light, besides the moon.  The mood it gives off is rather cozy, like camping.  Several trainees with Chase and Jordan studied the sky, finding stars with the help of the Stargazing program on the computer and Chase´s laser.  Robyn´s sister, Amanda is having her 15th birthday today and Robyn was very excited to pass on a very Happy Birthday through the log.  Happy Birthday Amanda, from Robyn.  It is very quiet on board at the moment, I think I am probably the only one still awake again.
Jordan and Stephen made me a wonderful cup of rooibos tea, with some chocolate, before they headed off to sleep, very thoughtful.  This is it until tomorrow, good night,
Bonice.