Surfing – Adagio’s Voyage

The Pull of the Ocean

When we left Rangiroa, we had a 36 hr sail back to Tahiti. It was the best sail we have had this year with 15 kts of wind on the beam and calm seas. We barely had to touch the sails as the consistent eastern trade winds pushed us back to Tahiti. The nights were clear without any squalls, and the stars gave us plenty to ponder when alone in the cockpit overnight. I needed a sail like that. We had had a few uncomfortable passages this year, one in which I was sick the whole time. I was beginning to dread being on passage again, but this sail brought me back to the joy of just gliding on the ocean.

We arrived back in Tahiti before dawn and tied up to the dock at the downtown marina. We had planned for one week in the marina to do a bunch of boat chores and provisioning before heading out again. We finally were starting to wrap our heads around the fact that we were going to be leaving French Polynesia after a year. Our last time to pull into Tahiti was bittersweet. But, after a week of hard work, we headed out west again for Huahine.

Huahine was probably our favorite island in the Societies that we visited last year. And, it is the place that Mike really got his surf groove on. He had done a little surfing before that, but not much. Just outside the entrance to the pass was a great wave that Mike got out on almost every day for two months last year. And, as we were departing Tahiti, Mike checked the surf forecast to see that the surf report looked good for the next week.

We arrived in Huahine to find a couple of boats that we knew and quickly met others in the anchorage. There was a fleet of about six other boats, all families with kids, who were going to be traveling to the Cook Islands at the same time as us. So, we’re going to have lots of company.

As soon as we dropped anchor, Mike grabbed the surf board and hit the waves. It had been awhile since he was able to surf, so the first couple of days he was a bit sore getting those paddling muscles back in shape. But, he was determined to get as much time on the waves as possible.

Our friends Ken and Edith on Alondra wanted to go check out the surf and get some pictures of the surfers. Edith has a nice long lens on her camera (better than mine) and thought we could get close enough to get some good pictures. Ken volunteered to drive the dinghy, which took some skill to get inside the waves but then get out of them in time before they were breaking. We didn’t want to get caught inside and roll the dinghy!

We had so much fun for two days capturing Mike and the other surfers catching waves, missing waves, getting pummeled by waves and generally having a good time. I was so impressed by how well Mike was surfing. Its not easy to pick up a new sport at age 50, but his determination and strength have paid off. He was catching more waves than most of the other surfers and actually looked like he knew what he was doing!

After seeing him surf up close, I really started to understand the draw of surfing. The power of the ocean is most evident by the visual of the large waves breaking down on the coral reef. Sitting and waiting for the perfect wave in the clear blue ocean where you can look down and see the coral and fish below as if you could reach down and touch them makes you feel how tiny you are in the vast ocean.

That pull of the ocean, what drives us to spend our days sailing, surfing, diving and swimming is something that feels so raw and natural. It is the opposite of living in the concrete jungle of the cities and spending your days immersed in the online world. Its something I wish I could capture in a bottle and take with me to give to anyone who has never been to the ocean. I think if we could spread that feeling around the world, we’d all live in a better place. A world that appreciates and reveres our environment, is kind and generous and finds exhilaration in the little things in life that make up this wonderful world.

~katie

Fish in a Barrel

We waited for a calm weather day to make the trip from Raiatea to Huahine, knowing that it would be an upwind sail. We timed it right and had a beautiful day sailing in light winds and calm seas, the latter being a rarity for us here in the South Pacific. So, we were on a bit of a high when we came in through the pass. Mike’s eyes lit up even more when he saw all of the surfers catching the nice waves on the reef as we came in. We immediately knew we were going to like this place.

Our first night we anchored outside the main town of Fare. There were quite a few boats there, and our anchoring position had us sticking out a bit into the channel where the boats come through the northern pass. We weren’t blocking anyone from coming in, but it would have been better to be able to sneak in closer to shore. That was definitely evident that night as two supply ships came in, and I woke up to the bright lights of the ships traversing pretty close to our stern. The next morning, we moved.

We reanchored off the reef not far from Fare but between the two passes where you can enter the lagoon. It was the perfect place for Mike to get a good look at the waves in the morning and head out to join the other surfers. Mike was told by a some other people that the locals could be a bit territorial about their waves, but he had no problem making friends quickly and catching “epic” waves (his words). For the next two days the swell was perfect for Mike to spend hours in the water while I had a chance to relax and catch up on some reading.

Unfortunately, the swell died out the following day leaving all the surfers staring longingly out into the water. We happened to look out our companionway and saw our friends Liam and Annie on Gone with the Wind passing by at the same time as they hailed us on the radio. They were heading down to Avea Bay in the south part of the lagoon and planned to go to a traditional Polynesian lunch buffet the next day. Because the surfing had died out, we decided to follow them down to Avea Bay.

Avea Bay is a big, beautiful bay with clear, turquoise water all around us. We’ve seen huge sea turtles in the anchorage and lots of rays. We could see staying here for quite a while.

Adagio in Avea Bay…

Our Polynesian lunch was great with poisson cru, roasted pork, fish cooked in banana leaves, chicken and spinach, and lots of other traditional foods. We had a fun day hanging out with our friends with good food and drinks.

Time flies when you are somewhere really lovely, and it has for us here in Avea Bay. We’ve been snorkeling, paddleboarding, surfing (Mike found another break down here) and touring the island. I think I’ve lost track of when we even arrived here!

A few pictures around Huahine…

But, I think the most hilarious experience we have had here has been what I’ve termed “fishing in a barrel.”

We hadn’t had much luck fishing lately. We hadn’t caught anything on the troll between the islands, Mike hasn’t found anything to spear, and even jigging in the pass didn’t yield any fish. So, Mike and Liam came up with a new strategy. We were hanging out for dinner one night on Gone with the Wind, a beautiful catamaran with blue underwater lights between the two hulls at the stern. After dinner (and a few cocktails) we all noticed a lot of good size trevally swimming off the transom, chasing the baitfish that were attracted to the lights.

The boys decided the next night that they were going to go after the trevally. Mike seemed a bit overly confident to me. Yes, there were a ton a fish swirling around in a small space, but that didn’t mean they were going to go after your lure with all of the baitfish around! And, we never fish at night, so who knew how this was going to go. Liam jumped on Mike’s enthusiasm and even reported on the SSB net what he was up to that night. So, now the pressure was really on to catch some fish.

As soon as it got dark we flipped on the underwater lights and waited for the fish to arrive. It took a bit of patience, but soon the little baitfish showed up and the trevally followed. Mike cast his lure in the mix trying to con the fish into thinking he was just another baitfish. At first, there was no action. But, then Mike snagged the first trevally, and then another and another. Pretty quickly we had five nice fish in the bucket! It was a bit comedy to watch Mike pull the flailing fish up out of the water and Liam try to get it into the bucket. Those fish do not give up without a fight!

We don’t know whether it was the rain the started to come down or if the fish just had enough, but the fish action shut down after that. We had enough fish for each boat to get a couple of meals out of them, so everyone was pretty happy. I guess sometimes you just have to think out of the box to try and outsmart the fish!

We’re back to surfing, swimming and paddle boarding. It’s pretty nice to just stay put somewhere for a while. So, we think we’ll spend a couple more weeks here before heading back towards Moorea.

~katie

Surf’s Up!

There wasn’t much opportunity for surfing where we were in Mexico, but now that we’re in Central America the surf beaches are everywhere. Mike had done a little bit of surfing back in California but really considered himself a beginner. If Mike is a beginner surfer, I don’t even know what that makes me considering I had never tried surfing in my life! We didn’t exactly have an ocean nearby where I grew up in Texas.

After talking with friends back in Mexico, Mike decided he wanted to get a stand-up paddle surfboard. We found a great used board in Punta Mita (Mexico), but Mike hadn’t really had the opportunity to try it out yet. We are still hanging out with our friends on Kini Popo, and Dan was into surfing too. So, it was time to go find the surf beaches!

Our first stop was to actually head back up north toward the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border where there is a famous surf spot called Ollie’s. I have no idea if this is true, but our guidebooks say that Ollie’s was named after Oliver North because this is the spot where he smuggled arms to the Nicaraguan Contras. Crazy.

Anyway, Ollie’s Point is in Bahia Potrero Grande. Like any good surf beach, there is quite a bit of swell coming into the bay. That means a bit of a rolly anchorage for the boats. But, it is a huge advantage to be anchored there as the only way to reach the surf spot is by boat. On days of good surf, tourists pay several hundred dollars to rent a panga and take them out to Ollie’s for a few hours.

Mike and Dan got to catch a few good waves the first day, but Mike ended up ditching the paddle and regular surfed the new board. With a SUP board, you either have to have enough volume on the board to keep you afloat or you have to get some speed going to keep you on top of the water. The board floats me just fine, but Mike has about 50 lbs on me. Until he gets quite a bit more practice under his belt, the board is going to have to be a regular surf board for him (more on that later.)

Dan, getting his surf on…

Later on we all headed back to the surf spot, and I ended up playing around on our board in the baby waves by the shore while Mike took Dan’s longboard out for a spin. Susan and I were on shore while Mike and Dan were farther out in the wavers when we noticed dark, ominous looking clouds coming our way. It became clear that a storm was quickly approaching. The dinghy was anchored on the other side of the breakers, but the sailboats were clear across the bay. As we had left the boats when it was sunny, both boats had all the hatches open.

I grabbed the board and started paddling as quickly as possible for the dinghy. Susan didn’t have a board and was going to have to make a pretty long swim. As I got closer to the dinghy, I saw Mike and Dan paddling quickly to meet me. Susan was still trying to negotiate the waves on the shore as the three of us piled in the dinghy and the rain started. Dan yelled at Susan to stay on the beach. We would have to come back for her, but we needed to race to the sailboats or everything was going to be drenched. The boys dropped me off on Adagio and grabbed some fins from Kini Popo. The boys raced back across the bay to get Susan. Dan swam the fins to Susan to help her swim out past the surf and into the dinghy.

It was probably only 10 minutes or so after the boys and Susan got back that the storm really hit. And, it hit hard! We’ve had a ton of rain the last month while we’ve been here, but usually there isn’t too much wind with it. This time was different, as we saw about 40 kts of wind! Mike was out in the cockpit and yelled at me to open the thru-holes and give him the engine key. We were not too far from the rocky shoreline and if our anchor started to drag we needed to be ready to start the engine quickly. We have a cool app on our ipad with an anchor alarm that I could monitor by GPS where our boat was and if we looked like we were moving at all. Thankfully, our trusty anchor held us once again.

The winds weren’t our only concern of course, the lightening is always the biggest worry. And, boy did we have a light show. All we can do is stay away from anything metal in the boat and keep our fingers crossed that today is not our day! We cheated death once again as the storm finally passed.

After a couple of days at Ollie’s we headed south toward Tamarindo. Although, we started calling it “Tamagringo” because there are probably more gringos here than locals. Not many cruising boats stop here, because it is a rolly anchorage. Again, another surf beach so lots of swell. But, the little town is actually pretty fun and there is a ton of surfing. In fact, I think every third store in town is a surf shop.

Both our inflatable paddle boards blew out in the last couple of weeks, and Mike decided if he really wanted to SUP surf, he needed to start on a board with more volume. So, we were on the lookout for another used board. We happened to meet a guy in a bar with a SUP rental place who said he had some used boards for sale that might be perfect for what Mike wanted. We met him the next day and found another board for a great price. We now have two SUP boards again!

After talking to some locals about the fun surf beaches around, we were recommended to go to Playa Avellana. We knew we were in for an adventure when we told the guy at the rental car place where we were going and he said we needed 4 wheel drive.

Avellana isn’t that far from Tamarindo, but you have to wind around and ultimately get on a dirt road that arrives at an idyllic, unspoiled beach. The swell was up and the boys were ready to get wet! Susan and I found a great little spot shaded by a tree to set up our beach chairs and watch the action.

The waves were pretty big and a bit intimidating to me, so Susan and I did a bit of relaxing until lunchtime. Meanwhile, Mike & Dan tackled mother nature. We got to watch them catch some really good rides, but we also saw them take some big hits, especially Mike who got pounded a few times. Dan’s comment was, “Mike has more muscle than sense.” Hilarious, and true, but I’m proud of him for getting out there and trying. It is hard work!

The boys took a break and we got some lunch at a fantastic spot on the beach called Lola’s.

After some much needed food, we headed back to the water. The tide had gone out quite a bit and the waves were much smaller. So, Mike offered to help me try to catch some waves, since I really have no idea what I’m doing. They might have been tiny, baby waves, but I stood up twice and rode a wave into the beach. It was so much fun!

Surf’s Up!

~katie