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