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Exody - Days 102-106: Fleshpots of Tahiti



Nearly three months since the last alongside berth at Panama, we are enjoying being plugged into mains electricity, unlimited use of fresh water on the dock, stepping ashore into the middle of Papeete and all from a split new marina with a pristine shower and toilet block just out the wrappers - we are just about the first users - only about a dozen boats here with space for 100+ so what's not to like? Only downside is a bit of traffic noise from the adjacent dual carriageway that is busy from before 6am. Much landscaping work in evidence on the quayside walkway with 'guyed' semi-mature coconut palms, new grass, endless tropical flowering shrubs all being completed for the imminent formal opening.

We arrived here Wednesday afternoon 22nd April, mostly motorsailing the 18 miles upwind from Moorea. By the time of the World ARC rendezvous and prizegiving on Thursday 23rd there were seven of the fleet here, the rest opting to stay at Marina Taina a few kilometres outside town. We were berthed next to Pentagram, who are kept pretty continually employed applying their technical skills and equipment to several boats in the fleet. We learnt that Exody had come in 6th on corrected time for the long Pacific leg - very respectable but no podium prizes! However we were all presented with a commemorative engraved oyster shell since our visit coincided with the formal opening of the marina. With the landscaping miraculously finished, we were treated that evening to an energetic, skilled,varied but all too short local dance display with drummers, a formal blessing and opening ceremony and finally an open bar and finger food.

This relative metropolis of the South Pacific is quite a culture change for us - the 'fleshpots' include: coffees and croissants, baguettes twice a day, fully stocked supermarkets, hardware and chandleries plus the tasty delights of dining three nights in a row at the Roulettes - mostly chinese-run street food from multiple vans close to the dock- fully set up with tables and waitress service etc. Marian found a good hairdresser, Petter found essential replacement shorts and I bought not one but three 'south pacific' pattern cotton shirts - mainly as we could not chose between my favoured patterns! Service laundry was organised. It is expensive as we had been warned but really not excessively so given the remote location - generally a bit more than UK and on a par with Scandinavia for some things like alcohol!

Saturday was assigned as a boat jobs day - we hoovered, cleaned, re-provisioned, took off the mainsail and sewing-machined the stack pack zip, reinforced the deck mounting for the anchor winch etc.

We opted not to invest in touring this most populous and developed of the Society Islands, setting off for Raiatea 120 miles away on the morning of Sunday 26th. Our daughter had successfully completed the London marathon in under 4 hours whilst her proud parents slept - we had checked online that she had started (23.00 our time Saturday) before turning in! Papeete airport adjoins the harbour so we sought 'runway clearance' early on Sunday to pass it en route to refuel at Marina Taina - full up with cruisers and with a further 50-100 yachts anchored off - a busy location. We met up on the fuel dock with our friends from Allegro whose ongoing generator problems have sadly resulted in their declining our offer to crew on Exody for the upcoming Tahiti Pearl Regatta. Amongst Sunday surfers and canoeists, we left the Tahiti lagoon about 10.30am heading through the well marked pass between their playgrounds of dramatic surf breaking on the reefs either side.

Peter (Skipper)




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