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Free & BrEasy - Moorea Magic



We had nearly a week before Free & BrEasy was due to be lifted out in Tahiti to sort out the auto helm / steering problem, but there was just time for a quick visit to the island of Moorea. The island is a short distance north west of Tahiti, and serves as a holiday destination even for Tahitians who already live in paradise. We were blessed with an exhilarating 9 knot plus sail in a brisk wind, and soon were coming through the pass into Opunohu Bay. Moorea is a smaller version of Tahiti without all the cars and people. The inner mountains form spectacular peaks and jagged ridges, but are nearer the coast and two deep anchorages (Opunohu and Cooks Bays) from which the mountains rise up with an unbelievable grandeur. We anchored just behind the reef in azure water and sandy bottom. Within minutes Alejandro had found a coral clump with a Moray eel which apparently taste very nice, but we left him to his home. That night we capped a perfect day by watching the moving film, Invictus, about Nelson Mandella and the Springbok triumph at the Rugby World Cup.

Next day we set off to explore the diving options from a base in an expensive Hotel a few miles walk up the coast. We decided to leave diving to Bora Bora and explore car hire for a trip around the island, which proved a good choice as we met a friendly local called Kaha who quickly organised a car in two days time. It was hot and Kaha had seats and a table sheltered from the sun under a tree, so we talked. Very soon we were drinking beers and eating sandwiches as the shop next door sold much more than pearls! The shop was run by the delightful Hinanui who to Alejandro's great surprise spoke Spanish and had lived and worked in Playa Honda, Lanzarote, where he grew up. She charmed us with a lively sense of humour and snatches of Spanish songs accompanied by the ukulele. Very soon we were looking at pearls which were beautiful but very expensive. We can't say whether any purchases were made as it might ruin the surprise but all I can say is that if you are reading this in Scotland, don't get your hopes up! As the sun began to set over the coconut trees, Kaha gave us a lift back to the dinghy and we sadly said farewell to Hinanui and her pearls and the little table that had been home all afternoon.

Life on board keeps you in close contact with the other crew members so maybe as a reaction we then did our own thing. Roger chilled on the boat, Alejandro chummed with rays and Michael checked out a hill. Chumming is feeding fish to attract them to humans. They become amazingly tame and in shallow water, the rays happily swim up a standing person's neck to eat food off the water surface. Meanwhile sharks are also attracted and prowl menacingly but harmlessly. The hill was Mont Rotui, a spectacular peak towering above the anchorage. The ridge walk up turned out to be much more difficult than it looked, particularly in the heat, with several steep rocky scrambles and dry scratchy bushes overgrowing the path. However, sufficient height was gained to see Free & BrEasy as a little white spot in the Bay. The following day we spent time working on the autohelm with some success - perhaps the rudder bearings are not the problem? To pick up the car we motored the boat around to Cooks Bay, anchored and walked inland to see the deforestation that is taking place in order to grow pineapples. On the way back we stopped for a beer and saw Kaha going home, so promised to meet the next day after we had rented the car.

The drive around the island allowed us to visit places a boat can't get to! We went to an inland view point of Mont Rotui with Opunohu and Cooks bays on either side, then on to a horticultural research centre to see experimental fruit trees from all over the world, followed by a waterfall and lounging on a sandy beach. The trials of the easy life! At the end of the trip there was Kaha with a gift of a box of fruit.

It seems that the cruisers life is destined to fall in love with places, meet interesting people and then leave! The autohelm was working but Roger still wanted to get the boat checked out to make sure everything is OK as we still have a long way to go. We pointed Free & BrEasy back to Papeete, Tahiti for the lift out. Did we say it was the "Easy Life"?

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