day 109- kiss kiss
Ia orana Megan here. Tonight we are about to be rocked into deep sleep- we’ve sailed 150 miles, we’ve explored a new motu, we’ve found a home for the night, and we’re stuffing ourselves with somewhat freshly caught tuna…before setting off again in the morning. In Apataki, Jamie and I finally met the pet sharks we’d heard about, a trio of beefy nurse sharks. They immediately followed and congregated around our dinghy on shore, and although initially timid without any food on offer, they eventually slithered up into the shallows and we were able to give the biggest a good rub on the head. They seemed to like it actually. I swear these were actually the pet ones.
We had a beautiful sail over and I managed two watches, hand steering, spinnaker out by day, and flying totally solo by night. It felt good to feel good, calm. We made Makatea by early morning. It is a stunning motu that just surges up from the sea, steep and water carved cliffs imposing like nothing else here. Within seconds of securing a temporary mooring, a humpback whale passed within metres of Bluebird. You could see the mottle of its skin. Our neighbour’s dog barked and barked. Then, we went to shore and I found Tapu, who we’d been told we should find, to talk about seeing the island. I found his father instead, who kindly called him, and the man himself came to see us within minutes. He brought us swimming through the freshwater caves here, his family helped us pick papayas from their trees, and we ended the day meandering along the reef at sunset. I’m so happy we were able to spend a precious few hours here. Maururu!
Miriam: What a change this past 36 ish hours has wrought. Waking up in Apataki yesterday morning we rallied efficiently and got underway by mid morning to have a chill downwind sail through the night to Makatea this morning. Playing with wing on wing, a sail configuration in which the main and the jib are winged out in opposite directions catching the most wind possible when sailing directly downwind, was a fun fiddley game that honed my attention for the shifts in wind gusts and ocean swell that are the substrate we travel within. Night shift, while a bit gruelling to be up alone sailing from 12 til 2, was magical, marveling at sparks of bioluminescence flying off our bow and the intimacy of sailing by night under infinite stars. Makatea is breathtaking, an atoll that was uplifted by volcanic action to form a limestone cathedral of an island, maybe 100 m elevation with pitted caves and crevices and spires rising from the sea to the forest above.
And speaking of magical, the freshwater caves we explored today with a fantastic local guide, Tapu, were so special. We went snorkeling through a whole cave complex and everywhere I shone my light above and below the chill clear water sparked wonder and awe, the rippled domes rising out of the water, the intricate stalactites and stalagmites twisting and swooping from heights to depths, the drip castle blobs of accreted minerals fantasy wonderlands of every topography and elaboration possible in the infinite creativity of water and mineral to create beauty. Driving home through the jungle catching glimpses of orchids, lilies, and hibiscus, savouring the thick forest and limestone castles of this place. I finished off the afternoon going rock climbing with the same guide and got to scale the sea cliff edge to explore some terrestrial caves and their similar and different geographies and enchantments before rappelling down in the sunset to return to Bluebird and savour a delicious meal. I will be sleeping so well tonight, starting immediately.
And now that it’s past our 8:30 post passage bedtime everyone else begs pardon but is already in bed. Bluebird out!