We sailed overnight to Moorea, with the distance between the islands being 80 miles it is the best thing to do as the passes into the bays are obvious with the sun out. Just before we arrived we caught a beautiful Mahi Mahi, just in time, as we were all starting to think the Pacific was empty of fish. It was delicious and having been asked if we wanted dinner ashore by another boat we declined and ate aboard.

 

Moorea is a lovely island, very much like the Marquesas topographically and with very friendly locals too. We hired a car and took a day to explore the place, which included a fine a lunch and one and a half circumnavigations of the island. I still don’t know how we managed to do that! The next day the wind was howling and with everything lashed down we crossed the channel to Tahiti – by motor as the wind couldn’t have been less helpful in direction.

 

The pass in Tahiti is very straight forward and once inside the reef we went straight to Taina Marina, where not having had fresh water from a hosepipe since Panama we filled our boots, clothes and just about everything that needed de-salting. It was fabulous. We then set about getting jobs done to bring Ghost back up to shiny and new. The stainless shop was much better than I expected so we are now sporting a nearly straight pushpit. Some of our most annoying niggles are still there but they are not stopping us sailing and will be dealt with in due course. X-Yachts Southampton have been great with warranty issues and information that I’ve requested.

 

Barty and Rouse, who joined us in the Marquesas, stepped off the boat in Tahiti to go back to the UK. It was wonderful to have them with us to enjoy these very special islands and they have left us wanting more. They’ve also left us with some choice phrases that have become part of life on board, most of which can’t be repeated in public!!!

 

We took a tour of Tahiti, checking out the botanical gardens, museum and the place where HMS Bounty came ashore. There is a memorial to the ship and crew in the bay. Just down the beach is a commemoration of the missionaries stepping ashore a few years later. The damage done and the arrogance of these pious monsters is evident to this day, but thankfully there is a resurgence of the old customs as well as the beliefs of the Tahitians.

 

After our friends left Clare and I decided to go diving again. The company that we went with, when enough divers want to go, have a very special dive. It involves going diving with them to check your abilities first, then when they are happy that you’re not going to be a liability they take you outside the reef to see (if you’re lucky enough) the huge Tiger sharks that patrol the outer reef.

 

We spent our first dive surrounded by grey reef sharks, black-tips and lemon sharks, whose dentistry is just over-kill, then having had a quick bite to eat we were told to don our kit again as T29 or Carolina had turned up. They know most of the sharks that patrol this area and Carolina is a regular. She is very inquisitive, over 4 metres long and along with a slightly smaller friend they made us feel very aware that it was their playground. Being in the water with one of these amazing animals is a very humbling experience, one that we will never forget and it was certainly one of my ‘bucket list’ things to do.