Hello Everyone,
Hope all is well at home We are currently anchored in Cooks Bay on Moorea. It has been an amazing 4 Fun Filled Days. This bay reminds me so much of the Marquesas Islands, with its majestic high rising mountains from the sea reaching all the way up to the clouds. Since we have been here very rarely do you actually see the top of the mountains. They are continually covered in rain showers that seem to just pass through the valley and give us a sprinkle every now and then from the mist being carried by the wind. We are anchored just outside of the Bali High Resort and it is an amazing place.
We arrived here on Saturday with the group from the Puddle Jump organized by Latitude 38. We decided to sign up for the rally back in February and this was the end of the rally celebration with the beginning starting with a race from Papeete to Moorea. There was the Multihull division and the monohull division... broken out by boat size. It was a really fun race and we were neck and neck with our friends from Shine all the way over until the very end when the winds got so light we felt that both of us were going backwards and the monohulls were catching us. We were probably about 50 feet apart bantering each other until we got a lucky break and a puff of wind carried us to the finish line first... so fun. Then there was a reception/dinner organized by the race committee with polynesian dancers performing at the end.
Sunday brought us first Amaia's 8th Birthday along with Fathers Day... I wanted to wish all the dad's out there a happy fathers day and hope that you were all spoiled and pampered and were able to go Golfing, fishing, watch sports, hang out with kids and family and make it a very special day for you. You all really deserve the best. Our sunday was unbelievably busy and lucky we had two of the best dad's on board that were so supportive of the events that were happening that day that they had no time to relax and just hang out... Happy Fathers Day to Chris my amazing husband and father.. and also to Grandpa Carl an amazing dad and grandpa who took all the chaos and craziness in spirit with his wonderful smile all day long. Sunday was filled with a Hawaiian Canoe race at the beginning with 30 teams of 5 competing and then a kids race at the end. We had the best time .... there were so many activities planned throughout the day that from the age of 2 to well into the 70’s there was something for everyone. Andy and the Puddle Jump committee really put on a fabulous day for all of us and we are so grateful. If anyone is contemplating attending this event in the future we would highly recommend it. It is so fun to be surrounded by the boating community that you have been bumping into along your passage here. Really great to support and catch up with them and be able to enjoy and learn the customs of the culture here. The day was about celebrating everyone and they were so wonderful to include the kids that were here in everything that was offered. Even having the kids race around with Bananas and teaching them how to shave coconut. Mykaela was pulled out of the crowd to help the announcer demonstrate all the ways to where a sarong or Pareo. She was such a good sport modeling all of his designs.... He was an amazing speaker and so funny bantering with all of us back and forth... really pulling in everyone from the crowd.
Sunday brought us first Amaia's 8th Birthday along with Fathers Day... I wanted to wish all the dad's out there a happy fathers day and hope that you were all spoiled and pampered and were able to go Golfing, fishing, watch sports, hang out with kids and family and make it a very special day for you. You all really deserve the best. Our sunday was unbelievably busy and lucky we had two of the best dad's on board that were so supportive of the events that were happening that day that they had no time to relax and just hang out... Happy Fathers Day to Chris my amazing husband and father.. and also to Grandpa Carl an amazing dad and grandpa who took all the chaos and craziness in spirit with his wonderful smile all day long. Sunday was filled with a Hawaiian Canoe race at the beginning with 30 teams of 5 competing and then a kids race at the end. We had the best time .... there were so many activities planned throughout the day that from the age of 2 to well into the 70’s there was something for everyone. Andy and the Puddle Jump committee really put on a fabulous day for all of us and we are so grateful. If anyone is contemplating attending this event in the future we would highly recommend it. It is so fun to be surrounded by the boating community that you have been bumping into along your passage here. Really great to support and catch up with them and be able to enjoy and learn the customs of the culture here. The day was about celebrating everyone and they were so wonderful to include the kids that were here in everything that was offered. Even having the kids race around with Bananas and teaching them how to shave coconut. Mykaela was pulled out of the crowd to help the announcer demonstrate all the ways to where a sarong or Pareo. She was such a good sport modeling all of his designs.... He was an amazing speaker and so funny bantering with all of us back and forth... really pulling in everyone from the crowd.
It was Amaia’s 8th Birthday Sunday and it was so amazing... Andy from Latitude 38 was celebrating their 10th Anniversary of hosting the Puddle Jump and so they had bought a cake... but before they had mentioned that they wished Amaia a special birthday and everyone (all 100 People or so) sang to her. She had the most amazing smile on her face and was so tickled. It really made her day.
Grammie and Grandpa Carl had to leave today... it was a sad day for everyone. I hope their flight home goes smoothly... I know it is a long journey from here... taxi to the ferry terminal, ferry from Moorea to Papeete Tahiti, then waiting at the airport till midnight to catch the red eye to Los Angeles, then a flight to Seattle, then another flight home to Wenatchee Washington... Over all they left here at 1:30 and probably won’t get home for 24 hours... Thinking of you guys. We had so much fun with you and miss you tons already, thank you so much for coming all this way to see us and spending time on our little boat.
The kids have found a bunch of friends since we have all come together here in Moorea for the end of rally party. I feel bad for all the people in the anchorage with so many teenagers grabbing the keys to the dinghies and racing around through the anchorage having a great time. The spent a ton of time with all the other boaters having fun wake boarding, playing games, watching movies, playing soccer, and even off one boat being hauled out of the water on a halyard and dropped about 30 feet down into the water.. All the kids had so much fun doing this over and over again.
Tomorrow brings another sad day when we have to say good bye to our friends from Shine that we have been buddy boating with since South Fakarava in the Tuamotus. It is really rare to find a boat that everyone in the family connects so easily and seamlessly with. They are such an amazing and funny family that we truly connected with them like we have known them all our lives. We are really blessed to have been able to spend as much time with them as we have and we will miss all of them so much. I am all ready trying to plan how we can meet up in the future and so far our date is in Figi at Muscat Cove (or something like that) in early September for the sail rally they do there. It is hard to imagine that we have to wait that long till we see each other again. I never want to hope for foul weather but in this case I hope we get a little delayed somewhere so that we can meet up with them sooner than later.
Today we are heading out to another bay in Moorea. The bay is called Opunohu Bay and is suppose to have sting rays that you can swim with and also a local carver has made and sunk tikis in the bay like a treasure hunt. I am not sure the water will be clear enough to see but we will try and take a look. Otherwise there are is a really nice beach and possible horse back ride through the valley. Then we are off, weather providing, we will be making our passage over to Huahine and Avea Bay... Many people say that this is one of their favorite islands in the Society Islands and so we are planning on exploring this island for about a week if possible.
The kids have been exhausted daily with all the fun they have been having and all the friends they have been playing with. I am looking forward to trying to start up again with more of a routine and getting some school activities completed. Because of our schedule be not so scheduled Chris and I have decided to not honor a summer vacation and are continuing school throughout the year. There are many times when the kids are unable to do school because of things that arise, whether it is sea sick and sailing, boat repairs, being with other boats with kids so they get to have their social time, or other things... so we consider these times a vacation from their school and so we will keep plugging away.
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