Weather Reports and Weather Reports!

It is July 19 and we have been in Bora Bora for 11 days now. This is a first for long term anchorages for us, but the weather will not ease up and let us out. We are going to be heading back toward Tahiti, to Moorea and this is part of the problem as we will be going against the waves/swell and currently also the wind. A rough ride to put it in layman's terms. So we pull weather reports off of the satellite at least twice a day to see any changes and hopefully spot a calming trend. Today is supposed to be the day. We have filled our time since Georgia left with boat chores, doing nothing and maybe an occasional dive. We hate to even take the whaler out to go to the main island of Bora Bora (only a short distance from the motu we are anchored by) as the wind howls through the open channel giving us massive salt water showers. I've had to dig my lovely "pink" plastic rain coat out to wear when we go someplace so that I can at least have some part of me dry. The little whaler has never had so many sponge baths in it's life. We went to dinner last night at Fare Manuai, a very nice restaurant. The eating establishments here will pick you up free of charge for a meal, which is nice as it saves a $30.00 taxi ride return. The dinner was pretty good. We had a farewell drink with the Oso Blanco group as on the 19 they head north west to the northern Cook's, a path we will take in Sept when we return from our trip home. So our paths will probably not cross again until the bottom end of Tonga when we both head into New Zealand in November to avoid cyclone season in the South Pacific.

So at 2:00 pm on July 19 (yesterday now) we made the break from Bora Bora. The going was pretty decent in the lee of Tahaa and Raiatea, but definitely lived up to all of the weather reports from that point on to Moorea. As always, the wind is steepest when you start out on a trip, thus assuring that when you reach your destination you will have to wash the boat as it has been completely and totally sprayed. The waves were predicted to be 7 ft at 7 second intervals and in the darkness they were all of that (and I think more - it always seems bigger when you take it on the nose). But here we are now, an hour out of Moorea at 7:30 am on the 20th and everything is pretty calm as the sun breaks brightly over the horizon. Not a rain cloud in site - just when we would wish for one the most (really helps in boat washing). Can't wait to explore this next new island of the Society Group.

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