The Last 12 weeks of the first half of the trip.... Sept to Dec 2012...
June 27th 2012 and FarrFly is off once again... from Tahiti to the Cook Islands, 700 miles.
Before we 'blog it' we have to catch up on the final of months of last year...
We stopped updating the blog for fear of it getting boring. In September we stopped sailing into the Western horizon, as we ran into the cyclone (hurricane) season. So we simply sailed around exploring the Society Islands... The islands near Tahiti...
During those 12 weeks;
Nick my eldest son joined the boat in Bora Bora, and met his little sister Oceane for the first time.
I got stung by a Stone fish.. rare very painful and potentially serious.
Samina celebrated her 34th birthday on October 14th, which meant we also celebrated 15 years together soon afterwards.
Unbelievable as it may seem to old friends, we now know each other longer than Nick's mum and I were married... I found myself 'single' again in May 1996 and met Samina 6 months later in October 1996 when Samina came to Ireland to learn english. As they say, God takes with one hand and gives back with the other. I think I was just born lucky.
This blog is more a family pictogram that an engaging story;
Watch out for our next escapades in future blogs... And for those of you who are not family the pics of the Friendly Islands are nice!!
Also never go to boring Bora Boring...
The next blog plus one will take up the tale of our travels again... Already we are in the Kingdom of Tonga... a strange and rather poor place..... where we plan to try and swim with hump back whales.. one of the largest if not the largest creature on the planet earth.
Recap
The last update covered up to August 2011. FarrFly was in Tahiti. Samina Conrad and new baby Oceane were all on board having arrived back from Austria. Oceane was 6 weeks old. Gus had been released from house arrest after the authorities finally admitted they had made an error with his visa. Katja was delighted to see her little man Conrad back 'home', and 'PoP' happy again surrounded by my little brood with a new little apple for my eye. Jeff and Stuart had both gone back to Dublin. Tony had got a great job as first mate on a 140 foot sailing yacht bound for New Zealand.
We spent the rest of August on the Island of Moorea only 10 miles from Tahiti.. the same spot where Jeff 'Oceans' Ryan, Tony and I were 'molested' by a flock of female sting rays... The last blog shows a picture of Conrad at 2 years of age petting a wild sting ray.... ignore the sharks in the back ground of the photo if you are of a slightly nervous disposition. And yes the rays are exactly the same type of fish that Steve Irwin was killed by... They are interesting and intelligent animals.
So we take up the story once again as the cheerful little gang, now 6 of us, headed once more out into the South Pacific Ocean, this time bound for the Islands of Huahine, Raiatea Taha'a and Bora Bora.
The gang of six; Samina, Conrad, Charlotte-Oceane, Katja, Gus and PoP.
Truth be told the next two months were really very relaxing and almost somewhat normal, so I didn't think there was that much to write about. However on mature reflection I suppose it all depends on what one is used to. The adventures of the final 2 months at sea did not quite live up to the drama of the previous year.. no Oceans crossed, no Oceane's born, no dug out canoes, no sting ray attacks, never again saw 250 sharks in one go. In fact we have become very accustomed to swimming with sharks on a daily basis.
And here is a little secret.. As a result of the not unnatural delay caused by the natural but unexpected arrival of one Charlotte-Oceane Cullen we ran smack bang into Cyclone (hurricane) season... so what did the happy campers do?? Yep you guessed it.. we went camping... We abandoned the boat in December and spent 10 weeks in New Zealand and Australia 'outbacking'... camping to us Eurofolk.
So here is what we got up to for the fnal 3 months sailing.. September, October and November....2011.
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| PoP .,, "Anc Anc, clack clack clack" (anchor up) Lets go to Huahine |
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PoP'S kinda pad on stunning Huahaine, the most natural and beautiful
of all the Society/Tahiti Islands |
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| Local village on sticks in Huahine.. lies, its a posh hotel ! |
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| Our private Huahine beach, we anchored here twice. |
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| Conrad teaching PoP to swim off FarrFly's stern |
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| Giddy up |
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| He' heavier than he looks. |
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| Cake mix, helping in the Galley. |
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| More on the face than in the bowl. |
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| AVEA BAY South Huahine. |
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| One mile wide 3 feet of sandy water.. |
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| AVEA Bay is a happy place |
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| Time to build a marina.. |
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| Survey |
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| Tea break. |
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PoP forget the sailing I'm swimming the Pacific..
AVEA BAY. |
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Conrad and I took the dingy around to the old ritual ruin the
'Marae Anini' near Parea village. |
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The local restaurant in Avea was called TARA.
all the fish and vegetables are local. |
fgh
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| Hmm he learns something new every day.. |
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Dreamboat.
Our crowded anchorage in AVEA Bay |
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| Best located tree house in the world.. sweet too. |
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| Theres roots for ya |
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| Phallic hill Huahine |
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| Traditional sustainable fishing Huahine, in between the two islands. |
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| The doctor on tour |
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| Now you know what she was staring at. |
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| It was moving! |
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| The sweet bridge joining the twin islands of Huahine. |
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| Perfect hideaway |
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| Hug me mark.. can't remember why this was interesting! |
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| Snow capped mountains Huahaine.. right! |
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| Same fisherman on the way back.. |
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| Mathew's old boat |
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| Tiapaa Bay anchored.. the private beach spot.. |
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| Clean natural and untouched |
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| El Pesto and his own boat.. .Pocket Socket'.. |
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| Crowded Tiapaa beach |
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| Then a little boat with kids arrived.. |
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This was interesting, The man of the sea was cut off from PoP
and our dingy.... so.... |
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rather than risk losing or having to share his 'Pocket Socket' with the other kids
he heads off in the opposite direction and drags his little boat in a big arc up the beach and |
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arrives back to base 'intact'. Note the serious walk.
Tough been two on a desert island. |
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| Now heres one thats none too serious... |
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| Girl team |
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| Supergirl |
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| Love is.. |
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| Let me help PoP |
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There is no end to the sheer spectacular beauty
of this little green and blue planet. |
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| Team giggles.. |
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More trendy hats.. when this is all over we will have to put
together a collage of all his hats. He sees hats in everything. |
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| PoP PASS THE WINE GLASSES..Its party time.. |
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Still happy and smiling to this very day.
Its just how we come out of the box? |
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| Shower time.. its war in there... |
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| The post marking the south tip of the reef off Bora Bora |
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| The mountain . Bora Bora |
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Caught.. learns something everyday.. how to escape the 'sealed'
Conrad proof cockpit! |
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| Note the guilty face.. |
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| If you think these two mugs seem similar... |
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| wait till you see El Pesto and his big brother |
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These pics are not a set up!
I think he mimicks us? |
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| Team happy bunch |
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"Conrad.. give me the blue rope its mine"
It started early! |
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5.30am Bora Bora
The air is
still, quiet,
fresh,
motionless. |
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A comuter in his suit and dingy slipped past..
not kidding he was in a suit.. |
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| Leaving his signature.. |
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| Ripples to, at, above, and beyond the horizon.. |
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| Local pastime... stern wave riding.. |
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Very special moment.
Oceane and Nick meet for the first time. |
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A little shy smile?..
I picked Nick up from the town dock, he flew in from London.
Bora Bora. |
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| The 3 boys go for a swim together for the first time. |
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Lunch at the Intercontintal Bora Bora.
Samina and I celebrated her 34th and our 15th here a few days later. |
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| Moons away |
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| The dudes.. Hangin' on the beach Bora Bora |
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| Nick buys a Coke for Conrad.. by mistake? |
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| Whoooaaa man this Coke is good stuff... |
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Have you got the Coke?
El Pesto dancing table top full of Coke..
We had to take his swim suit off him.. he was sweating,, |
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Faster Nick.
Coke rush full tilt.. |
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| Cold turkey |
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Nick introduces 'his son' to single yummy mummy on the beach.
Turns out she is some Russian's chick and she seems to be hiding? |
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| The Coca Cola Kids.. |
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| "Hey Nick.. wanna fight,, rough stuff..?" |
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| Sure titch |
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| Difficult little bugger.. |
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| Got him now.. |
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| Nick.. do you surrender? |
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| I'll bite your ba.... s |
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| After the poo of the centuary.. posh pearl hotel beach.. !! |
dd
