We left this morning to Tahiti and it should be a 2 day sail. Our speed right now is 7 knots heading 236 degrees. The weather forecast is calling for winds to stay 20 knots all the way to Tahiti which is great news.

Last evening I found out that there was a man on the little spit of land that we anchored in front of that made pizza. The catch was that you need to have at least 6 people for him to fire up his mud oven for pizza. So I motored around the little anchorage and found 11 people to eat pizza. It really was not that hard to get folks to join us for a pizza dinner, salad, and dessert for $2000 Franks each. The other reason being that there is no restaurants on the south end of the island so this was a nice find. The French pizza mans name was Nihiru and owned his own bungalow right on the island. His location was very cool, after you made your way through the maze of shallow coral heads with your dinghy you tied up to a small concrete dock, greeted by a old dog wagging his tail. The Lagoon was part of his bungalow and the ocean water pooled right next to where we ate pizza. The roof was a high peaked A-frame with long tables under it. The pacific ocean breeze kept us very cool and the water was filled with tropical fish. We dined with 6 English, and the rest Americans. We drank wine and talked about everything, but like all conversation we drifted into the difference in political, government, and life in our own countries. The pizza was made by Nihiru who ran the fire mud oven well wearing a green flower skirt and no shirt. He was a very fun busy guy and kept telling us not to give any wine to his works because they would drink all night and not work tomorrow. He served us first the salad which I thought would be lettuce, vegetables, and dressing. Nope his salad was just tomatoes and dressing. Not one person was upset about having just a tomato salad because none of us has seen tomatoes in a months and we enjoyed the tomatoes very, very much. Then he served the pizzas two at a time that had cheese, red sauce of some kind, chicken, and another white sauce. They were all very good pizzas. Then he served a dessert cheese pie that had crumbled honey granola on it, which ended up being very tasty. He collected his money and said stay as long as you like but I am off to bed. So we all drank a little more wine, and chatted with full stomachs. As the evening wore on we all dinghy back to our mother ships and slept under a clear star night sky.

Current Position: 16deg 51.36min south, 146deg 14.87min West, COG 238 SOG: 6.5 kts

Enjoying life is hard sometimes, but always worth the risk!

Thanks,

Jacques

I dont know if I have mentioned that French Polynesia is the best place in the world. Over the last few days I have enjoyed diving in the northern and southern passes of Fakarava Island. I saw many of the famous black pearl farms that supply the world with some of the best pearls. I personally bought a hand full of low grade black pearls and a few high grade pearls that have already been set/jeweled. Yesterday we sailed 28 nautical miles through the interior of Fakarava Island and weaved our way through the coral heads and reefs to the southern end of the island. Adam and I had scheduled two dives at the southern passage that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Fakarava Lagoon. The northern pass has a current of five knots and the southern pass has a current of 10 knots. The nice thing is we are anchored on the inside of the southern area of the island which is nice and calm. But the bottom is littered with coral and the anchor chain makes lots of noise as it drags across the coral. The really nice thing is that the water is so clear you can see 40 feet down like you are looking through air. The most interesting thing about the southern end of Fakarava is the black and white tipped reef sharks. After we anchored we ate some lunch and through some old bread off the back of Dragonsbane. First a school of 30 or 40 black fish swam up and started eating the bread, then a few 40lbs groupers swam up and sucked in the bread like a vacuum. Then 12 black tipped reef sharks showed up and they were 4 to 8 feet long. The water boiled with tropical fish and sharks around us and I was like a little kid again laughing up a storm watching them swim around Dragonsbane. I could not wait to go diving with all the sharks.

Today we went diving and I can say that it was the best diving I have ever done. We dove with Nitrox enriched oxygen tanks and went to depth of 104 feet. We dropped into the pacific ocean and descended down to 100 feet and rode the current into the lagoon along the coral walls through the southern pass. The water was so clear I felt like I was superman flying through the sky. There was millions of tropical fish and really big fish. Eels, Rays, Grouper, and tons of fish that I have never seen inches away from my face. Then halfway through our dive were the current was the strongest, there was over 200 black tipped sharks swimming in schools. We drifted right through them and I could not believe how big the sharks were. I took lots of film and I hope I will get a good internet connect soon so I can share some of the video. Today was one of those days you hear people talk about but you never think its really as good as they say. Well its all true and I am so glad I am doing this trip. Life to short, live now!

Thanks,

Jacques

Fakarava Island is a very beautiful and laid back like many of the Pacific Islands I have had the pleasure of visiting. The Island is 32 miles long and 15 miles wide but the middle is a lagoon of water that we are anchored in. The perimeter of the island is land and you can walk from the pacific ocean beach to the inside lagoon beach in 5  minutes. Today we rented some bikes and peddled up and down the strip of land and stopped at many of the local homes. At the driveway of many of the local homes they have signs that say SNACK. I would turn down there drive way and peddle down to their home on the beach and they would offer to make us sandwiches or a whole meal of food. I would also be offered handmade crafts that were all made from local black pearls, stones, shells, and beads. I have been collecting a lot of the handmade necklaces, and bracelets because they are so complex and beautiful. They only cost between 1 to 20 dollars depending on how much you dicker and deal or how well you speak French.

I must say again that the Pacific French Polynesia Islands are 150% better than the Caribbean Islands. Every cruiser that I have talked with that has been in both locations has agreed with me. I know in the future that I will return to the French Polynesia, and hopefully with my own family. The area is void of large groups of tourist and commercial development. This allows you to experience a more true and unique appreciation for the communities food, lifestyle, and conservation. Based on my months of experiences here I personal feel like I have surrounded myself in the past with too many material items that I thought I needed. I know now that I am much better off to be without, then responsible for them or have the stress to care about them. Life is better with less, because it gives you more time to be better at life.

Enjoy Life,

Jacques 

Pictures!

Picture from the beach of our anchorage

Walking down the main road in town

Biking down the Island road

Having dinner on the beach with some other cruisers! We made hamburgers

Chatting with some young peolpe my age. They are from Germany, and LA.USA

Sunset Again

Yup 38 pounds 4.5 feet long. Mahi Mahi

Check it out 38 pounds and Adams holding up the tail with a sail tie so it may have been closer to 40 lbs. Just saying !

Filleted this fish and got 20 pounds of meat out of 38 pound fish. Not my best work but best with a moving boat and small knife.

Our normal Sunset now

O yeah as I said in my in blog post from a few says ago I was sleeping and I never put anything on. Thats right this guy catches fish in his boxers. Yeah I know real sexy but you know I caught a great fish and that what counts, not the picture.

We spent the day working on Dragonsbane and I helped out some friends with there engine. Then this afternoon we went snorkeling around all the coral heads. I felt like I was swimming around a fish aquarium. The water here is so clear and clean its wonderful to swim in. I saw lots of black tip reef sharks swimming along the shore as well.

Tomorrow we are going to leave early so we can make the tides out of the Lagoon and into the Fakarava lagoon. I hope I have my tide right because the out going tide can reach 10 knots of current and our boat with the engine can only go 7.7 knots. So I hope this goes well.

Have a great night,

Jacques

We made our landfall or I should say our lagoon fall at noon today. The Tuamotu Islands are ancient volcanoes that once peeked high out of the ocean like Hawaii, but the center volcanic plug that makes the island had sunk back into the ocean and left only a thin ring of land that stayed above the ocean water. Today we sailed though a small channel in the ring, into the old volcano. We sailed 7 more miles to the southern end of the lagoon and anchored in 40 feet of water. We had talked to a few sailors that were already anchored in Kauehi Island lagoon and when we dropped our anchor they came over the radio asking if we wanted to go snorkeling. Most of the lagoons that make up the Tuamotu Islands have large coral heads, that are taming with fish, sharks, and odd creatures. We joined the group and went about 1 mile away to a large coral head and jumped in. I saw two sharks, a black and white tipped reef sharks. I saw an octopus devouring a fish and millions more bright colored fish. After an hour of snorkeling we went back to Dragonsbane and I started dinner. I made fried potatoes, Thai Fish with peanut butter, soy sauce, and garlic. I finished up the meal with a cake I baked early in the day which was fun at 20 degrees as we sailed.

We enjoyed our dinner as we watched the sun being pulled down by a cloud hand that cause the rays of the sun to shine only through the fingers of the hand that struggled to end our day by snuffing out the light in the sky. The sky is so clear, each star is standing before a great milky galaxy. Stars are bigger then pin pricks in a dark paper bag, its as if a person took a hammer in a dark room and punched holes through the walls to let light in. This place is amazing and I am so far from anything that its hard to breath without wondering what will happen if I get hurt. I guess the most beautiful things in the world are worth the risk.

Current Postion: Kauehi Island, Tuaamotu

I have found the doors that lead to Heaven, Tuamotu

Jacques

Change of plans folks, we are now heading to the island called Kauehi. It’s a nice little island where a few of our sailor friends are going. Also we have been motoring for the last 8 hours with no wind. We finally have enough wind to sail tonight and hopefully through tomorrow. But I can already feel the wind dying off as I am writing. Hopefully we will maintain 5 knots so we can arrive around noon. I just hope we can get into the island lagoon before the tides change. I would be very sad if we had to heave too for the night in the ocean. All is well here and I cooked up some pan fried Mahi Mahi and rice. The dinner was great and I cannot wait for more tuna fish sandwiches.

Take care everybody!

Current Position: 14deg 26.3min South, 145deg 30.48min West

Thanks,

Jacques

If you have not guessed from the title of this blog today, it is true I finally caught my big Tuna/Mahi Mahi. I hope that you enjoyed my letter to the dear tuna fish that I wrote yesterday and shared with you on my blog. The tuna must have received my letter because they answered with a great bounty of the sea which is now in my stomach. The first tuna caught today was a nice sized blue fine tuna about 10 pounds. I was sitting before my rode and the reel went off like wild fire and I set the hook and drag. It was a easy battle for the small tuna, I reeled it in and bleed it out with my knife. I filleted it up and made 4 sushi rolls out of the blue tuna and set it aside for a per dinner snack. After cleaning up that mess I baked some chocolate chip cookies for a dessert that I would have after we enjoyed fresh baked tuna and sushi. I was feeling a little sleepy so at 4pm I took a nap and asked to be awaken at 5pm so I could start prepping the blue tuna to be baked for our dinner.

I was lying in my bunk sweating my butt off but managing to slip in and out of sleep like normal and thought of all things I will do when I get home. I have been on the sea for 8 months now and it has really just flown by. Then I heard that sweet sound that gets my heart pounding. My fish reel was on fire and line was being ripped off the reel. I rolled out of my bed and dashed up the companion way to my rod. I put my thumb on the spinning spool which heated up so fast my thumb hurt. I increased the drag and the spool stopped spinning out of control. Just then Adam looking over my shoulder said “Dam that is a big fish” I looked up and a huge Mahi Mahi burst out of the ocean into the air, showing off its bright colors of blue, yellow, and green. Its colors were so bright it was like a neon sign. My heart was thumping in my chest and the adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I held the rod and my arms strained against the weight of the big tuna. I started to reel in the line and tuna started to come at me, I reeled as fast as I could to keep the tension on the line. The rod was digging into my hip and my arms were burning but I kept fighting that fish as it got with in 10 feet of the boat and burst out of the water and whipped violently in the air. I could now see the whole fish up close and personal. The tuna dived down deep, it took off and took out about 100 feet of line in a flash. My dad worked the motor and Adam stood by with the gaff. It took about an hour or more of fighting the tuna until it was tired. I instructed Adam what to do and my dad when the tuna came close again. I handed the rod to Adam and had him bring the tuna in closers, my dad shut down the engine so the tuna would not be as scared. I reached down with the gaff and stuck him right behind the gill plate and heaved the tuna onto the sugar scope. The tuna went wild; it came off the gaff and dropped into the ocean. My heart dropped and I yelled to secure the fish line which Adam tried to hold off my back as it ran across my skin. I prayed that the hook would hold a few minutes longer. The hook held and I gaffed the tuna right behind the head. I sank the gaff deep into the tuna and dragged half of it onto the sugar scope. I grabbed it by the gills and hung on for dear life as the tuna thrashed around. Adam secured a line around the tale and I cut the gills with my knife. I felt the last death rattle of the big fish and was little sad to kill the beautiful fish but I was hunger too. Covered in sweat, blood, and fish guts I felt so happy and proud to have land such a big fish. She weighted in at 38lbs and was 4.5 feet long. This even we at sushi, Blue Tuna, Mahi Mahi, and a cookie with wine.

Remember to Dream Tonight,

Thank you everybody,

Jacques

Current Position: 13deg 35.0min South, 145deg 12.3min West UTC 15:26 COG 220 SOG 2.8knots

Dear Tuna Fish,

I would like to inform you of a few personal facts. First, I have read many books on the subject of fishing on oceans, rivers, and lakes. I have fished all over the world and have had training from some of the best fishermen. Second for this trip I have consulted several cursing fishermen and bought one of the best books on the market to better understand the principals that allow me to catch you. Third I have invested roughly $1000 dollars on my fish pole/reel, hooks, lead, wire, swivels, and lots of line. So frankly after all that effort and work, I have to say to you with the most honesty of my heart, is you are PISSSING ME OFFFFF! You little silver, blue, red blooded, gill breath SOB have eaten half my fishing gear with out me catching a thing. I spent hours making trolling rigs to have them ripped off by your sharp teeth. I have deployed new lures with 800 pound test wire and yet you still just snap my line instead of just biting through it. Well guess what you 200 lbs tub meat I am going to get an all wire line, reel, and rod. I am going to catch you and all your friends. I will devour you raw, wrapped in rice and smothered in soy sauce. So keep laughing and enjoy all the time I have cut myself on the fishing line or lost my mind in a long rants of profanity. If I fail I ask kindly that all you Tuna just drop dead.

Sincerely,

Jacques

P.S. For all you salty dogs wondering where we are I will tell you! We are in the ocean and sailing through a non stop string of squalls that are mixing between 4 low pressure systems. We get hit by a squall that only packs 20 knots and rain. Then it passes leaving us with swirling wind at 4 knots and Drangonsbane just pitch poles in the confused, lump sea. This kind of sailing is worse then sailing through a wash machine because the wind changes direction by 40 degrees and blows from 2 to 20 knots. We have changed our sail configurations 8 times today and reefed at least 7 times and them let it out. But, I think I am getting a good work out and my guns are looking real good!

Take it easy and Enjoy your hot shower!

Current location: 12deg 24.6min South, 144deg 9.7min West, COG: 215 SOG: 2.9knots

Ok so, the morning we left Hakatea Bay Nuku Hiva I woke up and joined my dad in a cup of coffee and a French baguette with butter and local jam. It was about 7 am and the sun was already getting hot. I could hear a dog barking and barking on the small shore line that surrounded us with high cliffs beyond the rock beach. The dogs barking echoed around the little lagoon that we and 3 other sailboats where anchored in. I noticed that the dog had a wild goat cornered between the rock cliffs and the water and just stood there watching the dog bark. A local island man was climbing over the rocks and working his way to the dog. We watched for about 40 minutes and then the man was only 10 feet from the goat and dog. The goat kept his eyes glued to the dog and then the man jumped from his position, grabbed the goat by the horns and with one quick motion slashed the goats throat. I thought this was very interesting and a great way to start ones day. I did feel a little bad for the goat. After the man killed the goat he had the dog lock his jaws around the goats neck and left them there for a few minutes as he walked over to the cliff and started picking at the old lava rock wall. After awhile he came back and released the dog from the goat and walked over to the cliff where he had been picking at. He then stuck a stick into the hole he made and hung the goat from the stick in the cliff wall and dressed it out giving the dog its inner parts. He then skin and butchered the goat. I thought about going to shore and buy some of the meat from him but we had to get going to beat the incoming tide. I woke Adam, pulled the anchor and where off to the next Island.

As of today we change our sail configuration 3 times. We started the early morning out with a reefed main and jib. Then put the spinnaker pull out for the jib and went wing and wing with the main sail. Then the wind got really light so then a switch the spinnaker pole to the port side and flew the spinnaker. I am may drop the spinnaker and go back to the jib and pole for tonight but I may just run with the spinnaker tonight. Fingers crossed I don’t get hit with a squall again with that dam spinnaker up. But I love speed and without the spinnaker up I feel like I am moving backwards. I just want to get to the Tuamotu Islands and buy a big bag of pearls for a 100 bucks, lol.

Current Position: 11deg 11.4min South, 142deg 33.1min West: COG 244, SOG 4.8

Thanks,

Jacques