Crossing – Nuka Hiva to Manihi Atoll – 02/08/12 to 05/08/12

I left Nuka Hiva alone and sailed out heading for Tahiti via Takaroa Atoll in the Tuamoto Archipelago. However the weather turned bad and the wind once again drove me south, so I decided to head for Manihi Atoll. I arrived at the Atoll around midnight and entered the atoll in complete darkness which was pretty nerve racking. I then proceded to look for a suitable anchorage and decided to travel to the eastern side of the atoll and anchor just behind a large island spit.

This turned out to be a good idea, as the wind came up overnight and I was shielded by the palm trees. The next morning another yacht arrived and sailed across to me and it was once again the “Annie T”, Not sure if 3 ports in a row is stalking, but great to see them.

Manihi Atoll is famous for farming black pearls and there are farms throughout the interior of the atoll. The water clarity was amazing and I had a great time snorkeling the reefs. There are reef sharks everywhere and they are very inquisative. I had several of them swim around me for ages which was really cool !!

The local village was really interesting, with several locals setting up makeshift restaurants in their front yards. I managed to find the local bakery (just a shed really) and managed to get bagets fresh from the oven for breakfast.  Funny how the little things such as a fresh loaf of bread are awsome now!!!

Heading for Tahiti soon

Andrew