April 2 – left in the morning for Fakarawa in the Tuamotus archipelago. Conditions were choppy and the wind variable. However, things settled down with an easterly flow once we were clear of the island. In the wee hours of the next day (April 3), heavy seas were encountered with large swells and winds up to 40 knots. We reduced sail to a small triangle in the genoa but were still making 6.5 knots. April 4 – winds and seas more settled. Wind was 15 to 18 knots on the beam giving us a good night of sailing.
April 5 – approaching the northern pass of the Fakarawa atoll (the passé Garue). We made the pass at around 1530 hours and entered the calm atoll. The passage within the atoll to the village of Rotaova was charted but much of the rest of the atoll was unsurveyed described in the charts as “area non-hydrographie”.. We could see several “motus” or little islands left by volcanic eruptions of a long time past and built upon by coral. After the churning waters of the pass, the atoll was a wonderful change with calm. clear blue water. A scene out of a story book with palm trees fringing low lying reefs.
We took the dinghy ashore to a small beach near the village church. There were coral heads near shore which were hard to see in the fading light..
Skylark at anchor in Fakarawa's pristine lagoon
The atoll was a good anchorage, an abrupt change from the rolling ocean outside. The water was flat and in daylight, was a permanent backdrop of turquoise and blue. The people were certainly friendly. There were no mre than 1000 inhabitants at Fakarawa, a large number of whom were engaged in pearl farming. The black south sea pearls are highly prized and much of the production is contracted for the Japanese market. The Japanese pearl industry has been decimated by pollution in their pearl farming waters. They are all too aware of this in the Tuamotus and jealously guard their pristine waters. The inhabitants keep the atoll very clean and visiting yachts appreciate the need to do their part by managing boat waste.
The ocean side of the atoll -- not so calm...
Supply ship comes once a week from Tahiti
Sunrise in the lagoon
April 6 – we walked to a family holiday “pension” for dinner. The Polynesian band at the restaurant entrance performed traditional music and sang with a beautiful natural harmony. During dinner, there was a dance performance by a young troupe, grass skirts and all. The thing that struck us was the genuine enjoyment on the part of the dancers – the absence of commercialism made it a great experience.
Dancers perform in Fakarawa
Sunsets on Fakarawa are just as spectacular as the sunrises. The picture below taken from the shore only partially captures the magical interplay of light and reflection on the atoll’s waters
Another day, another sunset in the atoll
Fakarawa, remote as it is without the facilities of the more urbanized parts of French Polynesia, is a truly serene place. The people seemed content and there are few signs of consumerism taking hold. We lunched at a “restaurant” operated from a van with a growth of grass around its wheels that suggested it might not ever move again. The food is best described as simple and wholesome – poisson cru (raw tuna marinated in lime juice and coconut milk), savoury crepes, steak frite… The owner, a French woman, and her staff engaged with customers with an ease that made you feel you’d known them for a long time
The photos are awesome!
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