Location Hotel Kia Ora Rangiroa
Monday, 10.01.2007

The Schooner Maggie B anchored off of the Kia Ora Hotel in Rangiroa at almost exactly noon on October 1st. We had a great sail across from Taha’a, today enjoying an unusual NE’er.

We sailed in the little pass at Rangiroa, Passe d’Avatoru. This pass gets going at up to 8 knots outflow, but we entered only an hour and a half after theoretical slack. We had only about four knots of current, enlivened by 4-6 foot dropping waves caused by the 20 knot wind in against the current. The turn into the pass was enlivened by a dive boat in the middle of the channel picking up eight divers, all scattered about. We were doing eight knots, jumping from wave to wave. Once inside it was a short sail to the “Schooner Cove” near the hotel and the main pass, Tiputa.

We weren’t too encouraged by the helpful advice concerning entering passes in the Tuamotus as listed in the Admiralty Sailing Directions: “Low powered, shallow draught, strong wooden vessels such as schooners, should keep close to the East side of a pass. If too close, a counter-flow may be experienced, but rates are much reduced close to the sides of a pass. A vessel grounding at low speed will generally be driven off again by the flow of water through the pass without damage.” Perhaps that is why we saw a nice sloop high and dry on the West side of the Avatoru Pass.

We look forward to rendezvousing with Robert Farrar, our fourth, on October 3rd. We will be off for Chile not too long afterwards.

All is well.