Preparing to Sail

 Day 3-4, Sunday & Monday, August 27-28

Much of Day 3 was spent preparing to sail. In addition to more minor repairs, we took inventory of all provisions on the boat and went shopping at a local supermarket. Because this is our last time to be in a main harbor, we wanted to make sure we have what we need on board. Xavier had made friends with a local who manages all of the boats in the fleet for the government of Tahiti. He, his wife and daughter drove us to the supermarket where we loaded up on essentials (and chocolate, which I consider essential). Afterwards, they joined us for some appetizers aboard Kanoa.

In Papeete, it is a local custom for the police to cordon off the main street along the harbor to vehicle traffic on Sunday afternoon. Families come out with all manner of non-motorized vehicles - skateboards, bicycles, tricycles, scooters, roller blades - and ride through the street. In the nearby park, they taught fitness classes. I caught the tail end of the Zumba class - no, I didn’t participate :-)

Mickey and I headed to the market this morning (Monday, Day 4). There are stalls full of flowers, jewelry, trinkets and clothes. The other side of the market has food. We had added a few items to the list that weren’t available at the supermarket, so this gave us a chance to shop and enjoy the local market. We bought a loaf of bread and a croissant from a local baker - very yummy.

This afternoon, we’ll give Kanoa a good cleaning, work on our safety briefing, fill our water tanks, exchange money and a whole host of last minute details. Xavier has met with customs and immigration and all of our paperwork is in order. According to weather predictions, tomorrow will be the best day to set sail. We are heading to Maupiti, which is about a 24-hour sail from here. 

We might not have Wi-Fi for a few days. But we’ll post again as soon as we can.

Cheers! Carol & Mickey