A Windy and Glorious Fourth of July

The beaches on the Tuamotus offer a splendid isolation unmatched by other islands in the South Pacific.

We had originally planned on sailing to Tahiti on July 3rd, but listening to the morning radio net and talking with a nearby French cruiser convinced us it would be better to wait a few days. We’re still trying to learn the vagaries of the South Pacific weather patterns, but one word that rang a bell was “mamaru.”  A mamaru is the French term for a strong southeasterly wind that comes through French Polynesia during the summer months. Looking at the GRIB files I saw the next day was supposed to be 17- to 20-knot winds increasing to 25- to 30-knots later. Of more concern were the predicted 10 ft plus swells coming from the southwest, right into the passes on the southwest side of Tahiti Iti were we planned to anchor. With that many red flags being raised we made the decision to wait it out for a few days, even though it would make our arrival for our Friday, July 10th haul out somewhat tight.

Our friends on French Curve, Mark and Cheryl, stopped by and suggested we plan a progressive sundowner party with the three other American boats anchored nearby to celebrate the 4th of July. Since we’d had non-eventful 4th’s at other foreign ports, we jumped at the opportunity.

The only problem was the approaching mamaru arrived a little early and as Meryl was preparing snacks for the party the boat was getting rocked by steady 25- to 30-knot winds. We thought about canceling, but then thought, what the heck.

Mark and Cheryl on French Curve.

As we motored the short distance over to French Curve we got soaked by the spray and waves breaking over the dingy, but as they say, it was warm water. On French Curve we met the two other boats, Helios and Naoma.  Helios we’d already seen at Tahanea. It was a beautiful Island Packet 38 owned by Dominic and Corinne from San Francisco. He was a former Apple guy (specializing in Apple TV, one of my favorite products) and had recently sailed from Ensenada to the Marquesas. They’d only been cruising for about seven months but where totally loving the experience. The other couple, from San Diego (Mark and Cheryl’s home town), were Ryan and Nicole. They had a classic Erickson 38, another of my favorite boats, called Naoma.

Dominic and Corinne on Helios.

Our hostess, Cheryl, suggested we got around the table and introduce ourselves and tell a little about our background. That was a great icebreaker and uncovered a lot of similarities and things we had in common (besides sailing). Mark was an architect and Cheryl and interior designer who worked on superyachts as a stewardess. Corinne came from a sailing family and instilled the love of sailing in Dominic when they were first dating.

Nicole and Ryan on Naoma.

When we got to Ryan and Nicole, she began by mentioning she had been an ocean lifeguard in San Diego and that she and Ryan were into triathlons and other outdoor activities. As Ryan started, we could tell it was going to be a interesting story. He lived in the Tampa area and sailed a lot with his dad on an ocean race boat. From there he got into cycling and was on the Pro Development team (one step down from Lance Armstrong) and raced with George Hincappe. While very successful, he had to step down when he couldn’t keep up the pace with the faster riders. Something with his muscles. He then continued a career racing sailboats, worked on superyachts, surfed, ran a kite-boarding school, became an EMT, and worked as a jet ski rescue driver for big surfing events. At some point he was diagnosed with MS. Now for most people that would be time to step back and reevaluate life, but for Ryan it was still full steam ahead, this time getting a berth on the Special Olympics and sponsorship racing sailboats. He has more energy than twenty guys and still kite surfs, sails, and enjoys other outdoor activities. Just his stories alone tired me out. If slowing down meant sailing around the world on his Erickson 38, then that’s what he’s doing.

It was also interesting to hear the stories of the other people, with all of us sharing the dream of the cruising lifestyle. We transitioned the party to Flying Cloud (I had to change my clothes after that wet ride), where Meryl served red wine and homemade focaccia bread, then we all dinghied over to Helios where Dominic and Corrine hosted us for Pina Colas and delicious pamplemousse. By now the wind was howling at a steady 30 knots so we decided to stay put, but Nicole and Ryan braved the elements and dinghied over to Namoa to get the crackers and cheese and beers for the next course.

Settled in on Helios we all told stories about our sailing adventures and our lives in general. With Flying Cloud being the oldest couple, followed by French Curve about 10 years younger, it was refreshing to be around the pure energy of the two younger couples (in their late 30s) and to share in their exuberance of life. As the old fuddy-duddies, we left about 8:00 pm (cruisers midnight) and slowly motored back to the boat with the waves breaking over the bow, but the party continued well into the night.

What a great evening with such fun people!