Au Revoir (And God Bless the Thimble!)

After four months, we leave French Polynesia for Rarotonga and the Cook Islands.  It's been a glorious time, with may new friends, new adventures, and new experiences for both of us, as well as our now-well-christened catamaran, ile de Grace.  We leave wiser and stronger, and look forward to our next sets of adventures:  the Cooks, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and then Australia.

Enduring memories of our stay, in no particular order:

• The 3-week visit by our daughter "When's-our-next-dive-Kate."  She's a wonderful shipmate even if she reverts to her childhood habit of falling asleep as soon as we start to sail :)  See you in December!
• Our weekly phone calls with our kids, and the amazing support on our home front provided by David, our son.  It's not easy leaving everything behind, and David's ability to navigate property management companies, tenant issues, banking crises, etc. while continuing to excel in his day job was a blessing and a gift to us as we sauntered through these islands.
• The baguettes and croissants -- how will we survive the mornings?
• The wonderful, if rainy town of Taravao, which became our de facto home for two months as we waited for engine parts, repaired torn dinghies, and watched the World Cup at our new favorite bar, Remy and Loula's.
• The winding road that circumnavigates Tahiti -- where we'd share the road in our rental car with chickens, bicyclists, Hot Mape and Cold Coco stands, and weaving motorcyclists.  We won't miss the drive to Tahiti, but we will miss the spectacular views and the daily weather vagaries as we went from windward rain to leeward sunshine.
• Heiva -- something special, with its dances, rowing and singing competitions.  Jennifer especially fell for Heiva, attending a number of the events, including the opening and closing ceremonies
• Poisson cru -- the local dish of raw fish and cocnut milk -- probably Jennifer's favorite dish of all time.  Amazing medley of flavors.
• The diving -- wonderful amazing fantabulous, and filled with fish, coral, sharks, rays, and eels, in the company of our soon-to-be dive master daughter!
• Black pearls -- Jennifer's new jewelry of choice, highlighted by her diving for a 12mm pearl that she now has set into a gorgeous brooch/necklace pendant combination
• The colors of the water as the depth varies from deep ocean (almost a purplish blue) to a few inches above the reef (a brownish yellow) with every shade of blue in between.
• Our new friends -- Francois and Cristal in Taravao, Francesco in Papeete, Fernando in Manihi, Marc in Fatu Hiva, Nicolas and Marie on the re-built "Tortue," Andy and Rhiann on their delightful sloop "Zephyrus," and dozens of other sailors and locals.  We'll see many of them again as many of sail westward, and we look forward to reconnecting.
• The repairs and upgrades we accomplished here, including reinforcing our anchor chain, an additional outboard, a new two-person kayak, and lots of interior improvements, including (finally!) hanging pictures of our kids and parents in our bedroom.
• The Ace Hardware stores, the Sung Tung Ming chandlery, and the Nautisport chandlery -- not always the easiest to get to, but each helped us out with spare parts and materials when we needed them.
• Tareva, the nurse practitioner in Manihi who managed to treat my partially-severed tip of my left ring finger with humor, grace, and skill -- it's all healed, and I only lost about 1/4" of an inch!
• Eating clams that Jennifer had caught and cleaned just hours before -- with good friends and good wine.
• Anchored in the Bay of Virgins, Fatu Hiva, with its monumental spires guarding a lush valley of coconut mango, papaya, and pamplemousse trees.
• Marquesan pamplemousse juice -- is there a more refreshing flavor?
• Sailing inside the lagoons -- with their trade winds and no swell and no chop ... delightful!
• Finally, Jennifer's brilliant insight that a thimble could cover my healing finger, allowing me to pick up and play my guitar again -- after a three month hiatus.  

God bless these islands -- I'll miss them but I'm glad to be moving on.  My daughter once gave me a small card:  "A boat is safe in the harbor, but that's not what boats are for."  We're leaving this harbor for a 550 n.m sail, and we're both excited to get back to sea.

Next posting -- Cook Islands, in about a week, internet service permitting.