Today Ron is treating us all to a morning of sailing! After years of being firmly on the shore he is looking forward to a few hours of pitting his will against that of the wind and the waves. Unfortunately today there seems to be no wind nor waves and it was with serious intention that he asked if the craft came with oars!!
Determined we headed away from the shore, drifting as much as sailing, until the tiniest of gusts rippled in the sail. Lisa, a qualified sailing instructor in her own right, hauled on something or other to tighten the sail while Ron worked the rudder edging us towards the next patch of breeze.
Kerriann and I were designated as'Ballast', moving only when instructed and keeping out of the way as much as possible while Ron and Lisa tacked us back and forth towards the middle of the bay. Here we were able to find much better gusts to fill the sail as the wind sporadically racing over the mountains and into the lagoon.
Large swells rode their way through the opening of the pass allowing us to surf on their tops as we raced back and forth. As we reached the main channel leading out of the bay the wind picked up allowing use to reach some good speeds.
Lisa asked if we could hear the boat 'singing' as it reached a certain speed in the water. There was a definite hum and the sweetest of vibrations throughout the whole craft as the twin bows cut through the crystal clear water.
We tacked back and forth a few times before racing another much larger boat that was heading out towards the pass. Being smaller and lighter we of course won and we all waved valiantly as we passed them on our way back in.. The wind was now constant, the sun was warm, the water that sprayed upon our faces refreshing if a little shocking when an extra large wave broke over the bow.
We came into shore avoiding all the children in their hobby-cats as they twisted and turned around the marker buoys put out for their practice runs. We had been out for just over an hour so Ron and I got off to warm ourselves in the sun while Kerriann and Lisa went out to 'play' as they called it.
They raced back and forth along the bay sometimes just getting the one keel out of the water before their courage eluded them and they turned slightly to allow it to drop. At one point they stopped moving altogether and from the shore I wondered why. All became clear when they returned to the beach a few minutes later to check the time.
Following Lisa's instructions to 'pull it upwards' Kerriann had tried to stand to get the angle she required on the rope and had promptly fallen overboard!! Still clinging to the rope she had acted like a sea anchor and once Lisa had released the sail they had come to a sudden stop. It was at that point that Lisa had bodily hauled Kerriann aboard by her life vest, unaware of the tight strap that ran between Kerriann's legs and nearly cutting her in two!!! Reassured that they still had another half hour to 'play' they headed back out to sea while I chatted to some interesting people that Ron had met and shared his ice-cream.
We returned home, wind blown and happy, to discover that new people have moved into the holiday cottage next door, a delightful couple called Gary and Sarah. They will be staying there for the next two weeks and we have all been invited over for drinks tonight. They have been touring lots of the Islands in the area on a six week bonanza and have loads of amazing photos and stories to tell. They were very curious about the holes around the place and so we have promised them to take them on a Tupa Hunt!!
This afternoon though, the girls have decided to do a bit more work on the beach front. A lot of the stones, as I said, have relocated themselves to places where they really shouldn't be. All along the water fronted line of rocks, boulders have rolled down into the sea and now bar a clear walk in the shallow water. This afternoons mission is to relocate them back from whence they came.
It was back breaking work but the shade of the trees helped to keep the sun off our backs. One by one the stones were lifted back onto the shore. We were careful of the tiny sea urchins nestled in the gaps between the rocks and we had to remove a lot of little creatures before we could position some rocks in their new homes.
The end result was brilliant though.
A clear pathway along the sand bottom from one beach to the next.
Lisa by now had finished the reconstruction of the tiny sandy rock protected shore line.
Sand and coral had been raked into position, a huge rock had been manhandled away and an old palm stump had been flattened to allow walking access all along the shoreline.
With this last beach redesign the entire front had had its well needed spring clean!
That evening the whole garden and beach was filled with light as the moon was just about full. Shadows usually seen by day were now being cast by the moon onto the beach. The air was still, the sea lapped gently at the shore as we walked across to see Sarah and Gary to enjoy an evening of stories and photos.
Later, as the moon worked her way across the sky toward the opposite mountains, she cast an incredible pathway of moonshine that stretched across the shimmering water towards us.
Our garden was still bathed in moonlight when we said our goodbyes to the neighbours. The huge mountain behind us was silhouetted against the night sky, tiny stars, miles and miles away, bedecked the sky and we all sat on the balcony for a few more hours in wonderment of the Polynesian night.
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