We did it and it was the most awesome and scariest thing I have done underwater. We were getting ready to leave Huahine, without having pursued diving with Humpback whales. The cost was going to be $400 for the three of us with no guarantee we would see any whales. Anyways I meet a boat load of French girls who seemed interested also some friends of ours Brad and Linda came into the anchorage the day before we were going to leave. Well the long and short of it, the French girls did not want to but Brad and Linda did so we planned to go the next day. So it was just the five of us.

We got out to the Ocean on the other side of the reef and our guide spotted a mother Humpback and her baby on the surface. The mother was resting and the calve swimming all around her. On the first swim I got to within 50 ft but was a little leery of getting closer. They are big animals, 50-60 ft in length with a really big tale and it was a mother with her baby (maybe a little protective). So I just hung back a little. Eventually (5-10min) the mother started to go down and the baby followed. So we all got back on the boat and waited for them to surface (about 5 min). We then jumped back in again. This time when they went down I followed them in the water to where they surfaced again. This time I got to within 30ft. The mother must have been feeding the baby because I saw a stream of milk (heavy cream) 50ft long streaming out of her caused by the baby breaking off from eating.

The baby was only about 2 weeks old. When they are born they are 14’ long and weigh 2.5 tons. They drink 100 lbs of heavy cream ( 12 gallons) each day. After a year they are 30ft long and weigh 10 tons (20,000lbs).

There are only 15,000 Humpbacks left and at one time there were 100’s 0f 1000’s. Each year they come up from Antarctica to the Pacific (Aug.-Nov.) primarily to breed and give birth. They do not eat anything the whole time during the trip or while up here. They live off their fat. So a female will get pregnant one year up here and 12 months later on the next trip to the pacific, she will give birth. The reason for this is that the baby is born with no fat. So the mother gives birth in the warm Pacific water and not Antarctica.

I can not begin to describe what the experience was like. It was just awesome.

So we left Huahine on Saturday for Tahaa Island about 20 miles to the west. We are now looking forward to exploring a new Island. We will be here for a week and then off to Bora Bora.

Love Gary

Okay, so our latest adventure blows all other adventures out of the water! We swam with whales!Mike and Gary have been searching for a way to go diving with the whales since we ever saw whales. We hired a local guy, Jeremy, here on Huahine. He took 5 of us (Marnie, Mike, Gary, Brad & Linda) in search of whales. We spotted some whales as soon as we stared heading out to sea. Jeremy approached with caution and told us if we see a baby whale, be sure not to get too close or you may upset the mother. Well lord knows we wouldn’t want to upset a mother whale. We all sported our snorkel gear and we cut the engines because this scares them away and then we eased into the water (approximately 1,000-2,000ft) when we got close enough (about 50ft.). Whamo, there they were just a Mom and baby. They would swim away and we would swim back to the boat and follow them and do it all over again. What an adrenaline rush! It truly is astonishing to do someting of this magnitude. After you get over the initial adrenaline rush you get closer and closer. You are tempted to just reach out and pet them, but you don’t!
We later toured around the island some more and did some great snorkelling, but hey, after swimming with whales how much snorkelling can you really enjoy!!!!
We are dining with some friends tonight on their boat and I believe we will be off to the next island, Raitea and Tahaa tomorrow. They are two islands together and are only 20 miles from here. Heck, we can just lasso up some whales and swim over!
It’s off to Bora Bora from there so stay tuned. Life is Good! Love to all…..

Huahine

We left Moorea on Thursday night for Huahine (latitude 16 43’ S, Longitude 151 02” W) which was 90 miles away (15 hours). We only had a double reefed main and were doing 6.5 knots. It was blowing 25030 knots all night with 8 -12 ft seas. I loved it.

Huahine is another beautiful Island. On Friday we took a 4 hour tour of the Island and our tour guide was great. He is an American who has lived here for 38 years. He knew everything and we learned a great deal. Huahine is primarily an agricultural Island. They grow a lot of fruits and vegetables that are supplied to the other Is lands. They are big into watermelons and cantaloupe. Very little tourism.

Yesterday and today have been primarily work days, getting various projects done on the boat. Today we are also going to have our Labor Day weekend BBQ, chicken and potato salad. Last night Marnie and Mike went out to dinner. I wanted to stay on the boat. So I had steak, potatoes and some wine of course. I played and danced to Moody Blues. I forgot how good of a group they were. Then I watched a movie. It was a great night.

Today the sky is blue and the wind is blowing keeping it cool. The water is 10 shades of blue.

While we are here we are hoping we get a chance to dive with Humpback whales. This week sometime we will also be leaving for our next Island in the adventure.

Love Gary

We have many adventures of Moorea we’d like to share with you. While there Mike and Gary did several dives off the reef where we were anchored. They say many fish, specifically large lemon sharks. Mike has become quite the pro at taking underwater pictures and was so excited to get the sharks on film for the website. You may remember we rented scooters one day and took many scenic pictures of the island as well. Unfortunately, Mike accidentally deleted many of our pictures. Not to worry, Mike and Gary dove again specifically to get more shark pictures for you all to enjoy. Mike and I then rented scooters again and re-took the scenic pictures as well. Unfortunately again, we lost the pictures but this time the whole camera with them. Apparently the Gods want to keep Moorea a secret and don’t want us to show any of the beautiful pictures! So….our apologies for not having the pictures updated yet. One day Mike and I took the dingy to another part of the island where we here you can swim with the sting rays and sharks. What an adventure! We were told where the spot is by the locals. We tied to a mooring ball and the water of course is crystal clear with sandy bottom. We watched the rays uncovered themselves from the sandy bottom and come straight for the boat. The black tip reef sharks arrived shortly after. There were about 12 rays and 8 sharks just swimming around the boat. I was pretty scared at first but Mike got in with me. As I clung to Mike the rays were on us….and I mean on us…..they nuzzle right up to you like a puppy because they want to be fed and are accustomed to being fed. We are in chest deep water and the rays are at your feet and move up your body to your chest. Once I realized they weren’t going to hurt us I unclung myself from Mike and moved about on my own. It was simply amazing that you can just stand there and pet these creatures…..oh and the sharks just swim around and don’t bother you…..not that I stopped watching them for a minute. We did manage to get some pictures of this adventure (with the old camera) and hopefully will be updating the website soon.

We were planning to leave Moorea on Monday evening at dusk as it is only a 75nm sail to Huahine and you want to arrive in daylight due to all the reefs that surround all of the islands here. Thus the reason for the night sail. As we prepared the boat for sailing that afternoon the winds and rain began and never let up. Just before dusk, land, that was a mere 120ft. from the boat, simply disappeared in the fog, mist, rain…….Long story short, we did not set sail that evening and good thing because the winds hit 50+kts (approx. 56 miles per hour) that night and it rained sideways. A few boats in the anchorage broke anchor during the night. Our anchor dragged and we had to re-anchor is the storm….not a fun or easy thing to accomplish but we did. I simply can’t imagine being in a hurricane on a boat. The winds have been blowing hard ever since and the cool air has moved in. Although it is winter here, this weather pattern is unusual for this time of year. The elders of the island told us that this is a good thing because the cool air will cool the water and make for a light cyclone season (hopefully). It has been so cool we had to actually wear coats and pants on the sail over to Huahine….(I know you all feel so bad for us!). During our sail to Huahine Thursday night we encountered some rough, high seas as you would expect after so much wind. Of course we made it safe and sound and actually had to reef the sail to slow down so we didn’t make our destination during the night.

So now we are enjoying life in Huahine at the moment. I will give you an update on this island soon. Life is Good. Love to all….

We left Tahiti on Monday and arrived in Moorea (latitude 17 30’S longitude 149 50’W) staying in Opunohu Bay. It was only an 18 mile trip from Tahiti, so all went well.

After arriving we discovered that the repair to the refrigerator system was not working. So we had to go back to Tahiti to get it fixed again. We left early in the morning got it fixed and returned to Moorea the same day. We were disappointed that we had to go back to Tahiti, but on the way at 7 am we saw 5-8 Humpback whales jumping out of the water maybe ¼ of a mile away. It was truly awesome. Than when we arrived in Tahiti we spotted another pod swimming on the surface. I am now truly inspired to dive with them and given the opportunity I will. The whales come up from Antarctica this time of year and hang out in the islands, than return in November.

That night we went out to dinner, watched and listened to some performers playing Polynesian music and doing Polynesian dances. It was pretty cool. see attached

On Thursday we rented mopeds and drove around the Island (40miles). It is really beautiful island with a friendly population of 13,000.

On Friday Mike and I did our first dive here. We saw maybe 10 or so black tip sharks (3-5ft) and 4 Lemon sharks (8-12 ft) all up close and in person. The next day we did the same dive and swam with the sharks again. So I am over the sharks now and on to Whales.

Today we are going to a hotel on the water that has Banana splits, which Mike and I love and do not get very often (no Baskin Robins down here).

The next Island is Raiatea which is 90 miles from Moorea to the N. E… So the adventure continues. Next week I will report on this new Island and who knows maybe I will have a story to tell about diving with the whales.

Love Gary
www.realityinterrupted.com

The fridge finally got fixed last Sunday night! We drank wine with Msr. Michelle to celebrate and picked his brain some more about Tahitian ways. We set sail for the Island of Moorea on Monday morning. Thank goodness Moorea is only a 2.5 hour sail from Tahiti because the fridge broke again on Tuesday. We hightailed it back to Tahiti early Wednesday morning, got it fixed again and sailed straight back to Moorea in time for dinner! Whew! The good news is that we saw many whales on our round trip venture. They are fascinating and BIG. I hope to be able to update the website with pictures today and you will see some whales.

We are anchored in the Oponohu Bay on Moorea. This is the actual bay where Captain Cook anchored in 1777. Moorea is a mountainous island, lush with green vegetation and crystal clear waters. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world and now we know why. It has an amazing energy as well! We have found the people here to be much friendlier than the rest on French Polynesia. We have been bike riding, snorkeling, and even rented scooters to drive around the 34 mile road of the island. We had dinner in the village this week and were treated to a Polynesian dance show. The local men and women dancers are amazing. You can’t help but be mesmerized by the way they move. (I personally couldn’t even think about keeping on those coconut shells up top, not to mention the way they move their hips…..) Of course there is always that part where they ask for audience participation so Gary and I disgraced ourselves in front of all. Mike refused the beauties that tried to get him out there….he just wanted to get us on film.

Mike and Gary have done a few dives already and are just amazed at the size and amount of sharks with each dive. I’m waiting for a more shallow dive a.k.a. less sharks dive! We are hoping to see more whales and get pictures of them underwater as well. We’ve made more cruiser friends and just having a blast getting to know them.

We were given a tour of an original Tiki Village here as well as the pearl farms. French Polynesia is famous for their black pearls. We watched a local open an oyster from the farm and gave me the raw pearl from inside. It’s amazing to see this.

Since we have been in French Polynesia we have noticed something odd about a disturbingly large portion of the male population. It seems they are very feminine in their demeanor and dress. They actually wear make up and jewelry like the women and walk and somewhat talk like the women. We’ve been thinking perhaps there was something in the water…..but as it turns out the tradition here is that the first born son of each family is the only male that is taken under the wing of the father and taught to hunt, fish…etc. All other sons stay home with Mom and sisters and are taught the more nurturing and domestic chores of the home. So when we see them dress and act more feminine it is simply because they were taught this. Many of them grow to have families of their own….not that I get who teaches their first son to hunt or fish….but this is what we have been told.

We’ve had some high winds kick up last night that are just howling over the mountains still. We are waiting for the weather to calm and we will set sail to Huahine (whooaheeknee) in the next day or so. This will be only a 90 mile sail so we leave here at dusk and arrive in the morning. (My favorite thing, night sailing.) There are a few islands between Huahine and Bora Bora, but this is our next stop. This should bring you up to speed for now. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you for allowing us to continue to share our adventures with you. Life is Good. Love to all. Stay tuned…..

We are still here. We fixed the engine and just after that the refrigeration compressor went bad. So that has taken another 3 days to get fixed. Luckily it went out in Tahiti as there are a lot of parts available here.

We did a lot of shopping during the week to stock the boat with food for the next month. In addition one day we all went to Papeete and walked around one last time. A couple of days Mike and I went diving. One day we dove on an airplane that went down by the airport, just a two seater and than another day we dove on a sea plane (a pretty big one e.g. 10 pass.) There was also a big wooden ship that was pretty old by the seaplane that we dove on.

Last night was bowling night. We bowled 3 games and once again Marnie remains the winner. She must have an average of around 200.

Today I did my laundry on the boat. So to do that you fill a bucket with water and soap and wash your clothes. Than you fill another bucket with rinse water. We have clothes lines strung around the boat to hang the clothes when all done. You have to do this every week or two.

If all goes well we will leave for Moorea tomorrow. So Next week I will finally be able to give you updates on some new Islands. It is hard for me to believe it we have been here for three weeks. Time to move on.

Love Gary

Mike and I returned from the States late one evening to be held up at immigration because they did not like the fact that we were granted a 90 day stay when we arrived in Marquesas late June. Apparently they only like to grant Americans 30 days stay. They eventually let us go however, not before giving us a hard, rude time of it. Trust me when we tell you the French do NOT like Americans. All we could do was kill ‘em with kindness and say Oui sir!

We have been hanging around Papeete, Tahiti waiting for boat parts to fix the sail drive. Long story, short….Mike and Gary fixed the sail drive as the engine manufacturer (Yanmar) just didn’t step up for the warranty and the “experts” here did not know how to fix it. It was hard work but they got it done. Now the compressor on the refrigerator blew so we wait for that to be repaired. We found someone in Tahiti to fix it however, like everyone else in these parts he is on “island time”. He has been fixing it since Thursday, it’s now Sunday. That is just how things get done here, very slowly. We’re not complaining, there are worse places to be stuck!!

We’ve done a lot of work on the boat while we wait. We have enjoyed shopping in the city where you can cruise the local outdoor market and buy wonderful fruits and veggies and local cooked foods like shrimp, dumplings, coconut milk….. Buying lunch and sitting on a bench listening to the locals play Polynesian music on the streets.

Each time we enter or leave a country it is necessary to check-in and check-out with Immigration officials. You must have your clearance papers from the last country you visited in order to enter the next country. We needed to checkout of Tahiti yesterday and once again ran into issues. These people just want more money and get it out of you any way they can. So we ended up having to pay for another visa….because they were not happy that we were granted the original 90 days so it cost us more money to buy new visas. We are at their mercy so that is how it goes.

We hope to be headed to the next island in French Polynesia which is Moorea, tomorrow. This is only a short 12 hour cruise. This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. We are told it is also much less populated than Papeete so we look forward to this as well. As much fun as it has been to be able to actually buy real groceries and be in the city….we are over it now and long for the more peaceful islands we have grown accustomed. That is, if the refrigerator gets fixed today, Sunday an even more laid back day than the other six!! Life is Good! Love to all….

Mike and I are headed back to Tahiti after spending some time in Denver and I also in Jersey. Thanks to everyone for making the effort, inviting us to parties and BBQ’s and simply making time to see us while we were in town….your love and support is so appreciated! Gary has spent time in Tahiti working on the boat, sailing and sightseeing. Mike and I are returning loaded with boat parts, provisions and some of the comforts of home we do without while at sea (we’re not complaining!) We will probably spend a few more days in Tahiti to repair the sail drive and so Mike and I can do some sightseeing ourselves. We are off to the Island of Moorea after that….only 12nm miles from Tahiti and is supposed to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world!!!
I’ve updated the picture gallery with a few more pictures from Rangiroa and Tahiti. Always…..more to come. Life is Good! Love to all. Stay tuned….

We’ve arrived in Tahiti 5 or 6 days ago and have spent the last several days visiting different parts of Tahiti. We are now is Papeete’ which is the capital of Tahiti and quite the thriving metropolis, complete with many stores and traffic. We have not encountered such a busy place since Panama.
It is a beautiful island. The southern end of the island is very unpopulated so our first few stops were very quiet. We are happy to be surrounded by many stores and a real grocery store for the first time in a long time.
Mike and I are off for our flight to Denver tonight and will arrive tomorrow night. Gary will stay on the boat and do some sailing on his own while we are gone. We are also waiting for the boat parts here that we need to fix the sail drive. We have met a very colorful character named CoCo….he is our taxi driver and speaks very good English. He has many sotries and is just bloomin’ crazy…but we love him! We celebrated our Papeete’ arrival and the full moon last night with steaks on the grill, fine wine, singing and a dance train (just the 3 of us) around the boat. I am sure the other boaters think we’re off! Mike yells out “The Hobos of the Pacific have arrived”!
I will upate the picture gallery when I get back to the States…stay tuned.
Life is Good! Love to all…..