Fakarava Part 2

t was an overnight run from Rainy Rangi to Fakarava. The weather was beautiful (as the rain had passed) and we had a full moon and a beautiful sunrise with dead flat seas.

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Our timing wasn’t perfect for slack water at the pass but we only had 2 knots of current (it can reach 8 knots) so we decided to head in rather then wait. The passes tend to look deceptively tranquil until you get in to the heart of the flow.

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Then the seas begin to build in the shallower sections.

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And at the point where it is shallowest the picture is quite different.

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And just as quickly, things settle down once you are in the lagoon. One of the big attractions in Fakarava are the drift dives in the north and south passes. This is a dive boat headed out.

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And our anchorage – just the way we like it – glass flat.

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Going back to the first time we were in Fakarava, Deb saw some remoras and thought it was cute to feed them. Bad idea as they are now attached to the boat quite literally. At the peak, we had as many as 12 hitching a ride and removing our bottom paint. We didn’t lose the last of them until we made our three day passage to the Marquesas. New boat rule – no feeding remoras.

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First stop was Havaiki – our favorite lunch spot with Iron Lady anchored just off shore.

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A wedding was in progress at the gazebo at the end of the pier.

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George and Gel were due in the next day and we were all a bit tired from the overnight passage so it was back to the boat for a little paddle boarding and off to bed early.

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Cheers

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