Safely Back in Opunohu Bay

We did manage to get out of Haapiti 2 days ago. We checked the pass twice in the dinghy, and then waited for the most propituous time (high tide, good daylight, lessening seas), and battened down the hatches tighter than we've ever done for almost any passage. The wind was starting to pick up as forecast, and we were feeling pretty isolated. We did NOT want to get stuck there for the next 5 days of high swell.

We put a single reef in the main, and then hung on tight and motored at about 4kts out the pass (with an additional 2 kts of current behind us). We had huge breakers about 100' either side of us, but the pass WAS clear. It was scary in anticipation, but the end result wasn't as bad as we had feared. All went well, and we only buried the bow once or twice, and not that bad. (It was much much much worse, as far as water over the deck, 2 or 3 days out of Hawaii when we were beating to weather in 20-25kts).

Once we cleared the pass by 1/4 mile, all the excitement was over. We put some more sail up and had a nice sail for the 10 miles around to Opunohu. The huge swell wasn't bad--it was a very long period swell and no bid deal. We didn't see any whales, but once we were free of that pass, it was a beautiful day.

Opunohu is crowded again--back up to about 24 boats in the outer anchorage and 10 or so inside each of Cook's Bay and Oponohu Bay. Many boats left the Marina Taina anchorage in Papeete because of the weather forecast.

Today we're heading out for a 'bus adventure'. We will go out and try to take the bus around the island. It's a little more difficult than it sounds, because the bus only goes halfway--to the ferry terminal, and then doesn't go all the way around on the other side. And the schedule is erratic--it is timed to the ferry schedule, according to Lonely Planet. But it should be a great adventure. Our friends tell us that hitchhiking, if you get stuck, is a pretty good solution in Moorea.