Finally moved Galena to a mooring this morning. Rob (s/v Changing Spots) came aboard to help. I had two anchors down and had been hanging off only one for about 2-wks. I'd seen several boats drag in this harbor and had constantly heard horror stories about the poor holding.
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When I last posted an update I had just arrived in Bora Bora and settled in on a mooring at the Mai Kai Yacht Club. I was only going to spend a week there. But, as usual, having a good time trumps making good time. At least it does for me on this cruise. So I ended up staying a lot longer.


The first big social event was the telecast of the World Rugby Championship. I spent a lot of time at Le Recif (The Reef Bar) watching their big-screen TV. I learned a lot about rugby (even thought it was narrated in French) and learned even more about rugby fans. Since this is French Polynesia, they were almost all rooting for France to win. Sadly that wasn't to be.

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It's 20 October and I'm sitting at the bar in the Mai Kai Yacht Club on Bora Bora, French Polynesia (For the Facebook savy here's their page). This place is pretty spectacular. Everything is brand new. The original Bora Bora Yacht Club was destroyed by Cyclone Oli in February 2010. Keiva and Tito have worked very hard to make this a special stop in paradise. And they have succeeded. Still some things to iron out: The floating dock was supposed to be installed this week, but didn't materialize. The showers are not quite right yet. But the lodge, the food, the drinks, the deck, and the atmosphere are great. Teiva goes out of his way to make everyone feel special and welcome.



I still complain about the prices out here in the Pacific. But the prices here at MKYC are the same as you'll find anywhere in the islands of French Polynesia. A twelve-ounce beer costs only $3 in the grocery store. The same bottle of beer costs $6 here at the yacht club. But, then here you have lovely ladies pouring it for you. And many nights there's live local music.



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It's been over a month since my last official update. I've been looking through my photos, logs, and my Facebook updates gathering together clues as to where the time has gone and what I've been up to.



When I last posted I was still at Hiva Oa, Marquesas, waiting for s/v Stravaig to arrive. They finally did, about a week after me.



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This blog update covers Galena's 4000nm, 37-day, non-stop, single-handed voyage from Panama City, Panama, to Hiva Oa, Marquesas.


First question many of you might have is, “Where the hell are the Marquesas?" Fair enough question. The Marquesas Islands are the easternmost island group of French Polynesia. 900nm northeast of Tahiti (probably the best known island in Polynesia) The Marquesas lie just about in the middle of the Southern Pacific ocean; halfway between South America and Australia.

The Big Picture: The Marquesas are at the end of that line.

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The Flats is an area near the canal entrance. It used to be where everyone anchored while waiting for their transit time. Now everyone says it's too dangerous there. So we anchor in the small area in front of Club Nautico (yes, yet another 'club nautico') in Colon. Even that is not a safe place. I was walking down one of the main streets in Colon with Eric and Ben when a heavily armed man came hurrying out of a bank. He says to us, "What are you doing here? Get in a taxi immediately! Way to dangerous for you here." We ignored him and went to a café for breakfast. Everyone thought we were crazy.
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First thing: find an agent. An agent is not required for transiting the canal. He just makes things so much easier. Yes, it costs more. But when I did the overall cost comparison, I only spent about $150 more than if I had done all the running around on my own. And I spent absolutely no time worrying about any of the paperwork or process.
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I came around the point and had my first glimpse of Portobelo. I was not impressed. In fact I was somewhat taken aback as I motored past the derelict and foul-smelling fishing boats and the permanently moored livaboard boats that cluttered the harbor. This was a mis-conception. After I had been there a few days a bunch of cruisers showed up and crowded the anchorage.
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On the trip from Columbia to San Blas I discovered that I had a stowaway. There was definite evidence of a rodent: droppings, nibbled food and packaging, etc. I borrowed a trap and was distressed to find the rat had nicked all the bait and left the trap un-sprung. The next night I used duck tape to secure the bait to the trigger. Next morning I awoke to find the trap sprung, but empty. Next to the trap was a blood trail. I followed the trail and discovered a very large rat, dead in a small pool of blood. Did I mention that it was BIG! That it was now dead made me very happy.
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