Bora Bora island

 We got up early in the morning for the sail from Taha’a to Bora Bora — not a very long passage, about twenty nautical miles. Even though it’s a short one, I was a bit tense since we hadn’t sailed under canvas for quite a few months (all the recent passages were on the engine, inside the lagoon), and the mainsail still had that issue I mentioned earlier. In the morning we stopped by the main town in Raiatea so Ayelet could get a haircut and we could pick up a few things, and then we headed out of the lagoon for a real sail. The boat was rolling a bit, but it felt great to have the sails up again, to shut off the engine, and enjoy the blessed quiet as we made good progress.

By the time we approached in the afternoon, the sky had turned gray and rainy. We entered the lagoon and tied up to a mooring buoy — it went smoothly, and soon we were secure and could rest. Just to keep things interesting, we realized there was a problem with the charging system — the batteries weren’t getting power from the engine. So I already had something to worry about that night, and first thing the next morning I checked what was wrong. Nothing too bad, actually — an old and familiar problem, just needed to clean and refresh a few connections, and the issue was solved.

Bora Bora is a stunning island, with an incredibly steep mountain that looks like Mount Sinai rising straight out of the sea. The only problem, as with many beautiful places, is that too many people think the same. Bora Bora has some of the most expensive overwater bungalow resorts in the world — from $1,000 to $3,000 a night, though there are cheaper ones too. Even we had to pay $40 a night for a mooring buoy.

In the morning we sailed around the island to another mooring field with the best view of the mountain. Sailing inside the lagoon was 

pretty tense, with tight maneuvers between very shallow coral heads.

 

In the afternoon we took the dinghy for a long ride out to a coral reef

 to snorkel — it was beautiful! On the way back, though, the outboard engine suddenly stopped. Repeated attempts to restart it failed, and we had to row for almost an hour! I was really frustrated — I’ve always had doubts about the reliability of dinghy engines. Our previous one gave us endless trouble and stranded us more than once, so we invested in a new one, and now this! Ayelet, trying to cheer me up, said it wasn’t so bad — the sea was calm, the view was amazing. And then, like in every story, five minutes later the wind turned against us, with some chop, making rowing a real struggle.

Another night of worrying about how to fix it. That evening I dove deep into ChatGPT and YouTube videos about carburetor cleaning. I woke up early, determined to solve the problem! I rigged up a special mount on the boat to attach the engine for working on it.

We lifted the heavy outboard onto the boat, I secured it to the mount, ready for a long and frustrating workday. But after just a few minutes I discovered that a simple connector had come loose — reconnected it, and that was it. Huge relief, though still frustrating to have spent two mornings in a row working instead of relaxing. As the saying goes — and I think about it often while working hard in these incredible 

surroundings —

Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic places.

Exotic places

We had planned to go exploring that day, but by the time we were ready, the rain started again, so we stayed on the boat. Toward the end of the day, I took the dinghy alone to a nearby island to stretch my legs a bit. I met a local man there, a simple guy who watches over a barbecue site where they bring people during the day. He was amazed that I’d come all the way from Israel, and before I left, he gave me a big basket full of bananas, papayas, and a few vanilla pods soaked in rum. Such generosity! Again and again, we encounter this kind of kindness here — it’s really touching.

Tomorrow morning, we’re heading out to Maupiti. The plan is to stay there for at least two weeks of total relaxation!