Sailor’s Superstition
Sailors are a superstitious lot: It’s bad luck to set sail for a voyage on Friday; whistling makes the wind blow harder, and bananas onboard are a no-no.
And now there’s another one: setting sail on Sunday 13th October. Because if you set sail on Sunday 13th October, this is what will happen:
- One of the solar panels will fall off
- Your hat will blow overboard
- The front hatch will leak water (although, to be fair, it wasn’t tightened up as much as it should have been.)
- The button will fall off your shorts
I suspect, however, that the real cause of these nautical misfortunes was that we were bashing to windward in a lumpy sea from Moorea to the Tuamotus. This was not the ‘gentlemanly’ downwind sailing we have experienced most of the time in the Pacific. Sailing close-hauled in a feisty wind and 3-metre swells is singularly unpleasant. When Lady Jane’s bow crashed into the waves, seawater launched in the air and landed without ceremony on her motley crew cowering in the cockpit.
Twenty four hours of this was getting tedious. Fortunately, however, the wind eased on Monday and so did the sea state. We were glad of the respite – even though it meant we had to use the engine to get to the Tuamotus. At this point, Neptune appeared in the clouds to show us who is the boss around here:

Neptune
Our destination was Anse Amyot on Toau. We chose this because – unlike most of the other islands here – there are no tidal restraints to get to an anchorage. And after a passage like that, we didn’t want to hang around waiting for slack water.
Anse Amyot
On Tuesday 15th October, we arrived at Anse Amyot and attached ourselves to a mooring buoy close to Gaston and Valentine’s dock. And, after reattaching the solar panel to its mount (now riveted in place, rather than held on by screws), we lowered the dingy and went over to say Iorana to Gaston and Valentine. We found them both folding the laundry while being watched by Momo – their tame, and very large, frigate bird who sat on his perch by the water’s edge. Valentine took me to him and showed me how to stroke him without having my fingers removed. Momo might be tame, but he still retains the sharp beak of a normal frigate bird. Not wanting to appear the chicken, I stroked his chest, Valentine said ‘He likes you.” I thought thank god for that.

Momo – the tame but sharp-beaked frigate bird

Gaston testing his conch

Our mooring at Anse Amyot
After taking a quick stroll around their village, we bought a couple of lobsters that Gaston had caught on the reef. Gaston cooked these for us so that we could have a lobster takeaway that evening. That might sound extravagant, but there’s no Just Eat service, and lobster is in better supply than chicken tikka masala around these parts.
Pigs and bees and fish named Maria
The next day, we returned to land for a walk around the motu. We met the pigs and saw the beehives (from a safe distance). And when we returned to the village, Valentine introduced us to the napoleon wrasse that occasionally drifts into the shallows. Much to Maria’s delight, they named the wrasse Maria, after the Tahitian name for the species – Mara. Unfortunately, neither of us had a camera with us, so we missed the chance to record Maria’s namesake.

This little piggy… gets sold when he is 10 kg

Piglet selection

Honey bees
Before heading back to Lady Jane, we bought some local honey from Valentine. And in return, she gave us the gift of a beautiful cowrie shell, a pack of frozen and filleted parrotfish, a bottle of beer, and breadfruit just plucked from a tree and cooked on the barbecue by Gaston. Very generous.

Cowrie shell present for Maria

Breadfruit modelling

Breadfruit harvesting

Breadfruit cooking

Breadfruit peeling
Gaston and Valentine’s family were due to arrive on Friday, and all of them were going to Fakarava for a couple of nights. Valentine asked us if we could make sure the dogs had enough water, and that the pigs were OK. Not too much of a hardship for the motley crew, so we did just that. We ensured the dogs’ water bowl was full and fed the pigs coconuts. And I’ve picked up a new skill: chopping coconuts in half with a large axe.

Mad axeman

Expectant pig
Circumnavigation and sharks
On Friday, we explored more of the motu and saw reef sharks in the shallows and hermit crabs everywhere. Then, on Saturday, we took the dinghy to the other side of the lagoon and circumnavigated, on foot, what appears to be an abandoned motu previously active in copra production.

Shallow shark

The other island

Hermit

The ubiquitous scrap truck

Fresh facilities

Beachscape
It was great to spend more time here than we had previously. We would have liked to stay longer but had to leave on Sunday morning to get to Fakarava’s north pass in time for slack water at 3 pm (Fakarava has diesel, internet and shops). So, we made one last trip to the village to feed the pigs more coconuts and give the dogs more water, before lifting the dinghy and motoring out of the lagoon at 0900. And, on the subject of coconuts, here’s a coconut crab retained for a special occasion:

Crabby
Hi ya still living the life, you seem to find paradise everywhere you go.
We’re much the same getting up at 7 am everyday of the week and working till 9pm all stress pressure and aggravation. Customers complaining about everything and that’s the good ones. I think you made a bad choice leaving it all behind😂
Take care and please keep the messages coming we love them 💋❤️
We try our best thanks, Steve. I’ll keep the messages coming (although the scarcity of internet around these parts might get in the way a bit). Cheers – Allen.
Bill and Marj in Beautiful Nova Scotia
Thank you once again for sharing your life’s adventures. You’re very
fortunate to live the way you do. I get in a bit of sailing here on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia but its no comparison to what you and your mate experience. We just returned from a wedding in South Carolina, it was wonderful to be in a warmer climate for 10 days. Love to hear about all you do, looking forward to your next report . Bill
Thanks, Bill and Marj – we also enjoyed our very short stay in South Carolina, before heading off to the Bahamas. Cheers – Allen
Glad you are having so much fun. Heading to NZ soon? Or staying in FP?
Well, thank you very much! Staying in FP this year (haul-out at Hiva Oa in the Marquesas).
Wow…what fun…well…most of it…and continue to love your writing, Allen. Had you been there before? Sounds like you already knew Gaston and Valentine. Very generous hosts…in return for pig and dog care!
Have to read the latest news later! Love to both of you!
For the most part – it was! We had visited Gaston and Valentine previously, but only for a couple of days. It was great to spend more time with them, but not so much the pigs! X