Interesting Neighbours French Polynesia

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'Rancho Relaxo of the Seas'



Crazy French cat!

You see some sights alongside some days.  One of my favourites was Rancho Relaxo.  It looked as if the boat was abandoned as it sat beside us for weeks with no sign of the owner.  Then one day a family came and took it out - we were amazed it even had an engine.    At the other end of the scale, we spotted a strange craft moored near us one morning.  Turns out it’s a crazy Frenchman doing the first cabinless circumnavigation.  He sleeps on the netting of the catamaran and get’s up amazing speeds. 

Black Pearl - Roger up the mast and Mark on the bow

Then there is Roger and Black Pearl.  Roger is from the UK and saw a boat in Tahiti on ebay which he subsequently bought for £4,000.  It needed a bit of tidying up, but he’s been on it for several months and is cruising the Tahitian Islands with the best of us.  He reckons it beats 2 weeks in the BVIs which cost him £5,000 on his last charter.  And he may just be able to sell her when he returns to the UK at the end of his 6 months. 

Tahitian

Lays and headdresses are a staple of the islands.  We were here for 4 months before we were given one and then they came thick and fast.  People wear them to parties, for special events any excuse it seems.   We think they are all homemade and quite gorgeous.  The trick is to avoid the heavily scented ones which would put a hay fever suffer in casualty. 

Tahitian

Not Tahitian - nice try Mark

On the island of Huahine we met a lovely chap Paul.  Deaf and dumb but full of life and generous to a fault.  We were anchored out the front of his place for a week or so and he would come by almost every day with fruit or fish or something he’d made to eat.  He also had lots of toys including kayaks which he loaned us.  We’d love to have one on board but they take up too much room on the bow.  

Up

Up

Down a ravine

He also wanted to take us hiking.  This was said very tongue in cheek as he thought we were too old and unfit to do much.  So we opted for a short walk...  He didn’t mention it was vertical and there was no path – for the most part we were scrambling over the weed canopy that had grown over the shrubs and grass land.  It was doable but occasionally you would stumble into a ravine and virtually disappear.  I was relieved at one point to see the sole of an old trainer – at least we were not the only ones to pass this way.  Turned out it was actually one of the soles of Mark’s shoes – he lost both soles whilst we were up there. 

Quite a relief to get to the bottom where Paul ripped open 5 green coconuts with his hands so we could get some coconut water to drink.  Mark has trouble opening the dry ones with his machete let alone his hands! 

6 piglets, chickens and veggies into the underground oven

Coconunt milk doesn't get any fresher - about 60 to make this

There was a church festival on the main island nearby and we were curious to know what was going on.  So curious we got our selves invited for lunch the following day.  It was quite an operation.  The marquee they had constructed had to be decked out with flowers and palms, the in-ground oven had to be prepared, coconut milk pressed from the nuts, bowls had to be woven and music practiced.  Everyone seemed to have a job.   

Nice hat mate

We arrived for lunch with everyone done up in their Sunday best.  It was a bit like a wedding and we were the guests they didn’t know where to seat. 

We ended up with the 3 single old fellows who didn’t speak much French.  They started by pouring coconut milk onto their plates and we followed suit, then they offered a raw fish dish – not uncommon here.  However, it turned out to be fafalou which is fish fermented with rotten fish and the coconut milk was fermented too.  Mark was gagging and narrowly avoided a dash for the nearest exit.  After that we were a little more cautious about what they were handing us – the rest was delicious and mostly cooked. 



Washing up for 120 diners

With so many tourists in the Society Islands, the sea life is being affected.  We really don’t like the fact that lots of tourist boats feed the fish which makes them behave very differently when people are around.  However, it is quite funny that the rays are all over you and will almost try to nibble your feet when you get out of the dinghy.  On a more positive note, we also provided a scratching stick for a local turtle in wonderful Oponuhu Bay.  He came by every evening and rubbed his neck on our chain in the perfect blue water. No doubt someone else’s chain is providing the service now.