Location: Cook's Bay, Mo'orea, French Polynesia
Today I had the privilege of waking up my fellow crew members at 6:30 a.m. We all sat around the cockpit, ate cereal, and talked about how excited we all were to leave the dock and explore more of French Polynesia finally. After breakfast, we prepped the boat for our first sail from Tahiti to Moorea. Right after we got fuel. What was supposed to be a quick fuel stop became a decent time consumer because of all the boats that cut in front of us? Once we were finally fueled up, though, we departed. While people without a scuba certification were working on earning that downstairs, the certified divers learned to raise the sail. Soon after, those who were working on their open water scuba certification joined everyone else on deck, and for the first time as a crew, we were able to raise some sails. It certainly was a daunting task at first, so seeing the sail go up was rewarding. Plus, it meant that we were on our way. After about 3 hours of sailing, we arrived and dropped anchor. Once the anchor was dropped, scuba students went back to working on getting certified, and the rest started tidying up the boat. What everyone was looking forward to was finally jumping in the water, and it was just as enjoyable as anticipated. Everyone took their swim test. It seemed less like a test, though, and more like a fun swim with a dozen new friends. Once again, everyone gathered around the cockpit, ate dinner, and joked around. We have only been here for three days and how close we have all become is already noticeable.
There was a ton to learn today for us to make our journey. From learning how to raise a sail to how to clean, but today showed how fun learning new things can be (especially on a boat). I’m excited to keep learning how to thrive on a boat, as well as continuing to build a connection with my fellow crew members.
Pictured:
A side view of Argo, our home for the next three months; Frank enjoying some moments of relaxation before we left the dock; happy students wearing PFDs for the first time as we prepared to leave Tahiti; views of our departure from Tahiti and arrival in Moorea; several students sweating the main staysail halyard to raise sails for the first time; students swimming and Garrison and Frank enjoying some time on the bowsprit after arriving at our anchorage outside Cook’s Bay, Moorea; Tim leading the students to bend on the job and flying job; drone photo of Argo in Mo’orea.