Choc de Civilisation
After 5 months away from anything remotely resembling a city, Papeete is a shock to the system. We flew in the other day from the remote atoll of Apataki in the Tuamotus. Traffic lights, cars, buses and people everywhere, lots of them. But it is still a gentle introduction for what we’ll be facing tomorrow night when we arrive back in Cincinnati via San Francisco and Chicago. And “civilization” does have its perks. An air-conditioned hotel room with unlimited hot water. Street cafes with good coffee and ice cream. French burgers with fries. A plat du jour at Le Petit Maison. Nice for a change.
We left the boat in good hands on the hard on Apataki. It must be one of the most beautiful and remote boat yards in the world. We had to gingerly navigate the boat between shallow coral heads up to the palm tree lined beach where we were lifted out by a tractor-trailer. It’s a nervous moment when your 14,000 kg/31,000 lb home is suspended above water and ground. All went well though and we spent the next few days preparing the boat for our extended absence.
There’s a lot to do to shut down a boat; empty fridges and freezers, inventory provisions, pickle the water maker, take down sails, clear the deck, do laundry, plug up thru hulls, treat the diesel tanks, meticulously wipe down all interior surfaces (a boat that sits unattended and closed up in the baking sun must be squeaky clean to prevent mold and other unpleasantness), etc. etc.. After that whirlwind, our two days in Papeete have been a nice break.
We’ll be gone for 2 1/2 months. We start off in Cincinnati for Sixten's and Lauren’s wedding and to see friends and family, then Montana for 8 or so weeks, then back to Cincinnati to celebrate Thanksgiving. Finally back to lovely French Polynesia on December 1 to continue our adventures. Never a dull moment!
We left the boat in good hands on the hard on Apataki. It must be one of the most beautiful and remote boat yards in the world. We had to gingerly navigate the boat between shallow coral heads up to the palm tree lined beach where we were lifted out by a tractor-trailer. It’s a nervous moment when your 14,000 kg/31,000 lb home is suspended above water and ground. All went well though and we spent the next few days preparing the boat for our extended absence.
There’s a lot to do to shut down a boat; empty fridges and freezers, inventory provisions, pickle the water maker, take down sails, clear the deck, do laundry, plug up thru hulls, treat the diesel tanks, meticulously wipe down all interior surfaces (a boat that sits unattended and closed up in the baking sun must be squeaky clean to prevent mold and other unpleasantness), etc. etc.. After that whirlwind, our two days in Papeete have been a nice break.
We’ll be gone for 2 1/2 months. We start off in Cincinnati for Sixten's and Lauren’s wedding and to see friends and family, then Montana for 8 or so weeks, then back to Cincinnati to celebrate Thanksgiving. Finally back to lovely French Polynesia on December 1 to continue our adventures. Never a dull moment!
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