Kauehi, Tuamotus
We sailed overnight from Raroia to Kauehi under beautiful conditions, using the chute (colourful, light wind sail) through most of the night. We again had to slow down to arrive at the pass in daylight and at the right tide. Our timing was good and the pass was really easy. Instead to sailing to the village 10 miles away, we chose to anchor close to the pass where all the aquatic action is found.
Lo was hoisted to the masthead to clear a line...what a view!
Once inside the protected lagoon, we went to ask a local family (who were camping on a nearby motu) where the best places were to fish and which fish were unaffected by ciguatera (a natural toxin that certain reef fish contain...patterns of exposure vary greatly among atolls, so it's best to get local input on which fish are safe to eat). They immediatly invited us to eat with them, then took Gary fishing all night outside the reef. Our quarry was flying fish, taken by harpoon using a spotlight and a speeding boat (we think this should be added to the next summer Olympics). After getting back to the boat at 4 am, the family men actually woke up at 6 am to hunt mahi mahi using the same technique (minus the spotlight).
The lagoon side of a motu...the beach is essentially gravel-sized coral skeletons.
Our good friends from Kauehi.
Harpooned from a speedboat.
Our portion of the night's hunt.
Anything that moves is potential dinner in the Tuamotus. This boobie chick's siblings were eaten just before we joined in the feast (thankfully eliminating that ethical choice for us).
The pass at Kauehi provided some great encounters with 5 species of shark. We would wait for a flooding tide, take the dinghy outside the pass, then snorkel with the dinghy on a tether (allowing a quick exit should things get hairy). While the sharks were often curious, we never felt threatened at all (it did take some getting used to being totally surrounded by sharks). The reef around the pass was nice too, but not as good as Raroia.
Fairly large (for the species) black tip shark at Kauehi, Tuomotus.
After our family left for the village, we encountered a small flotilla of three french boats who had befriended another family from the village (the brother of our family's patriarch). Their family came camping just to hang out with them by the pass. We had a huge feast (we all brought something) that featured curried clams and sauteed coconut crab, all washed down with young coconut juice.
Beach feast with locals and french yachties in Kauehi.
A beautiful sunset over calm lagoon waters.
Lo was hoisted to the masthead to clear a line...what a view!
Once inside the protected lagoon, we went to ask a local family (who were camping on a nearby motu) where the best places were to fish and which fish were unaffected by ciguatera (a natural toxin that certain reef fish contain...patterns of exposure vary greatly among atolls, so it's best to get local input on which fish are safe to eat). They immediatly invited us to eat with them, then took Gary fishing all night outside the reef. Our quarry was flying fish, taken by harpoon using a spotlight and a speeding boat (we think this should be added to the next summer Olympics). After getting back to the boat at 4 am, the family men actually woke up at 6 am to hunt mahi mahi using the same technique (minus the spotlight).
The lagoon side of a motu...the beach is essentially gravel-sized coral skeletons.
Our good friends from Kauehi.
Harpooned from a speedboat.
Our portion of the night's hunt.
Anything that moves is potential dinner in the Tuamotus. This boobie chick's siblings were eaten just before we joined in the feast (thankfully eliminating that ethical choice for us).
The pass at Kauehi provided some great encounters with 5 species of shark. We would wait for a flooding tide, take the dinghy outside the pass, then snorkel with the dinghy on a tether (allowing a quick exit should things get hairy). While the sharks were often curious, we never felt threatened at all (it did take some getting used to being totally surrounded by sharks). The reef around the pass was nice too, but not as good as Raroia.
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Fairly large (for the species) black tip shark at Kauehi, Tuomotus.
After our family left for the village, we encountered a small flotilla of three french boats who had befriended another family from the village (the brother of our family's patriarch). Their family came camping just to hang out with them by the pass. We had a huge feast (we all brought something) that featured curried clams and sauteed coconut crab, all washed down with young coconut juice.
Beach feast with locals and french yachties in Kauehi.
A beautiful sunset over calm lagoon waters.
posted by G.Mann at 5:32 PM
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