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Quick Fix: 16° 03.92 S / 145° 37.08 W
August 19th 2012 (day 1,907)
Conditions: Wind: 8/E-NE Sky: Clear
Boat SPD: 0 (Anchored)
Mile Stone Moments!
Yes, we made it! Made it all the way to ‘PK 10’ on our
bike ride today. Made it back to our favorite restaurant, Teanuanua, in Fakarava for a leisurely two hour lunch,
then made it back to the boat for a post lunch swim and snooze in the late afternoon sun to prepare ourselves for an evening of energetic card games and lively discussion.
Yes we made it, to nowhere in particular, but I can’t think
of anywhere else I'd rather be. - CH
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Quick Fix: 16° 03.92 S / 145° 37.08 W
August 18th 2012 (day 1,906)
Conditions: Wind: 12/E Sky: Clear
Boat SPD: 0 (Anchored)
Delivery For Dream Time!
In 2010 we received an email from a Patrick in Seattle, who had just purchased a used Cabo Rico, Silhouette, which had been built in 1981 just two months after Dream Time. And last week, two boats that shared the same space in a San Jose warehouse over thirty years ago, were reunited, sharing the same anchorage in Fakarava. Patrick and his partner, Kirsten, emailed us from the Marquesas to let us know they were en route to the Tuamotus, and were generous enough to ask if we needed anything. And last week, boy did they deliver - pamplemousse - fresh from the fertile soils of
Ua Pou, over five hundred miles away! Thanks guys, it was
a pleasure meeting you. And by-the-way, nice boat! - NH
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Day 1,905 - Fakarava, Tuamotus (16° 03.9S 145° 37.0W)
09:43hrs - August 17th 2012
This Will be a Blog of Gloating |
Growing up in a house with three brothers has caused me to become quite competitive over the years. Whether in music, sport or any other activity around the house there has always been a friendly rivalry between us all. So as my stay on this boat has now lasted exactly one month (the same amount of time my two brothers were here) I thought it would be an appropriate time to compare my journey to theirs via a small competition and show you all how much better mine has been.
Round 1: Scuba Diving
Alastair did not dive at all so he is already unfortunately out. Jono did two dives where he saw “a small shark and a fantastic sea turtle” while also diving down to 66 feet! Not bad. Oh wait. I have done ten dives, gone down to over 100 feet, seen a countless number of sharks and am now a certified scuba diver.
Tom wins
Round 2: Fishing
During our time here all three of us spent time trying to catch fish. Alastair unfortunately during his spear fishing experience was unsuccessful “when I tried I didn’t get a single one!” Jono had similar luck “we had only managed to catch a single relatively small fish in two weeks of relentless trawling”
I have speared five marble grouper and caught a large yellowfin tuna.
Tom wins
Round 3: Bananas
Everyone knows that the number of bananas you collect on your holiday has
a direct correlation to the amount of fun you have. In fact it is an almost exponential increase of fun per banana collected as you can see from the official banana graph on the left.
Jono did not collect a single banana on his trip as far as I know so how he survived a month I have no idea. Alastair did very well collecting a large bunch on bananas but again I win by collecting two much larger bunches of bananas during my time here.
Tom wins
I could keep on going but I think it’s pretty clear who the winner is. The only task I have yet to achieve is a photo with some Polynesian dancers so I can beat Alastair on that as well. Luckily I still have a month to try and reach my target.
I’ll keep you posted. |
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Day 1,890 - Fakarava, Tuamotus (16° 03.9S 145° 37.0W)
15:11hrs - August 2nd 2012
Tom Jackson, 18, certified scuba diver! |
I am the third of the Jackson brothers to be welcomed with open arms aboard Dream Time and it has become tradition for a blog to be written during our stay. I feel incredibly lucky being in such a beautiful place and having so much to do as it means I should have plenty to write about.
Just before I arrived up here I was completing my A levels and only a few weeks ago I was sitting with the rest of my year listening to our headmaster give his final speech before releasing us into the real world. His final words were, “these are the first days of the rest of your life…” and I feel spending time on a boat in the South Pacific is not a bad way to start those days!
I have now been over here for about two weeks but I’m already finding it hard to remember everything I have got up to. The list includes eight scuba dives so far, seeing hundreds of sharks and what seems like the entire cast of ‘Finding Nemo’! I am also learning to kite surf which so far is more like ‘learning to cope with having your face dragged through the sand again and again’ but having said that I am enjoying it immensely. To list a few more activities, I have: spear fished, snorkeled, had beach fires, sliced coconuts, kayaked, explored and thrown javelins. I could write a whole blog about each and every one of these but it would get in the way of my very important relaxing time.
This trip has not come without having to make a few adaptations and sacrifices though. My inability to Google to solve most arguments I get into with my Uncle is one of them. Knowing you are right but not being able to prove it has been hugely frustrating. The tropical sun also requires the consumption of a lot of water, a side effect of that being waking up in the middle of the night and stumbling round a rocking boat to try and find the toilet. I have many head injuries and bruises to show for it.
Although all the remaining wonders of French Polynesia still await me, the time in the hammock
has probably been one of my highlights. Lying under the hot sun, maybe, for once in my life, I will
be able to get a tan. |
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