#Fakarava atoll how to

We needed either the waves or the wind to be a non-factor to make this passage as comfortable as possible. The waves opposing the wind cause a washing machine effect churning waters and making life aboard absolutely miserable while underway. If this is combined with strong easterly trades (normal for this time of year), the ocean will be nasty. Systems push through the roaring forties pushing massive waves northward making the Tahitian surfers very happy. One of the obstacles about heading back east this time of year is the wave size. It’s a little bit of a shame because we were so close at one point. The Marquesas don’t really offer much more than what we can find on other islands downwind from us. To be honest, I don’t think we are missing that much based on conversations with people who were there or have been there. The uphill slog is not something we want to do. I think we’ve given up on ever going to the Marquesas Islands, our planned initial first port of call. Now, because of these trade winds, we are going to be like a salmon swimming upstream as we venture in any eastward direction to catch up on what we missed the first time through. This is where we’ve been parked ever since. If you recall, on our way to French Polynesia, we were just a few hours out of Nuku Hiva when we received a message from DPAM and the JRCC (French Polynesian ocean governing agencies) to re-route to Tahiti due to the Covid outbreak. This was our plan but the shit hit the fan. They then work their way westward with the trade winds at their backs. This is the normal entry point to French Polynesia. Most cruising sailors visit these islands in an east to west order beginning with the Marquesas Islands, typically Nuku Hiva. I guess on the bright side, we are no longer there to buy more eggs so now other people have a chance.Īs we hatched (pun intended) our exit plan from Tahiti, we knew our first stop would be somewhere in the Tuamotu group of atolls.

#Fakarava atoll how to

We’ve learned both the French and Tahitian pronunciation of eggs and how to ask for them. In a couple of the stores where we’ve become recognizable regular customers, they would go to the back to get us the eggs.

We started to stockpile ahead of our departure date. Just about all stores have a limited number of eggs and often run out during the day.Īs a part of our provisioning, whenever one of us passed any store known to normally sell eggs, we’d stop in an by a dozen. The shortage has something to do with not being able to get young chicks to the islands for layers. There is an egg shortage in French Polynesia and we both feel bad about having more than our fair share. And, we both feel very guilty about this. I am going to go on a bit of a tangent now about eggs. The only exception is perhaps fresh fish caught by local fishermen. There is an airport for smallish planes and a sea port. But if you look at Google Earth, you will see small houses all over the atoll and even homes located on the very small islands making up the atoll. The main village is called Rotoava and is located on the northeastern side. They make a living pearl farming, in tourism-related businesses, and sea cucumber fishing in the eastern part of the lagoon which are for export to Asia. The population of Fakarava is just under 900 people. The southern pass is renowned for drift diving and marine life (more on this in some later post once we have a chance to explore). This is a wide channel and easy to navigate. It is the second largest atoll in French Poly and is about 60 km long (37 miles) and 21 km wide (13 miles). It’s not like Fakarava is high on any geography class syllabus.įakarava is a part of the Tuamotu group of atolls in French Polynesia. Unless you are a sailor passing through the South Pacific or a world-traveling SCUBA diver, the chances are you have no idea where we are.