We have some very special visitors come and visit us all the way from Weybridge our old town back in the UK! Mokara is a busy boat with 9 people on board for the next 10 days - but we love having them, and sharing amazing memories with as we explore Taha'a together before heading off to Bora Bora. Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara Music: ------------------- Main [2.05] by MusicalSmile.wav AudioJungle ------------------ Arc North - Symphony (feat. Donna Tella) [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/ArcNorth ------------------ Beautiful Wonderful Life (Inst) AudioJungle ------------------ Dreamers by Nettson https://soundcloud.com/nettson Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3ahNPI Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/M0TD7AGfnoU ------------------ Sunset by Aftertune https://soundcloud.com/itsaftertune Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3clhLJ6 Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/Ycx2nNeJRzE ------------------ Track: ROY KNOX x Derpcat - Only You (Feat. imallryt) [NCS10 Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds. Watch: https://youtu.be/p1l4XeIsw70 Free Download / Stream: https://ncs.io/OnlyYou ------------------- tunetank.com_5108_travel_by_affinity-wave

We haul out at Raiatea Carnage in French Polynesia - where the staff go over and beyond to ensure the safety of your vessel by using their bodies as human fenders to keep our boat from touching the rocks! Mokara gets a make over - fresh antifouling, sail drive services, new trampoline as well as a new lazy bag! Enjoy the fun we have getting her ready for our trip to Fiji in a couple weeks time. Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara

These are the days we will remember - making family memories of togetherness, sharing, adventure, discovery, work and play! What a childhood, where the world is your playground and the ocean your backyard! We are back on anchor - exploring Mo'orea, swimming in waterfalls, patting the friendly rays and sailing to a new island. Sharing dreams, work and fun! Enjoy! Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara music: ------------- Song: Lost Identities x Robbie Rosen - Moments (Acoustic Version) [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/MomentsAcousticWatch: http://youtu.be/

A pleasant 24 hour sail from Makatea back to Tahiti after 4 months away from civilisation. Its great to be back and to have some marina time where we get to enjoy long, warm showers, shore power and the entertainment and markets. Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara Music: -------- tunetank.com 2293_inspiring-background_by_musicstockproduction ------ You tube music: Vacay In Fiji Riddim - Konrad OldMoney

Mining this beautiful, historic island again could ruin it forever - the locals want eco-tourism instead. Can we help them save one of the most fascinating places we've ever visited? Locals vote for eco-tourism instead! The prevailing explanation for Makatea's phosphate deposits dates to long before the island was uplifted. For 50 million years, Makatea existed as a low, flat-topped reef platform, dotted with shallow-water ponds that were most likely home to thick mats of cyanobacteria. These still exist today in some neighboring atolls, and local people call them kopara. The bacteria sequester phosphate from the seawater, and over millions of years, billions of generations of bacteria lived, died, and left their phosphate behind to accumulate in the relatively calm water of the ponds. Once the island was lifted, rainfall began to erode its limestones (which formed from corals and hard-shelled animals). This eventually created a karst landscape filled with holes and caves. Geologists estimate that 150 to 200 meters from the top of the island have already washed away completely, dissolving like sugar over hundreds of thousands of years. But phosphate is virtually insoluble in fresh water, so as the rest of the island's surface material flowed away, the phosphate sands and rock nodules kept slipping downward, filling up cracks and holes in the landscape beneath. When miners came, all they had to do was shovel it out. And they did just that for just under 60 years. Creating a landscape of pot holes, and leaving behind abandoned buildings, machinery and a mess of tangled, rusty metal for the locals to clean up or live with. In 2014, Australian company SAS Avenir Makatea received an exclusive research permit to develop a new phosphate mining project. In 2016, the company applied for a mining concession, which triggered a government review of French Polynesia's entire mining code. The project has remained in limbo ever since-neither approved nor rejected. The deadline for an official decision keeps getting extended, so no work has begun, and the campaign to prevent the mine is ongoing. SAS Avenir Makatea's plan is to work within the old extraction zone, removing the small amount of remaining phosphate sand, as well as a thin layer within the rock itself. To achieve this, miners would need to break the rock down, something the CFPO never did, effectively lowering the area by several meters. In theory, the resulting gravel could then fill some of those notorious holes. The proponents call it rehabilitation; the opponents call it a disaster. The new development would mean building roads, a new port, and an airstrip, making the island more accessible. It would require heavy machinery and would kick up plenty of dust. It would also create jobs, though it's unclear who they would go to. And it's hard to imagine how ecotourism, which both sides support, could coexist with so much industrial activity on such a small island. If you want to help the locals save their island from the big mining companies - sign the petition here: https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/1075/save-the-noahs-ark-of-the-south-pacific Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara To find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZK_NyoUt6I https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/403244/phosphate-mining-on-french-polynesia-s-makatea-step-closer#:~:text=Renewed%20phosphate%20mining%20on%20Makatea,has%20come%20a%20step%20closer.&text=Last%20week%2C%20the%20government%20drew,it%20as%20a%20government%20priority. music by tunetank: ------------------------------ Farewell by Nomyn / nomyn Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/41DwUdE Music promoted by Audio Library https://bit.ly/3Z4RyTn ------------------------------

We go hunting for Coconut Crabs in the remote island of Makatea. What a great island and so different to the rest of the Tuamotus. The way that this island rises out of the water with sheer cliffs meeting the reef and dense vegetation makes it almost unique with only 2 others like it in the world. The vegetation is dense so you have to stick to the roads and pathways but it is well worth heading off on foot to do some exploring. There are a lot of coconut crabs here and these are great to go and catch. Take care though as they can take your finger off. We did well under the guidance of Reuben our guide and managed to catch enough for lunch. Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara Music track: Creamy by Limujii Source: https://freetouse.com/music Vlog Music for Video (Free Download)

We couldn't believe it when these incredibly friendly Butterfly fish came to help us clean our hull. They showed us which barnacle they wanted us to scrape off so that they could eat the juicy insides. They came so close to us that we could almost touch them. We also navigate through our last Tuamotu pass as we head to the unusual island of Makatea. So sorry about the sound quality on this video - there was a lot of wind and squalls to contend with! Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: www.patreon.com/sailingmokara Music: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Hotham Stream: linktr.ee/hothammusic Free Download: hypeddit.com/hotham/doitdownload ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Song by: Vislevski - Love Story Music provided by Tunetank. Free Download: https://tunetank.com/track/3747-love-story/

We get a rare opportunity to visit this absolutely stunning Atoll within an Atoll - The Blue Lagoon, which is located on the Eastern side of Rangiroa, the largest Atoll in the Tuamotus. This must be the place where all those beautiful screensavers we have on our computers are photographed! We never dreamed beautiful places like this still existed in the world today. With the predominant winds not normally allowing safe anchoring here, we get the perfect couple of wind still days to sail unchartered waters to the East side of Rangiroa - and WOW - we are rewarded with paradise! Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: www.patreon.com/sailingmokara lost by Rexlambo https://soundcloud.com/rexlambo Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3olvaDF Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ofodSnhI5so Music track: Summer Bliss by Ocean Bloom Source: https://freetouse.com/music No Copyright Music (Free Download) Music track: Creamy by Limujii Source: https://freetouse.com/music Vlog Music for Video (Free Download) Music track: Ocean Vibes by Waesto Source: https://freetouse.com/music Music for Videos (Free Download)

Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara This Tuamotus are known to mariners as The Dangerous Archipelago for a good reason. The low lying atolls are only visible from close up as well as ever changing weather, currents and navigational aids. In this episode we navigate our way up to the largest Atoll in the Tuamotus called Rangiroa, which is notorious for its dangerous entry pass. Have a watch to see how the sail goes and how we get on.

Please subscribe so we know you enjoy our content! And if you really enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara Getting wrecked is every mariners worst nightmare, and to have it happen where you can't call for help must be even more scary! The weather was very changeable as you can see in our video. One minute its beautiful and calm, the next the anchorage is turned into a wavy, windy mess. We constantly need to keep up with where the winds and rain will be coming from in order to position ourselves in a safe spot. Safety comes from shelter, so that you are not blown onto the land and you don't have a large body of water in front of where the wind is coming from which allows the waves to pick up. In the atolls there are very few places to hide. The predominant wind comes from the west, meaning most of the East side of the atoll is unchartered and uninhabited. However every now and then the weather will surprise you, and catch you unprepared. When a storm come up we monitor our anchor very carefully to make sure there is no movement. With the boat rocking violently up and down on the chain the anchor can easily dislodge, and if you have coral or land behind you when this happens then disaster can strike. Thankfully for this sailor his boat is made of steel, so it will be salvageable. Had this been a fibreglass boat there would have been very little left of it. This is a clear example why countries should insist on wreck removal insurance. Imagine the cost of removing a fibreglass boat with a huge hole in the bottom would be. For this steel boat - so long as the rudder and engine still functions its a case of dragging it back to deeper water so that it can make its way to the yard for repairs. Its also very sad to see the damage a wreck can make to the coral. You can imagine in a storm a big steel boat like this hitting one of the beautiful coral bommies... Besides the wreck and the weather this episode has some great underwater footage, as well as us getting a large food delivery after the long Christmas break. The Polynesian's in Tahiti are incredibly resourceful and offer a shop and send service to the remote islands. You send them a shopping list. They go to the store in Tahiti for you and buy all the goods on your list, pack it all up and put it on the ship. When you receive your order you pay for the goods and their fee, which is not very much if you consider the trust they are putting in you and the work involved. Lets hope no one ever takes advantage of them and this trust! Hope you enjoy! Please remember to subscribe! Music: ------------------------------ Closer by LiQWYD https://soundcloud.com/liqwyd Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3BaBmGk Music promoted by Audio Library    ?  - Closer - LiQWYD (No Copyright Music)   ------------------------------ Song: 99Instrumentals - Tropical Summer Music provided by Tunetank. Free Download: https://tunetank.com/track/5062-tropical-summer/

If you enjoy watching please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara It is time to drop the mooring and make our way slightly north back to Louis and his family. We said we would stop in one more time before heading up the the north end of Toau to a False Pass called Anse Amyot. The boys spend their time trying to catch fish on the outer reef with some success. Louis gives us 24 eggs to deliver to his friends in the north, Valerie and Gaston. We depart and have a good pass exit and an enjoyable sail up to the north pass. It is classed as a false pass as you cannot get into the inside of the atoll through this pass. We explore this part of Toau and enjoy the underwater scenery.

We are still in the incredible Toau atoll anchored in the southern end of the atoll. Wow, we love this place. There are a couple of other yachts here but some distance away. Also, all the locals seem to have gone away for Christmas so we have the place to ourselves. Christmas day arrives and it is a perfect morning. Not a breath of air. The sea is so calm we can clearly see the reflection of the clouds in the water. It is going to be a perfect day. It is early and the boys are still asleep but Claire is on deck watching the sun rise and putting out the presents. As soon as the boys wake up, of course we have to open the presents. As there is really only 2 shops out in these atolls, that we know of, the choice of presents is slim. We do however give gifts that each other needs. Often we make gifts and these have far more meaning. Once the presents have been opened and we have had breakfast, we get ready for a day of adventure. The first plan is for the boys to go fishing whilst Claire and I go for a paddle-board. Then we will meet back at the boat and pack a picnic to take ashore. With the plans made, Claire and I head of on the paddle-boards and the boys head ashore for their fishing. We paddle in the calm waters, enjoying the clarity of the water. We can see the fish amongst the coral from our boards. No need to snorkel today. The reef sharks follow us and are very inquisitive today. Not great being on an inflatable board with sharks swimming around you. There are a lot of Nurse Sharks too. All asleep bar one. They are amazing to see. We spot an amazing small island with a few palm trees and decide that this is the perfect place to plant Manfred our palm tree. Claire and I paddle back to Mokara to meet up with the boys for our lunch time bbq pick-nick. We load up the dinghy and are equipped with everything we could possibly need. As soon as we arrive, we hand the hammocks up and Dylan and Nathan make the fire. We also make some more fishing lures. At night Dylan and Shawn decide to head to the outer reef on one of the darkest nights that we have had in a long time. Their plan is to catch crayfish. We have been told by the locals that it is a good night to do this. Despite this they were both not too keen to head off into the darkness so they flip a coin and let the coin decide if they will go or not. The coin decides their fate and they set off into the darkness on the dinghy. It was a good adventure but sadly they didn't see any crayfish. They did however see a nice eel. We finally plant Manfred the coconut palm we were given by our friends on Yknot. The location looked perfect and it was a good excuse to spend the day on a small island all by ourselves. With Manfred planted, we seek shelter out of the wind whilst the boys fly their kite. Of course they try and dive bomb each other whilst doing it. Of course we do a trip to the outer reef side of the atoll to see what we can find that has washed up. Dylan finds a special clip for his speargun which he was planning on buying for himself the next time we were in Tahiti, so this is great for him. The downside of this walk was seeing all the plastic that has washed up on the beach. Small and large pieces as well as a huge piece of rope and fishing nets. Very sad to see. If you like our videos, please subscribe and consider becoming a patreon. ------------------------------------------------- Fuengirola by Scandinavianz https://soundcloud.com/scandinavianzCreative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3B9bx9BMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/0VzE-5JInHo ------------------------------------------------

If you enjoy watching our search for the Best Remote Anchorages in the South Pacific then please consider becoming a Patreon. You can sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara We set sail from Toau in the Tuamotus and make our way back to Fakarava to re-provision for Christmas. The supply ship won't be back for some time so this is our last chance for a while. It is busy as usual on the dock with sailors and locals all trying to get a share of the spoils being offloaded by the ship. We manage to get everything we need and head straight back to Toau. We feel so much more confident with the pass entries and exits and we make our way into Toau atoll comfortably. We pick up a mooring ball and launch the drone which decides it doesn't want to fly and an alarm starts sounding on the control unit. This doesn't sound good so I land the drone as quickly as possible. It looks like the battery may be failing. I suspect there is no chance of getting one of these here. The boys head ashore keen to do some cast fishing off the rocks. They have made some lures themselves from items we have found on the beach. They also made a very simple lure by clamping a beer bottle lid onto a fishing line by the hook. Can you believe that this actually worked. Dylan won the competition leaving me to do the dishes as I lost. After the fishing we explore the surrounding beaches and find numerous turtle tracks and nests. No baby turtles yet though. We wish we could be here when that happens. Out here you don't find any hairdressers so Claire takes up the role in this case and gives Nathan and Shawn a haircut. You won't get a view like this anywhere else in the world whilst having a haircut. We are enjoying our time in this quiet part of the world surrounded by fish and turtles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music | "Closer" by LiQWYD Watch:     - LiQWYD - Closer [Official]   License: https://www.liqwydmusic.com/how-to-use Download/Stream: https://hypeddit.com/liqwyd/closer --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why do we work our whole lives to buy materialistic things? Finding this true piece of paradise makes us question why Western Society put such a big value on Materialistic Items. Spending 10 days with a Polynesian Family in Toau shows us how little you need (materialistically) to be happy and content. They live a completely self sustainable life, providing absolutely everything they need for themselves. To get here we have a couple more pass entries and exits. We leave Fakarava Atoll and take a short sail to Toau, a far less inhabited atoll. It is an early departure to make sure we exit the pass at Fakarava at the right time and enter the one in Toau also in good time. We need the wind and the current to be going in the same direction when going through a pass or there needs to be no current at all. Predicting when slack is is not as simple as most other parts of the world. An atoll is like a massive swimming pool. If the wind is blowing heavily from the east for days on end, you may not have a slack tide as the constant waves into the atoll may keep filling it up leaving you with outgoing current for longer than expected. In every video, you will see us wearing our life jackets when doing this and yet the conditions always seem flat. This must have you wondering what we are always concerned about. You will that when we exit the Toau pass at the end of the video there are some breaking waves on our port side. We are getting dragged out sideways towards this but with the power of the engine and the sail we manage to keep clear. These waves can get pretty big and the current is racing in or out when this happens. They are short and steep. If you get a catamaran in this washing machine side on, you will be given a serious shake up. Worst case is you end up with someone in the water without a lifejacket. This is likely to result in drowning. Better be safe than sorry. We make it to the anchorage in Toau and head off ashore to meet the local family and ask for permission to be on their land. We motor along the coast shouting our hellos from the dinghy. Finally we find a good spot to drop the dinghy anchor and swim ashore. We introduce ourselves the Louis and his wife, daughter and daughters boyfriend. An Italian single handed sailor is also here and he is helping Louis on his land. Massimo shows us around the motu and we get to see all the animals. Bees, Chickens, Pigs, Goats and of course the motu is surrounded by fish. We spend a few incredible days here. The boys go off fishing and spearfishing every day and Claire and I explore the motu. Our hosts were very kind and we enjoyed having them and Massimo onboard for drinks and snacks one evening. Before we know, it is time to head off again to Fakarava. With the Christmas Tree secured in place we head off through the pass again. Goodbye Toau, we will be back. If you are enjoying our videos please consider becoming a Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara

Birthdays on the ocean are different to land - they are less about presents and more about experiences and togetherness! In this episode we treat Claire on her birthday - we never eat or drink out, as we prefer to save our money for other more important things - but this birthday we couldn't resist a quick cocktail in this beautiful setting! We also hire some bikes from Fakarava Yacht Services and ride south along the scenic road built for Jacques Chirac who was due to visit but never made it. It is so interesting to see how the locals live and how they manage to grow vegetables in this environment. We made it to Havaiki Hotel where we have planned to have sundowners for Claire's birthday. They are super friendly here and we enjoy our drinks watching the sun go down. It is an idyllic place to come and stay though I think I would prefer to stay down in the south pass if I was given the choice. The boys often head to the sports hall and field and play with the locals or other boat kids. They all seem to get on well despite the language barriers. English, Spanish and French children playing together in this case. We often walk along the outer reef to see what we can find. There is plastic of course, but it is not as bad here in comparison to Panama for example. As you can see in the video, we find some sun dried sharks which we assume have been washed up into a shallow area and the tide had gone out leaving them to die. It was interesting to see their spine and to find some teeth. We do also see lots of other interesting sea creatures in the shallows such as eels, sea slugs and beautiful parrot fish. It was interesting to see the cruise / cargo ship drop anchor in Fakarava. This seems like an interesting way to travel this area with just the right amount of creature comforts. You can also travel on the other cargo vessels which we have shown you in previous videos. In this case, you have to find yourself a place on deck and call it home for the passage as there are no cabins. You can expect to sleep out under the stars. In our next video we head to Toau. This will be well worth watching as it is an amazing atoll. If you enjoy our videos please consider supporting us and becoming a patreon. https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara

Please note - this is not a paid promotion - we just really love our paddle boards and want everyone to know more about them! Quroc Paddle Boards - Made in the UK - Award winning paddle boards. We departed on our journey in July 2019 and this video was recorded when we were in Panama in April 2021. We did have a couple of punctures on the way but the puncture kit worked really well. If we were to go out and buy new boards again, I would go for the same ones. Buy cheap and you will buy twice. https://qurocpaddleboards.co.uk/ If you enjoy our videos please consider becoming a Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara Thanks for watching!

In this episode the boys lean how to handle defeat and failure, when the fish disappear with lure after lure! It is time to set sail again and friends on sailing catamaran OCA have suggested that we go to Hapiti which is another anchorage on Moorea. We set sail leaving the stingrays behind and make our way to Hapiti. The pass entry has waves on either side which make it quite exciting. We drop anchor in an incredible anchorage. The anchor sits on a shallow ledge and the stern of Mokara hangs off the shelf into deeper water. As always, the water is clear and in no time as all, the boys are swimming and foil-boarding thanks to OCA. We are invited over to OCA to enjoy a dinner with them and play table tennis on their dinning room table. As the weather hasn't been great in terms of wind, we spend an additional night here due to the size of the waves in the pass. On leaving, we find the exit through the pass a bit lumpy but not to dangerous despite huge logs floating past us. We exit the pass under the guidance of dolphins playing in the waves. There is a light wind as we make our way back to Tahiti where we plan to provision and head back to Fakarava. As we make our way slowly back under sail, it becomes evident that we won't arrive in daylight. A night entry is not ideal but is doable. We do however find it difficult to identify locations of the channel markers with the island lights in the background making identification difficult. Can you believe some yachts we have seen have a red flashing light onboard to show that they have an alarm system onboard. In total darkness when there is no moon, this can cause problems when trying to work out what is going on. Anyway, we did make it in safely and we enjoyed the challenge. We did a quick shop in town and then following day, made our way back to Fakarava. This wasn't the easiest passage as we kept on having to change our destination. Origionally we were going to Makatea, then the north pass of Fakarava and then the south pass of Fakarava. This was all due to changing winds. It was however good fun and we also had some experience of hooking a marlin and a couple of other monsters. Sadly they all got away. We made it into the south pass safely and dropped anchor followed by snorkelling. As you know, we love it here. We would stay forever if we could. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sailingmokara

In this episode Dylan gets his first love bite - from a stingray! We also enjoy a short sail from Tahiti to Moorea. Initially there was no wind but thankfully we finally saw some on the water and made our way into the zone to enjoy a great sail. Boat speed varied from 6 - 8 knots and with flat water it was quite something. As we approached Moorea we spotted whales and had to slow down Mokara and approach cautiously. You need to keep at least 100 meters away from them. They disappeared into the depths so we motored on again finally stopping and turning off the engines. We have lunch and wait in the hope that the whales surface again. We drift slowly and enjoy the experience. Afteer a while we make our way into the anchorage and are surprised by lots of dolphins slowly swimming nearby. Dylan can't resist. and he jumps into the water in the hope that he gets to swim with them. He gets pretty close and as you can see and hear by their sounds underwater, they were quite active. As the water- pump dies on us, I decide to hitch a ride to the ferry terminal and take a passenger ferry to replace the pump. The locals are great and I get lifts both ways in no time at all. Sadly though, it was a public holiday in Tahiti so all the shops were closed. Grrrrr. We also enjoy an incredible hike in Moorea. Some of the group carry on to the peak but we head back down to the boat as the heat was incredible. We had heard about the stingrays in Moorea so we organised a trip with our friends, Brightstar, to take a look for ourselves. As you can see in the video, we weren't disappointed. I hope you like stingrays and reef sharks as there is a lot of footage. A big thanks for the great music goes to; ------------------------------ lost by Rexlambo https://soundcloud.com/rexlambo Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3olvaDF Music promoted by Audio Library - lost - Rexlambo (No Copyright Music) ------------------------------

After having such an amazing time, we needed to head to Papeete in Tahiti to apply for an extension to our visas and to explore that area. It is a nice short sail which is perfect to get us back into overnight passages again as we have only been doing day hops around Fakarava. The boys create a fishing competition and we all have high expectations. You have to watch the video to see what the results are. Departing Fakarava means exiting the North Pass. Our friends did this recently and had a bad experience. They thought they were going to flip their 45 ft catamaran. They made it through though but with water inside the boat and damaged electronics. We prepare Mokara, close all the hatches and put on our life jackets. We have seen what these passes can be like if you get it wrong and it still surprises me that people do it without lifejackets on. If you get the timing wrong and fall in without a lifejacket I am pretty sure you will drown as a rescue by the yacht will be a serious challenge. We hope you enjoy it along with the great music from Tunetank.

Yes, we are still in Fakarava and finding it very difficult to leave here. So far this has been one of the best places we have been to. In this episode we get a fresh delivery of food from the supply ship. All the sailors and locals head to the shop. As fresh produce is offloaded from the ship it goes directly onto the shelves off. The local shops. We try to buy everything we need and make sure we leave enough for everyone else. Despite everyone clambering around for the freshest produce, everyone is friendly and helpful. A Friend of ours, Keary, who also visited us in Panama has joined us again for some sailing. He came with loads of gifts for us and the boys. We couldn't wait to get hime down to the South Pass for some snorkelling and to explore the pink sand beaches with us. As Per usual, the south pass never lets us down and we get to see some amazing Napoleon Wrasse, Black tip reef sharks and plenty of yellow snapper. I do think that the Pink Sand beach area of Fakarava is possibly one of the most beautiful areas in this region. We are the only people there and enjoy floating along the channel between the motus with the current from the outside of the reef to the inside of the atoll. The water is crystal clear and warm. Heaven on earth. We also go to Harifa which is a very popular kite surfing area within the atoll. Ashore we find some small pigs which often end up on the BBQ here if there are enough sailors wanting to take part. After exploring Haifa again, we make our way back to the north of Fakarave to get Keary back to the airport in time for his flight. Perfect timing as the supply ship was here again allowing us to do some more provisioning.