16 hours of sleep…

…. and not just a regular sleep…I was out cold, without even putting a foot on the floor! I can’t remember last time I did that!

But first…..

We sailed past the two sailboats, Nimue and Dovka, that were hove-to, we spent the next three hours pointing in the direction of Raroia Atoll entrance. Slowly the clumps of palm trees arrived and we were looking at the openings inbetween the landmasses. I knew that there were 6 prominent landmasses and the entrance were in between the third and the fourth one. It looked easy to sneak in, however, I decided to rely on the charted electronic chart on Navionics. We were an hour early for slack but the last hour of tide is always weak so I decided to keep going. We turned the engine on and dropped the sails. I carefullly studied the electronic chart and motored with good speed through the entrance. I noticed two whirlpools, small reefs along the sides and red markers on the left (yes red on the LEFT returning here, opposite to N.A.) further ahead. One person on the bow looking for corral heads, one person on the helm and a trusted engine! We probably could have sailed in but since it was my first time, I decided to be careful and use the engine. The swell slowly dissapeared as Sarantium motored into the atoll. I steered towards the anchorage acrosss the attol. At the same time, navigated inbetween the corral heads that in the sunlight appeared turquoise compared to the light and dark blue water elsewear. Some coral heads were very visible, epecially the ones directly on the other side of the boat (SUN-Boat- Coral Head), but some not so visible. There is NO WAY, I would come in here in the dark!

After 45 minutes to an hour, sailmasts appeared in the distance. We dropped anchor in 17 meters and swimming distance to a coral head. The water was unbelievably clear and even though trade winds were present, we had no swell. Although, I could see the the ocean on the outside, the reef around blocked the big swell and Sarantium laid still.

I quickly made pancakes, poured maple syrup on, ate, jumped in the water, put my PJs on and crashed around noon. I slept for 16 hours solidly. My world stopped and when I woke up at 04, I again, stared at, the familiar by now, constalations. A cup of coffee and bananas and my day is about to begin in a part of the world, I have never been….

Good Morning World!