Author: sailawaysarantium

Rolley was last night… 50 m of chain that is floated because of the many small coral heads! Slept okay inbetween checking to make sure we were still attached to the anchor. Waves were 1.5 m and wind howling throughout the night. Some boats were less fortunate.

When I turned on starlink I had an email from JRCC TAHITI, which is the French Polynesian Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. The email was regarding a vessel that had broke free from their anchor and asking if we could possibly check in on crew and boat. We are 8-9 nmiles away currently. I sent messages to boats, closer than us, to see if they could assist the vessel aground. It would be very scary to wake up to the anchor breaking off and ending up on shore in the middle of the night.

It’s good to know that authorities here, relay messages to vessels in the vicinity of people in need of assistance.

This morning the wind direction has changed! I knew this shift was forecasted, as I had been checking it and hoped to go to the south pass anchorage for some shark diving. The south pass works well in a south and south eastern wind, however in a north and west wind the fetch would be too much in this atoll. Yesterday, because of numerous coral heads all around us and therefore chain was getting hooked in a few places, I decided to move the boat where more sand and less coral heads were present. This meant moving the boat in towards the beach. The boat only draws 4.6 feet below water line so shallow works well for Sarantium.

When I woke up this morning, I could see the bottom clearly, with 4 feet of water under the keel. Hmmmm…. 😳

To move or not to move..

I looked at the chart, calculated the depth and the possible swing radius in case the wind shifted from north to north-west. The forecast predict a north wind only. And tide is already a low tide… I should be fine! However, to be sure I decided to bring a bit of chain in so in case we swing more, we do not move much closer to land. Today I’ll be monitoring the wind and our position along with cleaning, bake bread and organizing my packing for Tahiti, New Zealand and Europe! Wind Shift and Life Shift!

30 minutes after I wrote this… I checked the forecast again and it had changed … now predicting a westerly wind in the middle of the night… so I decided to pull anchor and move. Within 10 minutes of moving a rain cloud appeared and wind direction shifted to a westerly. All boats in the anchor pointed straight west and Sarantium motored away from land! She’s now in a safer spot in 10 metres of water and with less fetch! Never a dull moment!

As I’m nearing the end of this sailing season, I’m cleaning and organizing the boat for dry storage! In between snorkeling and walking on the beach, I’m going through every inch of the boat, tossing stuff and wiping surfaces to prevent mould to grow while away. Clothing I never wear, books I’ve read, Knick Knacks I have enjoyed but no longer do, expired paperwork and making lists of what needs TLC!

And then a lovely dinner at Laiza’s place! Raw Tuna Salad (my absolute all-time fave) in coconut milk, home baked coconut bread, Mahi Mahi and pommes frites and crêpes with local honey and lime!

Today, I am purchasing a NEW outboard motor, online and arranging it to be delivered to Apataki Atoll by the ship that stops at every Tuamotus with goods.

I’m also connecting with boat yards in New Zealand for December of 2026 to line up trades people to help with upgrades for sailing season 2027! Seems like Whangārei and Marsden Point are a “one stop” boatyards where it all gets done! As well, New Zealand is an attractive stop for sightseeing and land travel!

Sailing is coming to an end….

Yesterday, Sarantium moved very slowly all day… on a close reach at 4.5 knots with small amount of sails up. I really wanted to go slowly and thoroughly enjoy the views from the boat. We could have raised all the sailed and moved at double the speed, but as I move towards the end of the season I want to harness the moments and continue to enjoy the NOW❤️

Three catamarans buzzed by us in top speeds but I kept Sarantium moving slowly with minimal stress on the rig and boat steering without self steering. I only locked the wheel and Sarantium held course with only a few tweaks to stay clear of the coral heads❤️

What a day🥰

I have not been able to pull right up to a fuel dock since San Diego almost a year ago… so why not fill up!

After fueling up it’s time to sail to the south western corner of Fakarava!!!

This atoll has everything one needs from good stores and restaurants to world renowned snorkeling and shark wall diving. We have spent the past two days, stocking up on vegetables and fruit, water and propane before we steer Sarantium south east to to an anchor where sailors wing-foil, kite-surf and hang out on pristine beaches!

Today the supply ship came in and all the locals were gathered to pick up their packages and orders from Tahiti! We also waited until the grocery stores filled with fruit and vegetables to fill the fridge, for our last month of sailing!

While killing time I watched sharks and giant dog fish come and eat the fish guts that the local spear fisher left behind!

More wing-foiling (this time with proper board), games, Snaps, good food och some singing!