After a very uncomfortable and wet 400-mile passage, we were finally tied to the dock at the harbor in Rarotonga and ready to get some rest. After having such a rollie passage, the movement from the ever-present surge was almost undetectable and we fell fast asleep, waking the next day in a beautiful new country.
The first order of operation was figuring out how to get from the boat to the dock. Since we were stern-tied to the concrete wall, we tried to rig the dinghy with ropes and a pulley system which didn’t work well with the surge. After a few experiments and iterations, we decided to just take the dinghy in, like normal, tie it up to a ladder and use a stern anchor to keep it off the wall. We weren’t sure how long we would be in Rarotonga but we knew getting on and off the boat was going to be a huge pain during our stay.
After 5 weeks onboard, it was time to say goodbye to our wonderful crew member, Evan. Originally, he was only supposed to be with us for 2-3 weeks, but after getting stuck in Bora Bora for two weeks to wait for Eitan’s friends, another week in Maupiti to wait out the weather, and another two weeks in Maupihaa to wait out weather again, it was time for him to finally head home. Although his flight wasn’t for another couple of days, his wife booked him a hotel room in a different part of the island and the taxi soon arrived to pick him up. Evan was such a tremendous help and we truly enjoyed having him. His positivity and eagerness to help made even the most uncomfortable conditions more enjoyable.
Looking at how much the boat was moving, I was jealous of Evan for staying in a hotel and briefly looked into nearby accommodations. I knew Eitan wouldn’t be able to leave the boat unattended unless we were staying within a short walk and it didn’t look like anything was available. The boat was bucking and rolling around so much that I was motion sick onboard, and I don’t even get seasick! To alleviate the jerking on the lines, Eitan found some old bicycle tires and installed them as shock absorbers. He attached another line to the mast to secure us in case one of the cleats failed.
Although the Cook Islands were completely open again, the local chiefs of the other islands decided they would remain closed to cruisers. So, we could fly or take a ferry to the other islands, but for us, this horrible harbor in Rarotonga was the only place we could take SV Sierra Wind. Our next stop would be American Samoa which would be a 6-day passage, making it our second longest passage behind the Pacific crossing.
We wanted to get out of Rarotonga as soon as possible but after an uncomfortable 4-day passage to get there, another 6-day passage sounded even worse, not to mention we were one crew down and back to just the two of us. I could tell Eitan was feeling the stress of the situation and, for the first time ever, started talking about bringing on a professional crew to just deliver the boat to Fiji. After crossing an ocean and sailing around 17 islands in French Polynesia, he was really tired and wasn’t having fun anymore. Seeing him this stressed broke my heart.
Despite the ongoing anxiety, life persisted and we got on with our normal errands. Running store to store to find things was so much easier now that we were in an English speaking country. After figuring out where the laundromat was, I walked into town with our giant bag of laundry and a car pulled up beside me. A local woman shouted: “I don’t know where you’re going with that big bag but I am driving you, even if it makes me late for work!”. Since the laundromat was a 30-minute walk, I happily accepted her offer. She asked what I planned to do during our time there and mentioned that the annual cultural festival, Te Hiva Nui, was going on and recommended we check it out. A few minutes later, she dropped me off and gave me her number, insisting I call if I needed anything.
A few days later, Eitan and I walked over to the festival on its closing night, which is when they would be announcing the awards for the various competitions. Outside the auditorium was packed with all kinds of food vendors and we enjoyed some delicious local creations. An announcement was made that the performances were beginning soon and we were ushered to our seats inside. The announcers spoke in both English and the native language of Maori, introducing the judges and categories for the dance competition including costume, singing, choreography, drumming, and story. Eitan and I watched as six groups performed, each one more impressive than the last. Both men and women donned elaborate costumes made of native plants, flowers, and coconuts as they danced, depicting a story, all choreographed to drumming and singing. Unlike attending a luau at a hotel, it was incredible to see pacific islanders perform traditional dances for each other, celebrating their heritage, culture, and country.
The weather during our time in Rarotonga was mostly overcast and rainy but we did our best to explore the island. We rented a car for a couple of days to drive around, fill up jerrycans, and provision. On Saturday, I strolled around the massive farmers market, Punanga Nui, and on Sunday we ate local food at the Muri Beach Night Market, across the island. I was delighted to find a churro stand called “ChurBros” but they were nothing like the treats we had in Mexico.
As we explored the island, I couldn’t help but notice that all the local cats and dogs looked really healthy compared to the many sad strays we saw in French Polynesia. In all of the cook islands, dogs can only be found in Rarotonga which has strict requirements about spaying/neutering and all must be registered to a home. Any dogs without a home are sent to the SPCA which actually seemed really nice. We drove by the shelter and found dogs outside in large, open enclosures, not confined to small pens. I also noticed signs for a cat sanctuary and several places where dog and cat food could be donated. It was great to see a country take the welfare of domestic animals so seriously.
Over the week, Eitan’s free time was primarily occupied with checking weather and finding a third crew member to help us with the crossing to American Samoa. It looked like there was an upcoming calm period forecasted and the pressure was on to get someone onboard right away. Since COVID, the only direct flights to Rarotonga are from New Zealand, and flying from anywhere else would take too long and cause us to miss the window. After a series of phone interviews, Eitan managed to connect with a young English guy named James who was living in New Zealand, hoping to build his yachting resume. His only compensation would be to cover travel expenses and we luckily managed to get him on a flight the next day.
With a limited weather window, we would have liked to leave as soon as James was onboard, but we had to wait until the next morning to return the car and for Eitan to begin the check-out process. By 9 am we were ready to depart and the harbormaster helped us to pull the lines off the dock, insisting we take the old tires we used as shock absorbers even though we picked them up there. We pretended to take them, then turned around and threw them back on a dock for someone else to use. With that, we started on our longest passage since the Pacific crossing.
