Friday’s dinner topic in late September, 2022: ‘I don’t want to go to French school. I don’t even speak French.’ ‘You will make friends,’ I argued, but the hoped for enthusiasm did not shine in his eyes. ‘It will soon be your birthday,’ Theresa broke into the conversation. ‘Shall we prepare a big beach party this year?’
Vetle’s eyes sparkled immediately and he started to talk about games, food, bonfire and all the good things that come with a big beach party. ‘Who shall we invite?’ Theresa asked. A huge question mark hovered over our dinner table. Silence fell.
On Monday morning, Vetle gave each of us a hug under the mango tree outside École primaire publique de Taioha’e before straightening his cap and with firm determination entered the gate to make friends on his first day at French school.
We were curious. What was the call of the South Seas that inspired writers like Jack London to write his short stories in South Sea Tales? ‘The visions of Tahiti were coming to him more frequently. And there were the low Paumotus, and the high Marquesas…. The South Seas were calling, and he knew that sooner or later he would answer the call…’ There were other writers too. Classic American writer Herman Melville wrote Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life and Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas after arriving as a young sailor.
Our curiosity began with reading. We wanted to learn what was the call of French Polynesia, beyond the hiking, corals, waterfalls and beautiful seas. What was our call to the South Seas?
Our year of exploration in French Polynesia started when we passed through the south-west pass into the lagoon of the Gambier Islands on 10 May, 2022. It took us 30 days to cover the 4,000 miles from Panama. With Easter Island still closed due to Covid, we hoped for Pitcairn but aimed for the Gambier Islands archipelago as a first stopover.
REMOTE AND UNIQUE
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av Yachting Monthly UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Midsummer on Hanö
This wonderful little island in the south-east of Sweden is a real gem off the beaten track
ADVENTURE SAILING TO HAITI
After spending two months in the Dominican Republic, Andy Brown sails west to Haïti bringing medical and school supplies to the town of Mole Saint Nicholas
In celebration of bad sailing
New owner Monty Halls tests his sailing skills with his family aboard their Colvic 34 ketch, Sobek. A recently qualified Day Skipper, Monty faces a few unexpected challenges...
Winter brings excitement and opportunity
Oddity’s double glazing, insulation and heating create a warm, homely environment as I bash out this column.
ADVENTURE MAISIE GOES TO GOES
To depart or not to depart? That is the question. Is it safer to stay, or suffer the wind and weather of a rough North Sea?
'MAYDAY, GRANDAD OVERBOARD!'
When David Richards and his grandson Henry went out racing from lowey, they didn't expect their sail to end with a lifeboat rescue
VERTUE
For a 25-footer, the Vertue has a huge reputation and has conquered every ocean. So what makes this little boat quite such an enduring success? Nic Compton finds out
Sailing siblings
Mabel Stock, her brother Ralph, a friend Steve and an unnamed paying passenger passed through the Panama Canal in December 1919 on the sturdy Norwegian cutter Ogre. They were towed to a quiet anchorage in Balboa away from the boat traffic but within rowing distance of the shore.
TECHNICAL MAINSAIL MODIFICATIONS
Safety and performance improved hugely when Mike Reynolds reduced the size of his mainsail and re-configured the systems controlling it
PILOTAGE DONE PROPERLY
Chartplotters are an amazing aid, but can detract from your real-world pilotage if not used with caution, says Justin Morton
