Day 55 Passage to Tahiti

More sailing without progress
At 6:30 we began preparations for departure by using the dinghy to check out Tiputa pass. Sure enough, it was white water so after breakfast, we headed for Avatoru pass and a relatively calm exit to the sea.
The weather system that is bringing in the south swells brings with it heavier seas, wind and squalls. After passing the north shore of Rangiroa, we turned south toward Tahiti and ran straight into unfavorable winds. For the next 4 hours we tacked back and forth between Rangiroa and Tikihau without making any progress south. It was to late to head back to Rangiroa so we changed direction and sailed west to hide in the lee of the island of Tikihau. By now it was dark and our only choice was to heave to* and wait for the storms to pass.
As they say, “if you are in a hurry to go somewhere, don’t take a sailboat”.
*heave to is a sail configuration where the boat is not really making forward progress but instead is in a stable holding pattern sideways to the wind and waves. This is one way to wait out unfavorable weather.
Thoughts on Cruising - As you can see by the last 3 days, not all of cruising is adventure. In fact there are some other parts that are less than adventurous, for instance:
• Contact - For the last 55 days, I have been mostly out of touch with friends and family. There is an occasional good connection through the Internet and Skype but even then, the bandwidth is so limited that sending photos and attachments has not been possible. I would love to be able to share some of the 1000+ pictures I have taken so far that I am not able to adequately put into words.
• Hygiene - I look forward to a hot shower. The cold water dousings under the pipe at Marquisian anchorages was refreshing but once on board, there is not enough fresh water for a daily shower. I miss that and although the daily sponge bath cleans off the sticky salt water, it is not the same as a hot shower.
• Clean clothes - With limited space on the boat, we have very few clothes with us. With limited fresh water, it is necessary to wear the same things for a few days. We are careful “not to offend” but nonetheless, clean clothes every day would feel nice again.
• Sleep - Watch schedules interrupt everyone’s normal night’s sleep. We tend to nap in the daytime to make up for it so at any one time, there is usually someone sleeping.
• Boat bites and infections - this is self explanatory
• Dampness - Cotton and salt water means forever damp. My bed has been damp for weeks. Sometimes it almost dries out and then there is another storm. Dry would feel nice.