Day 96 Sailed to Marina Apooiti

The Bitter End is open again
We had explored all of Guy's suggestions so we decided to head back to Marina Apooiti to clean up and re-stock before Bora Bora and the passage to the Cook Islands.
Mark challenged Jim to a "jib only" sailing race to the Marina. The wind was blowing from almost directly behind us which should favor the catamaran. The trip would be expected to take about 4 hours and although it is completely inside the lagoon, the channel winds around between the reef and the island so there is a lot of opportunity to display sailing skills. When the wind is behind a boat, the fastest way to turn is to gibe. This can be a delicate maneuver since an uncontrolled gibe (or jibe) has the potential to damage the sail and the rigging that holds it. This is more of an issue when sailing on the mainsail but can still be tricky when sailing with only the jib.
To make up for sailing experience, Mark gave Jim a head start. For more than an hour, we trailed the big cat as we both made turns around buoys that marked the reefs. Finally the channel widened and with the wind blowing almost directly astern, Liahona moved to the right side of the channel and Mark steered Southern Star to the left side. The boats were about a mile apart when they both turned for the next narrow passage between the reefs. When they came together, Southern Star was in the lead. For the rest of the trip, the wind was quite calm but Mark managed to increase the distance between the boats. It was a good demonstration of the skill that is acquired from years of experience.
Once again we "med moored" to almost the same location we had left several days before. This meant we could set up the Bitter End and host another barbecue. By now, several other boats were in the marina so the party included:
• Eric and Gisela from Far Niente
• Jim, Wendy, Kai and Kira from Liahona
• Sean, Jennifer, Mikaela and Jake from Soul's Calling (we last saw them in Tahiti)
• Ben and Rebecca aboard Manatee from England
• Ray and Peggy from Sol Searcher
• Ned and Paula on board Suzanne2 from Olympia, Washington
Altogether, this makes quite an array of people, all with their own stories of their travels and how their lives led them to sail for months or years at a time. All they need to come together is a catalyst and Southern Star appears to play that role well.