Tag Archives: gambiers

Ile Kouaku – The Sandy Spit

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We land at Ile Kouaku after scouting out and passing on two other anchorages.  After we left Ile Makaroa we swung by two other small islands to see if we could find another “new to us” anchorage.  Ile Kamaka was the first stop.  This is supposedly the best anchoring spot in the “rocks.”  The rocks are made up of three islands (Ile Makaroa, Ile Kamaka and Ile Manui).  However, by the time we got the floats and anchor up we noticed two other boats heading in that direction.  Drat, people!

We did a drive by and did not feel comfortable squeezing our large catamaran between two monohulls in this small anchoring area.  We will have to return as it looked like a lovely spot to spend a few days.  Next, we passed by Ile Manui and could not see any suitable anchoring areas.  So, we continued onward.  Next, we looked at  is a small island called Ile Kouaku.

Ile Kouaku is located in the far southeast corner of the Gambier archipelago.  It is actually pretty close to one of the three passes that allow cruisers (like us) to enter into the archipelago.  Not many cruisers visit this island because it is so remote and distant from the main island of Mangareva.

Kouaku

Kouaku

Kouaku’s Sandy Spit

Kouaku is a small sandy spit surrounded by a reef inside a reef.  We maneuvered around several bommies and found a lovely sandy spot between two huge coral bommies.  This is a shot of Kouaku that we took from the top of the mountain at Akamaru.

I jumped in the water to check the distance between our boat and the tallest point of the coral heads.  The waves create murky water, however it was still beautiful. The coral right in front of the beautiful island of Kouaku is extremely healthy .

The water is stunning and Kouaku actually has beautiful, soft sand on the beach (as opposed to broken coral and shells).

Exploring Ile Kouaku Onshore

Matt and I took the paddle boards to shore to explore this little island.  Gorgeous, soft sand covers the leeward side (the lagoon side).  It is a rare treat to have sand on the shores as most islands. Broken corals, shells, and rocks cover most motus.  On the windward side there are large rocks which make it super challenging to walk on. 

Ile Kouaku has lots of beautiful birds and has become a bird refuge.  White Terns, Red Foot Boobies and Herald Petrel nest here.  Not sure they were wild about us visiting their home.

This island provided a bounty of beautiful photo opportunities

I went snorkeling with our friends on Pitufa near the south side of the island.  Again, surprised at the healthy coral all around us.

Here are some beautiful rainbow shots that I captured after a squall.  They were too pretty to lump into a collage.

Ile Makaroa – The Rocks

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New island, new anchorage in Makaroa.  We left Mangareva and headed to the rocks.  There are three islands that make up this southerly set called the rocks.  All three islands are uninhabited and difficult to anchor near.  Our friend had given us some waypoints (locations to anchor) so we thought we would give it a try.

There is no anchorage near Ile Manui.  Ile Makaroa is supposed to be fine for a “day spot” only.  The water is supposedly deep and does not offer good holding.  But there is good snorkeling here.  The last island is Ile Kamaka which has a nice sandy beach.

The three rock islands

The three rock islands

With the current weather, wind, and swell we decided to try Ile Makaroa first.  We drove around looking for a good spot and found a decent sandy area in 6 meters of water.  We added 4 pearl floats to the chain to prevent it from getting tangled on the coral and sat it out to see how the boat sat.

The top photo is of three islands on our approach.  The bottom two are of Ile Makaroa.

It is a bit rolly from the swell, but we decided to stick it out and go exploring.

We decided to stay one more night despite the rolliness.  It is a pretty spot with super clear water.  It is really amazing to look out your window and see the coral at the bottom of the ocean.

Snorkeling in the Rocks

We went for a snorkel to explore the beautiful coral. It is spectacular to see so many varieties of hard coral thriving here.  Staghorn, tables and more.  We were visited by schools of curious fish, large and small.

There were several schools of parrot fish and a few varieties of other small fish hanging around to check us out.

There were also a lot of jelly fish.  Normally I am completely freaked out by jelly fish.  I swim backwards, sideways and out just to get away from them.  But these are not stinging jelly fish.  Matt showed me by touching the inside and outside.  I did manage to touch one on the outside and I was completely surprised at how hard it was!

No Wind Creates Havoc on Our Floats

A good anchorage is one with at least a little wind.  We want the boat to always face the wind to give us a nice breeze inside the boat, to hold the boat in a safe position and to keep her safe.  However, when there is no wind, we do circles and do what we call the anchor dance.  Not really a big deal when you are all alone in an anchorage, but when there are other boats or coral heads you are trying to avoid it can be dangerous.

Our floats decided that quarantine was over and they gathered in a group.    They should be spread out with 7-8 meters in between each float.  Even though they are technically still doing their job of keeping the chain off the coral heads, they should be further away from each other.  The top photo is a view from the bow of our boat. The other two are from underwater showing you how the floats work.

Anchor floats not doing their job

Anchor floats not doing their job

The bottom photo has them all touching each other – don’t they know about covid-19?  Ugh!

Liming the Time Away in Mangareva

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We left our little sanctuary of the outer islands to head back to Mangareva, the “mainland” and main village.  We had been hiding out for almost a month from the population and town.  However, the supply ship is scheduled to return and we still needed to top off our diesel and we were out of fresh produce.

The anchorage of Riktea at Mangareva is only 4 miles away from our current position.  We decided to wait until we saw the supply ship coming in before heading that way.  We woke up just before 0600 and realized the ship had come in during the night.  So, we readied the boat and made our way toward town.

It’s so funny to see the anchorage full.  We think there are about 30-35 boats spread throughout the entire Gambier archipelago.  However, when a ship comes in, we all gather like flies to $hit.  It is a cluster truck trying to find a good anchor spot where you won’t bump into your neighbor.

Mayhem Commences

Our friends on Sea Jay arrived before us so they went ashore first to order us a 200-liter barrel of diesel.  They were purchasing two 200-liter barrels for themselves and one 200-liter of diesel of us.  We were planning on sharing our barrel with a new arrival who is quarantined an unable to leave their boat.  First things first.

A Coat of Diesel

Matt took me to the dock and dropped me off where I remained for hours helping several cruisers.  He was in charge of bringing me empty jerry cans and taking the full ones back to various boats to unload into their tanks.  Since I was waiting on the dock, I ended up helping several people.  You need two people to pump fuel.  The ship provides a hand crank pump and long hose that is inserted into the barrel.  One person cranks the pump while the other holds the other end of the hose in the jerry cans.  It is an extremely messy job and I was covered in diesel. I was not a happy camper.  But truth be told, neither was Matt.  Back breaking work moving 20-liter (5 gal or 45lbs) around the dock.

At the end of the day, we all got our fuel.  I did not take any photos as I did not want to touch my dry bag or phone with diesel covered hands.  Oh, and I had to wear a mask for quarantine, which was horribly stifling.  Fun stuff.

SCORE – Fresh Produce 

We spent the next day loading up on fresh produce.  I went to shore early and scored.  Mangareva is the only island that has magasins (stores or markets that are like fuel station markets or a 7-11) in all of the Gambiers.  A few other islands have locals that grow gardens and will sometimes sell you produce.  We purchased cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cucumbers and some pork chops.  We have not seen tomatoes in I don’t know how long – maybe since we left the Marquesas.

Pomplemouse and red peppers were scored on our hike to Mont Mokoto.  Our friends on Taravai sold us some bananas, lettuce, avocados and lemons.  So, we are stocked up for the next 2-3 weeks and then we start the hunt all over again.

Internet AOL Style

One of the other things we do while “in town” is use the internet.  Right now, there are only two places in Mangareva that will allow us internet access.  One is JoJo’s and they only let you use it for 5-10 minutes at a time and the connection is ridiculously slow.  The other place is at the local baker’s house.  Yep, we saddle up to a table on Phillipe’s porch.  He will allow 8-9 people on his connection at 200 xpf ($2) for 2 hours at a time between 8a-10a or 2p-4p only. 

It is still really slow and often websites time out because there is not enough of connection. I could barely get a connection to do some banking.  Unfortunately, the connection is not nearly strong enough to do photo uploads for the blog updates…. Here is a photo with Missy and I and Phillipe and a photo with Missy and I and Yanell.

When we finally got internet, we were able to upload a few photos and blogs.  Here is a photo with Missy and I and Phillipe and a photo with Missy and I and Yanell.

Phillip the Baker and Missy and I

Phillip the Baker and Missy and I

We did not stay long as we are not fans of the Mangareva anchorage.  It is always nice to come here to get food and fuel and do a few hikes, but after a few days you want out.  Back to the isolation of the outer islands.

 

A pretty shot out of one of our hatches during sunset