Big, Big Decision Made

Six more days we spend anchored in Baie Kuto off Isle des Pins. That definitely is a first for us to spend so much time in one spot. Why? Not only is it pretty, there are only a few other sailboats anchored in this serenely beautiful spot. We are almost alone. It’s quiet and restful. The view of blue water and white sand is one of the best, and daily fresh French baguettes are just a short walk away. We have everything this cruising couple wants and are unmotivated to go elsewhere.

.

.

It’s not all relaxation, however, as we do have some maintenance work. The pump on the aft head is pumping longer than normal which usually indicates some blockage.  It’s been a few years since the calcium that inevitably builds up in the discharge hose has been knocked out. It’s not a particularly pleasant job, but it needs to be done. With an isolated beach located well across the bay, The Captain has a place to bang that hose around and break up the calcium. With hose in tow, he heads off at low tide. The job is accomplished with much less pain and a lot less time than planned. The hose was not as blocked as he had expected. The Captain now suspects that the through-hull may be partially blocked after 2 months in a dirty marina.  The diver who cleaned the bottom of the boat shortly before we arrived back in New Caledonia may not have bothered to clean out the through hulls. A dive below to inspect proves his assumption correct so with scraper and long screwdriver in hand, The Captain returns below and works the encrusted barnacles free. He is most thankful that he had already emptied the discharge hose. Head is now working properly, and all other through hulls have been cleared and are draining freely. Day’s work done. Time for a beer!

Another reason for staying is that there is good internet here, and we need to communicate with friends and agencies to work out our plans for next year. We know our time of cruising the high seas is winding down, and we need to plan for it. We have spent almost 10 years sailing around the South Pacific and have been to many places multiple times. The voyages we have not done, the more difficult ones such as circumnavigating New Zealand or Tasmania, we have chosen not to do.  Our bucket list, therefore, is very small, with a return visit to French Polynesia located at the top.

We are currently planning to head next to Australia and cruise some of our favorite spots between the Whitsunday Islands and Brisbane. We can’t keep the boat in Australia much longer without paying import duty, so we will then sail Avante back to New Zealand next February. Ultimately, we would like to get the boat back on the west coast of North America where it would be easier for family and friends to visit. That would also be a better location to eventually sell the boat. The Captain has learned that one of the companies that ships boats to various ports has a trip from Brisbane to Ensenada this January.  Curious regarding current pricing for this service, he requests a quote.  The quote comes in at just over $40,000 which is not a bad price. Should we ship her and call this season our last in the South Pacific? We would get the boat to Ensenada, sail her up to San Diego and possibly put her on the market. It’s a reasonable idea, but not one that our hearts are in. Yes, we know we have to get the boat back to the States, but not just yet ——- please!

For the past 2 years, we have been talking about sailing from New Zealand to French Polynesia with friends, Lyn and John Martin, but for a variety of reasons, the trip has twice been delayed for a year. The idea has been that we would keep the boat in French Polynesia for a year and then continue on to Hawaii and eventually back to the West Coast. Two years ago, our boat insurer agreed to cover Avante over the summer cyclone season in French Polynesia. Now that insurance companies are overwhelmed with claims from the severe storms of the last few years and finding insurance coverage for sailboats has become a lot more difficult, that special coverage is going to be difficult to obtain. Not getting it would require us to sail on to Hawaii in the same year that we arrive in French Polynesia. Two long, difficult passages in one year do not interest us. What to do? 

We email Lyn and John to see what their thoughts are regarding sailing to French Polynesia in 2020. We tell them about our thought to ship Avante back in January. How firm are they with French Polynesia for next year? We are surprised when they ask us whether we would like to spend one more big year in the Pacific before thinking about getting back to the States. Would we? Of course! 

So, they ask, how would we like to leave for French Polynesia this April as we all have been planning these last two years? We would sail to the Austral, Tuomotu and Marquesa Islands before turning west to Papeete. From there, instead of the difficult sail north to Hawaii, we would follow the Trade Winds along the classic cruisers’ route through the Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga returning to New Zealand at the end of the cruising season in November. We could then ship Avante from Auckland back to the States in early 2021. Would we be interested? It did not take us long to decide. Yes! One more year in the Pacific! We’re with you!  

.

.

Thus, a big, big decision is made. In Australian terms, we are heading off on a bit of a “Walk About”. Call it a “Sail About” — a 9,000 nautical mile Grand South Pacific Circuit. What a fabulous final year for us and Avante out here in the vast blue!

We now start rethinking our upcoming trip to Australia.  This Grand Tour will have us on the boat from April until November. Do we want to add to that by starting the first few months of the year with Avante in Australia? Yes, we would like to, but No, we cannot. We need to get back to the States to see friends and family and to attend to a myriad of home-based tasks before setting off on this 8-month adventure. The marina in Opua is contacted to see if they can accommodate Avante from the end of October until March. They email back that they will have to do some shifting around, but they will make room for us. With the decision made and storage for Avante secured, we next notify friends in Australia that we are not coming as expected. That is the hard part because we had so been looking forward to seeing them and to cruising in Australia again. Next time we return to Australia, it will be by plane and touring will be by car.

.

 All this communication and working out of plans took several days. There is still so much more that needs to be discussed, worked out and decided. Anchored amidst the beauty of Baie Kuto on the Isle des Pins, we could not have wanted a more perfect place to in which to contemplate this much-desired return to French Polynesia.