After a brief delay due to officialdom, Gentle Wind made the 20 mile trek from Raiatea to Bora Bora yesterday, without incident. This was a it of a milestone for me, as it is the first inter-island leg and the first anchoring without a backup professional skipper on board - I did this one all by myself! First, the officialdom stuff! Due to our delay in Raiatea because of the stabilizer repairs, our initial 30-day visa ran out. We had gone to the Gendarmerie last week, and they said "No problem, just come in when you're ready to leave and we'll give you another 30 days." Well, when we went in, they changed their mind and we had to go through the more formal process of buying a revenue stamp - they wanted their US$30. Upon our return to the Gendarmerie with the stamps, they found out that the boss, who had to sign our visa extension, was on holiday on Wednesday. So we had to go back on Thursday afternoon, making it too late to leave for Bora Bora until the next morning (Friday). So away we went, loosing the stern lines and dropping the mooring ball at 10 AM Friday. A short trip across the lagoon brought us to the pass which we made with no problem. Then 20 miles across "open water" and we gave the Naiad stabilizer repairs their first test; we passed with flying colors, no more hydraulic oil leak. We entered the pass to Bora Bora and proceeded to the anchorage off the town of Vaitape. There were a few other boats already here, the winds were blowing offshore at 30kts, and the shallowest depth we could find was 90+ feet. Not a good place to anchor when we realized we only have 300 ft of chain in the locker. I wasn't much comfortable with a 3-to-1 scope in that kind of wind. So we proceeded south to the anchorage just off of Bloody Mary's restaurant/hotel. This one was only a little bit shallower, but was much more exposed to the wind (which was still blowing 25 kts). Strike two! We finally headed back north, past the main town, and dropped the hook in 70 feet of water, just off of the Bora Bora Yacht Club. (We could have picked up one of their mooring balls, but the moorings are only rated for 20-ton boats.) This anchorage was much more protected, the winds were under 20 kts, and we were able to get a 4-to-1 scope - still a bit on the low side but definitely better than 3-to-1. We monitored position for an hour and we swung less than 50 feet. A nice dinner at the yacht club restaurant made for a great climax to an exciting day. If anyone else makes it out here, t he food at the restaurant is just about the best I've had anywhere in the world, and although a bit on the expensive side, the four of us ate like royalty for under US$300. _________________________________________ Check your Email accounts at MyEmail.com Login from home, work, school. Anywhere!