Papeete, Pals, Pompiers and Heiva

The outstanding street art in Papeete. This one was so beloved it was made into a postal stamp.

We've been in Papeete for over a month, taking care of boat repairs/upgrades, visiting with friends, and seeing the sights of beautiful Papeete.

Our marina neighbors aboard BIG FISH showing off their outside fuel tank. We met these guys last year in Fakarava. Adrien (right) is the local kiting instructor.

One night we were enjoying the sunset behind the mega-yacht Ethereal who was doing sail maintenance.

Then we noticed this guy WAY at the top. Bet he had a good view.

Upon arriving in Papeete our first order of business was to have a new lazy bag, aka stackpack, constructed for Cinnabar. Our old mainsail cover was in shreds and our huge mainsail, brand new, crisp and slippery, was almost impossible to handle the old-fashioned way by flaking it on the boom. Almost all the cruising boats that don't have in-mast or in-boom furling seem to use these long boom bags that double as sail covers. The idea is that you drop the mainsail directly into the bag and then zip it closed.

We had contracted Tahiti Sails last season to make the bag and put us on their schedule since we knew we'd be here during the "high season", and boy was it crowded at the downtown City Marina when we arrived. We came smack in the middle of the Pacific Puddle Jump fleet who were all waiting to do the popular Tahiti-To-Moorea Sail Rally held at the end of every June. Additionally, this year there was also a big Oyster fleet doing a group circumnavigation and many of them happened to be there too.

Sebastien measures the sail for the new lazy bag.

Sebastian from Tahiti Sails came out to measure CINNABAR for her new "outfit". We provided the fabric and special Tenara thread which we transported aboard SHINDIG when we did the Puddle Jump earlier this year. 

Sebastien finally installs the finished cover weeks after his first measurements.

Cinnabar's new look, no more sail hanging over the boom, now it's all on top.

We had also noticed a small leak in one of our main cabin windows during a heavy rain, so one of Tom's first projects was to remove the old sealant (sticky, gooey and black) from all four windows, tape off the windows, and re-seal them. Luckily the glue that was holding them in place was still good so he didn't have to remove them for the job.

NOT a fun task but Tom did a great job.

This was a several-day project, very messy, but the end result was perfect as all the windows passed the shooting-water-at-them test.

One of my projects was to purchase some tropical material and make cushion covers for our exterior and interior cushions. So Cinnabar got a new facelift inside as well as out. 

Many thanks to TUMBLEWEED who loaned me their machine.

One night we were surprised when a stranger stopped by to introduce himself. Turns out it was Josh from North Sails New Zealand who had sold us our new sails last year. He was working for North Sails when they made our original sails in 2001. He was on his way to Nuku Hiva to do a major sail repair on a huge yacht. He noticed Cinnabar in the marina and offered to go sailing with us on his way back home to check out the new sails.

Josh is a great guy and we appreciated him spending time with us. That's what we call great customer service!

There are many festivals and sports events in Tahiti throughout the year and one of the most important is the Heiva, a month-long celebration of Tahitian dance, music, culture and sports. Last year we missed Papeete's Heiva, so this year we were determined to enjoy some of the festivities. The climax to Heiva is the big dance and music competition held in July, but there were many other activities leading up to this that start in June.

Random parade in honor of Heiva

This Polynesian beauty was more interested in me than the parade.

My dock neighbor told me about a celebration of crafts, called Heiva Rima'i, representing the five archipelagos of French Polynesia, so one day at the end of June I took off my sandals, donned my walking shoes, and walked the 1.5 miles from the marina to the fairgrounds. The grounds were filled with tents where people were selling crafts unique to their archipelago. I saw booths filled with pearl jewelry, woven goods, colorful dresses, quilts, pillows, shell jewelry, hats, etc. 

French Polynesia is known for its beautiful woven products.

As I wandered around enjoying the sights a nice woman grabbed me and put me in a long line. Turns out it was a line for a traditional Marquesan buffet filled with breadfruit in different forms, small steamed crabs, bananas prepared different ways, and other things that were a mystery to me.

The Marquesan buffet reminded me that the cuisine from this island group was not our favorite

A woman handed me a large leaf to use as a plate and then put various items onto it. Quite frankly none of it was very tasty and I worried about those little crabs sitting out all day so I slyly slipped it into the trash at the first opportunity. 

On my way back to the marina I passed a large park filled with all of Papeete Fire Department's vehicles and boats. It was kid's day and hordes of children were climbing all over the trucks and taking tours. I stopped to check out the water rescue demonstration which was very interesting. 

Les Pompiers (firemen) and kids enjoying the water rescue

Eventually many of the Puddle Jump and Oyster Rally boats left for the big party in Moorea, so the marina calmed down a bit. Our friends PANGAEA and TUMBLEWEED arrived and it was fun to hang out with them and hear about their journey from the Marquesas, through the Tuamotus, and on to Tahiti. 

Mojito night with Kate and Mike (PANGAEA) and Douglas and Morgan (TUMBLEWEED)

We had some very fun times introducing our friends to Papeete, everything from showing them the best marine supply stores to Girl's Day Out lunches, walks, shopping and enjoying Papeete's fantastic street art. 

We celebrated Kate's birthday at the wonderful cafe La Perchoir, Betsy (ALCYONE), Kate (PANGAEA), Sylvia, and Annie, Kate's visiting friend from Colorado (Photo courtesy of PANGAEA)

Interesting street art at an apartment's entrance

This beautiful piece also decorates an apartment bldg

The highlight for Tom was when he and Mike from PANGAEA took the bus to Point Venus for a day of kiting. 

Our friends aboard SHINDIG, who had stayed longer in the Tuamotus for some good kiting, eventually arrived and it was terrific to spend time with Rob and Nancy again. When they arrived and I went aboard SHINDIG it felt just like home. Imagine that!

The cruisers who had been at the Heiva dance competitions last year raved about them, so we purchased tickets to some of the shows. 

Kate and Sylvia all dolled up for Heiva. 

The shows were nothing less than amazing. Picture at least 100 dancers, men and women, dancing for an hour, with several costume changes, and all the costumes made by hand most of which were woven with leaves, bark and flowers. The women shook their hips so fast it was a blur, all the while moving around on their toes keeping their upper bodies so still, except for graceful hand movements, that it looked like they were floating, not walking. 

The groups went through several costume changes. Who wove all those fantastic costumes? (photo courtesy of Info Tahiti)

Meanwile the men were bounding around, shaking their knees while doing squats and other things that seemed physically impossible for such long periods of time. 

This guy won first place in the men's solo dance. (photo courtesy of Info Tahiti)

All this dancing took place to a large orchestra of drums (various kinds), singing, ukuleles, and nose flutes pounding out a tribal beat that was truly primal and enthralling. The last show we saw was the last night of Heiva. We paid $20 each to see FOUR dance/music groups perform for six hours! We had never seen anything like this spectacle and were completely blown away. 

On our last night we were fortunate enough to see the woman who took first place in the solo dance because her troupe, the 2nd place overall winners, were performing that night. A MUST - Check out this stunning video of her (eat your hearts out Shakira and Beyonce): Hauhani Taputu, best dancer

Now we are doing some final tasks and provisioning in the comfort of Papeete's marina because in a day or so we'll sail over to nearby Moorea which we hear has some fantastic snorkeling and possibly diving. We're looking forward to exploring some new locations in anticipation of our friends Mike and Linda who will arrive to visit us in just three weeks. Inspired by Heiva, Linda and I are already making plans to weave our own outfits.

ALBUM: PAPEETE

Check Out That Red Boat!!

The good news is that we are feeling a lot better and the boat looks absolutely fabulous! The bad news is that we've been horribly sick and the Forty Niners lost. Gah!!!

Even though Tom and I were very careful to avoid shaking hands, getting too close to people, and took our antiseptic gel with us everywhere, we managed to contract the dreadful cold and/or flu that seems to have afflicted everyone at the boatyard. So we've been kind of out of it for the past couple of weeks. I even got a hotel room for a couple of days so I could be alone, drink lots of water, access the bathroom without having to climb down a ladder, and watch soccer, Fernando Colunga's new telenovela, and Mexican Iron Chef 24/7. Just what the doctor ordered.

Apparently we are the poster child for a beautiful paint job, and rightly so. The guys did an amazing job. After the first coat of red they carefully sanded and prepped for the second round.

Jorge mixes the paint

Four guys got started early in the morning, uh...6:00 a.m., before the wind came up and they were done before noon.

 

 

After the Second Coat

 

 

After a day or so of drying they masked the boat off for the gold accents. These guys are true artists and did a perfect job of masking and painting.

 b

After the boat was done everybody was impressed that Cinnabar sports the Forty-Niner colors. Funny, we never noticed before.

More pictures of the painting job here.

Even though I was ill I managed to celebrate Australia Day with our neighbors Ashley, Kathy and Maggie and friends. (Poor Tom was too sick.) We had beer, vegemite, lots of delicious meaty things, and lambingtons. I loved it. We reciprocated by treating them to an All-American Super Bowl party at La Taberna Sports Bar. Our new friend Claire from Ville de Valle organic garden joined us and except for the fact that WE LOST, we had a great time.

A couple of days ago Tom and I were finally feeling well enough for a mini excursion so we caught the local bus up the road to the deluxe Hotel Coral and Marina to see if we might want to go there after we get out of the boatyard.

Marina Coral

It's probably too shallow for us but it's a beautiful marina, and if you stay there you have full access to the hotel grounds, pool, spa, etc. Very tempting. They gave us complimentary drink tickets and we enjoyed some of the best Margaritas we've ever had.

Best Margaritas ever!

Things seem to be winding down here (hopefully) so we are super busy getting our bottom job, scheduling our splash, watching the weather and preparing our departure. We are very keen to get back onto the ocean and head south to warmer weather. Lots of stuff happening. More later...

Going Loco with Tostilocos!

There is a food booth on the Malecon that always has lines of people waiting their turn to purchase something called Tostilocos. There was only one way to satisfy my curiosity so I got in line. I walked away with one of the craziest things I've ever eaten.

Tostilocos Recipe
Ingredients:
Tostitos chips - slit bag open horizontally
Add any or all of the following in this order:
Diced cucumber
Diced cueritos (pickled pork skin, think gummi pork and you are on the right track)
Japanese peanuts
Rielitos (chewy nubs of tamarind candy)
Diced clams

 

Fresh squeezed lime juice
Clamato juice
Chamoy sauce
Valentina hot sauce
Tajín chile powder (chili, lime and salt)

Mix well and crunch up a bit. Result: something like a cold gazpacho tortilla soup salt bomb with a bunch of weird stuff in it. Apparently every town or every corner has its own version of Tostilocos.

Tostilocos are Tostitos that have gone crazy (loco) because of everything that is piled onto them. That's kind of like how our Ensenada experience has been so far. The city is not only a destination in itself but also a crossroads for all kinds of workers, travelers, tourists and anything else that comes to mind. In Ensenada you can seek out entertainment, or you can sit in one place and wait for the entertainment to come to you.



Mom is behind with the remote control.

On a sunny weekend day you will see many families arrive in their SUVs with an elaborate mini vehicle tied to the roof. Shortly they will pass by with the tiniest child in a mini-car/Jeep/Hummer/Harley/whatever, and the older kids dashing around on bicycles.

Last Sunday in the sportsbar (Yay Niners!!) we sat at the corner of the bar and met a cruiser named Ray who arrived in July 2012 and hasn't gotten around to leaving yet, a woman named Claire who manages the organic farm at a very high-end Winery/B&B/Restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe, a young man named Matthew from Louisiana who travels the world working on big boat transmissions (i.e. room-sized gear boxes!), and a trio of doggies all dressed up for their Sunday stroll.

The other night we were snug in our plastic cocoon when all of  a sudden we could hear music, much honking and great rumblings out on the boulevard. We scampered down the ladder, ran across the boatyard and out the gate just in time to catch the end of the "Desfile de Camiones" or Truck Parade.

These are the trucks that will pull the floats in the upcoming Carnaval. What a scene it was!

In the boat work update, Cinnabar has received her first coat of paint. We decided to go with gray. Do you like it?

 

Psych! Here she is after the first round of Awlgrip Vivid Red.

Cinnabar is cinnabar again.

Today it's raining so the next round of painting is delayed. It's a good day to catch up on emails and sort through photographs.


Tostilocos gallery here.

Frosty to Toasty in One Week

Back in December, before leaving our house for the last time, I checked the Ensenada weather and grabbed my Emilia Beanie* just in case. Good gosh darn thing as the temperature plummeted to 39 degrees f. last Saturday night. Brrrrr! We went to the sports bar La Taberna to watch the 'Niners beat Green Bay, the only problem being that the whole front of the bar is open to the elements. At Tom's request the chef whipped up some extra-spicy green salsa to help keep our blood warm. Our waiter "Buki" said he used three types of chiles, a little onion, a bit of vinegar, lime juice and olive oil.

Saved by my stylish knitted cap and spicy salsa.

Luckily, the next day things started warming up.

In the past week we have discovered:
1) Ensenada doesn't shut down on Sundays after all. Sunny days = lots of families on the malecon and downtown. I strolled through town last Sunday and saw people trying to make a few quick pesos by playing music, dancing, juggling, hawking wares, and I even saw a guy doing one-armed handstands in the crosswalk until a policeman made him stop.
2) La Riviera de Ensenada - used to be a deluxe resort and casino during prohibition and Hollywood's heyday, then it went into ruin, then was refurbished and is now a social and cultural center. I met a nice woman and her two daughters who were practicing their inline skating. They invited me to meet them there next weekend; who knows, maybe I will.

La Riviera del Pacifico today

Josie and her hijas

3) The movie theatre only a couple of blocks away which costs about $3.50 per ticket. Most movies are in English with Spanish subtitles. Popcorn comes in regular, caramel, and enchiladas (spicy). Tom puts the ticket girls into fits of giggles when he tries to get us a senior discount (no such thing).
4) Antojitos Mexicanos Maribel for terrific breakfasts and lunch. Tom discovered machaca (dried beef in a tasty melange with vegetables and sometimes eggs) and I had one of the best chili rellenos I've ever had. Maribel's soups (caldo de res y caldo de pollo) looked amazing so we'll have to try one of those next time. They also make fresh fruit juices. We were the only gringos in a place packed with locals; a good sign.

Maribel stirs her caldo de res (beef stew)

5) The world famous La Guerrerense taco cart. Tom had tuna ceviche and shrimp ceviche tostadas. I was brave and tried the award-winning sea snail tostada, delicious! Kind of like abalone but tastier.



Sea snal tostada coming up!

I also ordered a fresh raw pismo clam, cleaned, sliced and in the shell. One half was like a clam cocktail with avocado and the other half was simply in lime and salsa. I told the owner I was afraid to try the erizo (sea urchin) tostada. A few minutes later she brought over a small piece of tostada layered with the warm, briny sea urchin, slices of raw clam and topped with avocado. It was heavenly! She has a plethora of homemade salsas, my favorite being one of whole peanuts and "chilis from the garden".  I put some VERY HOT cucumber salsa on my clam, stupid of me since it was clearly labeled Pepino Endiablado (Devilish, but I prefer to say, Hellified Cucumber) . When one of her sons saw us suffering from the heat he quickly made us a piece of tostada with creamy crab salad on it to cool off our mouths. Phew!
5) Local buses - after a slightly shaky start we are now experts on getting to the big box stores via bus, only 10 pesos. Nothing will keep the Ensenada buses from their schedule; I even saw one continuing its route with a flat tire, although more slowly than normal.
6) The Mercado Negro, Ensenada's famous fish market.

 

Like my big squid?

Since we're on the hard we have no refrigeration. Such a pity when we are so close to all that fresh seafood. But I did get some smoked marlin (2# for $6.50!) which should be OK for a week or so staying cool on ice.

Lunch!!

Boat work last week included, but was not limited to, Tom retrieving our non-functioning anomometer (wind gauge) from the top of the mast (80' in the air!), me starting to service all the winches, and the yard beginning the grand masking and swaddling in plastic to prepare Cinnabar for her first coat of primer.


Tom, you look tiny up there.

More pictures of Week 2 can be found here in our Picasa gallery.

*Beanie made by Emilia.

Hauling Out and Hanging Out

For two days we were tied off the the seal-free end tie, tingling our toes on the electric wire and trying to prevent the incessant swell from grinding us into the dock. We figured out the reason for all those big mooring balls outside the docks when one of the yard guys rowed one of our lines out to tie off to a ball to try to hold us off the dock.

We slept eleven hours the first night, met with Mario our project manager, and sorted out some of the haul-out details. We would be hauled at 10:00 the next morning.

Tom, Bruce and I went over to La Inmigración to get our tourist visas, which was a snap, then to the Capitanía de Puerto to pay our boat entry fee. For a glorious moment I thought we were going to get all our business done in one visit. Silly me. Unfortunately the Port Captain's computer was broken and she requested we come back the next day. No problema! As we strolled through town, carefully avoiding all the ankle-breaker holes in the sidewalk and keeping an eye out for the fire hydrant that attacked our friend Torben in 2010,  we literally stumbled across Ensenada's only brew pub. We all enjoyed beer samplers and a gigantic "Crown of Baja" wood-fired pizza.

That night we slept a brief 9 hours and awoke refreshed and ready to haul the boat. The 10:00 haul-out turned into 11:00, then 12:00 because it was the highest tide, and finally around 12:30 we were able to leave the end tie and move Cinnabar into position.

Tom unties us from the mooring ball.

Then there was some discussion about having to remove either the forestay or the radar tower so we could fit into the 50 ton Travelift. Then Tom had to motor out and reverse back into the dock when it was decided we would fold the tower down.


She's up!



Darn, the boss says we have to lower it some more.

The Travelift goes from the boatyard, across the public jetty (malecón) to the dock. After Tom and Bruce entertained the gathering crowd of spectators by repositioning the radar tower with their high-tech solution of a boat hook braced with cushions, the Travelift eventually got Cinnabar out of the water with just a few inches to spare under her keel.

Cinnabar crosses the malecón



Boat sweet boat.

Cinnabar finally got settled into the boatyard which freed us up to re-visit the Port Captain. It took us about 5 minutes to pay our entry fee and because Cinnabar already has a Mexico permit the customs officer wanted nothing to do with us. It didn't hurt that he was just sitting down to his lunch and clearly didn't wish to be bothered.

We celebrated by enjoying an amazing fresh seafood lunch at a small restaurant on the waterfront, Muelle Tres, tortilla espanola, sashimi, ceviche, shrimp quesadillas, and grilled yellowtail. I sipped, (OK, gulped), a glass of local white wine (OK, three glasses) and the guys enjoyed a local Ensenada brew, Agua Mala.

Bruce got his tourist visa just in time for him to return back home again, so the next day we put him on the bus for Tijuana and consoled ourselves by walking over to TNT, the friendly neighborhood bicycle shop. Tom rented a bicycle, spied a poster for a mountain bike poker run the next day and I'm sure you can guess the rest.

The next morning (Sunday) Tom was up bright and early and headed off up the canyon to sign up for the rally.


All smiles and all ready.

I followed on foot for a bracing hike uphill and hooked up with him an hour later. It was pretty cool to walk from the dockyards, through the high end shopping area, then through the neighborhoods, and finally into the foothills. I arrived to find nearly 300 cyclists of all ages and sizes and loud music with enough bass to vibrate my intestines. What a scene! We even ran into Pati from the bicycle shop; we already know people in town! The route was a loop that came through the starting line 4 times so the riders could get their poker cards. It was pretty casual with people getting tired and dropping out, or resting and visiting with friends, or blatantly taking shortcuts to get in front of others. What a hoot. In fact, a father and son registered and started the rally after everyone else had completed one lap! A precocious child befriended me, no doubt thinking that with my limited Spanish I was in dire need of assistance, but with her missing front tooth and rapid-fire speech I could barely understand her. I regret not taking a picture of the adorable Mariana.

Don't even go there!

The lovely Pati from TNT Biycle shop.

 

After the Poker Run, riding the bicycle back through town was a strange experience as Ensenada really shuts down on Sundays.




 

We rode all the way down the canyon.

The usually frenetic downtown area was quiet and nearly vacant. During the week the big cruise ships stop in Ensenada, regurgitating their patrons into the city streets, and the place comes alive with portable stands and people loudly hawking their wares, food and drink to these transient tourists. There is even a small amusement park that seems able to spring up at a moment's notice. And all this is in addition to the permanent stores and shops along "Gringo Gulch" that cater to these voyagers. Even though the downtown was dead we found a sportsbar where we could grab some lunch and a beer. We noted that it would be open for the 'Niners game this Saturday, so we might have to re-visit.

For now we are living on the hard along with all the other boatyard campers, all of us perched high on our eyries. We access the boat via a tall ladder and it's up and down about 5-6 times a day.

The hood

The boat yard works six days a week. The staff is punctual, they start early, and they work hard all day. It seems odd to me that they listen to a radio station that plays U.S.A. pop hits from the 80's all day long. Apparently they forego their lunch and volleyball hour on Saturday so they can go home early.


Dionicio hard at work.

Some of the sailors here are fascinating. The couple next to us is in their homebuilt sailboat, "Ahaluna", on which they have lived and cruised for 35 years! I imagine they have figured a few things out. Across the yard is a steel ketch "Kotik" that a French couple had built for them in Brazil 23 years ago so they could cruise Antarctica, which they have done regularly. It has a lifting centerboard and a folding rudder so they can sail up onto the ice and not get crushed. Today I noticed there was a short article about Kotik in Latitude 38's December issue. Quite the coincidence.



 Kotik

Add to that our own boat chores and all the amazingly nice and interesting locals that we have met, you can imagine that we have not had one dull moment since we arrived. Our album from week #1 is here.




The locals are great at jury-rigging. You wouldn't believe some of the things we've seen.