Mike and Linda visit CINNABAR

What do Mike and Linda have and why is it wrapped up so tightly in their snorkeling gear??? Read on to find out.

We were thrilled to have our friends, Mike and Linda from the SF Bay Area, visit Cinnabar. We cleaned the boat in preparation and the day before they arrived Tom borrowed the marina bicycle to refill one of our propane tanks and get six gallons of diesel to top off the tank.

A bomb on two wheels, tank of propane in the backpack and jug of diesel on the back of the bike. Tom rode very carefully.

The next morning Mike and Linda showed up bright and early. We walked over to my favorite pastry shop for some coffee and pastries...

Linda had the beautiful apple pastry and I had the spiky-looking yuzu meringue tart. YUM!! (photo by Linda)

...took a tour through the big market, and spent the rest of the day seeing Papeete and opening up all the packages of goodies that Mike and Linda brought for us. Some of the items were boat parts that we ordered and had shipped to them, some of the items were tasty treats to eat and drink.

This is what Mike and Linda packed inside their snorkel gear. All bottles arrived intact. Booze is very expensive in French Poly, for example a bottle Cuervo is at least $75.00.

The next day we left the marina and had a wonderful sail over to the neighboring island of Moorea. The tall, green peaks and clear water make it a beautiful place to anchor, snorkel, hike and sightsee.

Capt Mike drives Cinnabar into Opunohu Bay, Moorea.

The weather was very cooperative during their visit, not too hot, not too windy, not too rainy. Perfect really.

We spent a lot of time in the water and did some terrific snorkeling inside the reef. We visited "Stingray City", home to numerous large stingrays and black-tipped reef sharks. 

Lots of sharks and rays! (photo by Mike)

We also snorkeled "The Tikis", where someone had placed a number of large tikis in the shallow water to form artificial reefs for small fish.  Luckily for us some of the best snorkeling was at the reef right off our boat, so all we had to do was jump in the water and swim toward shore, which Mike did every morning.

While we were there our friend Rob from TIGER BEETLE sailed over to Moorea from Tahiti. We all know Rob from our racing days in San Francisco so it was fun to reunite in an exotic location.

Mike and Rob dinghy to the snorkel site. (photo by Mike)

One of the highlights of their visit was the day we rented scooters and circumnavigated the island.

Mike and Tom dubbed our scooters "the gutless wonders". No comparison to their Harley and Ducati back home, sorry.

We drove up to Belvedere Peak for the fantastic view. We visited the Agricultural School to taste some fresh juice and tropical jams. We rode all around the checking out the sights and resorts... 

Linda and Mike in picturesque Moorea

...and eventually ended up at the excellent Moorea Beach Club for an outstanding lunch.

Moorea Beach Club - VERY nice place.

Tom strikes his "red carpet" pose at the Moorea Beach Club. (photo by Linda)

The week that Mike and Linda spent aboard CINNABAR flew by and before we knew it it was time to get them back to Tahiti. There is a ferry that runs between Moorea and Tahiti several times a day so we hired a taxi to run them down to the terminal on the other side of the island. It was hard to say goodbye and it truly felt like something was missing aboard CINNABAR after they left.

"Sans Toilette" award. Well done Mike!!

On their last day Tom presented Mike with an award to commemorate Mike's exceptional fastidiousness in minimizing use of some key boat systems in order to prevent wear, tear and breakdown. This is something only a truly dedicated sailor could pull off.

ALBUM: Mike and Linda


Epilogue: About a week after they left us we got an email from Linda...Mike had contracted dengue fever (from a mosquito) while on the trip. Yikes! Mike, we hope you feel better soon and thank you for saying you'd do the trip again in a heartbeat. 

You guys are welcome anytime!!