July 11 - Raiatea

We've had great fun seeing some of the sights here along with our friends Rich & Jan of sv Slip Away. Saturday evening we went into town for the Heiva celebration and enjoyed the dancing and costumes. Sunday morning we departed early to motor down to the south end of the island and anchored in 10' of sand at Naonao Island. The water was crystal clear, and we snorkeled an area called "The Aquarium" to see the coral and fish life. I found the shells interesting too: we saw many conch and augers. Today, we left early and motored to Faaroa Bay to take a dinghy ride up the Apomau River. Afterwards, we motored the five miles or so to Taoru Island, a small motu just off Teavapiti Pass. With all the motoring we're doing we'll need to refill with diesel soon; at least we can purchase it duty free.