4:00 PM local time Monday June 4th. (0200 June 5th UTC) 16 29 S 151 45
W. Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora, Iles de la Societe, French
Polynesia. Temp. 85, Humidity 67%, cloud cover 65%.
Wednesday we left Tahaa for Bora Bora and anchored in front of the
town of Vaitape a few hours later after an easy sail. The name Bora
Bora, as you know, is but the native pronunciation of the venerable Yale
fight song. The island's glamorous looks and large lagoon attract an
army of admirers, who literally sit at her feet. Tahaa's sleepy,
peaceful little villages are no match for the expensive resorts and
hustle and bustle of her glitzy big sister, who is festooned with
thatched huts over the water, chartered sailboats, helicopters giving
rides to tourists, cruise ships, dive boats, and jet skis.
On Thursday we threaded our way through the channels in the coral
reef on the backside of the island where things are considerably
quieter, and found a picture postcard anchorage, as if we needed another
one of those. Friday we came back and acquired a mooring at the famous
but faded Bora Bora Yacht Club in hopes of picking up our prop Saturday
morning but this has still not come to pass.
Chief Surgeon Shrode has caught a bit of a bug, has a fever, and is
resting in the Captain's quarters, which we have turned into sickbay. It
seems odd not to have him up and around. I'm sure the rest of you share
the Captain's hope that his health soon be fully recovered.
The Captain has another observation on the fauna of the islands, and
then would like to respond to some posts he has received from our
readers.
Roosters. They are everywhere here in the world the French call
"Polynesie." How did they get the reputation for crowing, as Bob Dylan
says, "at the break of dawn?" Roosters have the most ill-adjusted sense
of time of any bird commonly encountered, and will in fact crow quite
without reason at any hour, day or night, while other, more sensible
birds are asleep or busy with the important business of life. Songbirds
of various persuasions are far more reliable and can be trusted to sing,
accurately, just at or before the break of dawn, depending on species.
Please, Bob, consult the proper ornithological texts if you're going to
call yourself a writer.
Now on to y'all, not a few of whom wrote after our mishap in Tahiti that
they were very concerned, not about our well being, but about the
continued delivery of this particular diversion from their paid work.
The Captain is flattered, or flatters himself that he is.
To McEntee: On your first letter: Thanks for spending all the time
composing your post, and in particular looking up all those big words.
However, your innuendos are offensive, and I demand satisfaction. Meet
me tomorrow at 9:00 AM local time in front of the Bora Bora Post Office
and bring a second. Otherwise, sir, I will have no reason to revise my
long held opinion that you are a caitiff and a scapegrace. On your
second letter: Too many questions, but on the subject of blaming Mr.
Shrode for almost losing the boat in Papeete, the Captain affirms, lest
you think he has lost his mind, that of course this was his first
impulse, to which he devoted many a thoughtful hour. But after
considering that Mr. Shrode did not make the final decisions on where to
anchor, how much rode to put out, and whether to veer the fateful
additional rode, and after reviewing in his mind the many witnesses who
might testify that Mr. Shrode was not anywhere in the vicinity of the
boat when it actually hit the reef, and the more important point that
these facts could not credibly be misrepresented, the Captain
reluctantly abandoned what to him, as you can appreciate, was a very
attractive story. And wishes accordingly to receive full moral credit
for his modest forthrightness.
To Norton: (Thanks so much for offering to help on this AOL mess.)
I didn't even know they speaka the blues in Argentina, but as Ray
Charles said, "Each and everybody can understand the blues." So now as
you mention, we're in the same hemisphere--what are the chances of
that?--and something tells me this happened once before, but maybe it
was in the Northern Hemisphere?! Yow. That's trippy.
To Kerry: Thanks for the good words. They came at a particularly helpful
moment. Under the heading of seeing the hand of the Almighty in any
particular event, and the Captain certainly does not presume to do so,
it might be observed that delaying your ordination (for which
congratulations) for 30 years was really best for all concerned. Some
may continue to hope, or fear, that the damage you wreak will make up in
intensity what it lacks in longevity.
To Mac: Is Bob Dylan going to be present at this big birthday party for
him? If so, please bring up my point about roosters.
Next report from this location: Soon, To Sea
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