340: Why This Popular Anchorage Left Us Disappointed; Oponohu Bay, Mo'orea

Today we've definitely got some systems moving in. We've got some rain coming at us. Wow. After two weeks we are leaving this absolutely stunning anchorage and look at that. Wow. And we are heading up to the north to famous Oponohu Bay which we have not been to yet with the boat so we're really excited to get to see that. It's not going to be as nice as this because who can beat an anchorage with no other boats in it and these views? Pretty hard but we're going to make it work. This is about a 15 mile trip and we're going to go around the west side all the way to the north which means we're going to actually circumnavigate Moorea in the boat now which is really cool. So it should take us three or four hours to do this. Maybe we'll get to see some dolphins on the way out. It looks so much more shallow than it is. This is like 15 feet but it looks like it's under six. Another dead calm day. Oh this view just never gets old. You can see them. A baby! Oh they're so cute. They're behind us now. All right back to business. How nice the sea state is so calm at least right now anyway. Oh it's shallow. What's the depth? Yeah wow. So we've chosen this day with no wind to move around the north part of the island because if we had wind this would be a tough one to do so this makes it really easy for us to get around and we're going to go to famous Open Ajo Bay so that's why we chose the day without wind. If you choose a day with wind you're not going to be able to sail it. It's going to be wind right on the nose but you're in a bit of a pickle if you lose your engines right here because you'd be put right into the reef. That would not be good. We've got this alarm going off signaling that the alternator is not functioning correctly so we're not sure if it's just the sender, the relay, the loose wire, corrosion, could be a whole bunch of things. We thought we had it fixed but it's not so back to square one on that one otherwise we've got to detach the alarm which is what we've done for the last four years so that we didn't hear this through the entire trip that we're on so anyway we'll figure that out. Brown is going to go put out some fishing lines. We figure the only fish you catch is the one that you have a line in the water for and we are at 40 feet right now 38 feet which is amazing since we're that far out away from the island and there's a really good chance there are fish right under us so he's going to get that out. Hey guys we are around in the corner here on the northwest part of Morea. We've got just a such a calm day. We're getting this glorious view of beautiful Morea that just is revealing itself piece by piece. It's like looking at a faceted diamond and every time you turn it you see just a new beautiful ray of light coming from it. Listen guys if you like great content like this make sure you subscribe. We found about 80 percent of the people that watch our channel are not subscribed. Please become and add to the 20 that are. Show your appreciation. We really appreciate that. For the algorithm hit the like if you like this and share and make some comments. If anything just say hi. We are on the north side already and the wind has picked up a little bit. Seas are a little bit rougher but still super easy motor today. Well it's been a very good little motor going on here and we are close to turning into the cut to get into Openohu Bay. We've got a Holland America cruise ship in today which means it's going to be busy but it looks like there is plenty of space to anchor in Openohu so that's good. Back her up. Yep yep good. We are anchored down here in beautiful Openohu Bay. Well look at that view. I'm going to go in and check to see if there are any dangerous bombies that we've got to worry about. I don't think so but it's always worth taking the time to check them out. I've got my buoy with me. You can see these guys are not sticking to the channel. This is a tour on the jet skis but thankfully at least the leader is going slowly so that's good news. A 14 year old was killed here a few years ago. I just don't want to mess around. Nestled on the northern coast of Mo'orea, Openohu Bay is a stunning tranquil inlet surrounded by lush mountains and crystal clear waters. Steeped in Polynesian legend, this bay was once a sacred area for ancient chiefs and priests. In 1777, British explorer Captain James Cook on his third Pacific voyage anchored here. Its unspoiled beauty and dramatic peaks also attracted Hollywood. The bay was the real star in the 1962 version of Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando. Openohu's mix of authentic Polynesian history and cinematic fame makes it both a cultural and visual treasure. What are you doing Captain? I am sitting here doing my duolingo. I am parlaying a la chouette and learning french. Merci beaucoup. Well it's a beautiful anchorage but a busy one. Probably the busiest we have been in since we got the French. Oh no, Hivaoa would have been a little busier than this. Got a beautiful beach right there, public beach, and I think you can leave your dinghy there. And then of course the amazing views of Openohu Bay. And that is the bay we're going to leave our boat in when we go to the United States for five weeks. What a day. And Tiki Anchorage is over there. It's where we were a few weeks ago. So this isn't too shabby is it? Look at that. That never gets old. Brown's going in the water. We have a bit of an issue. When we came in we were turned the other way with a strong wind and now there's no wind so the current has taken over. But the problem with the current is that our chain is now wrapped on a bommie. I don't know where the bommie is but the anchor is right there so it goes out and around a bommie and here. The bigger concern I have is that our cantilever chain, the part of the chain that comes from the anchor locker to the bridle, is caught on a bommie and if we get a strong wind that's just really not good. So we've got like four or five bommies right here that are a bit of an issue and every time we turn in this direction we're going to have this problem. So we're either not going to be here very long or we're going to move the boat because this is just not viable unless we get a wind that is consistent and strong enough to hold us in position. But right now we don't have that. But if that kicks in while we're tied up on the corals then we're in big trouble. The other thing that really is not cool is how fast boats fly through here. So you're kind of trapped on your boat unless you take your dinghy off because you're not getting in the water with boats flying by like that all day long. People think this is like the most amazing anchorage ever. I haven't seen the lore of it yet. There's a ton of traffic, a ton of noise and cars and a ton of boats and bommies and I don't know maybe it'll grow on us. It's a beautiful view. I'll give them that. Definitely an amazing view but right now not so excited about it. The bommies move? Can you move that bommie then? Well I guess if the bommies are movable that's one option is to just move them. Are the rest of the bommies movable? We've done a complete 180 so Brown is out there checking bommies because we got some issues. Okay that one's okay then. That's okay then. That's definitely our biggest problem. We shouldn't get near this one. We should probably be 20 to 25 feet away if we get pulled taut so shouldn't be a problem but see the rest of these. Okay Brown there's a boat coming.