Bora Bora: A Bucket-List Destination!

A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 9/21/2024 – 9/28/2024

Hi friends! Happy Sunday! Check out our latest YouTube video here. 

Last Sunday, we left Raiatea and motored to Bora Bora. With 6kn of wind on our nose, we didn’t even bother raising the mainsail. The trip was pleasant, with calm seas and sunshine- a refreshing change from last week’s string of rainy days. 

The trip took us ~3 hours. We hopped onto a mooring ball in front of the Bora Bora Yacht Club and took in the iconic view of Mount Otemanu. Bora Bora is a popular bucket list destination, and we were so stoked to be there! We piled in the dinghy around sunset and headed to shore for dinner. 

We laughed nervously as we noticed a dead termite squished between the menu pages and another stuck in the condensation on a water bottle. We chatted about our plans, dream destinations, and boat projects. It was nice to have a meal off the boat together! As daylight disappeared, the waitress ran around the restaurant, turning off the tea lights on every table- the lights were attracting more termites. Thankfully, we had closed up Sabado and turned all the lights off before heading ashore- even the anchor light. We agreed to stop talking about bugs, and Megan and I shared a chocolate lava cake for dessert. 😍

A loud, jackhammer-esque noise filled the mooring field Monday morning. We sat around, sipping our coffee, waiting for it to stop. It was coming from some sort of barge nearby, potentially installing new moorings- we weren’t close enough to tell. We ate breakfast, did the dishes, and decided we’d rather move along than waste the rest of the morning hoping for peace and quiet. So, Ray started the engines, and we motored out toward the reef. We settled in a beautiful spot near a shallow sand bank, and all four of us got in the crystal clear water. It was the perfect temperature, and aside from the rogue wake of a passing tour boat, it was flat and calm! Ahhh, paradise!

We had heard about a nearby spot where a large group of spotted eagle rays frequent. So, Ray zipped me over on the dinghy. I’ve never seen more than two or three eagle rays at a time, so I was in awe as 30+ appeared from the depths! They moved so gracefully, seemingly unaware of my presence. I watched as they flapped their “wings” in slow motion, propelling them forward, their long tails trailing behind them. What incredible creatures! 

Suddenly, I was pulled out of my zen, underwater trance by the sound of a man yelling. I popped my head above the water, understanding that he was ordering me to swim in line with the 15-20 tourists he was “guiding.” “I’m not part of your group!” I yelled back. By the time I looked back down, the stingrays were swimming away, and the tour group had made it to my location, splashing and shouting at one another. I swam back to the dinghy and waited for the tour boat to load everyone back aboard and leave. It began raining, but I slipped back underwater, hoping to get a moment alone with the eagle rays. The water had grown dark by then, and I couldn’t spot them. We sped back to Sabado, rinsed off, and watched the rain pour. What’s your favorite rainy-day activity? I like to do yoga in the cockpit, listen to the rain hit the teak, and smell the faint aroma of wet land in the distance. 

We spent most of the day Tuesday relaxing on the boat. Nick and Megan had some work to do, and so did we. Ray has been creating a web portal that, when finished, will allow our patrons to watch all our YouTube videos ad-free, without us having to do a second upload via YouTube! I worked on our most recent video and some upcoming blog posts. That afternoon, we decided to take the dinghy to town. Out of curiosity, we cruised by a boat that was for sale, then wandered over to the grocery store to pick up some groceries to get us through the week. 

Wednesday was wet and gloomy. We ran the generator and tackled some chores before preparing dinner and dessert. I’ve been doing quite a bit of cooking lately, so rather than put something together for dessert from scratch, Megan and I found a boxed lemon cake mix at the store. I doctored it up with high-quality butter, vanilla, and sour cream and topped it with fresh whipped cream instead of frosting. It was a hit! I’m embarrassed to admit that we ate every last bit in one sitting. 😂 

This was Nick and Megan’s last night aboard Sabado, so we reminisced in the cockpit while the sun fell below the horizon. 

There are not many folks we’d want to host for 25 days straight, but Nick and Megan are always welcome! In fact, we were sad to see them leave. We cleaned up the galley and played a few board games before calling it a night and heading to bed. They left the following afternoon, and Ray and I quickly realized just how many of our regular tasks we’d put on the back burner in the name of hanging out and having fun with our guests. We made a to-do list, ate dinner, and watched a TV show, just the two of us. 

We had lofty goals for this weekend- polish the stainless, wash the boat, catch up on laundry, defrost the freezer, etc. but we have yet to accomplish a single thing. Well, that’s not entirely true- we did one load of laundry yesterday! 😂  We’ll get back in the swing of things in due time…

I hope you had a great week. ❤️