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Freak Squalls Lash Papeete

Normally, conditions are pretty tranquil in Papeete’s harbor, shown here, and in the nearby anchorage off Marina Taina.

latitude/Andy
©2009 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

One thing you can say about Mother Nature is that she can be a bit moody. As longtime voyagers will confirm, you just never know when she’s going to get a bee in her bonnet and lash out at you.

A case in point took place in Tahiti two weeks ago. According to USVI-based cruiser Kirk McGeorge of the Hylas 47 Gallivanter, "savage winds gusting to 56 knots" ripped through Papeete’s normally peaceful cruiser anchorage off Marina Taina, causing instant havoc. "At least four vessels were driven onto the bricks, and I saw two genoas unfurl and tear to threads in a matter of minutes." Although Gallivanter dragged, Kirk and his Aussie wife Kath kept her safe by hauling up their 65-lb anchor and 300 feet of chain, then repositioning her. "We’re talking about full throttle maneuvering in a very tight space!"

Seen here on approach to Moorea, Cap’n Kirk is no stranger to squalls. But that recent seven-hour barrage definitely got his attention.

© 2009 Julie Turpin

As Kirk puts it, "If you stand up in the back of a pickup doing 65 mph, offroad, at night in the rain, while trying to lasso a rhino, you’ll kinda get an idea of what we were going through! Ten mph more is hurricane force." Kirk, Kath and their young son Stewart came through the seven-hour series of intense squalls weary, but otherwise unscathed. On the upside, Cap’n Kirk now has another dazzling tale to add to his arsenal. And as his friends verify, this consumate storyteller’s war chest of sailing yarns is chock full already.

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