Faafaite Report

Aloha 6th graders!

This morning is a beautiful morning to surf...I woke up about 5 am to the sounds of the waves rushing past the hull, and the familiar rumble of...SURF!!  We are heading NE with a large swell directly behind us from the WSW winds...probably about 10-12 ft swells.  Steering this morning was real exercise, and for the first time, I got sweaty; almost a nice feeling after being so cold. The air is slowly warming up as we inch northwards.  Steering swells takes real talent, and Herve is a master.  Fati and I try our best, and catch some real bombers, too.  When we are on the big ones, we're going up to 13 knots and the hulls begin to rumble.  When I was sailing this summer, the crew said the hulls would "waiata" or sing, in Maori. On Faafaite, it's the voice of the wolf, Herve.

Hikianalia somehow snuck past us in the night.  I think the 10-2 watch let them by.  As they are being more cautious with their va'a, we're letting them dictate course more.  However, we got a good squall blowing through this morning at the end of our shift, and we decided to throw the course line out the window and follow the wind and surf until the squall passed.  As long as we're within sight of Hiki, it's all good.

Last night's big excitement was a large squid, about 8 inches long, that we found in the middle of the deck.  It had large blue eyes the size of quarters, and was still alive.  Kalepa looked at it and said, "where did that come from?". Fati and I both replied, "It flew!"  Kalepa was astonished and kept repeating, "They fly!".  And of course, we laughed our heads off.  I have never laughed so much as I am on this voyage.  All night, when we'd get slapped by a wave and bump about, Fati and I would say "SQUID!"  We did throw it back because it was still alive...and so it would tell the fish to start biting on our lures,  'cause we're all REALLY hungry for fish.

The full name of Faafaite is Faafiate i te Ao Maohi, which means "the reconciliation with the traditional world".  It describes the need of modern people to rediscover and maintain their culture, and is a big step forward for the Tahitian people, who have never had a va'a of their own until now.  Before we left, Moeata and I had a discussion about Faafaite choosing her crew; those who are on board are the ones who are meant to be here for whatever reason there is.  Perhaps there are other types of reconciliation to be had...between old friends who had gone separate ways perhaps?  Or between new friends who are meant to share knowledge and inspiration with each other.  In a larger sense, reconciliation applies to the idea of the two va'a sailing together as a family.  We are reconciled to staying with them, despite the fact that we would probably be a couple hundred miles further along our course now, if we didn't. Yes, it would be more fun, but that's not the point.  We are two va'a out here alone on a wide ocean...not a thought that comes often to mind, however, and that's probably a good thing, or we'd all freak out.  When you're out here, your world shrinks to the size of the va'a and what you can see beyond it.  It's about survival as a family...and reconciliation with the power of the sea.

Be good!

Ms. Fuller