There has been a new addition to Willows fleet of vehicles. I mentioned it earlier I am sure, but really want to say a bit more about our Vaka (that is in Marquesian, Va’ a’ in Tahatian and “Wa ka” in Cook island talk) We would call it an outrigger canoe in English. Above you can see how we put in on deck while at anchor and using it often. When under way I take it apart and store the “ama” or outrigger hull on the other side where the inflatable kayak is.
Now that I think about it, we really have quite a few toys on board Willow. Lets see. There are 3 surf boards, one Vaka, on inflatable kayak, our dingy, two kite boards, three big kites and two small training kites, two guitars, a mandolin, a ukulele, a drum, ahh, that about covers it I think. We do not get bored out here.
The Vaka was bought from a local guy in the Marquises, and it would not even float then due to the many holes in it. So, I got a really good deal. It took me several days to put the thing back to gether, but the result was just fine. Below is the sequence of shots as I first re-launched the thing and went for a test spin.
You can see some of the patchwork on the ama where I had to glue and re fiberglass it back together. All I needed was a can of white spray paint to finish the job.
These rigs are very, very tippy if you lean away from the ama. But they are a beautiful thing to paddle. Fast, quiet and made for the shallows inside the reefs of these islands. It is like floating in a dreamscape when in clear water and only 6inch between you and the life of the coral.
I did OK, but definitely flipped over several time at first. Eventually you get the hand of the thing and I am pretty stable now. However, I always carry a bailing bucket with me, always. Again, below you can see the unpainted patches in the deck of the vaka. That was my work and it all seems to be holding up. The bottom of the boat needed most of the work. It looked like the previous owner surfed it onto some rocks.
The whole set up only weighs about 30lbs; thus, it is a rather delicate thing out of the water. I have punched several holes in it already while bringing it up and down from the decks of Willow. My technique is good now and have not had any mishaps for a while.
Besides just heading out for a long paddle around the atolls and islands, we often take it out to a good snorkeling spot. It is easy to drag around and let other take a break from swimming. Here is Jason taking a breather from spear fishing.
Jason also has an underwater case for his camera and thus can get some unusual shots.
Here are a few pictures taken by our friends Kay and Craig from their boat Little Wing, a 28’ Bristol Channel Cutter. We are anchored off of Bora-Bora. Bonnie is getting good at the canoe as well. That is her heading over to say hello to Kay.
It really does feel like you are floating in air when the water is this clear and calm.
Well, that is about it for canoe pictures. Have to focus on getting more of them. I have paddled kayaks most of my adult life and love them. However, these outrigger canoes are more to my liking. They are not as well suited as kayaks for rough waters and quick maneuvering, but they are fast. It is a whole different skill set when using a one bladed paddle to control everything. The canoe is 24’ long and only about 17’ wide at the widest. Without the ama, it would not sit upright. It is rather difficult to turn quickly because these designs are built to go straight and fast for racing.
I suppose if I had to choose one sport boat to have on board I would probably go for a kayak due to its versatility and heavy weather abilities. Luckily, we do not have to choose, we can do as we please. It seemed like a fun thing to try out while sailing the waters where these water craft seem so at home.
After a few cans of spray paint the rig looks pretty good. It could really use a big sanding and repainting, but I will just mess that up with the way we use it. So, that is all I will do for now.
The parting shot here is of Bonnie and I heading up a river into the middle of Riatea. Sorry you cannot see Bon better, more of her later, promise. We still use the dingy all the time, mostly just to get to the beach, but also for touring around together. But the canoe is way faster that the dink and outboard.
