But, trying to send more than one photo at a time can be problematic. Using Photoshop, I try to reduce the photo size to somewhere in the 10-20 kb size, and then I generally do not have any problems. We are lucky, though, that Winlink (unlike SailMail) does offer us the ability to send attachments. I will post some additional photos of the mantas over the next couple of days since our slow connection over the SSB radio severely limits my ability to send attachments. Our hopes were high for an arrival tomorrow morning into Papeete! But, after lunch the wind died down to 8 knots and our SOG (speed over ground) was reduced to 4.5 knots for a bit, but now we are back up to 6 knots. When we left out of Toau this morning (Tues.) we were flying along at 8.5 knots for the entire morning. We are now en route to Papeete, Tahiti and should arrive Thursday morning. (well, not real sure what happens there, but I believe we'd all agree that octopus tentacles up the nose is something to be avoided at all costs). Gaston did mention that when hunting octopus you have to be very careful not to allow its tentacles to enter your ears or your nose as the suction cups are a real danger and ear drums can be popped and nasal passages.
Really, really delicious! And very tender, too. Valentine makes an out-of-this-world curried coconut cream sauce and then simmers the octopus in it. A few slams on the rocks and a bit of cleaning out of the intestines and Mr. Quickly, Gaston grabbed its head and turned it inside out and twisted its neck. A couple of jabs had the octopus entangling the spear (and Gaston's arms) with his tentacles. Gaston knew where the octopi like to hide out, and he quickly found a hole and stuck his wooden spear down into it.
When we arrived back into the anchorage, Sam went octopus hunting with Gaston. I was so glad to to have my camera with me to capture a few special shots. Their movements were so fluid and graceful it was as if we were watching an underwater ballet. It was amazing to see them swim up from about 20 feet to only 5 feet below us and then see them arch over backwards (so their undersides showed), and then circle back down in a loop pattern into a school of small fish. Very impressive! Mantas are filter feeders and are not aggressive animals. Their wing spans probably ranged from 8 to 12 feet. Boy, was I surprised when I jumped in and saw four or five very large mantas gliding in the waters right beneath me. As we geared up and prepared to jump off into the lagoon waters, I hoped to see a couple of manta rays in the four foot wing span range. Local knowledge a must! While the waves were still a bit rough for snorkeling, we knew that yesterday would be our only chance to snorkel with the mantas. But, Gaston took his run-about through some very shallow water next to his parc d' poissons (fish traps) and then through a scattering of VERY closely lodged coral heads that rise straight up to the surface of the water. Anse Amyot, situated on the northwest side of Toau, is technically a cul de sac since it does not (technically) have a pass into the atoll. First, everyone on board was, I believe, glad that it was Gaston and not ourselves navigating the run-about boat through the minefield of coral heads.
The winds, which had been gusting up to 30 knots and maintaining a steady 20-22 knots, finally let up a bit and we decided to take Gaston up on his offer to take us to swim with the manta rays in the lagoon of the atoll. We enjoyed a scrumptious dinner of lobster, octopus, fish, rice, coconut bread and coconut rice one evening at their restaurant, while last night we had a potluck at their restaurant with the cruisers bringing various dishes while Gaston and Valentine provided fish and octopus. Theirs is the only family on the atoll and they were lovely guests. We had a great time with Gaston and Valentine at Anse Amyot and their family on the atoll of Toau in the Tuamotos for the past several days.
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