Silkapvideo

Tahanea, changing anchorage and making coconut cakes

January 11, 2025 · 16 min · 738 views · Tahanea

What this video covers

Ivo and Dajana move Silkap from the southeast anchorage to the northwest anchorage at Tahanea atoll in French Polynesia, navigating coral heads throughout.Watch They use satellite charts in MB-Tiles format loaded on PNCPN to spot coral heads — called patates de corail — while sailing slowly enough to plot a course around them.0:14 Crossing the Tahanea pass at slack water still produces inflow current and eddies that push the boat toward the lagoon interior, requiring constant heading corrections.1:06 At the new anchorage in four meters of water, they deploy a floating-chain system using two buoys to keep the chain suspended off the coral bottom, preventing damage and avoiding the chain wrapping around a coral head.2:22 Silkap draws 1.75 meters, allowing access to shallow zones.3:47 A snorkel along the pass edge stays close to the bank to avoid being swept away by current.4:47 Dajana then bakes two coconut cakes — one plain coconut with mango, one coconut-cacao — using fresh coconuts given by a local named Nico, grated dry coconut, and a solar oven, with reusable Teflon-style paper lining the tubes.5:40 Floating the anchor chain on buoys is the standard technique for anchoring in coral-heavy atolls to protect the reef and prevent the chain from fouling.4:10

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