Au 25ème jour de mer, l'arOn the 25th day at sea, the arrival at Rikitea, the main village of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia, is approaching! This crossing of the South Pacific from Nouméa has not been entirely restful.art le 3 septembre de port MDeparture on September 3 from Port Moselle where we have been moored for a few months. It was time—just 3 days later, we escaped the Caledonian COVID outbreak (one of the few places in the world that had remained COVID-free until then) and another lockdown. Phew, any longer and we would have been stuck in the lagoon! We first head south to catch the dominant westerly winds until we sail along the east coast of New Zealand. And to think we originally planned to stop for several months in Kiwi land... Given the health situation and the impossibility of obtaining an entry visa, we had to change our plans, but it's only a postponement! premiers jours de navigatioThe first days of sailing on a reach in 20-25 knots with well-formed swells test our stomachs. The expected calm arrives 4 days later, just enough time to recharge the batteries before another low-pressure system hits us. Libertaire sails at an average of 7 knots, and the seasoned crew can enjoy the sailing a bit more. Nina and Diane impress us with their creativity and the hours they spend playing. Ernest, initially very frustrated by the lack of freedom due to the rough conditions, becomes an acrobat and quickly improves his language skills since he can't run after his ball. But a 20-month-old still demands a lot of attention at sea—we had forgotten a bit. When we left France in October 2016, Nina was 2 and Diane was 10 months old; 3 years of travel and 2 years in Nouméa later, we realize how time flies... And now we have to homeschool on board. Between sailing and the kids, we're kept busy.in après une bonne semaine dFinally, after a good week at sea, we find anticyclonic conditions, but the day that promised to be quiet is replaced by repairing the boom, which we find cracked at dawn due to heavy swells and a too-rigid boom vang. Damien does a solid repair job, and we're reassured!s découvrons également une pWe also discover a small diesel leak with its unpleasant smell, and after some investigation, we replace the guilty hose. nuit au moteur et le vent sA night under engine power, and the wind picks up again—a bit of downwind sailing feels good, and we take the opportunity to cook (cakes, crepes, pizza, lasagna, shortbread, meringues...) and warm up Libertaire, which is soaking in water that has dropped to 16 degrees.s commençons ensuite à remonWe then start heading a bit further north, trying to navigate best between anticyclones and low-pressure systems.s rencontrons de nombreux grWe encounter many squalls and storms, making life on board more complicated, before enduring several days of close-hauled sailing due to a new tropical depression near Râpa. We initially hoped to stop at the Austral Islands, the Polynesian archipelago that includes Râpa, but due to the coronavirus, we're forced to enter the Gambiers or Tahiti. Too bad—it looked beautiful! derniers jours sont les pluThe last days are the longest, but the Gambiers are worth it—one last tack in the late afternoon, and we'll head straight... still close-hauled!