May 24, 2014
Nuka Hiva
Early morning at anchor, a cup of cappuccino, a baguette with marmalade, sheer green hills shrouded in clouds, roosters crowing. The air is soft, and pleasantly cool One truck heads along the waterfront road. An outrigger canoe zips quietly past, the crew out for an early morning workout. This is the life. We have spent almost a week here. It is easy fall into the slower rhythm of the islands. Stores close from 11:30-2:30 Everything closes on the weekend. There are constant holidays, being French and all. It is difficult to remember what day it is. We sleep late, have a lazy breakfast and get into shore about 11:00, just in time for lunch. There is a outdoor cafe at the dingy dock with free wifi where the cruisers hang out. There are chickens and roosters and baby chicks and cats and dogs underfoot. The roosters are beautiful, colored almost like a pheasant, red and white and brown and black and yellow. The typical lunch is a huge plate of stewed meat, rice and sweet potatoes. The most interesting dish is poisson cru, the polynesian version of cheviche, raw fish and onion drenched with coconut milk.
One of our main reasons for stopping here was to get at least one of the sails repaired. It took all week but It is finally done. We are not the only ones with broken parts. About half of the boats here came limping in with some sort of problem. Everyone is jockeying for the attention of the one factotum who takes care of everything. Kevin is the go to guy for everything. Need to check into the country? Need to have a sail mended? Need to rent a car? Need to get fuel? Need to make a phone call or get parts shipped in from the US? Need info about the local farmers market or grocery stores or what’s happening in town? See Kevin. His store is right on the wharf, next to the cafe. An American cruiser who fell in love with a local girl and never left, he has made himself the go-to guy for all the cruisers.
The weekend we arrive there is a music festival, a perfect introduction to the island. There is such a feeling of peace and good will and security. I suppose the fact that we are on a volcanic island, thousands of miles from the mainland means that they do not have too much trouble from marauding gangs of teenagers. I expect that the community comes down quickly on any problems. The performance is held on what looks like the ruins of an ancient religious site (I find out later from Kevin that it is a recent recreation).. Kids climb on the tikis. The band is on the central platform and everyone sprawls around on the large stones of the walls The music is everything from American jazz to Marquesian nationalistic songs.
Our last night we attend the school dance performance. Very sewed and typical school event. All the proud parents with cameras. The little ones looking like deer in the headlights except for the one little girl who was eating it up. The next grade had it a little bit more together but by the time they were through all of the little girls strapless tops were around their waist. Quality got progressively better as the ages got older. Again a lovely evening and a fitting end to our stay in les isle Marquesas.
We are heading around the corner to another bay where we can walk to the 3rd largest waterfall in the world. Then we will head to the Tuamotos, . We are only expecting to stop a couple of times before we head to Tahiti. Should take about a week. Hope it goes better than it has so far. I am ready for those long easy sails where you just hang out in your bikini and watch the miles go by.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Tahuata to Nuka Hiva
May 23
Tahauata to Nuka Hiva
We spend the next day just being lazy and visiting with other boats We seem to do a lot of that. In the afternoon we take a look at our poor tattered main sail. This is the worst of all. It is not a straight tear along a seam like the others but several rips, each about 18” long across the grain right along the reef line. It is going to be very hard to fix. Eventually we decide to reef it down to the second reef point. This leave us with just a small sail but it should be enough. We still have the little jib and the mizzen to work with.
Our next stop in Nuka Hiva, about 100 miles to the north. This time we decide we are going to plan our trip right. We spend several hours with charts and iPad figuring wind direction, course and points of sail. We finally decide that If we leave at 10am tomorrow we should get there about first light the following day.
As usual, it does not go as planned. First of all, we are up and ready to go early. We weigh anchor and head out of this lovely bay. Since we need to charge the batteries, we motor for a couple of hours before putting up the sails but eventually we carefully raise the main. Will it hold or will it tear again? It seems to be holding fine, and we are going much faster than we should be. Time to put the other sails up and turn the engine off. OK, we are going 5+ knots. This is faster than we ever did on the whole passage. We are on a beam reach is is the fastest point of sail but we must have a current or something. There is no way we can go this fast with just this little bit of sail but we do. Alan is having great time. I send him off for a nap in the afternoon so he will be rested for his night shift and then after dinner I turn in to be ready for my midnight watch.
Sometime during the night disaster strikes. We have 2 iPads and a mini that we use for navigation. All of them have the very expensive Life Proof cases so that we can use them in the cockpit without worrying. Alan has one of them in the cockpit tracking our course. Unfortunately he has neglected to be sure that the charging port is closed. A big wave scores a direct hit and it dies. The other iPad is not charged and he never loaded the charts on the mini. I plug the other one into the charger and the rest of the night I hand it to him once an hour so he can check our position and then take it back inside and put it back onto the charger. I am taking no chances with our last navigation resource. If we use this we have to use the handheld GPS and then find our position on the paper chart. This is fine on a long passage but not accurate enough this close to land.
As usual the wind strengthens after dark and we just keep racing along. We take the mizzen down but it does not make much difference. We start to realize that we are once again going to arrive in the middle of the night, way too early. Sure enough, about 2am we find ourselves about 5 miles off on the harbor at Nuka Hiva. DARN. Once again, we need to heave to in the dark and once again it does not quite work. Alan spent part of our time in Tahauata reading up on the theory and techniques of heaving to but once again it does not work quite right. So once again, he goes to sleep and I sit up on watch with the iPad watching us drift north. Luckily we are just east of the island so we probably won’t hit it and we are only drifting about 1 knot but we are getting awfully close. At first light I stick my head out and see a very large and very rocky headlong much too close. I get Alan up, he sets the sails and we head back towards the harbor. Lots of wind and big seas but this time we have no trouble getting in and we are anchored about 10am.
The harbor is filled with boats. This is the largest town and the main check in point for the Marquesas so everyone comes here eventually. We see lots of boats that we know. After our traditional naps we head to shore where we find free internet and the friendliest, most helpful yacht agent ever.
Tahauata to Nuka Hiva
We spend the next day just being lazy and visiting with other boats We seem to do a lot of that. In the afternoon we take a look at our poor tattered main sail. This is the worst of all. It is not a straight tear along a seam like the others but several rips, each about 18” long across the grain right along the reef line. It is going to be very hard to fix. Eventually we decide to reef it down to the second reef point. This leave us with just a small sail but it should be enough. We still have the little jib and the mizzen to work with.
Our next stop in Nuka Hiva, about 100 miles to the north. This time we decide we are going to plan our trip right. We spend several hours with charts and iPad figuring wind direction, course and points of sail. We finally decide that If we leave at 10am tomorrow we should get there about first light the following day.
As usual, it does not go as planned. First of all, we are up and ready to go early. We weigh anchor and head out of this lovely bay. Since we need to charge the batteries, we motor for a couple of hours before putting up the sails but eventually we carefully raise the main. Will it hold or will it tear again? It seems to be holding fine, and we are going much faster than we should be. Time to put the other sails up and turn the engine off. OK, we are going 5+ knots. This is faster than we ever did on the whole passage. We are on a beam reach is is the fastest point of sail but we must have a current or something. There is no way we can go this fast with just this little bit of sail but we do. Alan is having great time. I send him off for a nap in the afternoon so he will be rested for his night shift and then after dinner I turn in to be ready for my midnight watch.
Sometime during the night disaster strikes. We have 2 iPads and a mini that we use for navigation. All of them have the very expensive Life Proof cases so that we can use them in the cockpit without worrying. Alan has one of them in the cockpit tracking our course. Unfortunately he has neglected to be sure that the charging port is closed. A big wave scores a direct hit and it dies. The other iPad is not charged and he never loaded the charts on the mini. I plug the other one into the charger and the rest of the night I hand it to him once an hour so he can check our position and then take it back inside and put it back onto the charger. I am taking no chances with our last navigation resource. If we use this we have to use the handheld GPS and then find our position on the paper chart. This is fine on a long passage but not accurate enough this close to land.
As usual the wind strengthens after dark and we just keep racing along. We take the mizzen down but it does not make much difference. We start to realize that we are once again going to arrive in the middle of the night, way too early. Sure enough, about 2am we find ourselves about 5 miles off on the harbor at Nuka Hiva. DARN. Once again, we need to heave to in the dark and once again it does not quite work. Alan spent part of our time in Tahauata reading up on the theory and techniques of heaving to but once again it does not work quite right. So once again, he goes to sleep and I sit up on watch with the iPad watching us drift north. Luckily we are just east of the island so we probably won’t hit it and we are only drifting about 1 knot but we are getting awfully close. At first light I stick my head out and see a very large and very rocky headlong much too close. I get Alan up, he sets the sails and we head back towards the harbor. Lots of wind and big seas but this time we have no trouble getting in and we are anchored about 10am.
The harbor is filled with boats. This is the largest town and the main check in point for the Marquesas so everyone comes here eventually. We see lots of boats that we know. After our traditional naps we head to shore where we find free internet and the friendliest, most helpful yacht agent ever.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Marquesas, Fata Hiva to Tauhata
May 19, 2014
Fata Hiva to Tahuata
Once again the easy overnight sail did not turn out as we expected. instead of a long slow slog into the wind, we had the perfect sail. We must have been in a current because we fley along at 5-6 knots with a very light wind. It was wonderful but also awful because it put us just off of our destination about 10 pm, rather than 3 am as we had planned. Oh well, we had expected to have to heave to for a few hours, this will just be a little longer. The wind is fairly strong by now but that should not be a problem. Somehow it does not work. The first time we are drifting slowly towards the island whack is only 2 miles away. At1 mph we will be on the shore before we know it. So we turn around and try again. This time we are drifting away from the island towards open ocean so that is OK. Except that the point of being hove to is that the boat should not be moving at all. Alan tries various adjustments and finally decides that this is the best that we can do. He goes to sleep and I settle in the cabin to read and watch the iPad and keep an eye on things. We are drifting. At first it is just one knot but gradually the wind builds and our speed builds until we are doing 2+ That is faster than we often go under sail. We are heading away from Tahuata but also north, into the channel between Tahuata and Hive Oa where the wind and currents are really wild. I finally decide that we should not go any farther and get Alan up.
We set the sails and head back down to the south end of the island where we heave to again. This time we seem to be drifting slower. Same drill, Alan goes to sleep and I stand watch. Once again we drift north, a little slower this time but still too fast. Once again I wake Alan up when we reach the channel. We consider just abandoning Tahuata and going on north to our next destination, but Eric Hiscock said that this was one of the most beautiful anchorages in the South Pacific and Alan does not want to miss it.
It is now 4am and it will be light in an hour so we decide to sail back down south one more time. By then it should be light and we can get in close to shore, out of the wind, and motor north to the anchorage. Getting south is not too much of a problem but getting close shore is. The steep cliff of the island should provide a barrier from the wind but they seem to be acting as a funnel instead. We are trying to go directly into the wind again and it is not dying with the dawn like it is supposed to.
Eventually we get in close enough that there is enough relief that we can turn on the motor and get the sails down. And then another disaster. Just as we are about to bring the main sail down there is a lout POP and the sail rips at the back edge, right at the reef point. We hastily bundle it down so that it does not tear any more. I don’t believe it. 3 sails torn. For what it is worth, this is a much smaller rip and should be fairly easy to fix, once we get somewhere where there is a sail maker, or at least a sewing machine and room to spread out. The problem will be getting to that place without a main sail.
We motor on into Hanamoenoa Bay and drop anchor among about 8 other boats, some old friends and some we have not seen before. It is indeed beautiful with a white sand beach at the head of the bay. The water is crystal clear and filled with fish. Just after we anchor a school of rays show up and play along side of us. Other sailors dingy over to greet us. One of the other boats has a heavy duty sewing machine on board and the captain used to work in a sail loft so we agree to meet in Nuka Hiva to get all these sails patched. As per custom, we have a quick swim and settle down to sleep for the rest of the day. In the afternoon we go ashore and walk along the beach. There is no village here, just one young man who has a shack and some fruit trees. I think we are finally getting close to paradise.
Fata Hiva to Tahuata
Once again the easy overnight sail did not turn out as we expected. instead of a long slow slog into the wind, we had the perfect sail. We must have been in a current because we fley along at 5-6 knots with a very light wind. It was wonderful but also awful because it put us just off of our destination about 10 pm, rather than 3 am as we had planned. Oh well, we had expected to have to heave to for a few hours, this will just be a little longer. The wind is fairly strong by now but that should not be a problem. Somehow it does not work. The first time we are drifting slowly towards the island whack is only 2 miles away. At1 mph we will be on the shore before we know it. So we turn around and try again. This time we are drifting away from the island towards open ocean so that is OK. Except that the point of being hove to is that the boat should not be moving at all. Alan tries various adjustments and finally decides that this is the best that we can do. He goes to sleep and I settle in the cabin to read and watch the iPad and keep an eye on things. We are drifting. At first it is just one knot but gradually the wind builds and our speed builds until we are doing 2+ That is faster than we often go under sail. We are heading away from Tahuata but also north, into the channel between Tahuata and Hive Oa where the wind and currents are really wild. I finally decide that we should not go any farther and get Alan up.
We set the sails and head back down to the south end of the island where we heave to again. This time we seem to be drifting slower. Same drill, Alan goes to sleep and I stand watch. Once again we drift north, a little slower this time but still too fast. Once again I wake Alan up when we reach the channel. We consider just abandoning Tahuata and going on north to our next destination, but Eric Hiscock said that this was one of the most beautiful anchorages in the South Pacific and Alan does not want to miss it.
It is now 4am and it will be light in an hour so we decide to sail back down south one more time. By then it should be light and we can get in close to shore, out of the wind, and motor north to the anchorage. Getting south is not too much of a problem but getting close shore is. The steep cliff of the island should provide a barrier from the wind but they seem to be acting as a funnel instead. We are trying to go directly into the wind again and it is not dying with the dawn like it is supposed to.
Eventually we get in close enough that there is enough relief that we can turn on the motor and get the sails down. And then another disaster. Just as we are about to bring the main sail down there is a lout POP and the sail rips at the back edge, right at the reef point. We hastily bundle it down so that it does not tear any more. I don’t believe it. 3 sails torn. For what it is worth, this is a much smaller rip and should be fairly easy to fix, once we get somewhere where there is a sail maker, or at least a sewing machine and room to spread out. The problem will be getting to that place without a main sail.
We motor on into Hanamoenoa Bay and drop anchor among about 8 other boats, some old friends and some we have not seen before. It is indeed beautiful with a white sand beach at the head of the bay. The water is crystal clear and filled with fish. Just after we anchor a school of rays show up and play along side of us. Other sailors dingy over to greet us. One of the other boats has a heavy duty sewing machine on board and the captain used to work in a sail loft so we agree to meet in Nuka Hiva to get all these sails patched. As per custom, we have a quick swim and settle down to sleep for the rest of the day. In the afternoon we go ashore and walk along the beach. There is no village here, just one young man who has a shack and some fruit trees. I think we are finally getting close to paradise.
May 18, 2014
Fatu Hiva
When Alan went for his quick swim Just after we arrived he came back with a very worried look on his face. Apparently the rudder is in danger of falling off. Not good at anytime and a particular problem here with only a small fishing village ashore. We both have visions of trying to sail all the way to Tahiti without a rudder. Not pretty At least he discovered the problem before the bolts fell off and were lost in the middle of the ocean. With all the heavy weather we have had, I am not too surprised that the rudder is feeling the strain. Since he has been up all night last night he decides to wait until tomorrow to go back into the water and do a through assessment
Next day the wind blows, not just a little but seriously strong wind all day. Still without a wind gage, I am guessing it was 25 knots at least. We are anchored just off of a very steep canyon and the wind howls down the side of the cliffs and across the little bay. So not a good day for working on the rudder. We have 175 feet of anchor chain out and we check every few hours to be sure it is holding. It does just fine. I am really impressed with this anchor. We spend a very peaceful day on board, working on small jobs. I make pan perdu for breakfast with the stale baguettes. He gets the new anchor light wired and hoisted. We go through all of the flashlights and put new batteries in them. Several no longer work and are tossed. He also goes through all of the batteries to see which ones are still good. Keeping everything charged is an ongoing problem. We have 2 small solar battery chargers and a large solar storage battery for charging the computers. Unfortunately the cables are going bad in the salt air.
Next day is much less windy. After breakfast Alan goes overboard to take a good look at the rudder problem. The rudder sits on a series of 4 pins which are held on with 4 bolts. The top two pins have come out and the bolts are loose. The bottom 2 are OK. The rudder needs to be reset back onto the pins and then the bolts need to be tightened. It takes the two of us a couple of hours but we are able to get it all put back together and tightened down. Another plus for the “old school” boat. No tricky cables or electronics just 4 bronze bolts and pins.
Once that is done we head ashore to have a look around. It is just a quiet village along a stream. People are friendly and offer to sell us fruit: pomplemus, bananas, papaya, oranges and limes. Fruit trees are everywhere. Unfortunately, Alan has forgotten to bring any change. He has only 1,000 franc notes in his wallet. However, I have brought along a bag of individually wrapped chocolate squares. They are a pain on board because of all the trash from the wrappers but serve to get us a stalk of bananas and a bag of oranges. Back at the dingy dock a woman from one of the other boats is wheeling and dealing with a group of kids to trade pencils for fruit and bread. The most desired trade item is rum or wine. That is what everyone asks for.
Back on board we spend some time going over the charts and guide books and talking about the wind and plotting a course. We plan on leaving tomorrow to head north to Tahuata where there are supposed to be lovely anchorages with clear water and good snorkeling. It is 40 miles almost directly into the wind, or at least the usual wind. We won’t know until we get out there what the wind is actually doing. It should only take us 10-12 hours but we are giving ourselves plenty of time. If we get there before dawn we can always heave to and wait.
Fatu Hiva
When Alan went for his quick swim Just after we arrived he came back with a very worried look on his face. Apparently the rudder is in danger of falling off. Not good at anytime and a particular problem here with only a small fishing village ashore. We both have visions of trying to sail all the way to Tahiti without a rudder. Not pretty At least he discovered the problem before the bolts fell off and were lost in the middle of the ocean. With all the heavy weather we have had, I am not too surprised that the rudder is feeling the strain. Since he has been up all night last night he decides to wait until tomorrow to go back into the water and do a through assessment
Next day the wind blows, not just a little but seriously strong wind all day. Still without a wind gage, I am guessing it was 25 knots at least. We are anchored just off of a very steep canyon and the wind howls down the side of the cliffs and across the little bay. So not a good day for working on the rudder. We have 175 feet of anchor chain out and we check every few hours to be sure it is holding. It does just fine. I am really impressed with this anchor. We spend a very peaceful day on board, working on small jobs. I make pan perdu for breakfast with the stale baguettes. He gets the new anchor light wired and hoisted. We go through all of the flashlights and put new batteries in them. Several no longer work and are tossed. He also goes through all of the batteries to see which ones are still good. Keeping everything charged is an ongoing problem. We have 2 small solar battery chargers and a large solar storage battery for charging the computers. Unfortunately the cables are going bad in the salt air.
Next day is much less windy. After breakfast Alan goes overboard to take a good look at the rudder problem. The rudder sits on a series of 4 pins which are held on with 4 bolts. The top two pins have come out and the bolts are loose. The bottom 2 are OK. The rudder needs to be reset back onto the pins and then the bolts need to be tightened. It takes the two of us a couple of hours but we are able to get it all put back together and tightened down. Another plus for the “old school” boat. No tricky cables or electronics just 4 bronze bolts and pins.
Once that is done we head ashore to have a look around. It is just a quiet village along a stream. People are friendly and offer to sell us fruit: pomplemus, bananas, papaya, oranges and limes. Fruit trees are everywhere. Unfortunately, Alan has forgotten to bring any change. He has only 1,000 franc notes in his wallet. However, I have brought along a bag of individually wrapped chocolate squares. They are a pain on board because of all the trash from the wrappers but serve to get us a stalk of bananas and a bag of oranges. Back at the dingy dock a woman from one of the other boats is wheeling and dealing with a group of kids to trade pencils for fruit and bread. The most desired trade item is rum or wine. That is what everyone asks for.
Back on board we spend some time going over the charts and guide books and talking about the wind and plotting a course. We plan on leaving tomorrow to head north to Tahuata where there are supposed to be lovely anchorages with clear water and good snorkeling. It is 40 miles almost directly into the wind, or at least the usual wind. We won’t know until we get out there what the wind is actually doing. It should only take us 10-12 hours but we are giving ourselves plenty of time. If we get there before dawn we can always heave to and wait.
Hive Oa to Fatu Hiva.
May 15
Hive Oa to Fatu Hiva.
IT was supposed to be an easy overnight sail from Hiva Oa to Fatu HIva. There is a full moon and it is only 40 miles. Leaving in the evening should put us there at dawn. If we leave in the morning there is a good chance we will not make it before dark. Alan has a long nap in the afternoon and we head out about 4pm. As we leave the little harbor we realize that the wind is blowing hard with white caps everywhere. Now only that but there are big swells and a strong current all going directly against us. It probably would have been smart to ask some other the other boats for a weather report since our system is still not working. We could still turn back but we decided to go on. Chances are it will settle once we get our of the channel between these three islands.
It is 2 hours till sunset and we use all of that time getting the sails up, with me on the tiller trying to keep the boat steady and into the wind and waves while Alan balances on the foredeck hoisting sails. By the time we are done I am feeling very queasy so I grab a seasick patch. It helps a lot but I am still not too chipper and now I am sleepy also. Once everything is set and the motor is off I head below to heat up some dinner for Alan, along with a couple of thermoses of hot tea. The huge swells are tossing the boat from side to side and once again everything that wasn’t ties down is thrown all over. This includes things that had ridden safely from Vallarta to the Marquesas. Apparently we have found a new angle of rolling.
Once I have handed Alan’s dinner out to him and settled things as much as possible, I climb into bed. Unlike most people, my favorite way of getting through the first hours of seasickness is to sleep. If I can lie down and settle into the rhythm of the boat it usually goes away. Not this time however. There is no rhythm, just rocking and rolling from side to side and those moments when we hang at the top of a wave before suddenly dropping, just to climb up again. This is not going to work. Eventually i give up and move out to the cabin. The settee here is lower and more mid-ships and I finally drift off.
Meanwhile, out on deck, Alan is having the time of his life. Dressed in yellow oilskins and a big grin, he is just sailing along under clear skies and a full moon. I wake up and poke my head out about every two hours or so to see if I need to relieve him but he is doing fine. Good, because I am not. Back to bed again, back to sleep. Move very carefully. About 4am, the wind dies way down and Alan decides that he would like a nap, if I am up to steering. We were about 15 miles from the island and moving at about 1-2 knots. He wants to wait until dawn and then motor on in. Unfortunately I am still not feeling great so instead of going below he just stretches out next to the cockpit. Good thing because within 10 minutes I managed to get us completely off course and heading north instead of south. Nonetheless, I struggle on until dawn and he at least gets to rest.
At dawn we can see the island, directly into the wind from our position. We can either sail all day, tacking off to the east and then back to the southwest or just take the sails down and motor from here. Guess which we choose. Alan once more scrambles up to the foredeck while I handle the tiller and we get the sails down. 3 house later we enter into beautiful Hanavave bay. . There are about 15 other boats already anchored in this tiny bay, a number of friends from Puerto Vallarta. as well as ones that we have heard on the radio This is a steep volcanic island. Green cliffs plunge straight down into clear water. It takes some doing to find a spot that isn’t impossibly deep but we finally settled in 10 fathoms (60 feet). After a quick swim and lunch, Alan settles down to sleep for the rest of the day.
Hive Oa to Fatu Hiva.
IT was supposed to be an easy overnight sail from Hiva Oa to Fatu HIva. There is a full moon and it is only 40 miles. Leaving in the evening should put us there at dawn. If we leave in the morning there is a good chance we will not make it before dark. Alan has a long nap in the afternoon and we head out about 4pm. As we leave the little harbor we realize that the wind is blowing hard with white caps everywhere. Now only that but there are big swells and a strong current all going directly against us. It probably would have been smart to ask some other the other boats for a weather report since our system is still not working. We could still turn back but we decided to go on. Chances are it will settle once we get our of the channel between these three islands.
It is 2 hours till sunset and we use all of that time getting the sails up, with me on the tiller trying to keep the boat steady and into the wind and waves while Alan balances on the foredeck hoisting sails. By the time we are done I am feeling very queasy so I grab a seasick patch. It helps a lot but I am still not too chipper and now I am sleepy also. Once everything is set and the motor is off I head below to heat up some dinner for Alan, along with a couple of thermoses of hot tea. The huge swells are tossing the boat from side to side and once again everything that wasn’t ties down is thrown all over. This includes things that had ridden safely from Vallarta to the Marquesas. Apparently we have found a new angle of rolling.
Once I have handed Alan’s dinner out to him and settled things as much as possible, I climb into bed. Unlike most people, my favorite way of getting through the first hours of seasickness is to sleep. If I can lie down and settle into the rhythm of the boat it usually goes away. Not this time however. There is no rhythm, just rocking and rolling from side to side and those moments when we hang at the top of a wave before suddenly dropping, just to climb up again. This is not going to work. Eventually i give up and move out to the cabin. The settee here is lower and more mid-ships and I finally drift off.
Meanwhile, out on deck, Alan is having the time of his life. Dressed in yellow oilskins and a big grin, he is just sailing along under clear skies and a full moon. I wake up and poke my head out about every two hours or so to see if I need to relieve him but he is doing fine. Good, because I am not. Back to bed again, back to sleep. Move very carefully. About 4am, the wind dies way down and Alan decides that he would like a nap, if I am up to steering. We were about 15 miles from the island and moving at about 1-2 knots. He wants to wait until dawn and then motor on in. Unfortunately I am still not feeling great so instead of going below he just stretches out next to the cockpit. Good thing because within 10 minutes I managed to get us completely off course and heading north instead of south. Nonetheless, I struggle on until dawn and he at least gets to rest.
At dawn we can see the island, directly into the wind from our position. We can either sail all day, tacking off to the east and then back to the southwest or just take the sails down and motor from here. Guess which we choose. Alan once more scrambles up to the foredeck while I handle the tiller and we get the sails down. 3 house later we enter into beautiful Hanavave bay. . There are about 15 other boats already anchored in this tiny bay, a number of friends from Puerto Vallarta. as well as ones that we have heard on the radio This is a steep volcanic island. Green cliffs plunge straight down into clear water. It takes some doing to find a spot that isn’t impossibly deep but we finally settled in 10 fathoms (60 feet). After a quick swim and lunch, Alan settles down to sleep for the rest of the day.
Hiva Oa, Marquesas
May 10
Hiva Oa, Marquesas
We slept like a log, both of us at the same time after 5 weeks of never sleeping at the same time. Of course I am up earlier than Alan. I make myself a cup of cappuccino with one of our last remaining matches and try to clean up some of the mess. There is the trash, of course. Not as much as might be expected after 5 weeks. All plastic, bagged and squished, it fills an old pillowcase. Laundry fills another pillowcase. The torn jib sail still fills half of the cabin. Hopefully we can find someone with a sewing machine here today and get it fixed.
There is a knock on the hull and a voice saying “Ahoy Rhapsody” One of the other sailors has brought fresh baguette! Perfect timing. It is just 8:30 local time. I make a fresh pot of coffee just as Alan wakes up.One of the things that we really missed in Mexico was good bread. Somehow they just could not get it right. So it is a real treat to have good, fresh bread again.
A lazy breakfast Find clean clothes that fit. Alan has lost weight again. He is down to 175 lbs. Most of his pants just fall off unless cinched in tight with a belt. Open and launch the dingy. Round up the paperwork we will need to check in with the French authorities. Finally we are ready. We have been told that the bond agent will meet us at the dock and drive us into town to the gendarmerie where we will be officially stamped into the country. Once we are done, we will hit the ATM and the market and explore the town and find out where we can use the internet. . Except that, when we reach shore we discover that the “office” is only open 9-11, Mon - Fri. It is not 11:30 on Sat. There are a bunch of locals sitting on the porch, hanging out, but no one official around. Eventually we decide that we might as well walk into town and see what is there. It is a couple of miles along the cliff road and both of us have wiry stiff muscles. I guess the long night’s sleep gave them the chance to stiffen up. Luckily, we have not been walking more than a few minutes when a jeep pulls up and offers us a ride to the edge of town.
As we enter the town, we discover that there is a free community lunch just about to start. I think this must be the high school gym and the whole town seems to be here. Many of the women wear beautiful floral crowns. There is music and a speech in french and marquesian. Long rows of tables filled with enormous pots of food. Kids race around, as kids always do. We see people from several of the other boats also. There is rice, barbecued pork, crabs, raw fish in coconut milk, several varieties of stew and a number of things that I have no idea what they are. An hour later we are stuffed. When we realize that most people are packing to-go plates, we do the same. It is Saturday afternoon and all the stores seem to be closed. People are friendly and helpful but no one seem particularly interested in who we are or where we are from. I suppose they must see a lot of cruisers.
We collect our gear and set out to see the town. 5 minutes later Alan realizers that he has forgotten his hat. He returns to the gym and it is no where to be seen. No one at the table knows anything and no one seems interested in helping him look. I check back again later in the day as we are heading back, with the same result. This is his Tilly hat, the only one that stays on when the wind blows and he needs it to keep the sun off. Makes us a little bit less enamored of Atuona for this to happen.
We wander around the town for a while. Actually more of a village than a town and then head back to the boat. Once again we get a lift. Back at the boat, we sleep. read, have dinner and sleep some more. Tomorrow we need to move the boat. When we looked down from the road on our walk back, we realized that we are anchored right where the supply boat will come in. We don’t know it’s schedule but need to be out of the way So when we get back to the achorage we haul up both anchors and move to a clear spot. A number of the boats that were here have left so there is more room now.
May 13, 2014 Wed.Hiva Oa
We finally get checked in with the Gendarmerie. The process is smooth and painless and takes about 1/2 hour. Latitude 38 has contracted with a bond agent to ease the entry process for cruisers that register through their website. and shed takes us into town and makes sure all of the paperwork is in order. Otherwise it is necessary to deposit a bond with a local bank equivalent to the price of a ticket home for each crew member. The French do not want any starving students or castaway sailors being stranded in their paradise. Can’t say that I blame them. One we are checked in we spend most of the day just wandering around the town.
The predominate impression is of quiet prosperity. Lovely homes on the forested hills. New cars and trucks whizzing along the coast road. No litter, no graffiti. According to the guide books most people either work for the government or in agriculture. There are a few small stores including 3 grocery stores featuring mostly canned goods. Prices are high. Eggs are $4/dozen, a can of tuna $2. There are large freezers full of frozen meat, much of it from New Zealand. The strict immigration policy means that everyone here belongs and has a home and a job. People we see seem happy, relaxed and not the least interested in American cruisers.
Hiva Oa, Marquesas
We slept like a log, both of us at the same time after 5 weeks of never sleeping at the same time. Of course I am up earlier than Alan. I make myself a cup of cappuccino with one of our last remaining matches and try to clean up some of the mess. There is the trash, of course. Not as much as might be expected after 5 weeks. All plastic, bagged and squished, it fills an old pillowcase. Laundry fills another pillowcase. The torn jib sail still fills half of the cabin. Hopefully we can find someone with a sewing machine here today and get it fixed.
There is a knock on the hull and a voice saying “Ahoy Rhapsody” One of the other sailors has brought fresh baguette! Perfect timing. It is just 8:30 local time. I make a fresh pot of coffee just as Alan wakes up.One of the things that we really missed in Mexico was good bread. Somehow they just could not get it right. So it is a real treat to have good, fresh bread again.
A lazy breakfast Find clean clothes that fit. Alan has lost weight again. He is down to 175 lbs. Most of his pants just fall off unless cinched in tight with a belt. Open and launch the dingy. Round up the paperwork we will need to check in with the French authorities. Finally we are ready. We have been told that the bond agent will meet us at the dock and drive us into town to the gendarmerie where we will be officially stamped into the country. Once we are done, we will hit the ATM and the market and explore the town and find out where we can use the internet. . Except that, when we reach shore we discover that the “office” is only open 9-11, Mon - Fri. It is not 11:30 on Sat. There are a bunch of locals sitting on the porch, hanging out, but no one official around. Eventually we decide that we might as well walk into town and see what is there. It is a couple of miles along the cliff road and both of us have wiry stiff muscles. I guess the long night’s sleep gave them the chance to stiffen up. Luckily, we have not been walking more than a few minutes when a jeep pulls up and offers us a ride to the edge of town.
As we enter the town, we discover that there is a free community lunch just about to start. I think this must be the high school gym and the whole town seems to be here. Many of the women wear beautiful floral crowns. There is music and a speech in french and marquesian. Long rows of tables filled with enormous pots of food. Kids race around, as kids always do. We see people from several of the other boats also. There is rice, barbecued pork, crabs, raw fish in coconut milk, several varieties of stew and a number of things that I have no idea what they are. An hour later we are stuffed. When we realize that most people are packing to-go plates, we do the same. It is Saturday afternoon and all the stores seem to be closed. People are friendly and helpful but no one seem particularly interested in who we are or where we are from. I suppose they must see a lot of cruisers.
We collect our gear and set out to see the town. 5 minutes later Alan realizers that he has forgotten his hat. He returns to the gym and it is no where to be seen. No one at the table knows anything and no one seems interested in helping him look. I check back again later in the day as we are heading back, with the same result. This is his Tilly hat, the only one that stays on when the wind blows and he needs it to keep the sun off. Makes us a little bit less enamored of Atuona for this to happen.
We wander around the town for a while. Actually more of a village than a town and then head back to the boat. Once again we get a lift. Back at the boat, we sleep. read, have dinner and sleep some more. Tomorrow we need to move the boat. When we looked down from the road on our walk back, we realized that we are anchored right where the supply boat will come in. We don’t know it’s schedule but need to be out of the way So when we get back to the achorage we haul up both anchors and move to a clear spot. A number of the boats that were here have left so there is more room now.
May 13, 2014 Wed.Hiva Oa
We finally get checked in with the Gendarmerie. The process is smooth and painless and takes about 1/2 hour. Latitude 38 has contracted with a bond agent to ease the entry process for cruisers that register through their website. and shed takes us into town and makes sure all of the paperwork is in order. Otherwise it is necessary to deposit a bond with a local bank equivalent to the price of a ticket home for each crew member. The French do not want any starving students or castaway sailors being stranded in their paradise. Can’t say that I blame them. One we are checked in we spend most of the day just wandering around the town.
The predominate impression is of quiet prosperity. Lovely homes on the forested hills. New cars and trucks whizzing along the coast road. No litter, no graffiti. According to the guide books most people either work for the government or in agriculture. There are a few small stores including 3 grocery stores featuring mostly canned goods. Prices are high. Eggs are $4/dozen, a can of tuna $2. There are large freezers full of frozen meat, much of it from New Zealand. The strict immigration policy means that everyone here belongs and has a home and a job. People we see seem happy, relaxed and not the least interested in American cruisers.
Wed, May 7
Arrival
Less than 100 miles. According to my calendar, this is the day that I had predicted we would arrive but we still have 100 miles to go. As the other boats have made landfall they have stopped checking into our nightly Pacific Puddle Jump radio net. There are just a handful of us left out here. I took over as net control a few nights ago when there was not one else. First thing I did was to lighten it up. It had been very formal and serious; position, course, speed and weather info. Under my brief tenure it was all about how are the kids, what did you do for the equator crossing, what’s going on on board, where is there good internet ashore? Much more fun, the girls net. Now it is my turn to hand it off to someone else. The problem is that once we make landfall the time changes and the net is at 4:30 in the afternoon instead of 7pm. I really miss hearing from everyone. Occasionally others check in and we hear reports from the Tuamotos and Tahiti as well as the Marquesas
It is a lovely clear day with an easy wind. Alan decides that it is time to get out his new mizzen staysail. It is supposed to be good for just these conditions. We spend about an hour getting it up and set and then decide that it is not doing any good and take it down again. We are off track again so we try the other tack but that takes is too far north so it is a frustrating day. So close. And then, as the sun sets, we realize that clouds on the horizon are not clouds, Land Ho!! There it is finally! 60 miles away but we can definitely see 3 masses that are islands, not clouds. Now we just have to figure out how to get there, given that it is just about to get dark.
After checking the iPad and the wind direction, we decide that we are going to have to sail past it and the come back up in the morning. It is a long night. for the first time is 5 weeks, there are hard things to run into even though they are still quite a ways away. At one point I decide that we should change course and get Alan up to ask him. He is so groggy that he agrees with me when he should not. We get the sails changed and then realize that this course is even worse than the other one, so we tack back again. At first light I cannot see the islands. Little by little the light grows and there it is! Still 30 miles away, straight to windward. Eventually Alan gets up and brings coffee out to the cockpit and we discuss strategy. We want to get in while there is still plenty of daylight. We could use the sails and go way past ant then come back. That would probably take us another day. We were not in a hurry before but now that we can see it, we want to be there. We decide to turn on the motor. We still have plenty of fuel since we only used the engine a few days.
Hiva Oa, green and rugged and beautiful. They say you can smell land when you get close but we never did. I clean the cabin as best I can. I round up all of the wet, dirty, salty clothes and put on clean sheets in anticipation of laundry service when we arrive We dump and clean the composting head. I have a shower. It is good that we turned on the engine because there is a very strong current between the islands here and we fight for every mile. And eventually we arrive late in the afternoon. It is a small bay and full of boats, everyone with a stern anchor. Eventually we find a spot to anchor and one of the other boats comes along side in his dingy and takes our stern anchor out and drops it for us.
After 37 days, here we are in the South Pacific. We open our last bottle of champagne and a jar of peanuts and relax on the foredesk. Other boars that we met in Mexico and have been in contact with on the radio stop by to say Hi. Dinner tonight is pasta with mushrooms and cheese and a bottle of two buck chuck. We will deal with all of the official paperwork in the morning
Arrival
Less than 100 miles. According to my calendar, this is the day that I had predicted we would arrive but we still have 100 miles to go. As the other boats have made landfall they have stopped checking into our nightly Pacific Puddle Jump radio net. There are just a handful of us left out here. I took over as net control a few nights ago when there was not one else. First thing I did was to lighten it up. It had been very formal and serious; position, course, speed and weather info. Under my brief tenure it was all about how are the kids, what did you do for the equator crossing, what’s going on on board, where is there good internet ashore? Much more fun, the girls net. Now it is my turn to hand it off to someone else. The problem is that once we make landfall the time changes and the net is at 4:30 in the afternoon instead of 7pm. I really miss hearing from everyone. Occasionally others check in and we hear reports from the Tuamotos and Tahiti as well as the Marquesas
It is a lovely clear day with an easy wind. Alan decides that it is time to get out his new mizzen staysail. It is supposed to be good for just these conditions. We spend about an hour getting it up and set and then decide that it is not doing any good and take it down again. We are off track again so we try the other tack but that takes is too far north so it is a frustrating day. So close. And then, as the sun sets, we realize that clouds on the horizon are not clouds, Land Ho!! There it is finally! 60 miles away but we can definitely see 3 masses that are islands, not clouds. Now we just have to figure out how to get there, given that it is just about to get dark.
After checking the iPad and the wind direction, we decide that we are going to have to sail past it and the come back up in the morning. It is a long night. for the first time is 5 weeks, there are hard things to run into even though they are still quite a ways away. At one point I decide that we should change course and get Alan up to ask him. He is so groggy that he agrees with me when he should not. We get the sails changed and then realize that this course is even worse than the other one, so we tack back again. At first light I cannot see the islands. Little by little the light grows and there it is! Still 30 miles away, straight to windward. Eventually Alan gets up and brings coffee out to the cockpit and we discuss strategy. We want to get in while there is still plenty of daylight. We could use the sails and go way past ant then come back. That would probably take us another day. We were not in a hurry before but now that we can see it, we want to be there. We decide to turn on the motor. We still have plenty of fuel since we only used the engine a few days.
Hiva Oa, green and rugged and beautiful. They say you can smell land when you get close but we never did. I clean the cabin as best I can. I round up all of the wet, dirty, salty clothes and put on clean sheets in anticipation of laundry service when we arrive We dump and clean the composting head. I have a shower. It is good that we turned on the engine because there is a very strong current between the islands here and we fight for every mile. And eventually we arrive late in the afternoon. It is a small bay and full of boats, everyone with a stern anchor. Eventually we find a spot to anchor and one of the other boats comes along side in his dingy and takes our stern anchor out and drops it for us.
After 37 days, here we are in the South Pacific. We open our last bottle of champagne and a jar of peanuts and relax on the foredesk. Other boars that we met in Mexico and have been in contact with on the radio stop by to say Hi. Dinner tonight is pasta with mushrooms and cheese and a bottle of two buck chuck. We will deal with all of the official paperwork in the morning
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)