Liking things much better a day later, even though I spent a large part of the day trying to do a blog post with some video, with no success (yet). The island’s only gas station is a short walk from the dinghy landing, and it has a “mini-mart” with baguettes and cheese and fruit juice and a reasonable selection of canned/dry foods and…….ice cream. Nice. And the place where I got Internet access is the “signal station” out on a point, high in the air, with an extraordinary view of the ocean and the islands and the approach to the harbor. And a picnic bench in the shade. Wonderful place to struggle with slow Internet access. More cleaning of the hulls today; greeting the next boat in (Chapter Two); dropping off our laundry with a woman who will return it clean in two days.
Category Archives: 5. Panama to Tahiti
Day 1 at Hiva Oa
As I’ve learned in the Galapagos, I don’t do very well with first days in new places. It started well, going ashore to meet Luc and Jackie, the BPO reps here. They are wonderful, and they greeted us with baguettes and fruit. Luc drove us into town (maybe three miles) and helped us get through the formalities, which we had been led to believe would be very simple. No; not so simple. It took most of the day, lots of waiting around, lots of money put into a bond that somehow we get back when we leave, all handled in a language that I don’t understand (French). I greatly dislike not speaking the language. Oh well, I just followed Tim and Bill around (they seem to be happy as can be in this delightful place, even though they don’t speak French either). Tim, as always, engaged with everyone. When he couldn’t communicate very well with two ladies who gave us a ride back to the harbor, he sang a song that he knows in French. Went over well.
I felt better by the end of the day, back on the boat. We jumped in the water and scrubbed the hull for an hour or so. It grew quite a “beard” in three weeks at sea. It surprised me that barnacles and green algae would grow that way while we’re moving. I could blame some of it on the Galapagos, but lots of the growth was up the side of the hull, where it was wet only when sailing. Cleaning it is difficult, but it is fun work. Then we had a bottle of French wine, bread, two kinds of cheese, and star fruit. Very nice.
Internet access is marginal here. Frustrating. I have lots of little video clips I’d like to post. Eventually.
Arrival in Hiva Oa
Saw the first isles of the Marquesas in the afternoon, still 50 miles away. Watched the sunset over them. As we got close the wind went very light, and we motored the last 30 miles or so. Tahawas was behind us, but we know they can go faster than us under power. So for a while we ran both of our engines to stay in front of them. Then we spoke with them on the radio and agreed that we would finish together. Very satisfying.
As it was getting dark we cut the engine (and stopped the noisy watermaker) for dinner, so we could enjoy the quiet, and some nice music, and the islands ahead, and a good meal. Then motoring on in the moonlight. The islands seem so much bigger than the little dots on the chart! Very dramatic in the night — I expect they will be awesome in daylight. As we went along the south coast of Hiva Oa suddenly there was an almost overpowering fragrance of shore — of flowers — of exotic South Pacific lands. What a dramatic change from the constant scent of the sea!
We anchored about 11pm outside the little harbor. It is rolly out here, but we don’t care. At dawn we need to move into the harbor and anchor bow and stern so we don’t swing, because the harbor is tiny. Then we all have to be ashore at 8am to take a shuttle into the town (not sure where the town is), to clear at with the gendarmarie.
At anchor it was sweet to have a drink together in the cockpit, the steep hills of Hiva Oa outlined against the moonlit sky, feeling good about what we have accomplished, and enjoying having arrived in this already-seems-special place.
ZekeTheSailor 