06/28/2012, 08 56.614'S:140 09.833'W, Nuku Hiva
What a fantastic day yesterday. One of the highlights so far. We anchored in Anse Hakatea (aka Daniel's Bay). This bay housed one of the survivor tribes in the Marquesas season. Up from the sister bay next door--Hakaui, it is about and hour and a half to two hour hike up to the Hakaui Cascade which is supposedly the third highest in the world. The hike is stunning. The valley is surrounded by Cliffs/Mountains that rise very sharply from the valley floor. The valley itself is a mixture of fruit trees, and rainforest.
The hike starts by going through the very small, very remote village of Hakaui. We were first met by Teiki and Kua who invited us to stop for dinner on our return.
Next we were stopped by an older woman, Monet, who served us coffee, citronade, and fried bananas. The crew of Ruby Soho happened to walk by and stopped for coffee with us as well. They were on there way down from the waterfall, while we were on our way up.
The hike was amazing. It took about an hour and a half to get to the waterfall through a rugged and immensely lush valley. As you get near the waterfall there are warning signs for falling rocks, and some hard hats are available by the side of the trail. Unfortunately, due to the geography, you can't see the waterfall from its base. It is hidden behind ridges and rock formations. So I would say the waterfall on Fatu Hiva presents a much more dramatic arrival. But we hopped in the pool to cool down and had a look around. You might be able to find the waterfall with some serious rock climbing requiring equipment. And as it was getting late, and we heard a couple big rocks fall, we left fairly quickly. We were able to get sight of the upper reaches from farther way--spilling off the top of the mountains a couple of thousand feet up.
On the way back we stopped and had dinner with Teiki and Kua. These two are amazingly hospitable people, and the dinner of avocado/coconut/watercress salad with banana vinagrette, roasted breadfruit, fried bananas, some other sort of bananas, and goat in coconunt milk followed by pamplemousse and mango for desert--was amazing. Teiki has a lot of traditional tatoos including over half of his face and head. Very interesting and warm people. The also sell first rate fruit at about 1/3 the price found in town. This is a must stop place!
We are now getting ready to cast off for the tuamotus....
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06/27/2012, 08 54.823'S:140 05.896'W, Nuku Hiva, Isla Marquises, French Polynesia
Time to move. We are going to make a last run for baguettes and other supplies, mainly baguettes. Then we are going to head to Daniel's bay to anchor and walk to the big waterfall (which is actually up the river flowing into the bay just west of there which isn't good for anchoring). We'll collect some more fruit along the way. Then we plan to head to the tuamotus late this afternoon. It should be about a 4 day passage to Rangiroa. Though we could stop sooner at maybe Ahe or Manihi. Anid if the wind angles are not good, we have other options. But Rangiroa is the starting plan. Its possible we don't leave until tomorrow, but we'd like to leave today. So--no more pictures for a while :). This picture is of the bay on the north side of Nuku Hiva where we had lunch yesterday.
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06/27/2012, 08 54.823'S:140 05.896'W, Nuku Hiva, Isla Marquises, French Polynesia
Yesterday we took a day tour of the island. Our guide, Richard, drove us all around the island while describing a great deal of Marquesan history, as well as all the flora and fauna.
One of the highlights was a trip to one of the archaeological sites on the island. The picture is of a large, four to five hundred year old banyan tree which was a part of the archaelogical site. It was located right near a house belonging to one of the priests of the time. There is a picture from the mid 1800's of the tree containing hundreds of human skulls decorating it. At some point when the site was excavated, lots of human bones from some of the early french, who fought with the marquesans, were found in bone pits which surround the area.
Another highlight was lunch on the north side of the island at a small place where we feasted on Wahoo grilled and fried, Pork in a tomato sauce flambe'd with rum, Goat in Coconut Milk, Goat in curried coconut milk, bread fruit and manioc.
We also collected piles of papayas, mangoes and limes.
Today, on the other hand was a work day. Stephen and I spent most of the afternoon getting gasoline and diesel. We tried to bring the boat over and med moor to a big cement wharf used for the supply ships. But the swell was too big and our windlass has been acting up so we were a bit too uncomfortable with the arrangement. So we had to Lug about 70 gallons of diesel and gas to the boat. The wharf, having been built for ships, was pretty high off the water so we had to raise and lower the jugs by hand with a rope. And to make it even more fun. Gas and Diesel run nearly $8 a gallon. Though we were able to get the diesel duty free--reducing the diesel price about 40%.
Tomorrow we are due to hike the 2 hour hike to big waterfall. Though, its been raining a lot, and the area is supposed to get a bit sketchy in wet weather, as it loosens rocks that can fall from the heights.
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All is well in England. I'm in the middle of mission planning, Kate is working on her book, and my middle daughter is coming to stay with us for three weeks beginning mid-July. (I am also going on a 10-day "Adventure Training" with British Army...sailing 40' monohulls in the Baltic, starting next week.)
Bob
06/23/2012, 08 54.823'S:140 05.896'W, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Isla Marquises, French Polynesia
Apparently our anchorage is not one to swim in. We are still in Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva. The dock where fisherman clean their daily catch is very nearby, and they throw the guts into the water. The sharks hang around like eager dogs around a table. Unfortunately, the bay is not that clear because of run off from the lush mountains surrounding it. This means that we aren't getting great photos of the sharks, and it also means we can't swim. Its not good to swim where you can't see the sharks and they can't see you. Apparently there are a fair amount of shark incidents around here as the predominant species are Tiger Sharks and Black Tips--both on the more aggressive end of the spectrum. Especially the Tiger sharks.
FYI--we've finally had good enough internet access to load our Galapagos Album--so check out the Photo Gallery link. We probably won't do one for the Marquesas until we sail into the Tuamotus or into Tahiti--so don't get your hopes up.
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06/21/2012, 08 54.823'S:140 05.896'W, Taiohae, Nuku Hiva
Today we moved about 25 miles north from Hakahau, Oa Pou to Taiohae, Nuku Hiva. This is the capital of the Marquesas. So we might find a restaurant and eat out.
Yesterday we loaded up on more fruit while on Oa Pou. More Pamplemousse, more mangos and more bananas. We still have a ton of limes.
The picture is of the waterfall on Fatu Hiva--absolutely stunning, and a very refreshing place to swim after the hike. It is over 200 feet tall, and hard to capture on film in a way that shows how dramatic it is.
While we are Nuku Hiva, we plan to hike to another waterfall--but this one is over 900 ft of freefall. Incidentally, this waterfall is accessed by a hike up an anchorage in Daniel's Bay -- which is where one of the Survivor seasons was filmed.
We'll try to post a comparative photo of the Nuku Hiva falls....
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06/20/2012, 09 21.500'S:140 02.830'W, Hakahua, Oa Pou, Marquesas
This is one of the most picturesque/dramatic anchorages in all of the south pacific. Mountains and rock spires in the clouds. The pictures are always a little hazy because there is so much moisture rising from these lush islands.
Tahuata was gorgeous. Two nights we anchored off of a deserted beach full of fruit trees, and snorkeled with Manta rays. Then we explored a little town--On Monday a fellow on Tahuata picked some ripe mangoes off of one of his trees for us. Unbelievably good.
Yesterday we spent sailing here. We arrived about sunset last night from Tahuata--about an 11 hour sail. We caught a nice little tuna which we had for dinner--marinated in soy, ginger, garlic and rice wine vineager, then rolled in crushed saltine crackers and pan fried in olive oil.
Today we will check out Ua Pou, but will likely move on to Nuku Hiva early this afternoon. We'll see. We are on a mission to find the waterfall that is over 900 feet tall. We thought the waterfall on Fatu Hiva was amazing--and it was only 200 something feet tall.
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06/17/2012, 09 54.441'S:139 06.224'W, Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas
Ahh yess, my mother has been complaining about the lack of blog posts. Which means that she and you other readers have discovered that we are only blogging when there is nothing better to do! ItÂ's a shame, we log all our activities when there are none. So when we are doing something we donÂ't feel like getting on the computer. So a few tidbts for you pathetic souls out there staring at your computer screens.... And one photo (still not great internet access, so haven't been posting photos, though a couple of galapagos photos may have made it into our galapagos galley ... check in the gallery section....much more to come when we are able...)
Fatu Hiva, the southernmost Island in the Marquesas, was amazingly beautifulÂ--as weÂ've already mentioned. Our second stop was the Island of Hiva Oa. A Larger Island, and also very beautiful with tall sharp peaks jutting out of the oceanÂ--there are no barrier reefs here. It does from very deep to nearly shear walls of moutains jutting up. Very dramatic. This picture is of our anchorage off Hanavave on Fatu Hiva.
Hiva Oa is famous for the artist Gaugin. Creep of a human being, but famous artist nonetheless. We visited a museum dedicated to his life and art, and some Marquesan history. Herman Melville also wrote a book about the areaÂ--Typee. Its really pretty remote here. But the people are friendly and the environs are very cleanÂ--which is a noticeable difference from some of our recent Spanish speaking environs. The fruit is fantastic. The giant grapefruit (Pamplemousse) is sweeter than most oranges IÂ've ever eaten. And the bananas and mangoes are outstanding as well. Plus the baguettes are cheap, delicious, and ubiquitous. Most other things are pretty expensive. Our laundry was expensive, about $90, but we paid with 2 bottles of rum and $30. It is well worth stocking up on rum in PanamaÂ--it trades very well.
We are now sitting in Hanamoenoe Bay on the north west end of Tahuata. Gorgeous clear deep water. BIG manta rays. and by big I mean BIG. 12-15' and bigger wingspans. The bay is uninhabited--no lights at night. Though other parts of the island are inhabited. The beach is white sand, though many are black sand here in the marquesas. It is lined with coconut palms and lots of other fruit trees--limes, mangoes, bananas, pamplemousse.
We are here with our friends on Nakesa and Barracca, and there are two french boats in the bay too. We will snorkel a lot today!! The position you should see on the google earth map is of precisely where we are in this bay....
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06/11/2012, 09 48.171'S:139 01.871'W, Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas
Second anchorage in Paradise :). We are now anchored near Atuona on the Island of Hiva Oa. Another gorgeous spot, with huge green volcanic peaks jutting up from the Pacific. Still not good internet acces, but I think that is why we are here in the first place!! We check in with the Gendarmerie this morning. Did a bit of shopping, and have had a nice nap after our overnight passage from Fatu Hiva. We've also spotted Barracca--a boat we met in the San Blas. So we are headed over there for a Sundowner now!!
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06/08/2012, Hanavave, Fatu Hiva, Marquesas
So we are tidying up a bit, then we'll head ashore to hunt for what is supposed to be a fantastic waterfall, some ancient petroglyphs, and maybe a stone tiki or two.
Amy also has an appointment this morning to do some trading for some fresh fruit. Apparently nail polish and lipstick are hot trading items this year.
This really is an amazing anchorage. Very steep mountains that come straight out of the water. Along with a number of natural stone pillars that you look through and past up into a high mountain and valley to the east that are up in the clouds.
Sorry no pictures for a while yet, as there is not internet service.
Also, thanks to all who keep leaving comments. We do get them and do appreciate hearing from you.
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06/07/2012, 10 27.893'S:138 40.060'W, Hanavave, Fatu Hiva, Marquesas
We are at anchor. Caught a Giant Bull Mahi on the north end of the Island as we were coming in. Kind of a fiasco. We couldn't get the fish in because it was too big, and was continuing to take line. So we had to slow the boat down. First we reeled in the screecher. Not enough. Then I tried to gybe the main, since we didn't have much room to turn the other direction because of our proximity to the island. After we gybed, we tried to just round up into the wind, but a good size wave, timed with a few good gusts, ended up with the boat going backward and before you know it, we broke the main sheet -- the 20000lb plus breaking stength safety line on the broken harken block popped!!!!! I think I'm switching brands of blocks. The thing nearly tore my arm off. I have a massive bruise on my left arm from flying wreckage. The boom whipped around and I thought we were going to take out a shroud and lose the mast. But the other main sheet held. The whole time we are still battling the fish. Finally landed the sucker, and he was a long as I am tall, and weighed maybe 70lbs (our scale only goes up to 50lbs). So we have enough fish to feed a small village. We are already handing it out to others in the anchorage.
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