A run in with the law
08 May 2010 | Ua Pou--French Polynesia
***Sorry, still no internet so no photos. We have great pictures to share when we can send them*** 4-25-2010--- I forgot to mention that on the day before we left Hana Moe Noa Bay, I got up at about 6:30 am and looked out the bathroom port and saw a fin very close to our boat. I jumped up on deck and was greeted by about a dozen large manta rays. They were about four feet across and were just playing around our boat. They passed just under the surface of the water about 3-4 feet from our boat.l Sherry and I watched them for a half hour then they left--what a blessed moment! We left Hana Moe Noa at three am so we would get to Ua pou island with plenty of daylight. After a real romp of a sail we arrived at Hakahau Bay on Oa Pou to find two large barges and a big tug anchored in the area we were supposed to anchor. We motored around checking our options, when the skipper of the tug called us on the VHF radio and told us to anchor in front of the concrete quay. That area is reserved for the inter-island supply ship, and small vessels are not to to anchor there. I asked the tug boat skipper about that and he said that the supply ship was not due for two days and we could anchor there for the night. So, we dropped the hook and did our 'After Anchoring Routine'. Our AAR consists of sitting in the cockpit with a cold beer and watching the swing of the boat for a half hour-- we highly recommend this. After three hours, as I was checking the chafing gear for the night-- a gendarmes suv pulls up on the quay and honks at me. I went to the aft of the boat and they yelled something in French at me. I asked if they spoke English--they said no-- then they told me we could not anchor there (in English). I told them that the tug boat captain told us to anchor there and it was for only one night-- they said no. I told them that the it was very rough out at sea( it was), and it was just for one night-- they said "OK, just for one night". So we did not go ashore on Oa Pou, spent one night and left with a squall at 6 am the next day for Nuku Hiva--the main island of the Marquesas group