9 August 2011

The boat that is. We first met Heartbeat in Panama when Mark helped linehandle for them. Sophie is German and Junior is from Trinidad. We were going to go straight to Nuka Hiva to see if the big boat had bought in our parcel, but S and J said there was a good hike in Ua Poa which is on the way and given their ability to go for a hike and come back with a backpack full of fruit and veg that they find on the way, I thought it would be nice to join them and learn a thing or two about foraging. Junior can spot a soursop from a mile away, and our 5 a day has definitely been a bit limited of late! Mark helped them fix their electrics as they had no power when they arrived, so they are two happy bunnies now and we have a lovely gaff hook as a thank you which we nearly used when we caught a fish as we left tonight. Unfortunately, the bugger took our lure, so all that psyching myself up to plunge the hook into it when we caught it wasn't necessary this time.
Ooh, I nearly forgot! Yesterday, we saw a largish boat come into the port. Given that there are only about 5 yachts there, this was exciting. Was it 'le grand bateau?' Well it was grand, but in the English sense of the word! A 50 metre superyacht and I've forgotten the name, but suffice to say it proved it's grandness when the passengers went past our boat IN A CAR!! Well, if you have a multimillion pound boat, why not have a terramera jeep that drives over water!! Straight down the ramp into the water and past our boat to theirs - brilliant! The kids were very excited (not quite as excited as their daddy!) and gave them a wave, so they actually came right over to us and gave us a twirl. I'll put the piccies on just as soon as I get internet. I know you'll be impressed!! "Mummy can we get one of those?" "Yes, darling, you can have two for your birthday next week!!" "Really?" "no, not really." And then the big boat did come in bringing provisions for the island for the next two weeks, but since there wasn't any fuel coming this time, we thought it was time to go. It was getting a bit crowded there!!