Atouna, Hiva Oa is getting closer every wave. After flying along faster than we have ever before for days it is strange to have to brakes on the boat. A little bit of sail rolled out moves the boat slowly forward. The weather has changed from the monotonous clue sky with fluffy white clouds to changeable, hinting the ocean does not continue forever. The graph paper with the position and distances to the rest of our fleet has been replaced with pencil sketch maps of the Marquases annotated with anchorages, villages, canoes, waterfalls, archeologic sites hikes and towns. A post-it on the wall counts down the hours till sunrise tomorrow and our target position each hour.

We pull out the reference books again and again to read about anchorages. The Marquesas have few decent anchorages like most volcanic islands that poke up into the prevailing winds. The problem is people build towns where water is plentiful and things grow well. The rain falls on the windward side of these islands. The side of the island that are fertile are also where the wind is the strongest and the swell, ocean waves, the largest. Any rainy fertile harbor facing the wind is susceptible to swell. The towns ahead all face the wind.

During dinner the sun sets. The moon is directly overhead casting shadows and hiding some of my constellation companions. A booby flies in front of us and a petrel fishes to the north. This passage is coming to an end. While I never found my plankton net to bring sea life aboard to examine with my microscope, sea life flung itself at us. The sting of an angry squid left my finger throbbing for hours while the quick poke of a frightened booby surprised me. Never having sailed as part of a fleet we have enjoyed their companionship and learned the power of sharing knowledge, experience and support even among vessels hundreds of miles apart. Even now we are getting reports on anchoring and cargo ship movements from Sea Pearl in Hiva Oa. We have slid from one volcanic island chain across the fast spreading East Pacific Rise to another. The journey reminds us of how we respect the sea but are just visitors. The booby seemed content if a little awkward sleeping on our deck but soared when he returned to the air. We are the same, visitors' content if a little awkward but looking forward to land, hiking. exploring and fresh food.

A chocolate and ginger cake is ready for a quick breakfast as we move from our pelagic life to land creatures.