Return to America 27 Oct 19

8º 55.005s 140º 06.017w

Sun Oct 27 2019

Upon arriving at Nuku Hiva we anchored at beautiful Daniel’s Bay where Shawnee and I hiked to the waterfall while Isabel enjoyed some hammock time. In the anchorage were turtles and giant manta rays, and occasionally the sound of baby goats calling to their mommas. Eventually we motored around the headland to Taiohae Bay where we commenced to putting JollyDogs to bed for a few weeks. Shutting down refrigeration and other power draining systems, adjusting the solar charger output to the batteries, cleaning the boat up thoroughly, and finally briefing Kevin of Yacht Services Nuku Hiva on how to care for our girl while we’re away – it was a busy few days. We’ll return December 5th, so that’s a long time to leave JollyDogs alone anchored in Taiohae Bay, but that’s what needed to be done.

Our cab ride across Nuku Hiva to the airport revealed spectacular valleys and scenic vistas of the terrain with blue ocean in the distance. There’s a lot of ranching and farming on the island interior with various livestock and plenty of fresh vegetables. I didn’t note the elevation of the mountain pass we crossed, but it was mighty cool up! We had circumnavigated the island back in May, but this inland trip opened up another dimension entirely. Back when we owned and operated a tiny airplane (Van’s RV-6), we saw much of the United States from the air, but it’s entirely different and equally satisfying to drive through the terrain, stopping and hiking through the terrain. Adds another dimension entirely.

Air Tahiti carried us to Papeete in an ATR 72, a twin-engine turboprop plane that held 68 passengers. We got lucky with part of the flight over the Tuamotus, enjoying spectacular views of several atolls. Arrival in Tahiti was followed by an overnight stay at the Tahiti Airport Motel just across the street from the terminal building. A visit to a food truck and a short night’s sleep, and early the next morning we were on French Bee’s shiny new Airbus A350. A nice 8 hour ride to San Francisco, landing there feeling less fatigued and fresher than I recall other long haul trips. Must be true what they claim about lower cabin pressure altitudes and higher humidity atmosphere on these new jets.

On to the airport Hyatt for another night’s sleep before the last leg to Phoenix. Shawnee elected to relax in the room while Isabel and I elected to hit the bar/restaurant for a couple of wonderful craft beers and some chowder. Just can’t beat a good craft beer! Early Friday morning we were at the airport again, kicking back by a Peet’s coffee and enjoying free internet. American Airlines struggled to get their Airbus A321 electric airplane to behave itself, but eventually we launched for Phoenix where Jack was happy to collect us and reunite us with our mighty Honda CR-V, the best 2006 model car on the planet. We bought that jewel in 2016, and now with over 190,000 miles it would seem that it’s worth darn near as much now as when we bought it. Go figure.

Off to Brad’s lakeside condo guest bedroom in Tempe, then shift into “visit with old friends mode” while we schedule routine maintenance for our own bodies. Eye and dental checkups, annual physical exams etc., and in between enjoy the wonders of Costco and Trader Joes. Isabel actually got teary eyed at the veritable cornucopia of choices available in wine, liquor, cheese – you name it.

It’s a bit of a shock to our systems to return to the land of plenty. We’ve gotten so used to visiting tiny shops on the islands, and even the Carrefour supermarkets on Tahiti don’t offer the myriad of choices available back here in the states, but we’re powering through.

After a nice and highly productive 8 day visit to the “Valley of the Sun” complete with fabulous weather we’re now in Denver, Colorado where yesterday the temperature plummeted 50 degrees F and it’s currently snowing. Tucked into a cozy room at the Hyatt, we’ll just have to let Uber get us around, then Wednesday it’s off to Albuquerque to spend a few days with close friends before returning to Denver to do the same before British Airways and their trusty 747-400 takes us to London. Time to catch up with Isabel’s family and friends before returning to Nuku Hiva in December.

There was a time when air travel seemed exciting and exotic, but no longer the case. Now it’s dragging luggage around, dealing with long security lines, hoping we don’t miss a connection, and trying for a seat assignment next to someone who can contain their own body within the confines of their accommodation.

We left JollyDogs with 82 F temperatures wearing shorts, T-shirts and flip flops. We’re now equipped with (and lugging around) all the clothing that we’ll need to survive about 5 weeks of cold, rainy climes. It’s such a contrast, and a wakeup call that we’re both much better suited to the tropics. If home is where your hat is and you hang your hat on JollyDogs, I guess home for us is Nuku Hiva, at least for right now.

Looks like the British will keep floundering around with Brexit a while longer, while the politicians in America will keep arguing about exactly what kind of president “The Donald” is. Better not to read the news at all. Time to go find a nice pub with a warm fire place, comfort food and a pint of dark beer and “fuggedaboutit”. . .

Back to a familiar stomping ground 14 Oct 19

8º 54.898s 140º 05.947w

Mon Oct 14 2019

Well our lovely overnight sail was exactly that – an opportunity to let JollyDogs run fast, as Isabel saw up to 10 knots speed over ground as we blasted along with full main sail and screecher. Around about 0530 Isabel tugged on my feet, rousing me from a deep sleep as she noted it might be time to begin preparing for our imminent arrival at Daniel’s Bay. A bit later we were on the hook with about 7 other boats in the bay, admiring just how amazing the enormous craggy cliffs are. So far I’d rate Daniel’s Bay as #2 on on the spectacular scale, with Fatu Hiva’s Bay of Virgins at a smashing #1. Of course Cook’s Bay at Moorea ain’t too shabby, but there’s something really special about the Marquesas, including a lot less tourist traffic, no jet ski silliness, and seldom a superyacht.

There were a pair of giant manta rays tooling around the bay along with numerous turtles, but the water was so nutrient rich that visibility was poor and they had to be right near the surface to observe. Never mind, plenty of goats wandering the cliff sides and surrounding ridgelines provided entertainment. Shawnee and I took the hike to the waterfall, an absolutely lovely walk through tropical forest with a little creek stompin’ thrown in, while Isabel kicked back on JollyDogs and enjoyed a little “hammock time”.

We returned with a husked meat coconut (as opposed to a green coconut more useful for the water) and a “3 days until it’s ready” avocado from the organic farm along the path. Score. Isabel reported on her excellent yoga workout and nap, Shawnee raved about the beautiful hike, and I turned off my brain for a bit. Another great day in paradise, followed by a lovely dinner of pan seared duck breast and grilled brussel sprouts along with our last bottle of chilled white wine.

Now we’re anchored back in Taiohae Bay, perfectly centered amongst several other boats, a few of which are unoccupied and likely being looked after by Kevin at Yacht Services Nuku Hiva. We’ll visit with him this morning to finalize all arrangements including a checklist for what he needs to inspect on JollyDogs, and a ride to the airport on Wednesday morning. That should be quite interesting as we’ve not had an opportunity to visit the interior of the island and the airport is all the way on the other side. Should be a nice trip through the mountains.

We joined David Frost and Kris Adams, an Aussie couple on SV Taipan for sundowners last night, and a very jolly time was had by all! Taipan is a great big monohulls that they’ve been circumnavigating on for the past 15 years, and they had some great stories about their travels. They also had a big world map on the wall that had their route traced upon it – something we need to do as it’s just a great idea and conversation piece. David and Kris are from Western Australia, and are a complete hoot – and they’re friends with our pals Eric and Patti (met them in Panama) on SV Shearwater, a great big Formosa 51, the same model boat used in the movie “Captain Ron”. Darn thing feels like a ship when you’re on it, it’s so large. Eric actually looked at the boat used for the movie when he was shopping for Shearwater, but the owner apparently wanted a premium for the boat since it had been a movie prop, and Eric reported it to be in about as bad a shape as depicted in the movie, so no deal there.

While aboard we enjoyed the evening SSB net, hearing from Graham on SV Leela about how the slog from the Tuamotus towards Nuku Hiva was just so awful that they had hove-to for a few hours to dry themselves out, have a shower, and watch a couple of movies just to improve crew morale. Leela is a 40’ monohull; she points and goes to windward a lot better than JollyDogs but we were remined last night just how miserable going to windward on a high performance monohull can be. We’ve done it, and while standing watch in the cockpit during strong conditions you can count on getting soaking wet and remaining so for several hours at a time. The boat motion is difficult to cope with, and the pounding and creaking noises are there to help you not sleep so well. JollyDogs may not point too high and the boat motion and pounding are different, but by golly we stay dry and feel very protected in our cockpit. I think even Isabel finally believes there’s just no going back to a monohull. Wow.

Today we’ll be scrambling to get refrigeration systems turned off, fridges and freezers mucked out, pickle the water maker, and have another look at the port engine alternator which seems to be giving us no end of grief. We need to know if we’ll be wanting to fetch parts from the US. As well I’ll be hiking to the hardware store to see if they can sell me a couple little bits and pieces to help with JollyDogs being put to bed, and there’s refueling to do while our duty free fuel purchase certificate is still valid.

By tomorrow afternoon JollyDogs will be ready for a nap, we’ll have our traveling clothes out and packed, and someone else will be cooking dinner and washing the dishes. Time to shut her down for a bit, mentally prepare ourselves to re-enter the world of “noise and stuff”, sit on lots of airplanes, and spend time with dear friends in Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver, San Francisco, and all over the United Kingdom. We’ll show them pictures and tell them stories but there’s simply no way to adequately communicate what our lives are like.

Last leg of a challenging journey 11 Oct 19

9º 25.960s 139º 43.278w

Fri Oct 11 2019

Sad to say, once you’ve been to Fatu Hiva, Tahuatua is a bit of a letdown. Pretty, yes, spectacular, heck no. Hanamoenoa Bay was a fine place to spend the night and offered a lovely sandy beach complete with the opportunity for a surf landing in the dinghy, albeit a minor one given the existing conditions. A lonely place with only one inhabitant present, after a walk and a swim and a snorkel it was time to move on to other things. So up the anchor came around noon and a quick 2.9 mile jaunt found us dropping the hook at Vaitahu Bay. Andrew and Julia of SV Hullabaloo had told us some crazy stories of trying to moor their dingy to the concrete pier, and after a reconnoiter I informed Isabel and Shawnee that I would happily drop them off but that our dinghy wouldn’t be left tied there. Worked out great, as the hammock was calling to me, and a nap seemed the right thing to do before a long night watch.

They tooled around the small village for a couple of hours while I examined the insides of my eyelids, then I was awakened by the crackle of the VHF radio – a “come get us” call. Upon arising I discovered that La Mitsu had arrived and anchored next to us, so on the way in I stopped to greet Laurie and Sue. Onward to the pier where after two approaches I had two lovely ladies embarked and back to JollyDogs we went.

The weather forecast informed us that a night sail would be a great idea, and with a 96% waxing moon and clear skies the idea was irresistible. We got underway around 1600 after a nice cooling off swim; once clear of the bay we raised the main all the way up. The wind was up so out came the jib, and we were off at better than 6 knots. Soon enough the wind dropped a bit and came further aft, so away with the jib and out with the screecher, which bought us about 1.5 knots. Isabel prepared a lovely risotto for dinner and Shawnee made me a strong cup of coffee before they both retired for the evening. So began the evening watch.

It’s almost like daylight out there. The moon is so bright it reminds me of the old days of night skydives when we didn’t even need chemical lights or a lighted drop zone. It’s been a lovely sail so far with only a bit of flakey wind where I had to roll the screecher up and fire up an engine for a bit, but we’re sailing well right now with 10 knots of true wind at about 130 degrees on the starboard beam, putting the apparent wind at about 100 degrees and 8.5 knots. That yields around 5.5 knots in these flat seas, and the screecher only snaps and pops very occasionally. What a heck of a way to cap off a journey of over 1000 miles, most of which was upwind in difficult conditions.

We’ll make Daniels Bay at Nuku Hiva around breakfast time and with any luck conditions in the bay will be calm enough that I can ascend the mast and sort out a bad connection to the anchor light. Hopefully there will be giant manta rays there to greet us like we experienced last time we were there!

We’ve got a flight out to the USA on the 16th of October, and on to the UK on November 5th, finally returning to Nuku Hiva on December 5th. We’ve mixed feelings about leaving this magical place, but there’s personal business to attend to as well as family and friends to spend time with. Kevin at Nuku Hiva Yacht Services will look after JollyDogs while she rests at anchor, and we’ll shut down all the refrigeration and other loads on the house batteries. With luck nothing will go wrong and upon our return we’ll easily breathe life into all the systems again.

We loved our home in Arizona and were always delighted to return, but we never really worried about it not being there when we came back. This is different, but no other choices for boat storage were available, so leave her on the hook we will and cross our fingers. And we will worry.