9º 54.443s 139º 06.235w
Thu Oct 10 2019
Happy
birthday Kirk! My older brother is now another 2 years (well, 23 months) older
than me. Just like this time last year, or this time last week. I’m pleased he
keeps getting older, as it’s really great having him around. We don’t get to
spend much time together, but when we do have our occasional encounter I truly
value the time. As we both trade our “original color” hair for something a bit
grayer, or less of it in general, it’s important to remember that we’re both
closer to our graves than our birth, and every moment together is precious.
Looking
back on our journey from Moorea to Makemo and on to Fatu Hiva, it’s remarkable
how long and difficult it seemed compared to our journey from Puerto Vallarta
to Nuku Hiva. That trip was 21 days and 3000 miles, and this last passage was
more like 8 days and 1000 miles. We broke more stuff and had more trouble than
the first passage, and it’s a warning to all of us how hard pressing upwind is
compared to a reach or downwind sail. We saw a lot of green water over the deck
and hatches and thank goodness JollyDogs is new enough and the hatch bedding
still flexible enough that we didn’t have water dripping nonstop onto our
bunks. We did have a couple of minor drips, but nothing to raise a stink about.
Bashing
upwind is hard. Some boats do it much better than others, but it isn’t fun on
any of them and they can all sustain damage in heavy choppy seas. I crewed a
Swan 62 years ago that had broken a forward bulkhead bashing in heavy seas
between Antigua and Jamaica. Swan build a strong boat, and if it can break,
anything can.
We’re
now convinced that Seawind build a strong a boat as well. JollyDogs took a
lickin’ and kept on tickin’, got us to Makemo then on to Fatu Hiva without
mishap, although we did sustain some minor damage. Constantly reefing and
shaking our reefs creates opportunities for chafe and snags and we had our fair
share. Even more disconcerting was one of the grab rails which our jack lines
get attached let go; actually broke loose on one end. Good that I didn’t have
the bad luck to get pitched overboard this passage. I insist on being the human
that clips on and goes forward to sort things out in heavy weather and other
difficult conditions; I suppose that makes me either chivalrous or stupid.
Fatu
Hiva was spectacular! When we arrived at the “Bay of Virgins” we were absolutely
blown away by the stunning scenery. We had been warned that it was one of the
most beautiful places in the world, and those folks weren’t lying. It was also
the deepest place I’ve personally had to anchor so far, as we dropped the hook
in 63’ of water and out 3:1 scope. When you put out that much chain the weight
of the chain itself is a deterrent against movement, but we did back down hard
on the anchor and it did hold.
We
did the whistle stop activities there including the hike to the waterfall which
was difficult enough and worth the effort. Great swimming hole at the base of
the falls, and even though some friends had encountered an enormous fresh water
eel there Isabel and I went for it while Shawnee “photo documented” the event.
That dip was enough refreshment to help us wobble back down the trail.
The
big excitement during our visit in the bay was the arrival of the Aranui 5, a
cargo/cruise ship that disgorged both supplies, machinery, and cruise ship
guests. The locals put on a pretty good shindig with some great music and
offerings of local crafts, but we had already scoped that stuff out. We had
visited Edwin the wood carver dude the previous day and thrown down for a hand
carved ukulele, a beautiful piece of work that will motivate us to improve our
playing skills. We paid for the instrument and then Edwin wanted to know if we
had any bits of larger diameter rope to trade, so we returned with our surplus
and he insisted on us taking a bunch of bananas in return.
These
folks like to trade, and the challenge is to get the last word. Suzanne met us
during one walk and offered to sell us honey. We returned to her place with a
bit of rope and her husband was so impressed he encouraged her to shower us
with a bunch of pamplemouse, which she did and then she asked if we might have
a spare hat like the one I was wearing as her husband likes to fish and he’s
completely bald. We went back to JollyDogs and rooted around then returned with
an old Tilly hat I no longer wear plus a baseball cap someone recently left on
the boat during a party. We were a bit embarrassed to offer either of the hats
as they were in less than stellar condition, but later that afternoon as we
walked around the village other folks were asking if we had another one of
those really nice hats.
You
never know how good you’ve got it.
Oddly
enough we bought honey from another lady, but didn’t trade anything with her.
We
bought local honey from a very nice lady, Hokey Pokey ice cream on a stick from
the local magazine, and altogether had a good ole time! Everyone was
ridiculously friendly; a fellow named Patrick insisted on loading us up with
plantains which we’ve fried up and devoured the last two nights. We didn’t have
anything of merit to offer Patrick for his good will, but he’s on our mind and
we will return to Fatu Hiva bearing “stuff that Patrick might like”.
We
were pretty fried after our 5 days of beating to windward, so after 2 nights of
sleep, about 10 hours each night, we were up around 0430 this morning and ready
to move on to our next Marquesan island, Tahuata where we anchored this
afternoon after an 8 hour journey. The bay we’re in is reputed to have giant
manta rays that come around to feed in the evenings, but despite our best
efforts of observation today we were not rewarded with a sighting. Maybe
tomorrow. A French lady from the other boat in the anchorage brought us a big
bag of mangos, so we’re golden!
Likely
we’ll move on tomorrow night as it looks like a good chance for an overnight
sail to Nuku Hiva’s Daniel’s Bay. We want to arrive in the bay at good
daylight, so an evening departure should ensure that we cover the 80 or so
miles with plenty of light to spare the next afternoon. We’ve nearly a full
moon so a night sail on a beam reach in mellow seas would be quite pleasant and
a good way to end our upwind journey.
Edwin,
the guy who carved our ukulele, had a baby goat named Bambi who took a shine to
me. I love baby goats, and considered a round of “baby goat yoga” but
fortunately didn’t have my mat along, although my newly minted instructor was
with me. Maybe next time. . .
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