Tahiti

Society Islands 22 April to 13 May

The Society Islands are the western group of Islands in French Polynesia and include Tahiti, the capital of which is Papeete where we spent much of the time.  It was a shock to get back to a town with heavy traffic and lots of people and shops after the last 4 months of island life. We spent more time in Papeete than we wanted, not out of choice!

Working on the Boat (22 – 24 April).

We had arranged to have the boat hauled out to have the anti-fouling done which Andy and Emma did (I have anti-fouling and preferred to pay them than do it myself). So Catherine and I spent three days fixing things on the boat which kept us more than busy for the three days while Andy and Emma scrapped, sanded and anti-fouled the boat. Andy also checked our rig for us when he found that two of the terminals had failed with 6-8 wires snapped out of the 15 wires that make up the stays. It was too dangerous to sail the boat in that condition (we would lose our mast if they failed completely) and we arranged for a rigger to replace them. Unfortunately he was off to the Pearl Regatta the next day and would not be back for 10 days!

We had picked up some growth on the way!

After pressure washing

I contacted the only other rigger on the island who could do the work in the next few days. He started off by telling me that the rigging was poorly designed, that we should think of replacing the deck fitting, the wires were too small for the boat and the terminals were all wrong. He did not have the exact terminals we needed but could drill out the next size down and that would be OK. But he would advise having them replaced in Australia. And it was going to cost $2000, in cash up front, and we only had 30 minutes to decide since he needed to book the wharf next to his workshop. He did not inspire any trust and so we decided to wait the 10 days for the other person.

Catherine and I slept on the boat while it was out of the water while Chris found a hotel. Originally we were going to have a couple of nights of luxury in a hotel as well but with so much to do on the boat it was better that we stayed on the boat to complete all the jobs and source all the parts we needed. The local chandlers was 20 minutes walk but did not have everything we needed. So I would be out at 8am walking to the three Chandlers, buying yet spares for the boat, getting back 2 hours later, hot exhausted and carrying large quantities of pumps, anti-fouling, bulbs, wires, connectors etc. We should have hired a car!

Meeting up with an Old Friend

I had not been in contact with Chloe since I was 18 and last saw her in Brittany when I had stayed with her parents and sisters for a couple of summers to learn French. She in turn had stayed with us in England over Christmas.  I had seen her parents in Brittany and Paris a couple of times but Chloe had moved to Tahiti with her now husband Thierry soon after leaving Tahiti so I had not seen her since.

Their house in in Tahiti Viti (the smaller of the two islands making up Tahiti) about 70km from the Papeete and 5km up a steep road. Our hire car had to take some of the hills in first gear. We met one of her friends who was also staying with her and spent a very enjoyable evening over a BBQ a few drinks.

The next morning they took us on a tour of the Tahiti Viti. We visited one of the local churches with the locals smartly dressed and all the ladies wearing hats. Still a very religious community. Driving to the Southern tip of the island, we walked around one of the most beautiful parts of the island, only accessible by foot and where they had once lived. Now very fashionable, expensive and more densely populated. We learnt a lot about life on the island from someone who had made their home there.

After a late lunch we made our way back along the West coast back to the Marina. Later in the week Chloe came to Papeete to see the boat and say goodbye as we were soon to be off.

We find a Windlass

We receive a call from the Agent who had found one windlass on the island that may be what we needed. I had toured all the Chandlers without success so I was a little sceptical that it would be what we needed. When I first saw it the gypsy on the top was for rope and not anchor chain but it looked the right dimensions to fit with our existing gypsy. After measuring the fittings on our current anchor windlass (including the shaft dimensions with a micrometer) I went back and confirmed it was a perfect match. As a visiting yacht we could buy large equipment duty free after filling out all the paperwork and getting Customs approval which took 24 hours.

The only snag in fitting it was that the top of the windlass was not wide enough to allow the bolts from the deck plate to go inside but we had already decided we could use the existing fitting with a little ingenuity. Using the angle grinder, Chris and I cut off the top fitting off the old windlass (no going back now), cutting through ½” cast steel to make a large collar to provide the space we needed for the deck fitting bolts. The fitting and wiring up of the windlass took a further 90 minutes and we were up and running with a more powerful windlass that we had before. And what a difference that made when anchoring!

Morea

Anxious to leave Papeete and see some of the other islands, we motored across to Morea, an island 10 miles to the NE of Tahiti. The anchorage was picturesque and nicely sheltered from the rough weather we had on passage to get there. It is a holiday island where many people stay rather than staying in Tahiti and has a couple of large hotels as well as quite a few restaurants.

The first evening we strolled along to the Hilton and had cocktails on the balcony overlooking the sea. Indeed we went there every evening we stayed on the island, taking advantage of their two for one cocktails during happy hour, arriving just before sunset.

In the morning Chris went for a run and Catherine and I thought we would walk to the town, just around the creak. After an hour of walking in blazing hot sunshine and only just getting to the bridge, we gave that up and walked back. Chris caught us up from his run and the town was at least as far again from the bridge and there was next to nothing in the town. So good decision not to keep walking.

We rented two scooters the next day with Chris taking one and Catherine riding on the back of mine. What fun that was, touring the island and stopping off at a café for morning coffee overlooking the reef. The fruit juices were made of pure fruit by the café and they were laying out the tables for lunch. It was only 11 o’clock so too early to eat and we thought we would find another one further round the island, not aware that outside of the hotels, there were only a couple of other restaurants and that was the best of them.

We stopped at many places along the way to take pictures and appreciate the island. It felt like we were on holiday. We ended up near to where the boat was moored before we found another restaurant and had a very nice pizza and salad for lunch.

Pulling up the anchor the next morning was a pleasure and it made us realise how under powered the previous windlass had been. So I was very pleased and it felt like it was not just fixing something broken but actually a big improvement so worth the money.

Back to Tahiti

We arrived back in Tahiti on the Tuesday afternoon, but this time going into Taina Marina where the rigger was based. It is far out from Papeete and there is nothing much close by apart from a huge Carrefour which was the first time since Gran Canaria that we had found such a well stocked supermarket. It made provisioning easy.

We got a message from the rigger to say that he had been delayed in getting back by the Northerly winds and so would not be there for another 3 days. With the heat, thunderstorms and lack of much to do there we were all felt trapped although we did get on with more jobs on the boat, not least of all fixing the gas regulator that was leaking.

On the Friday the rigger turned up and assured us he would be finished by 4pm and we prepared the boat to leave on an overnight passage to Raiatea where the next leg was due to start on the Sunday. The rigger did finish by 4pm but the succession of thunderstorms for the next 36 hours meant we could not leave. Another night of frustration.

On Saturday, we decided to wait until one thunderstorm went through and then head back to Morea, just to get out of the marina. We arrived there before the next thunderstorm  and had a BBQ on the back of the boat. All our moods lifted.

Off to Raiatea

The next day we set off for Raiatea, timing our entrance for first light to make going through the reefs safer. We had missed the start but decided we would leave the next morning but our plans were dashed when the mainsail would not furl in. something had broken and it took us two days to figure out what was wrong and fix it. It meant two trips up the mast for me and removing and refitting the main sail three times. Fortunately we were moored against the wharf so folding the main was relatively easy – it is a big sail to fold up.

Apart from the main strip of shops, there was not much on the island. And there was not much in the shops either. But we did have some enjoyable lunches with Andy and Emma and Barry and Caroline while we worked out how to fix the main furling system.

Chris had been out running and seen an Italian restaurant just done the round so one night we all set off for dinner. An hour later and asking directions from two different people we found the restaurant and had some very good pizzas. Chris’s estimate that it was 400 yards along the round was way out and even he was starting to think we must have walked past it and not noticed it. He took a lot of ribbing over that one.

Despite the forecast of no winds for the next four days, we decided we would set off anyway as we were three days behind the main fleet and we wanted to go to Suwarrow on the way to Nuie. At least we were back on passage.

Tuatmoto Islands

Tuamoto islands 14 April to 21 April

We picked Manihi as our first stop in the Tuamoto Islands since it was on route to the other islands and just a four day sail away. The Tuamoto Islands are Atolls, essentially the top of the crater of volcanos that have sunk. They are very low lying, three metres above sea level scattered around in a giant circle creating a lagoon in the centre protected by the reef. There are only a few entry points into the lagoon and so the large volume of water in the lagoon comes in and out through tiny gaps. 

Although the tide is only 0.5 metres, the tide rips through the small gaps at up to 6 knots, with steep standing waves making entry precarious. We arrived at 30 minutes after high water (advice is to arrive at either high or low water) and we struggled against the flow of water out of the lagoon. It was rough!

Manihi

We celebrated my birthday here

We anchored at first attempt although the anchor did drag before it bit which we thought nothing of at the time – we know better now. The island has 600 in habitants living on an island that is 2 miles long and ½ mile wide. It does have some supermarkets (or small corner shops as we would call them) and two small cafés. As it was my birthday when we arrived, we celebrated with a meal in one of the Cafes. Choosing a meal or drinks was easy since there were only 5 things on the menu. Afterwards we spent an hour walking around the island (a complete tour) but we loved the island. The people were so friendly and we could get some basic provisions in the supermarket, including much needed beer.

The main road in Manihi

Surprisingly they had cars on the island even though it was only 2 miles long – all French cars of course.

We went across to one of the other islands, and on advice from the local Baker, we hailed a passing boat to take us across. He would not expect any payment and it was just part of what they do. The island was a coconut farm with a few families living in some nice houses, all with French cars. Coconuts are their only export and they send them to Tahiti on the weekly supply boat that brings in supplies to the island

We left to go to Fakarava the following day after some assistance from another boat to haul up our anchor. The reason the anchor suddenly bit was that the chain wrapped itself around a coral head, jamming it tight. The only other boat in the anchorage offered some assistance and fortunately had air tanks and they dived down the 15m to free the anchor chain. All this took 30 minutes to free and we would still be there but for their help! But it also meant that rather than leaving at high tide as we planned, we left an hour later when the tide was ripping out of the lagoon – we shot out there at 9 knots but at least we could retrace our steps to keep clear of the shallows. With only 2m depths in places it was still heart stopping going at that speed with only 40cm under the keel.

Fakarava

We headed for Fakarava because Andy and Emma had emailed us to say how good it was. Originally we were going to avoid it since it was the most touristy of the Tuamoto islands. It has one hotel and a cruise ship visits there twice a year. The entry was challenging since the lagoon is 30 miles wide and 15 miles across and that the water flows in and out through two entrances and very fast. As we approached we could see the standing waves and we aborted our first attempt as it was too rough. We found a route through, going into the shallow water which brought its own anxiety as it was only 30m from the reef.

There were five other boats from the Arc and we spent five wonderful days exploring the island and meeting up with the other boats. It felt like we were on holiday. And best of all there was a mooring buoy which the locals allowed us to use as we did not have an anchor windlass. What a relief that was after our last experience in Manihi of pulling up the anchor.

Stop for a quick drink on route - again!

We hired bikes with Andy and Emma to tour the nearest island (only 15 miles long and ½ mile wide) visiting the airport (weekly flight from Tahiti), Pearl Farm and every bar only the way – all three of them. It does have a couple of hotels but seemingly very few guests. Lunch was in a bar with a wooden terrace built over the water and the burgers were excellent.

While we were in the Pearl Farm, Andy and Emma went to the local supermarket to buy some beer and wine to take back to the boat (they had already been to the Pearl Farm so did not go in with us). We found them outside sitting on a beach overlooking the reef watching the waves crash over.

Make shfit wine glasses

So we had a few beers on the beach and then Andy decided that we should have some wine. So with a piece of Coral, he cut the top of the beer cans and fashioned some wine glasses. We cycled back the 10km, drinking red wine out of the makeshift wine glasses, until we reached the hotel which Andy insisted we should visit as it was a beautiful setting which indeed it was.

Sharks swim along the beach

We spent many a day at the hotel after that, swimming in the sea with 2m sharks swimming around us. The first time was scary although we knew they were only reef sharks but they are huge and look menacing. We took out some canoes one day and had lunch and dinner there on other days. The views were stunning across the lagoon.

We spent one night on Aretha, invited for dinner with Andy and Emma also (who had been working on the boat that day). Casper cooked a leg of lamb with roast potatoes and vegetables for all 11 of us while Nicola (his wife) cleared up the boat after the day’s work (tools everywhere, cushions up – just like when we do work on our boat). Casper is sailing with his wife and three children (3,7 and 10) around the world with the Arc which makes you feel that anything is possible. We had a very good evening.

Leaving Fakarava was easy since we were tied up to a buoy and Pentagram (Andy and Emma) left at the same time to go to Tahiti. Just a two day sail. As we approached the pass I decided that we would put away the mainsail since it looked rough, the wind had risen to 25 knots and the boat is more manoeuvrable under motor so we could avoid the worst of the waves. Just as we started into the entrance, the engine alarm went off (overheating) so we had to switch it off.

With 25 knots of wind behind us and 3 knots of tide against us and standing waves all around us we were in a slightly tight spot. We unfurled the genoa to punch us through the tide but that was not enough and we were getting swept towards the reef at the edge. We managed to get out enough of the mainsail (with 25 knots of wind behind us – not easy) and we sailed out into safe water. Phew!

With a two day sail to Tahiti, it gave me some time to fix the problem since you cannot sail into Tahiti harbour because of the conditions in the entrance. I found that we had lost all our cooling water in the engine but could not find the leak. So we filled up the water again and tested if the engine would last 1 hour since that is how long I calculated we would need it to get into the harbour in Tahiti and tie up in the marina. It all worked out OK and we safely tied up with a huge relief.

Marquessa Islands

French Polynesia 26 March to 9 May

We visited three of the 5 groups of islands – Marquessa, Tuamoto and Society islands (which includes Tahiti).

Hiva Oa

The first day at anchor was a relief and after completing all the formalities, including a visit to the Police Station to show our passports, we headed for the nearest bar. In fact the only bar where we had lunch and a few drinks before they shut at 2 o’clock. They only open for 3 hours a day during the week at lunchtime, and Friday and Saturday evening. A quick walk around the Gaugin exhibition (he lived in the region for 6 years) and then off to the shops to get some basic supplies.

Dinner was at Alex’s place, a house in the hills overlooking the bay. He came to the dock to pick us up where we met up with the usual crowd – Pentagram and Wayward Wind. The journey up there was interesting to say the least, up a very steep gradient on a gravel road with tight bends requiring Alex to back up a few times to negotiate the corners. Not somewhere to walk up to and certainly not down after a few drinks!

Alex’s place is not the normal type of restaurant. He has a pool, table football and full size pool table for his invited guests to use and his wife does the cooking. You get what she has cooked that day and that is it. You help yourselves to drinks and just tell him at the end of the evening what you have taken. It was a great night and beautiful setting, looking out high above the bay. Thankfully he took us all back in his car back to our boats.

Pifa explaining tribal rituals

Martin is the one on the right

We had organised a tour of the island the next day with a local guide, Pifa, who was also the local fireman and sea rescue. After 15Km, the road stopped, just after the only roundabout on the island, and we were on dirt tracks for the next 6 hours. Dirt tracks that were very uneven, full of potholes making for not the most comfortable car journeys. However, Pifa was an excellent guide, taking us to the ancient sites where the original tribes lived, explaining the meaning of the Tikis (stone statues) and the local rituals. This included how they eat people, some captured during wars with other tribes and others that were voluntary – it was an honour to be eaten by the chief and so people volunteered.

 

Pifa's familly home

Open air bedroom

We also went to visit his family, to see where he grew up and where he went to school. It took him 1.5 hours each day to get to school on a horse, trekking over hills and down valleys since there were (and still not) any roads. His grandfather owns a vast farm and he overloaded us with bananas and grapefruit cut straight from the tree. We must have had over 300 bananas to take back with us in four bunches from banana trees which he hacked down (the whole tree) since they only produce fruit once. But there again, it takes only four months for the tree to grow back and produce a new crop of bananas.

 

The people live very simply and part of their culture is that they all plant fruit trees in their gardens, so fruit is in abundance. Hospitality is also part of their culture so despite the fact they are relatively poor (no electricity, very few cars, living in simple houses with little furniture) we were overwhelmed with their hospitality and generosity.

The next day the fridge failed again and I traced the problem to the water pump which had stopped working altogether so the compressor could not cool down. So no freezer again, fridge warm and we ended up using the freezer to store fridge items. Fortunately most of the food had gone by then.

Then it was off to the nearby island for a rally rendezvous with the people from the local village providing food and entertainment for the afternoon. All we had to do was pull up the anchor and motor the 5 miles across to the island. Two hours later we just managed to free the anchor from a discarded fish cage on the bottom of the harbour with Martin, Chris and I using all out strength to get it to the surface. The angle grinder managed to cut it away and we got to the rendezvous three hours late, missing the traditional dancing and arriving at the tail end of lunch. 

Martin after winning one final

Catherine beating Chris in the other Final

However we did manage to join in the Boule competition with the locals in the afternoon before arranging a compeition among the rally boats. Catherine won one of the competitions and Martin won the other so 100% success rate for Afar VI. Chris managed to get to one final and my contribution was modest - more of a coach than actually winning any games!

Our problems with the fridge and anchor windlass palled into insignificance compared to Hugar whose generator first of all caught fire and then their engine mounting bolts sheered allowing water to pour in through the stern gland. It took two other boats with pumps to get the water under control and seal the leak. Amazingly someone in the village managed to weld the bolts so that they could use the motor again. If that had happened on the 3000 mile journey across to the Marquessa islands they would have sunk.  I checked my engine bolts the next day.

Martin was due to leave from the Marquessa islands and he managed to book a flight to Tahiti from Nuku Hiva, an island 70 miles to the North.  So we set off to Nuku Hiva where there was someone who repaired boat fridges and freezers. Catherine and I spent three frustrating days trying to get the problem fixed along with windlass only to have neither fixed. At least they identified the problem – with the windlass it was gear that had stripped and we confirmed that the cooling water pump on the freezer had given up. However, the engineer (a loose term) did suggest a resolution for the fridge/freezer which eventually worked but not until we got to Tahiti and could buy an alternative pump.

It was sad to see Martin leave. We had some very good evenings in Niku Hiva, visiting the local hotel for dinner with Andy and Emma and various other restaurants (there were only three on the island). I was pleased that Martin had come back and sailed the Pacific after not competing the Atlantic, fulfilling his dream and providing such good company along the way.

Before we left we filled up with fuel which started well. Pulling up the anchor was not too difficult and we dropped anchor by the fuel pumps and motored backwards to tie up to the dock. Not an easy manoeuvre and particularly with the cross wind made it even more tricky but we managed it on the first try. Re-anchoring back in the bay was more challenging and the anchor did not bite until the third try meaning that we had pulled the anchor up by hand five times in one morning! I decided the anchor windlass was our top priority!

Galapagos to Marquesa

Galapagos to Marquesa 4 March to 31 March

This is the longest part of the entire journey at just over 3000 miles across the Pacific. The early part of the journey was expected to be in light winds until we got down to 6 degrees South and then we would pick up the trade winds to go almost due West to the Marquesa Islands, heading for Hiva Oa as our first stop. On board were John, Catherine, Martin and Chris.

And We are Off

First three days were very light winds and we were only doing 4 knots or so but decided not to motor to conserve fuel for later in the journey if needed. We caught two Tuna on the second day and as it was so calm we BBQ’d on the back of the boat.

On day 4, just as it was getting dark there was a loud bang as the shackle on the genoa halyard broke dumping the sail into the water. It was still attached to the front stay and was dragging the sail alongside the boat.  It took the four of us half an hour to get the sail back on the boat and secured with ropes to the stanchions – nothing else to be done that night. The halyard itself was at the top of the mast and could only be retrieved by going up the mast.

So I steeled myself for using the spare halyard to go up the mast and retrieve the original genoa halyard with the broken shackle. We had to wait 24 hours before the waves were calm enough to even consider it and I was not looking forward to it. A slight movement at deck level translates into a big movement at the top of the mast and a much faster motion so you get flung from side to side. I wore as much padding as I could before going up and clung onto the mast for dear life to avoid being swung from side to side. Apart from dropping the tools halfway up and having to get them attached to a line to be sent up to me, it went quite smoothly. I was only slightly bruised after my adventure up the mast and it was great relief when I got down and we had the halyard. An hour later the sail was back up and we were on course again.

Martin with the Mark II Lure

Next day we caught a Mahi Mahi which was to be our last of the trip. We (aka Martin) lost all our  lures on route with either fish snapping the line or catching a fish and a bigger fish taking our fish and snapping the line. Martin decided that he would make some lures - Mark 1 was made out of tin foil which did not fool any of the fish and so Martin set work on Mark II with the finger of a rubber glove, some rubber gas hose and a fish hook.  It looked the part from our point of view, but the fish did not agree. It was not for the want of trying that we did not catch anything, Martin was up each day with the fishing line convinced that we would be having fish for dinner. The rest of the crew just got on cooking what we had planned with the occasional innocent question “have you caught anything Martin?”  Not sure who was more fed up with the question, us or Martin. 

 Apart from a few squalls that hit us during the second week during the night (and they always come at night) the wind was perfect and the sea reasonably calm for the most part. A few nights cooking was a challenge because of the waves but that was only a few nights.

First 1500 Miles was fast

We completed the first 1500 miles in 11 days which given the slow start and the problems with the genoa was much better than expected. The wind was good until we reached 1200 miles to go when it started to fade and our daily mileage fell from 135 miles per day to around 60 at the worst point. The sea was very calm and we were doing between 1 and 2 knots under sail supplemented by the engine to charge the batteries and give us some forward motion. However, we could not afford to motor for long as we needed a good reserve to run the generator each day until we arrived. And at the speed we were doing with no end in sight to the calm weather it was going to take us another 3-4 weeks to get there on top of the 2 weeks we had already spent at sea. Food and fuel were both a concern but not critical.

In the third week to add to our lack of wind, the freezer defrosted when we got an airlock in the cooling system. It meant that all the meat we had needed to be cooked and we were not sure if the freezer had permanently given up or was just overwhelmed by the heat and lack of cooling water. It was Catherine who found the airlock and fortunately once it was cleared the freezer started to cool down again but it took 3 days to get back to freezing point. This meant that we could cook all the meat and re-freeze it. If nothing else it gave us something to do to take our minds off the lack of wind.

Next day we decided to go for a swim in the Pacific, in 3900 metres of water. It was with some trepidation therefore that we jumped in and swam round the boat. It was surprisingly warm and very clear although there was no sign of any life but you could hear the faint noise of the Jaws theme music in your head!

Our swim around the boat highlighted how much growth we had picked up on the hull in the Galapagos islands.  It was the worst I have ever seen with growth of ½ inch all over the boat which was slowing the boat by at least ¾ of a knot. The next day we went back into the water, with Chis in the dinghy and me snorkelling along the other side. Half an hour convinced of the folly of what we were trying to do – even the slight swell meant I was bashed against the boat and the barnacles continually which was painful. Chris had no luck in the dingy as the growth was well and truly attached to the underside. In conversation with some of the other boats, it was clear they had the same problem and one other had also tried to swim round the boat and clean it off but to no avail.

With 1000 miles to go, we reckoned we were 9 days away assuming the wind picked up moderately. For the next 4 mornings we looked at the mileage completed during the last 24 hours, the mileage left to go and recalculated the expected arrival date. Everyday the answer was still another 9 days left to go despite an having spent another day at sea - the wind seemed bent on reducing day on day and our mileage decreased similarly.  After 7 days, we finally got 10 knots of breeze and were making a heady 4 knots of speed – almost 100 miles per day. We decided we could live with that and we could see the end in sight, even if it was still 7 days left!

During our Voyage, Chris, Martin and I had a beard growing contest. Apart from anything it was something to do (or rather not do) and none of us had grown a beard before. Chris looked more like a terrorist and Martin was not too impressed with his effort. So after three weeks Martin and Chris shaved off the beard and looked human again. I decided to keep the beard to give me that lived in look.

 

Team Cribbage

During the light winds we were able to play cards on deck and so we played team cribbage. Martin and myself against Catherine and Chris. We played a rubber each night before dinner and it was highly competitive. Curiously Martin and I kept winning. Curiously because Martin would miss most of the points in his hand when adding up his score which meant he made decisions on which cards to keep based on what he thought the value of the points were. He always seemed to have the highest points in each hand, regularly scoring 15+ points which made the games very short. No-one was sure how he achieved this so consistently!

The Final Few Days

The wind picked up for a few days but then back to 10-12 knots and we were at back at less than 5 knots of boat speed and we were all feeling that we just wanted to get there. Food was getting pretty tight with no vegetables or salad left and it was a case of what to do with the mostly cooked chicken that was in the freezer that had been part cooked after the de-frosting incident. During the light winds it was incredibly hot on board the boat which made sleeping fitful and everyone fairly listless during the day. Needing to change the sails or sort out a problem was welcome as it meant we could rally round something. Otherwise we spent a lot of time reading.

We each spent 3 hours on watch on our own so that we only had to do one watch each night. It was the time when you could read, look at the stars and just enjoy being alone at night in the ocean and everyone agreed that it was one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey.

Nearly There

We were about 20 miles away with land in sight when a squall hit us just as we were going between two islands at night. Winds came up to 30 knots and headed us straight for one of the islands and with the genoa goose winged with the pole up it took three of us to reef the sails and get the boat back under control.  A good wake up call before we got into Hiva Oa.

We arrived at 4am into the bay we were due to stay but could not enter the anchorage because it was too dark and the anchorage too tight. So we anchored outside and decided we would have our first beer for 26 days. The next morning we were rewarded with a lovely setting which in the midst and rain (our first for months) still looked stunning.

We were all up early to get up the anchor and find a spot to anchor in the bay. Windlass failed after a few minutes and we ended up hauling the anchor up by hand – or rather Chris and Martin did. Thirty minutes later we anchored and we could relax.

We are 4000 miles into the Pacific with the French Polynesia Islands to explore over the next 6 weeks. We start in the Marquesa Islands and then onto the Tuamotu group of Islands (Atolls which are sparsely populated) before finishing in Raiatea on 10 May.