It has been a long time since I posted and much has happened. The problem has been lack of decent internet.
Our passage from La Cruz to the Marquesas lasted 20 days. The passage was good enough, no major storms, nothing important broke. Unfortunately the wind was rarely behind us and the seas were mostly ‘confused’ which means significant swells/waves were coming from two or more different directions making for a somewhat uncomfortable ride. We also had a 1 to 2 knot current opposing us until we got south of the equator. This meant that even if we were sailing at 6 knots through the water, our actual progress (or ‘speed over ground’, SOG) was only 4 knots. But for the last week, after we got south of the equator we had the current behind us which helped a lot.
We arrived in Nuka Hiva, in the Marquesas, May 11.
Checkin was straight forward due to prep work we had done and having hired an ‘agent’ to help with the forms/customs/immigration details. There was a very nice tour of the island where we learned a lot about the history, culture, plants and economy. After a couple days Peggy flew home to help her mom. I continued with our other crew, Don and Celeste. We spent several days in Nuka Hiva.
We did some re-provisioning but fresh veggies were in short supply so we could not get everything we wanted. We also could not refill our propane tank which we need for cooking. We have 2 and one had run out over a week earlier on the passage so we were a bit stressed about not being able to refill.
Our next stop was Ua Pou, about 30 nm away and an easy day sail.
Ua Pou is a smaller island with a few small towns and some nice hiking. We hiked up to a waterfall that had a great pool where we sat and had our scalp and shoulders massaged by the falling water.
Next stop was Tahuata, an overnight sail, beating directly into the wind. We arrived at Viatahu Bay in the morning with winds in the high 20s coming over the steep mountains and hitting us pretty hard. At least the seas were not rough. We spent one night there and moved on to Hanamoe (sp?) Bay which is a gorgeous and well protected bay with white sand and palm trees and no inhabitants. The water was clear and warm. A great place for a few days rest.
Then on to Hiva Oa where we could get more provisions, do some hiking and get ready for the passage to the Tuamotus. Here we picked up another crew, Scott, from Hilo Hawaii, and a friend of Don and Celeste.
The Atuona anchorage in Hiva Oa was a bit crowded and we ended up with a regular bow anchor and a stern anchor to keep us from swinging with the change of wind and current. I struggle with stern anchors and this time was no different. Ended up bending a stanchion where the stern anchor line pushed against it with a night wind shift and the stern line got wrapped around the stbd rudder. Took us about 90 minutes of snorkel diving to get that sorted out.
We were able to get a propane tank refilled here and after about 4 days we left for the Tuamotus.