Hiva Oa, 4-13-2017
We've been just over
a week in Hiva Oa and are ready to head south about 45 miles, to the
Bay of Virgins on the island of Fatu Hiva, one of the most beautiful
anchorages in the South Pacific. It's also where Thor Heyerdahl and
his wife spent a year in the 1930's and began to develop his ideas
about Polynesian settlement.
Unfortunately, it
appears the wind isn't ready to take us south. The forecast is for
north and northwest winds, which are great in terms of direction, but
they're predicted to be very light. It looks like we might get a
brief opportunity early next week. We took on water and provisions
today, so are ready when the wind is. Winds from those directions
are unusual here in the tradewind belt. Most sailors have been
commenting on the unusual tradewind weather and resulting slow
passages.
The harbor continues
to be a busy place, with 1 or 2 sailboats arriving each day, all of
them from either the west coast of Mexico or from the Galapagos,
having come through the Panama Canal.
The majority are
from Europe, mostly Sweden, but also Denmark, Switzerland and France.
The mix of languages is fun to listen to. English though, is
clearly the universal language. Even when a boatload of
Scandinavians get together, if they're not from the same country they
generally speak English.
We hope to spend a
week or so in Fatu Hiva, then sail northeast to the island of Tahuatu
for a few days. From Tahuatu we plan to sail further north to Nuku
Hiva, where we'll again have access to internet.
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| Poor Minimus is reduced to a clothesline |
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| Our newfound Scandinavian friends on Sea Wolf. From Pearl and going right to left is Sebastian from Denmark and the captain of Sea Wolf, Anameta a Danish crew member, Kim a Danish crew member, Mikel a Danish crew member, Lasse a Norwegian crew member, Tron a Danish crew member and Alexis from Sweden. It was Sebastian, Lasse and Tron who helped us retrieve our stuck anchor. Thanks guys! |
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| David takes water jugs to shore. |
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| One of David's rashes from sea lice, actually an immature form of jellyfish, when we bathed in saltwater during the voyage. The stings itch mildly, but are slow to resolve even after more than a month. |
We don't worry about you on land so it's been three days since I checked in. That's a might ugly looking sea lice rash. I knew they attached to migrating salmon, not a crazy old coot sailor. Hey, we played bocce on frozen Fish Lake yesterday. Quite the opposite of "bed bocce". I hope you've been pleasantly distracted by green plants and fresh food.
ReplyDeleteI'm checking into the Paul Gauguin Society. I see they're offering 7 night "Luxury Cruises" beginning at $5,300 each in French Polynesia. I'm wondering if you might be able to match that? (They have a spa. And complementary art lessons.) But obviously, they wouldn't have nearly the quality of "hands on" activities, fine dining, and sparkling conversation. Bon Voyage and Safe Travels. Joe
And they wouldn't have a "boatload of scandinavians". What a different world you are in. I am in the canyonlands of Utah. Quite a different desert than the Sonoran or Mohave. Boy voyage. Eat a tropical fruit for me.
ReplyDeleteBon voyage
ReplyDelete