Nuku Hiva, 6-30-2017--Fishing

By Pearl

Fish and fishing are central features of life in the Marqueses.  Having spent this much time in Nuku Hiva, we've had a better chance to observe how important fish is in the diet and the daily routine of life in this village.  

Nearly every evening fishermen go offshore in 16-18' open boats with outboard engines. The fishing ground is several miles offshore, where a surface buoy is anchored in about 1000' of water. Attached to the buoy are several ropes with knots in them. A reef quickly begins to form on the ropes, which in turn attracts small fish. Tuna are lured to the area by the small fish.

The fishermen stop their boats upwind of the bouy, then pay out a parachute type sea anchor and set out their fishing lines. The fishing boat slowly drifts downwind past the buoy and the tuna are caught.

When I get up just at dawn I will sometimes see these boats returning with their catch.  They off-load at the dock, where tables are set up for cleaning and for selling the fish.

Also prized are small red fish called meaukua.

Although fish may be grilled or fried here, raw is clearly preferred.

Boat returning at dawn with the night's catch.

Yellow fin tuna is king.

Filleting takes no time at all.

Half a huge tuna is sold in each bag.  We've never bought any because it's way too much for us.

There are several venders cleaning and selling along the dock.

Meaukua fish off-loaded.

Meaukuas

One morning there were also octopus being tenderized and sold.

An octopus going into a bag.

The raw fish menu at one of the restaurants.  The poisson cru (French for raw fish) lait de coco is the local favorite.

A plate of poisson cru lair de coco with cooked bananas on the side.

Nuku Hiva, 6-27-2017--Flu

By David

Both of us are still sick and Pearl had a rough night with sore throat and slight fever.  Nonetheless, we've been working on a new strategy to break the bureaucratic log jam.

Yesterday Pearl worked with the doctor here in Nuku Hiva on a letter that contains the doctor's recommendation that given my recent life-threatening illness, we not sail more than 4 days from a hospital during the next 2 months.  We sent it, along with an email explaining our situation, to the high commissioner of immigration in Tahiti.  We also sent attachments of everything we could think of.  9 attachments total.

After having spent almost 5 hours getting the email out, we headed back to the boat yesterday evening feeling that we'd done a good thing.  This afternoon when we arrived at the Snack and opened email, we discovered that even though the email had said "sent", it didn't go through.  Too many attachments.

So, we just went through the whole thing again, this time sending 10 different emails. We'll see what happens. Our hope is that we'll get the extension, though it's probably unlikely.  If we do, it eases the pressure to leave here next week.  That would be good, since Pearl is very reluctant to leave before we know more about how I respond after the current antibiotics, which I'll be finishing tomorrow.

If we don't hear back by Monday, we'll check out of the country, since our deadline is Wednesday.  If we do that, but stay here awhile longer, it could get dicey if the gendarmes see us around town.

Meanwhile, we're evaluating all options.  Those include ending the sailing trip somewhere here in French Polynesia.  Ending here in Nuku Hiva is probably not viable because disposing of the boat would be very difficult to impossible.  We likely could find a buyer in Tahiti or Raiatea if we had some time, but that would require getting the 2 month extension.

We also haven't by any means given up on continuing to sail west after French Polynesia, but feel it's necessary to be looking at all options.

Chuck and Karen.  Chuck is the retired ER doc who checked David out.

David and Hella from Scotland.  David is another doctor who puzzled over David's recent illness.

Two boat kids, one Polish and the other Dutch, make fast friends.

Nuku Hiva, 6-25-2017--Flu

By Pearl

Thanks for everyone's good wishes, encouragement and prayers.

I'm happy to report that while David is nowhere close to being back to normal, his temperature is near normal and he's feeling somewhat better.  He even came with me through some pretty impressive surf to spend some social time at the Snack.  

It just happens that our nearest boat neighbors, Chuck and Karen, are a couple from Banff, Alberta.  Chuck is a retired ER doctor whose obvious love of diagnosis was piqued when I told him about David's recent medical saga.  He said he was awake part of the night thinking it over.  

He invited us over to their boat this morning to hear more about the case and for him to check David out.  First he sat and asked questions for about half an hour, then did a careful physical exam.  He concurred with Ramesh that this latest bug was probably a separate event from the septicemia, which probably hit David harder than others because he wasn't fully recovered from the septicemia yet.  

Chuck's comment at the end was "This is a really complex case.  It's one for the books."

His gentle approach and encouragement meant a lot to us.  We're still left with many questions and uncertainties and still find ourselves spending full time trying to figure out how we're going to dodge the requirement to be out of the country by July 5 while giving David time to recover and get the boat ready.  

It's been really hard to watch our friends head to sea one by one and disappear from our lives, not knowing when or if we can follow them. 

Meanwhile, there's a new crowd at the Snack, the uke's are humming and, at least for the moment, it  feels like life is on the upswing.    

Nuku Hiva, 6-23-2017--Flu

By Pearl

I'm sending a brief post today to include folks who may not be following our texts on the Garmin satellite messenger. I'm sorry that we're back on the medical, instead of the adventure, theme again.

David finished his 6-week course of antibiotics on Monday of this week. We rejoiced in that on Tuesday, as we made a list of maintenance items to be done before departing.

One of the symptoms of his original illness was a persistent tickle-in-the-throat cough. It was very annoying both to him and to those talking with him (me mostly), as every other sentence was interrupted by a cough, but in the scope of his whole illness it didn't receive a lot of attention either from us or the doctors. He had a CT scan done of his chest while in Tahiti, and nothing abnormal was noted.

The cough gradually receded and was almost resolved when he finished the antibiotics, but was back within 24 hours (Tuesday evening) of taking the last amoxicillin capsule. By the next day he also started feeling a sore throat, and was running a fever. With the help of a fellow sailor (also a doctor) I got him to shore and Kevin of Yacht Services drove him up to the hospital.

The doctor, one of those who had cared for him before, looked in his throat and prescribed another antibiotic, saying that they are seeing a lot of patients with throat infections at this time. She assumed it is simply one of the infections going around and made no connection with his septicemia, despite our attempts to convey our concerns about exactly that. He came back with me to Minimus, for which he was grateful.

Of course we feel that it seems more than coincidental that David had just finished his antibiotics, and consulted our physician friend, Ramesh, who had cared for David while he was in Tucson. He recommended a couple labs, which we had done yesterday, but the working diagnosis by the doctors here is still a simple throat infection. He's to go back to the hospital tomorrow (Saturday) morning if the fever isn't resolved by then.

Meanwhile David is still not feeling well at all, with a fever ranging between 100 and 102 degrees. He's just lying on his bunk, sleeping a lot, rising on his elbow to take meals and liquids and taking Tylenol to help with the discomforts of the fever. Sometimes he's chilled, and other times his shirt is drenched with sweat. This is not the active, adventurous, socializing David that you know and love. In spite of all of the above, he has still not lost his sometimes dark sense of humor and he wonders whether it would be better to be buried in the Nuku Hiva cemetery or be dumped overboard at sea. He tends to favor the latter.

Needless to say, this has me deeply concerned. All positive thoughts, prayers, “holding in the light,” are greatly appreciated, both for his health and for our understanding of how to proceed in figuring out what is happening.

Nuku Hiva, 6-20-2017--Road trip

By David

Before relating our adventure of yesterday, we'd like to acknowledge an extraordinary gift that made yesterday's adventure possible, as well as many future adventures that we hope to share with you. About a month ago Christine Curtis, a friend from Tucson, wrote to us offering a gift to encourage us to take advantage of opportunities for exploration in the islands along our journey--specifically for activities that might not otherwise fit into our budget. We will be using that gift to fund exploratory activities that we will report on, today's post being the first of these. We, and all of you who enjoy reading these posts, have Christine's extraordinary generosity to thank. So, a huge thanks to you Christine! 

We had quite an adventuresome road trip yesterday, with rain being the theme of the day. 

Rain, often hard, fell during much of the night. The weather broke at dawn, encouraging us onward like fools. Our companions for the day were Amy and Matt, a couple in their 30's from England. They're currently a year out aboard their 37' sailboat Florence. We met them recently and quickly struck a rapport, with similar interests in camping, sea kayaking, sailing on a budget, etc. They proved to be great companions for the day's exploration.

We rented a vehicle and covered much of the east half of Nuku Hiva, where most of the archeological sites are, as well as much of the island's most striking scenery. It was also a journey into literary history as we retraced the steps and anchorages of Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. 

Our rental vehicle was a Toyota Hilux, probably the most popular truck in the Marquesas. Fortunately it had 4-wheel drive, which would become more and more useful as the day went on. 

From Tiaohae Bay where we've been anchored, the road switchbacks steeply up through thick jungle until it tops out several thousand feet above sea level where the air is noticeably cooler. There, we took a right turn over to Taipivai Valley. This is where Melville spent some time with a native tribe in 1842 and was the setting for his semi-autobiographical book Typee. It's a great read and when published was more popular than his better known masterpiece Moby Dick.

From here on I'll let the photos and captions tell the story. 

Kevin, owner of Yacht Services, who lined up our rental truck. If you're a sailor in Nuku Hiva, he will do pretty much anything you need done.  An American who arrived here on a sailboat about 10 years ago, married a Marquesan woman and settled here.

Controller Bay, where Melville's rescue in Typee took place.  It's also where Jack London anchored his yacht the Snark in 1907.

This is the beach where Melville parts with his beloved Fayaway in Typee.  The river and bay are quite brown from runoff due to the previous night's heavy rain.

Typee Valley in Melville's book is now known as Taipivai Valley.

Our wonderful companions of the day, Amy and Matt.  A big thanks to Matt, who did all the driving, much of it in challenging conditions due to rain and flooding.  And, being from England, it wasn't even the right side of the road for him.

The two of us in Taipivai Valley.

Mist hangs above the idyllic Taipavai Valley

Waterfalls thunder down the cliffs above Taipivai Valley

Climbing out of the valley, we reach the divide and look down on Hatiheu Bay on the north shore of Nuku Hiva.  

Just south of the village of Hatiheu are several of the most extensive archaeological sites in Polynesia.  At the site is a gigantic banyon tree.  It's estimated at 600 years old.  A pit on the other side of the trunk is believed to have been used to hold victims before sacrifice. 

Stonework at one of the archaeological sites.

It doesn't show up in the following photos, but rain, heavy at times was falling during most of our visit at the archaeological sites.

A pit believed to have been used for storing breadfruit

Pearl gives scale to massive stone walls

Tiki near the ceremonial site

Grind holes similar to what we've often seen in the American Southwest

Stone altar reportedly used for human sacrifice

North shore of Nuku Hiva

Catholic church at Hatiheu village. Note the ancient tikis flanking the towers.

Hatiheu Bay.  Robert Louus Stevenson anchored his 93 foot yacht Casco here in 1888.  He thought it the quintessential South Sea setting and wrote glowingly of it.
Shortly after this photo was taken the skies opened up again and it poured for hours. 

A flooded road ended our excursion to the village of Hooumi.  When I suggested that we go for it, there was dead silence in the truck.  I let that sit a few seconds, then added "Just kidding."  It seemed to break the stress of the increasingly tenuous driving conditions and everyone had a good laugh.

Waterfalls sprung up out of nowhere all along the road.  

A muddy torrent pours from the mountainside onto the road.

Finally we climb out of the flooded roadways and up to the central plateau where we find wild horses grazing among pine trees.  It was like a scene from Montana.   

More of the central plateau at about 4000' elevation.  

At the end of the day we descend back down through jungle and past waterfalls that had barely existed when we left in the morning.  

Nuku Hiva, 6-17-2017--Election day

By David

(Note: We hoped to get this posted yesterday (6-18), but life got in the way.)

After yesterday's hike, I was relieved to wake up this morning with a knee that felt good and muscles that weren't even too sore.

As we ate breakfast in the cockpit this morning, a distress call was broadcast over the VHF radio. A couple on a nearby boat had discovered that their dinghy and motor went missing overnight. To understand the implication, it's a bit like discovering that during the night your vehicle had disappeared from the driveway. Except that not only have you lost a car and mobility, now you can't even get out of the house.

Theft is unheard of here, so that was ruled out. I radioed that the wind had been blowing toward the fuel dock much of the night, so that might be a good place to check. Sure enough, there was a great sigh of relief when it was discovered there. Amazingly, the outboard hadn't been destroyed by the surf and all ended well. Apparently, it hadn't been tied up securely enough the night before. We always double tie ours at night for that reason. All of us make mistakes along the way, but at least we hope to avoid that one.

In the not-ending-so-well department, two boats enroute to the Marquesas, one from Mexico and the other from Hawaii, are long overdue and feared lost. One, a singlehander, was reported sounding delirious when his satellite messenger apparently ran out of power. No further word has been heard. The other boat had a crew of two. Neither boat has been heard from in several weeks.

On a happier note, the mood ashore was festive as it's election day. Three people are being elected to represent French Polynesia in France. In keeping with all things Marquesan, it's a good excuse for a festival. Food booths are set up across the street from the polling station, karaoke blasts over the PA system and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.  Meanwhile, beyond the seawall local kids spend endless hours boogie boarding in the surf.

Something we've enjoyed since I got back is birdwatching. Thanks to our friend Julie Karra back in Tucson, we now have two excellent bird books covering the South Pacific. Thanks Julie!

For our birding friends, the short list includes zebra doves, a common, small, almost tame species that prefers being on the ground to flying. Yesterday we saw a Pacific reef heron in Collet Bay. Sailing between the islands we've watched white-bellied storm petrels that have the curious habit of hitting the top of every few waves with their bellies, then quickly kicking off with their feet to do it again a few waves later. 

Pearl's favorites are the bright white fairy terns.  Anytime of day groups of them can be seen wheeling in striking contrast with the verdant green slopes above the bay.   

My favorites are the black, angular, sinister looking great frigate birds.  I never tire of watching them soar above the bay, ever watchful for opportunities to cause mayhem. Consummate soarers and incredibly agile, they're fond of harassing other birds, boobies especially, forcing them to drop their catch of fish, whereupon the frigates snatch it up. 

Nuku Hiva administrative building and polling center.

Pearl checks out her food options across the street.  

Local kids ride the waves.

Nuku Hiva, 6-16-2017--Collet Bay hike

We're just back from a great hike to Collet Bay, the next bay west of here. A big part of what made it great is that at 5 miles and 500' elevation gain, it's by far the most strenuous workout I've had since the illness began almost 6 weeks ago. It went well, though I'm sure we'll both be sore tomorrow.

On the way to the bay we passed the high school where an end of the school year celebration was underway. The gate into the event was closed, but when one of the teachers Pearl had gotten to know spotted us, he whisked us right in. A description of the event and the hike is in the photos below.

Looking ahead, our current plan is to do a driving tour of the east side of the island on Monday. That will include the valley where Melville spent time with a cannibalistic tribe that became the basis for the book Typee. We also hope to see several archeological sites and do a hike to Anaho Bay, reputed to be one of the most beautiful bays on the Island. We'll be going with Matt and Amy, an English couple who seem to have similar interests. Should be a fun day.

Looking further ahead, the weekend of June 29-July 1 marks the beginning of a month of celebrations throughout French Polynesia. We're still trying to figure out what's being celebrated and will report on that later. Meanwhile, booths are being set up all along the waterfront road, so it looks to be a big event.

We'll probably clear out of French Polynesia right after that, on July 2^nd or 3^rd. Then we'll once again be at sea, heading to the Tuamotu Archipelago.

Pearl and the high school history teacher.  We don't even know his name but he recognized us from the Snack and whisked us right into the celebration.

Bocce ball is a serious sport here in the Marquesas

This is the first time we've ever seen a lime used as the bocce palino.

A drum group from the local elementary school.  These kids were amazing.  They did close to two dozen drum routines, some of them quite complicated and all perfectly coordinated.  

After the school event, we passed a monument to Herman Melville.  This is where he jumped ship and hiked overland to the valley of Typee.

Looking back over Taiohae Bay (where we're anchored) from the ridge between it and Collet Bay

Collet Bay

We came upon a homestead several acres in size at the edge of Collet Bay where an impressive variety of food was being grown.  In addition to dozens of beehives were coconuts, pamplemousse, limes, bananas, green apple and breadfruit. 

Limes

Pamplemousse