The Marquesas Islands, Fatu Hiva, Hiva O'a and Tahuata

As a first port of call in the Marquesas, I don't think there could be anywhere more dramatic than The Bay of Virgins, Fatu Hiva.  The coastline of Fatu Hiva looks totally imprenetrable,with incredibly steep mountains that rise straight out of the sea. Suddenly an opening reveals itself - the Bay of Virgins, with a tiny little fishing boat harbour surrounded by incredibly lush vegetation.  Anchoring is a challenge, the wind literally howls down the valleys and the bay is deep, the land falls away in much the same way under water as it does above.

 

Bay of Virgins, Fatu Hiva

 

Apparently the bay was originally called the 'Bay des Verges' (Bay of Phalli) but then Missionaries arrived and disapproved - and changed the name to 'Bay des Vierges' (Bay of Virgins) - what a difference an 'i' makes! The rock pinacles that give the Bay of Virgins its name are frequently shrouded in clouds, and goats can be seen roaming around on the precarious rock ledges. 

 

 

We walked through the tiny village to the top of the hill overlooking the bay - there was a fantastic view along the coast and down to the port, Nautilus is anchored as close to the shore as we could get on the left of the photo.  We spent a couple of days in Fatu Hiva enjoying some walks, nice to stretch our legs  after all the time on the boat - the vegetation is very lush due to all the rain and of course there are plenty of waterfalls to be visited.  Unfortunately for us, there are no Customs and Immigrations officials on this island, so after a few days in this little idyl we set sail again for Hiva O'a,  just under 50 miles away, which is the Administrative Centre of the islands.

The main port of Atuona, Hiva O'a was not such a joy - there is a small breakwater, but the anchorage was crowded and we had to anchor outside shelter of the breakwater in continual and very irritating swell.  Not only did it rain the whole time we were there, but despite being very accustomed to living on a rocking boat, this took it to a new level - getting on and off the boat was a challenge,  staying on the boat was almost intolerable.

 

 

Nautilus in the middle of the photo, rocking around with the other yachts outside the breakwater in Hiva O'a

Once ashore, it was a 45 minute walk to the town of Atuona - we checked in at the Gendarmerie, after all the fuss getting the correct exit papers from the Galapagos, they didn't even look at them.  The French Polynesian officials were only interested in our passports and boat registration / ownership papers. There was a decent supermarket in Atuna, and after the Pacific stocks were low - very fortunately for us, we met up with friends Terry and Jean on Little Dove who had rented a car so took our shopping back to the port for us, and then Hugh and Annie from Vega took our shopping back to their boat for us to collect later.  We went out for a delicious pizza together that evening, very un-Marquesan!

 

Heading back to the PortaBote on the slipway - the muddy stream colouring the water brown.  All the bits of wood and coconuts are washed down the rivers and end up in the port,where they then get deposited by the tide so the locals have to clear the slipway regularly and burn the wood (between cloudbursts!)

The Marquesas are famous for their Tiki carvings,  traditionally either carved in wood or stone, these can be seen all over the islands - we visited the craft centre in Atuona where there were an excellent collection of modern Tiki.

 

In the Marquesas we were told the Tiki  alledegly provide protection, in Maori mythology Tiki is the first man created by their Gods and in the Polynesian culture represent deified ancestors and often mark the boundaries of sacred or significant sites.  They are always in humanoid form.

 

We bought this Tiki  and attached him to our mast step in the boat where we hope he will offer us protection.

Two days rolling around in the anchorage of Hiva O'a was enough, the shopping was done and we'd had enough of the rain - the sun came out as we left.  

We headed north to Tahuata Island, this one really was a paradise - a calm anchorage with half a dozen yachts anchored, the sun was out, and it was beautiful.

 

Our first day was spent on the maintenance we had not been able to do in either the rain or a rolly anchorage - during the Pacific crossing the sun-strip along the leach of the genoa had partially detached and had to be sewn back on, and several seams on the sprayhood needed re-sewing.  The trusty Sailrite machine was back in use.   Unfortunately at this stage our portable generator ceased functioning, I went ashore with Hugh and Annie while Ian fraught with the machine but apart from diagnosing a fuel issue, he was unable to get it started so our stay in Tahuata would be brief - we knew there were some Yacht Services on the island of Nuku Hiva.

 

Hugh and Annie from Vega chauffeuring me ashore in their rib.

 

The stunning bay in Tahuata - Nautilus on the left of the photo.

 

 

Hugh and Annie walking along the wonderful beach in Tahuata

While in Tahuata we also were fortunate enough to fit in a dive with Barry from Jadean, the South African Catamaran we have been sailing with since the Galapagos.  The dive was one of the most beautiful we have done to date - the visibility was excellent, there were hundreds of colourful surgeon fish, moorish idol, butterfly fish and countless others as well as a wonderful underwater garden of mushroom coral.  We finished our dive being circled by a hammerhead shark when we did our 3 minute safety stop, and as we were preparing to get out of the water a large manta ray came to check us out.  Thank you Barry, for finding the location, taking us there, and refilling our tanks afterwards!  Sadly no photos - we didn't take the GoPro.

We spent a couple of days in the paradise of Tahuata, then headed for the main island of the Marquesas, Nuku Hiva where we hoped to be able to find someone to fix the portable generator.  It is much safer to arrive at any of the anchorages during daylight as the charts are not 100% accurate and the hazards very unforgiving, the island is about 90 Nm away, too far to reliably cover during a 12 hour day so we set off for Nuku Hiva as dusk fell for an overnight sail, dropping anchor in Taiohae, Nuku Hiva at mid day.

Crossing the Pacific

We set off from Isabela, Galapagos, on 19th April on our longest passage to date:  3000 nautical miles (3,500 land miles) across the Pacific to the Marquesas Islands, our first landfall in the South Pacific.

Provisioning was fairly basic in Isabela but we were well stocked up with dried food and cans from Panama, it's hard to decide what to buy, we have very limited fridge space, no freezer and any supplies we have must be securely stored so that they will stay where they are and also be accessible on passage.  Apart from the tins, the food is stored in plastic boxes - we have as many watertight 4litre boxes as we can fit tucked away under the bilges and behind the saloon seats - the boxes serve two purposes:  firstly they keep the endless bugs out of the dried food, (or if they are already in the produce, which is unfortunately not that uncommon, they only contaminate one box) and secondly to protect against the very high levels of humidity in the Caribbean and Pacific..  We have two fishing lines, and were hoping to add variety to our diet with some fresh fish caught en route.

We knew from the forecast that the wind was initially expected to be light and had decided to use the engine to clear the island before reaching the open ocean, after that we would have to manage under sail as we only carry enough fuel to motor for a few days and would obviously be conserving that for emergencies.  We settled into our first night of the passage - So far so good, until changeover when it became apparent that there was no water in our water tank - all 420 litres were in the bilges, where we not only store food, clothes and various spares, but they also house many of our electrical systems and connections.  It turned out a water pipe had split, unfortunately the bilge alarm had been inadvertently switched to silent and neither of us heard the water pump over the noise of the engine.  Not a great start!  Several hours later we were dried out, had we not had a water maker on board we would certainly have turned back at that stage because although we have emergency bottled water on board it would only just  cover drinking needs on a long trip.  

Fortunately by the time we cleared the island the wind was as forecast and we made good progress which enabled us to run a hydrogenerator and power the watermaker, which produces 50 litres per hour.  All our food supplies survived in their plastic boxes, but one container of UHT milk leaked, as did a container of washing up liquid - quite a mess!

The first week at sea passed in a blur - we were making fantastic progress, our best day we covered 175 Nm - our personal best - we had it easy with the boat almost sailing herself with a reeked mainsail and genoa. Fish were throwing themselves on our lines, fresh Mahi Mahi for dinner every night.  By the end of the second week  we had lost the wind, the boat was constantly rolling uncomfortably, sails were flapping and we had our slowest day when we covered only 98 Nm, even the fish were avoiding us.  

Light wind sailing, mid Pacific, flying our larger asymmetric, 'The Wasp'

We settled into a routine - we were heading directly down wind so over night we poled out the headsail to try to reduce the flapping in the light winds, as soon as there was a hint of dawn the kettle went on for tea, and we changed sail for the asymmetric which increases our speed by at least 1kt and hugely reduces the rolling of the boat but does have to be watched as it is quite prone to wrapping itself around the rigging in the light winds or squalls which is why we don't sail with it at night.  

After the hull damage and repair that was carried out in Panama, the Ovni Agent in the UK, Stephen Johnson from North Sea Maritime contacted us as he was concerned that if the repair failed in any way we should take steps to remove any water that was entering the aft bulkhead which fortunately is a sealed watertight compartment.  It was on about the 10th day at sea when the wind was particularly light and we were sailing very slowly that we became aware of a sort of rumbling noise as we rolled on the swell. It was time to check the bulkhead - Ian drilled a hole through the fuel locker in the transom and sure enough, as we rocked water splashed out.  We ended up using the oil change vacuum pump and removed approximately 100 litres of water from the back of the boat.

Using the vacuum pump to remove water from the 'watertight' bulkhead mid Pacific

We continued our way across the Pacific, using the Sat Phone to get weather updates which always seemed to promise more wind than the reality, and also staying in touch with the rest of the world which became a daily highlight.  We emailed updates to our daughter Clare, who in turn  forwarded them to various friends, and also we were in touch with our own little group crossing the Pacific within a couple of hundred miles of our position.  It was wonderful to be in touch and receive emails and messages when we really did feel rather alone on the ocean and a very long way from everything.

Day 16 - Ian's birthday, 1000 Nm to go, and the first birthday for at least 40 years when he has not had a beer!  By now our routine was very well established:  sail change at dawn, fishing lines out, run watermaker if required, check emails etc, lunch, check sails, check boat, bring fishing lines in at dusk, sail change to conservative night mode as it got dark, dinner and Steph went to bed.  Ian took first watch, we were using a 5 hour watch to give longer sleep periods - change over at 0100, Ian to bed and Steph on watch till dawn - get the kettle on and start again.

Just another day at sea

Head sail poled out, ready for another night at sea

We set off with a waning moon, which gave very little light and the stars were spectacular.  By the end of the trip we had a full moon - the stars were less significant, but the moon itself was so vast and bright that it almost felt like daylight.  The one night we were tempted to keep an asymmetric up caution and good sense prevailed and we dropped it just before a particularly short sharp squall hit us - even with the moon light they are not easy to spot at night and as we know from past experience, they rip sails!

One mystery which remained unresolved was how squid ended up on the deck - flying fish we could understand, we even had one fly in through an open window and land on the floor by the chart table, but during the course of the passage we must have had a good dozen squid on board - we never saw them land, but unless you remove them quite rapidly they leave an inky stain on the deck.  We even found one on top of the coach roof, a good 1.5 metres above sea level.

Flying Squid?

Finally, on our 24th day at sea, land was in sight - we had reached Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, after sailing 3114 Nm. We ran the engine for a total of 23 hours during the crossing, apart from the day we set off we motored when we changed sails as it held the boat more stable. The time did seem to pass quite quickly, and although we both enjoyed the crossing and felt a huge sense of achievement I think I can safely say neither of us wanted to turn round and head back out to sea!    The only fresh food we had left on board was some pumpkin and two onions, we wanted to set foot on land and walk further than 10 metres on a surface that was not moving, and be able to sleep for more than a 5 hour period at night.

 

Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands.  We have crossed the Pacific.