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.
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