Yesterday we went for a walk around a nearby motu and found it entirely colonized by black noddies. They’re about the size of pigeons, all black except for a distinctive white crown. They were nesting in bushes, relaxing in trees, fighting off frigate birds. Every now and then they would all take to flight at once, the sky growing thick with them.
Read More…is really, really beautiful. We moved to an anchorage 15 miles east of the village, and there is so much sand and coral to explore that it seems we’ll be staying a while.
Read MoreOur passage from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus had similar joys and frustrations as our Pacific crossing. We left Sunday morning, grateful that the journey was going to be on the order of four days and not four weeks, and spent the afternoon on a perfect beam reach in calm seas. We passed Ua Pou, a statuesque island southwest of Nuku Hiva, to port and enjoyed a spectacular array of stars before the moon rose full and bright and filling the night sky with light.
Read MoreSaturday was our last night in Nuku Hiva. We cruised back to Taioha’e on Friday and spent two days doing chores to get ready for our passage to the Tuamotus. For me, that meant coming up with easy to reheat dishes using the vegetables on hand (eggplant parmesan and muchos marinated cucumbers). For Dominic, it meant doing the deflate the dinghy dance and raising the new genoa.
Read MoreEarly on in our stay at Anaho, Dominic and I spent a day hiking to and from the neighboring bay, Hatiheu. It had rained continuously the previous day, so we were thrilled to wake to clear skies, so we hopped in the dinghy, rowed ashore, and hit the trail first thing in the morning.
Read MoreDominic and I have spent the last week vacationing in Anaho Bay; it’s the first place we’ve visited I could imagine myself never leaving. The surroundings are gorgeous: 360 degrees of jungle green foliage, palm tree lined beaches, and a soaring mountain flanked with cliffs that run with waterfalls after the rain. These seven days have offered us the opportunity to view the scenery in all its moods, mostly bright, turquoise, and crystalline, and one day of stormy sheets of rain and temperamental clouds. Despite the shifts in weather, the anchorage itself is well protected from the swell and the boat is stable enough that we often feel as though we’re tied to a dock. There is a saddle in the ridge on the eastern side of the bay that let’s in a steady sea breeze keeping us cool and comfortable.
Read MoreThis picture was taken in Hakatea Bay, but I’ll admit that it is already a bit dated at this point. We left Hakatea on Monday and cruised 10 miles east to Controller’s Bay, though we have yet to determine who is controlling what. The eastern lobe of the bay proved a beautiful and secluded anchorage for Helios for the night. It was a narrow cove, and we could see deep into a valley and far out to sea between two rocky points defining its entrance. For the first time, we had the anchorage completely to ourselves, a situation which offered a new blend of quiet and majesty.
Read MoreOne of the highlights of Hakatea Bay was a nearby hike to Vaipo Falls. We wanted to beat the heat, so we left Helios at 7 am and paddled the kayak toward the black sand beach. It was low tied, so we had to carry the kayak through the shallows to the river just beyond. Once back in the kayak we had a fabulous view of paradise, the palm trees and cliffs reflected perfectly in the still, morning water. We had the intention of kayaking as far was we could to the waterfall but realized this was totally unrealistic as the water quickly became about six inches deep. So, we pulled the kayak onto the beach, tied her off to a palm tree, set off on foot, and asked the local gentleman working in his dinghy if we were headed in the right direction. He waved us onward, and at 7:45 am we were on the trail.
Read MoreOne of the days we spent in Hakatea drizzled on and off throughout the day (and then we had a 10 minute opening of the skies while we were in the kayak). We spent most of the day relaxing and doing chores around the boat. Dominic needed to repair a leak in the dinghy, and I started to clean the rust on the stainless that developed, with astonishing speed, as we crossed the Pacific. Watching the weather move across the cliffs was magnificent: being able to look into the crevices and see the clouds being formed as water vapor cooled rising against the rocks.
Read MoreHakatea Bay has surrounded us by natural beauty. The bay is split in two lobes by a narrow, lava-rock jetty. The eastern lobe is surrounded by a valley of palm trees and mangroves lined by slopes and peaks; the western lobe is fed by a small river lined by basaltic cliffs that send crags, crevices, and spires beyond the black sand beach and into the ravine.
Read MoreWe’ve spent the last four days readjusting to having land nearby and getting into the swing of things in Nuku Hiva. Our first task was to get ourselves and Helios checked in through customs. This took us two visits to one of our new friends, Kevin. Kevin is an American and runs a Yacht Services business assisting sailors in jumping through bureaucratic hoops upon arrival. We made our first attempt to get checked in on Monday at 11:30 am; Kevin told us to come back at 7:30 am on Tuesday because the gendarmerie was closing in ten minutes. This is a pattern we’ve come to understand as the norm, businesses generally begin operating between 6 or 7 am and close before the heat of the day sets in. We’ve fallen into the same rhythm, naps being a key feature of the afternoon.
Read MoreLandfall! We made it! On Saturday at 2:35 pm we dropped anchor in Taioha’e Bay, Nuku Hiva. We were 23 days underway and made 2,985 nautical miles; not a record breaking speed, but below average. We also felt pretty proud of ourselves considering the very light and very heavy conditions we met before reaching the ITCZ.
Read More
