Author: kerrizane

Dear F&F,
July 30, 2009

We had a nice time last night at the beach happy hour. The \”E.T.G.\” kids enjoyed stoking the bon fire. I managed to stay out of the path of the smoke. Gloria, the 6 year old showed me shells she had collected. I had to focus hard on staying present with her & not letting my thoughts drift back to Skye at that age & getting pangs of missing our little girl (now 24!). We talked with Graham about their time cruising up the Red Sea & land touring in Israel. It was nice for us to hear a non-Jewish New Zealander speak very pro-Israel. We also learned more about his work with Outward Bound. And what led up to his open heart surgery. His father & brother each died of heart attacks in their 50s. Graham never smoked & was really into running, hiking, mountain climbing & bicycling. He had arm/chest pains when doing a big uphill bike ride, got tested & 2 coronary arteries were completely blocked & a 3rd 80% closed. The surgeon said they caught him just in time. Ya just never know…

A 3rd crew member has flown in to help with the kids on \”E.T.G.\” & give Captain Josh & chef/nanny Claire some help. The 7 of them have been together non-stop for 5 months with only 2 days off. They are staying off-boat in a bungalow tonight to have their first privacy from the family since the Galapagos. They are in their mid 20s, British & plan to work as captain/crew on boats for about 3 years. I am so glad we are posh enough not to have to work while doing this life. And independently functioning enough to not require crew. I cannot fathom being around someone else on a boat as either employee or employer for any length of time.

This morning Josh & Claire went diving with the Marc the dive master. We followed their group towing our own dinghy above us. Scott thinks he could handle both the dinghy plus the video camera (but not the huge still camera set up). The current can be too strong for me to hold onto the dinghy & not be swept out of control. So we plan to begin diving with Marc tomorrow so Scott can do photo & video. Marc is very funny & thrilled to discuss gear & techniques with a fellow underwater photographer. He seems much more like an American than a Frenchman and he did live in Florida for a number of years.

The wind has shifted so we will likely move to the anchorage closer to the dive area once \”Giselle\” leaves for Tahiti. Right now it is about a 20 minute dinghy ride & quite rough pounding into the swell. We were up before 6:00 a.m. because the incoming tide today was at 7:00 a.m. so that\’s when we must go. It was overcast plus early, so not as pretty below without any light. It was still nice, lots of fish & healthy coral, but we have not hit it at the ideal time for the sharks yet. Every day now the tide will be half an hour or so later, hence the sun will be higher in the sky. It is funny here; it can be blue sky & sunshine, then 10 minutes later completely dark gray clouds & pouring rain. The rain usually does not last a long time, but this morning after the dive it did stay quite a while.

We went to the little dock & had a coffee with Mark, Josh & Claire after the dive. Repeat clients of Marc\’s are arriving by airplane today & bringing him the newest version of the underwater video housing that Scott uses. He asked Scott a lot of questions. It will be nice to have the friendship of Marc to console us when Mary & David sail away. I think it will be nice for Marc to have some serious divers that are here for awhile, not just a 1 week vacation. The couple flying in today are from San Diego so we should have a fun week of diving & camaraderie with them.

We may dive under the boat this afternoon to clean her. I will switch to my new thicker wetsuit as I have been getting chilly after nearly an hour in the 81 degree water. Diving really helps you stay cool all day. It is 87 outside but feels absolutely comfortable to me with a nice breeze. I am happy that I seem to be preventing an ear infection with rinsing drops & the little ear dryer. Mary asked me if I had to plug up my opposite ear so the air wouldn\’t blow out the other side – that rascal!

There are about 10 other islands we could visit in the Tuamotu group, but we are inclined to just stay put as long as we are enjoying ourselves. We\’ve heard so much about this being one of the premiere dive sites, that we want to give it a chance to be here when the conditions are peak. Taking it one day at a time & enjoying this moment.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 28-29, 2009

We met the dive master from the little dive center here, at Tetamanu. There are beach shacks for land tourists, the French call it a \”Pension\” (pronounce pen-see-own). Marc is very effusive, fluent in English & offered us lots of information. Bruce drove Alene, Scott & I over to the pass when we thought the incoming tide was, the right time for diving. But it was still going out. We spoke to Marc & he explained that sometimes the tide is not \”on schedule\” due to the wind & waves coming into the lagoon. Sometimes it needs to flow out longer or not flow in at all. While we stood in our wetsuits & talked to him nearly 1 hour, the tide did finally turn & start to come in. The sky was overcast & it was nearly 4:00 p.m., so not much light below, but it wonderful to see the enormous coral reef areas. We did not see the big gathering of sharks that are famous here when the incoming tide is strong. But we plan to stay around a while, so eventually we\’ll hit it right for the sharks. We stayed down so long & it was getting dark. Poor Bruce topside in the dinghy, wore prescription sunglasses & did not have a watch, so he was worried that he lost us. When we surfaced, we hailed him with our \”dive alerts\”, (very loud surface whistles operated by the air in our scuba tanks) & he came zooming over quickly, very relieved.

I cooked steak for dinner as I was tired of the bland diet I\’ve been feeding Scott\’s delicate tummy. Of course he could not resist the smell but had really bad stomach pain after, so that was a bad idea. Poor guy. Thankfully the pain & roiling is not constant. I put the hot pack on his tummy & it helped. I try not to think what we would do out here if either of us were seriously sick or injured. We do have a well equipped pharmacy onboard.

Bruce & Alene offered to bring us dessert for the 2nd night in a row. We declined last night due to Scott\’s tummy. But this was their last night so we said yes. What am I some kind of fool that would turn down dessert twice?! Bruce loves to cook & had made ginger creme brulee. Two with coconut, he & I each took those. Alene & Scott had the non-coconut. Oh My God…I thought I was at the Eclectic Caf (favorite place in North Hollywood)! He burned the sugar with his little butane torch right in my galley. It was amazing. What a treat! We then showed them our underwater videos & photos .They really oohed & aahhed since they are divers too. It was a nice wrap up with them. We may run into them down the road, since even though they plan to spend this winter in New Zealand, they will return to Tonga & the Cooks the following season, which is where we should be then too. A big world, but a small community.

July 29
We took photos as our friends on trimaran \”Migration\” set sail. Then Mary announced on the radio that there would be palm weaving on the beach at 9:00 a.m. Mary was a teacher and has three grown kids, so is a natural to come up with ideas to help keep the three children onboard \”Elvis the Gecko\” entertained.

Poor Scott was lying down with another tummy ache. He is really holding up well in spite of some kind of flu or Dengue Fever. Plus having a wrenched back. I am forever impressed by how happy he is almost all the time. It is my privilege to live with my wonderful guy. I simply cannot stay grumpy for long with his constant exclamations of love & joy. I did not think we would join in. But when she specifically hailed us asking if we would be joining the shore event, I looked at Scott who said \”Sure!\” He then leaped up getting ready to go. I love this guy to pieces.

The standard Windows XP screen background could be a photo of this place. Pinkish white sandy beach with palm trees surrounded by turquoise blue water. It was a quick dinghy ride. A wet landing, but no surf. Very calm, shallow water. Graham had used his knife to supply the palm fronds. Mary & Karen had already woven a couple of items. The kids had not arrived yet. I was amazed that they had remembered the pattern from watching the locals last week, but Mary sews & is crafty. Scott & I decided to take a walk. It was so good to stretch the legs. It felt surreal. Here I am on a tropical island that is beautiful; with people I like & love. I breathed in & out, soaking up the wonderful moment. Not wishing I were somewhere else. Be where your atoll is (hee hee!!!). Simply being in the moment.

It is glaring to me sometimes that happiness is completely internal. Here I have all the outer trappings of a dream life: nice yacht, all the toys, finances to make it happen, freedom to sail where we want, luxury to stay as long as we like and yet sometimes I struggle with moods. Just like anyone else. But I get glimpses of paradise. There are those magic moments when I can recognize that we are in the zone, flow or whatever. Scott is a great at being in the moment. Yes, he is a planner. But if we have a misunderstanding & raised voices, it is over for him immediately. I\’ve noticed that often I do not get over it that fast. Why on earth would I want to hang on to a bad feeling? Let it pass. If I look at him, genuinely look at him, in the next moment he is smiling at me, telling me how much he loves me & sincerely wants me to do whatever I need to, to be happy. Lucky girl and I know it.

We took mask & snorkels to the beach. I also brought my short fins, sunscreen & bug spray. Fortunately there were not too many bugs, just a few flies. After our walk I put on my gear & went in. Just in my bathing suit. Scott usually insists (understandably) that I wear the shark shield when swimming. It will zap me if I have bare skin. I have often let the shark shield factor discourage me from swimming since I have to put on full coverage of neoprene and/or lycra. But here Scott said it is so shallow & clear by the beach that he would allow me to swim in my Speedo alone. Yippee!!! I cannot remember the last time I got to swim like I was in a pool. It took me a while to get deep enough to do a full arm stroke. As I got to deeper water where I could truly swim, I felt a surge of life force throughout my whole body. How invigorating! ALIVE! I smiled & floated over the coral heads, watching the little fish. I saw a few beautiful clams with blue markings. I love swimming, it makes me sooooo happy! I love diving too, but the physicality of swimming fills a need that only swimming can. I went all the way to where the big boats are anchored. David, who did not go ashore, waved me over for a visit. I don\’t know what I am going to do when David & Mary sail off in a few days. I will miss them terribly. Yet how fantastic to have friends living in Scotland! They plan to circumnavigate over a couple more years and then return to their home in Scotland.

I had left Scott standing on the shore talking to Martin, owner of \”E.T.G.\” (Elvis the Gecko). I didn\’t know if Scott would realize I swam back to the boats or not, but I left David after a chat & glass of water. Went to our boat to unfog my mask with drops & started swimming back. Halfway back Scott met me in the dinghy. Of course he\’d been watching me all along. He was happy to see his girl with a giant smile on her face. I have been a homesick & gloomy recently, so the dip was very therapeutic for my body & soul.

He had forgotten my bag of towels, etc. on the shore, so we went back again. Mary & the kids made a wonderful assortment of palm frond woven items. The youngest girl, Gloria only 6, was so proud of her productions.

We came back to the boat, had lunch & Scott is napping. We aren\’t diving today due to the time of the incoming tide. I think we\’ll dive early tomorrow & maybe the crew of E.T.G. Josh & Claire will join us. So you see how surrounded I am by interesting, friendly people in our own little floating community. It is transient & will drift apart very soon. But for now it is here & I am enjoying it fully. The call is for 4:00 p.m. drinks with a bonfire ashore. I have some endive I think I will fill the leaves with cut up beets & cheese as an appetizer. I learned it from another boater; very colorful. I am hoarding my food a bit since we could stay out in these islands up to another 2 months, with no shopping opportunities. The other three boats will all be in Tahiti in one week.

It is amazing that I find so much to write about from a two days on a small atoll. This is my journal. I hope you find it interesting.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 21-22, 2009

David & Mary sailed into the lagoon on \”Giselle\” yesterday, there are now 8 boats. Two nights ago we were invited to dinner onboard trimaran \”Migration\”, met Bruce & Alene who are divers without a compressor. They are the ones that \”diverted\” to meet us & go diving. This is Migration\’s 2nd season in the Tuamotus & they have really enjoyed it. Bruce is the chef & made Szechuan eggplant & Kung Pao chicken that was as good as any restaurant. He is from Long Beach & has been cruising on & off since 1999. Has lived in Sebastopol, No. Cal & knows Florence Ave., where my sister lives – small world. Alene is from Ohio & joined Bruce 4 years ago. They intend to get to New Zealand by Nov 1st for the South Pacific Cyclone season, so we won\’t have too long together.

We went ashore with Bruce & Alene yesterday morning. We pulled their dinghy (wet landing) up onto the beach right in front of where we are anchored. There is a dive shop. The French owner, Jean-Christophe was friendly & we decided to go with them on the 3:00 pm dive. The north pass is far (5 miles) from where we are anchored, too far & too rough to go in our dinghy. So we are willing to pay to go on their high speed dive boat. It is still a 25 minute ride. We have a lot to learn about pass diving – timing the current, etc. so glad to go with some experienced pros.

On shore we bought baguettes & croissants, some eggplant & green bell peppers. No fresh produce is grown in the Tuamotus. It is all flown in. It was pretty slim pickings & the prices high. I am sorry I did not fill my second fridge with fruits & veggies in the Marquesas. We just never quite got to shore for the 6:30 a.m. produce market there. When we did get to shore later in the day there was not much left. Mary said she got a great selection at 6:30 a.m. Oh well. We won\’t starve.

While on shore, we met a young French couple on a small monohull that are avid divers (with a compressor – which is very rare & means they are serious divers). They dove 6 months in the Marquesas & have been here in the Tuamotus 4 months. He briefly described their technique for diving the passes & agreed to have us over tomorrow morning to explain more.

We went with the dive shop at 3:00 pm. We were happy to see the couple crewing for \”Elvis the Gecko\”, Josh & Claire going for the dive also. Their boat has the family of 5 from the U.K. For some reason one dive master went with a group of 5 & Scott & I got our own dive master. Maybe because Scott told them he was an instructor & because we had our own equipment, not sure. But we were disappointed that it was not the right time to dive the pass. The tide must be coming in, and it was going out. So instead they took us to the reef outside the lagoon to a site they call The Coral Garden. Good name for it. Incredibly clear water, quite shallow, only 15-25 feet, eventually dropping off to over a 1000 feet over a huge area. It was teeming with tropical fish. We followed our guide out further where the reef drops down into a wall for a chance to see some sharks. We did see a few grey reef sharks, about 4-6 feet long. And bonus, one manta ray in the distance. We were very happy to have this guided introduction to the diving here.

When we got back from diving, it was fun to see Martin (of Elvis) & David (of Giselle) in the dinghy, following the 9 & 13 year old kids sailing David\’s small sailing dinghy, \”Mouse\”. David & Mary went onboard Elvis for dinner & en route they dropped me off a filet of mackerel that they caught. It was firm & delicious. Scott is not a fan of fish, so I made chicken curry for him, with enough leftover for several more meals.

July 22
At 8:00 a.m, we dinghied to Florant & Alexandra\’s small boat to learn about their diving experiences here. He showed us his photos & videos. His camera equipment is not as sophisticated as Scott\’s but the footage was still incredible & got us more pumped up for diving here than ever. They have already visited 14 Tuamotu Islands & plan to continue here for a few more months. They told us in detail how they dive the passes towing their dinghy themselves. They said they tried it with another couple following in a dinghy above, but with the wind & waves on the surface, it is difficult to see your bubbles & it can be very uncomfortable for whoever is in the dinghy. Better to just tow the dinghy. We do not have a light enough chain & anchor to do this. Our dinghy anchor gear was designed to stay put, not to swim with. \”Migration\” may have a lighter set up that we could use. We will still probably do some coordinated diving with them. They are keen to get to the south pass which is about 27 miles from here (inside the lagoon still). We want to get down there too, but are not in a rush. Florant said the South Pass is one of their favorite dive sites in all the Tuamotus. You can anchor the big boats close to the dive pass, which will be better for us.

We are getting ready to go again with the dive shop at 1:30 pm today. This should be the right time for the incoming tide so we can do the pass. The boat drops you outside the reef & you drift along with the current all the way into the lagoon. There should be many many more sharks at 80 feet in the pass. Scott will take his video. It has been raining on & off all morning & still overcast. The visibility below is much better with sunshine so we are hoping it will clear up. We have learned that the weather can change very quickly out here. A small cargo ship came in early & is just leaving 4 hours later. No idea what they delivered – fuel drums maybe? There are cars and a population of several hundred people here. There is an air strip with flights from Papeete several times per week, one hotel & a few pensions (French word for B&B or guest house). A couple with 3 children ages 4,7,9 went out snorkeling while we dove off the shop\’s boat yesterday. They are French, live & work in the Marquesas (she is a teacher, he an artist & homemaker) & flew here on vacation. It is fascinating to meet so many different people from all over.

I better wrap it up to get our dive gear ready. This is really getting to be more like what I\’ve had in mind for our cruising life. We are glad we have plenty of time to enjoy these islands. We would love to team up with Florant & Alexandra but will have to see which direction we each head as the days pass.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 17, 2009

I finished reading this book as we departed the Marquesas & set sail for the Tuamotu Islands. Some of you may be more familiar with the book, Kon Tiki Expedition\”, written by the same author. Thor and wife Liv left their home in Norway to live a primitive lifestyle on the island of Fatu-Hiva. This was their goal:

Page 13
\”We wanted to see if the two of us, man and woman, could resume the life abandoned by our first ancestors. If we could tear ourselves away from our artificial life. Completely and utterly. Be independent. Independent of the least aid of civilization. Independent of everything except nature.

\”The island of Fatu-Hiva became our choice. Mountainous and lonely. Rich in sunshine, fruit, and drinking water. Few natives and no white men. \”

I won\’t spoil the story by telling you any of their adventures. But near the end of the book, his reflection and conclusions struck me as valid today, although the year they lived on this Marquesas Island was 1936. The book was published in the 1970\’s.

Pages 260-261
\”We like to think of progress as modern man\’s struggle to secure better food for more people, warmer clothing and finer dwellings for the poor, more medicine and hospitals for the sick, increased security against war, less corruption and crime, a happier life for young and old. But, as it has turned out, progress involves much more. It is progress when weapons are improved to kill more people at a longer range. It is progress when a little man becomes a giant because he can push a button and blow up the world. It is progress when the man in the street can stop thinking and creating because all his problems are solved by others who show him what happens if he turns on a switch. It is progress when people become so specialized that they know almost everything about almost nothing. It is also progress when reality gets so damned dull that we all survive by sitting staring at entertainment radiating from a box, or when one pill is invented to cure the harm done by another, or when hospitals grow up like mushrooms because our heads are overworked and our bodies underdeveloped, because our hearts are empty and our intestines filled with anything cleverly advertised. It is progress when a farmer leaves his hoe and a fisherman his net to step onto an assembly line the day the cornfield is leased to industry, which needs the salmon river as its sewer. It is progress when cities grow bigger and fields and forests smaller, until ever more men spend ever more time in subways and bumper-to-bumper car queues, until neon lights are needed in daytime because buildings grope for the sky and dwarf men and women in canyons where they roll along with klaxons screaming and blow exhaust all over their babies. When children get a sidewalk in exchange for a meadow, when the fragrance of flowers and the view of hills and forests are replaced by air conditioning and a view across the street. It is progress when a centuries-old oak is cut down to give space for a road sign.\”

\”We felt an urge, an inconvenient need, to return to civilization. But we did not want to be a single step farther from nature than life in our part of the world made necessary. Primitive life in the wilderness had filled us with a well-being, given us more than the city life as we knew it had ever been able to give us.\”

Our 5 weeks diving with the manta rays at Islas Revillagigedos last winter were as close to his feeling of \”back to nature\” that we have experienced so far. Except for the time we will spend in Tahiti & neighboring Society Islands, we look forward to visiting less developed, isolated islands where we can immerse (and submerse) ourselves in nature and breathe in that sense of well-being that Thor spoke of.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 15-16, 2009 – Hike to Waterfall

It was only 1 hour motoring around to the next protected anchorage, but I felt pretty bad from the motion of the ocean. It is a lovely spot, very tranquil. I was kind of lethargic the rest of the day. Scott decided to bake bread! Never discourage a man from cooking. I set him up with a recipe & all ingredients. It turned out great. The fact that the oven was on during the hottest part of the day, did not diminish our enjoyment of the yummy fresh bread. In the evening our group of 6 had a beach party complete with bonfire. Since we didn\’t roast anything, it seemed out of place in this climate & the smoke somewhat annoying. But it supposedly helps keep away bugs. We made our plan to begin the hike to the waterfall at 8:00 a.m.

The hike was 5 hours start to finish. It rained on & off so we were quite wet well before reaching the waterfall. We crossed a stream 4 times. Once knee deep & quite swift, but a convenient tree limb growing across helped us get to the other side. Someone thought this was the 3rd highest waterfall in the world, but I have no way to confirm that. The full height was viewed only at a distance. To Scott it appeared to be around 900 feet high. Once we were up close there was a pond to wade across. We had to scramble under & over huge boulders to reach the water catchment. It was refreshing to swim toward the spray zone. We did not go all the way back to the base of the waterfall. Even though this was a second water catchment that only fell about 100 feet, the power of the water was intense.

On our return, Augustine, a local bone carver that lives in the area along the waterfall path saw us walking by in the pouring rain. He invited us under his shelter & kindly showed us his work. We admired his large spear, used when hunting pigs. He has about 5 dogs & a few cats. We were amused to see that he feeds them baguettes! He generously picked papayas & limes from his trees. Mary smartly carries a bar of soap as an impromptu gift, she was the only one prepared to reciprocate.

The others bought bananas from another woman with a small farm. We were tired & wanted to just get back, but took a few wrong turns. In the end they 4 beat us in returning to the dinghies. We were tired but glad that we had this final outing at the Marquesas. The next hike we will be able to do is in Tahiti. The tallest thing to climb on any Tuamotu Island is a palm tree! We will set sail early tomorrow, expecting 3 days at sea.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 12-14, 2009

It is pretty rolly at anchorage today. We tried 3 times to re-anchor bow & stern to reduce the swell, but no luck so we are swinging on one. I had to take seasick meds which I hadn\’t had to do at anchor for awhile. I won\’t be able to write much.

Yesterday it was fuel & food shopping. Today Scott rewired our dinghy depth sounder while I swabbed the decks. I sweep the floors almost every other day, but had not actually washed them for…can\’t remember how long. Scott fell asleep last night earlier than me. He had hung laundry outside, which I have learned to never do overnight. For sure it will either blow like heck or rain or both. It blew like heck. I\’m outside at 10:30 p.m. with my headlight & step stool trying to get everything down without losing any bits to the wind & not fall off my step as the boat lurches. I re-hung/draped everything inside.

We thought our dive was going to be shut out as strong winds & hard rain kicked up just as we were ready to load up the dinghy. We waited it out & it passed. I know it sounds weird to care about rain when we\’re underwater, but even clouds really affect the light & what we can see down below. Rain causes muddy runoff to muck up the visibility. The wind is a concern since we dive out of our anchored dinghy & really don\’t want to surface & see it has been blown away. We waited & things calmed down so we went for it. We were richly rewarded for our efforts. Scott spied a manta ray swimming, possibly feeding just above us right after we got in. Fantastic to see a manta in the water again. I\’m afraid that San Benedicto forever spoiled us. Mantas are definitely the creature we get most excited to see in the water. Not much later, I spied a hammerhead shark below us in the sand. He seemed a bit curious in us, made a wide circle which gave us more viewing time. No worries – we wear our trusty shark shield deterrents all the time. Later on we found an octopus that would have happily taken Scott\’s finger into its lair for munching. Sometimes they are curious & will explore your hand with their tentacles. Other times they stay down in their hole & just grab yummy bits that drift along & take them down to their house. When Scott removed his glove to see how the octopus would react, it was clearly lunch time. Toward the end of the dive I saw a cute small jeweled eel under a rock. Ahhh, so good to be back in the swim! All our favorite friends out & about. The overall visibility wasn\’t great, only 25-40 feet like 2 days ago. But we saw plenty anyway. We are motivated to return tomorrow.

Happy Bastille Day!
On the first dive we were delighted to see 2 manta rays swimming in a possible mating-type fashion. They were not interested in us, but not especially skittish either. We know that the San Benedicto, Mexico mantas are unique in the world, seeking out human interaction. We also saw many lion fish sitting along a rocky ridge. There was also one that was different colored, much larger – 15 inches, compared to the average 9 incher. Always fun to see something new & different. The visibility on the 2nd dive was pretty poor as it was mostly overcast & very murky. But it was still great to blow bubbles.

I treated my ears with every tool I have (short of beginning antibiotics) yet still woke up with itchy canals in the night. I put in more drops of vinegar/peroxide mix. I\’ll have my head dry for 5-7 days now, so hopefully can save the antibiotics for diving in the Tuamotus. I am really eager to have my ear problem diagnosed & see if there is any better prevention of infections. I suspect whatever my problem, it is also contributing to my susceptibility to seasickness. There isn\’t enough wind in the anchorage to hold our boat in a good position to the swell, so we are rocking around a bit. I took more seasick meds before sitting down to the computer as reading /writing is the worst.

After cleaning up from our dives, we were able to reach Rose Corser by radio. She had time to visit, so picked us up at the dinghy cement wall. We tied off & climbed up the rusty metal ladder. How much you must climb depends on how high or low the tide is. She drove us in her Land Rover the mile to her home. As we enjoyed a cold beverage, we swapped stories & caught up on our lives. First coming here to work on her Master\’s thesis in art, she has lived here over 30 years. For the past 15 on her own, after her husband died of cancer. Scott knew them from cruising in Tahiti in 1977. I met her 13 years ago when we crewed here on the catamaran \”Sea Rose\”. There is only 1 other American that lives on this island. She said she is very happy here. She has no close family in the states. All her friends are Marquesans, not French, although she speaks French fluently. She runs a small museum/boutique & has plans to open an 8 room hotel. She feels she got ripped off in a partnership with a corporation that took over her original hotel & she seems keen to start again & maintain control. She has always been a good source of friendship & information for cruising boats. A well known & much appreciated institution in Nuku Hiva.

Only one French boat in the main anchorage \”dressed ship\” with all its flags flying in honor of Bastille Day. Everything is closed on holidays. In the evening there was some kind of local hang out, but it didn\’t look too inviting, so we just came home. Due to the frequent rain, we have the wet dive gear strewn about the house hoping it will dry out enough to stow before we set sail day after tomorrow for Daniel\’s Bay, a beautiful anchorage 3 miles to the west.

Cindy & Scott