Category: 2009 July Blog

Dear F&F,
July 2, 2009

Yesterday the tender (dinghy) from the 140 foot schooner had only 2 crew members aboard & was zooming by fairly close to Beach House, so in addition to a friendly wave to them, I waved them over to meet us. We met the engineer who is from Holland & deckhand from Baltimore. We introduced ourselves & asked about their travel history, plans & owners of the yacht. There is a crew of 7 for the 2 owners. Husband & wife from the U.K. The crew did not reveal anything about them, but we did get confirmation that everyone aboard is a diver. Now that would be a fun group to have as a \”buddy boat\”! I noticed they had a dinghy full of trash bags. I had not seen a trash deposit place onshore & thought I had to stow mine until the next island or two. They confirmed they knew where to dump trash & they were willing to take my 2 bags. Oh goody! I always prefer to not stow trash a long time up in my laundry area.

This morning Karen, Graham, Mary, David, Scott & I went to shore (in 2 dinghies) & went for a hike. The idea to get a ride around to the other settlement from a local fell through. David & Mary had previously done a big hike high up to get a nice view of the bay & interior parts of the island & it didn\’t look like rain so off we went. These 4 are our age or older but were like mountain goats compared to us. We were huffing & puffing to keep up. I think the UK & New Zealand folk are built of heartier stock than we soft Californians. Even David who still needs to lose a few pounds (in addition to the 30 already lost on the low GI diet) was keeping up a conversation on the steep hills as Scott & I were lagging. Boy, we must be out of shape! Can\’t wait to get back to swimming, snorkeling & diving – my favorite forms of exercise. After nearly 3 hours Scott was being carried along by the group energy, but I looked at my watch & cried \”Uncle\”. The path started to go down the other side & I was not about to go down, then back up, then back down again. Scott snapped into reason and so we bid our hearty friends farewell. We enjoyed a nice time alone returning down the way we\’d come. The goal of the rest of the group was to get a view of Omoa, but we heard later that they never really did, so I was glad we turned around when we did. We had only apples & granola bars & 2 liters of water which was just enough to sustain us on what ended up being a 5 hour hike. The green hills, jagged volcanic cliffs, and stunning view of the bay from on high were wonderful. But enough is enough. I wanted to enjoy it, not endure it.

When Scott & I reached the bottom we bumped into the family from boat \”Elvis the Gecko\” (cute story behind the name…a gecko came home in the boy\’s suitcase from a trip to the Caribbean & was named Elvis & this morphed into a boat…). They are also Scottish (like Mary) although have a home & live in London. The girls are 12 & 6, the boy 9. I gave the 6 year old a fragrant white flower along the path. She smiled & put it behind her ear. The 12 year old said she really loved this trip. She got certified to scuba dive in Antigua (Caribbean) & enjoyed diving with the sharks in the Galapagos as we did. Mom\’s name is Sammy & she is a horse woman. Dad is Martin & this is really his dream/idea. They have owned the boat for 3 years, but have only sailed since April. They will fly back to London for the school year from Tahiti. The captain & cook (only 2 crew for the family of 5) will deliver the boat to New Zealand. So far the family\’s plan is to just cruise the summers. I completely understand the Mom not wanting to home school 3 children. They almost need to take a tutor/teacher as a crew member. And though 66 feet sounds like a big boat, they already have 7 people aboard which with various personalities & moods can be a bit much.

We were glad to see our 4 friends get back safely later in the afternoon & also secretly glad that we turned back when we did as they all got caught in the rain. \”Giselle\” & \”Beach House\” plan to set sail (about 7 hour trip) for Tahuata tomorrow. \”Red Herring II\” (New Zealand couple Graham & Karen) are going to wait a day or 2 as boat \”Independence\” is expected to arrive tomorrow from Galapagos. They are an American couple on a catamaran with 2 boys ages 3 & 6 years old who got delayed leaving due to a part that was not shipped timely from Florida. They have had more breakage underway & Karen feels they need a friendly face to welcome them. Elvis the Gecko\’s kids also befriended the Independence boys but they are leaving at midnight to sail to Hiva Oa. All the boats that made landfall here are not officially checked in to French Polynesia, but if they are part of the E.U. the officials do not seem to care. Whereas we heard stories of some boats being fined $200 for landing here at Fatu Hiva & not going to a port of check in first. Whatever. We did it the kosher way, although it cost us that horrible upwind sail from Hiva Oa back to here. No more upwind sailing! I hope & pray. We should have the wind & sea at our backs from now till Tahiti. I will go put on my patch just in case…

We\’ll see how the wind is tonight & make our final decision about departure in the morning, but after 9 days here we are ready to move on.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
June 30, 2009

We were awakened several times throughout the night with gusts of winds up to 35 knots. The feel & sound of this is impossible to ignore even though we are confident that our anchor will hold. It also rained hard off & on. We have had these conditions to some extent since we arrived a week ago, so I am getting a bit desensitized, although I could not say immune.

When we got up this morning, the Navy boat was already gone. It seemed like a good day to bake bread & since the oven would be on, also try to make a batch of Mary\’s oat cakes (actually a cracker). Scott really liked them & they should be an acceptable snack replacement to the sugar-laced granola bars he\’s been eating. I mixed 3 cups of oats (happened to be a slightly finer grain with about 1/2 tsp each salt, pepper & baking soda. A drizzle of olive oil & enough water to make it all stick together, but not be too wet. If you had the whole flake type oats you might need to chop them up a bit finer in a food processor or blender. I oiled my hands & spread it out on a cookie sheet, then scored them into 2×2 inch squares with a wet butter knife. Baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Mary cooks hers a bit soft & not brown. I left them in the oven another 10 minutes turned off to get a crispy & toasted result. They are really delicious! You could certainly improvise with garlic, onion or other herbs. Oats are great for lowering cholesterol & on the \”Montingnac Diet\” considered almost a \”free food\”, meaning you can eat as many as you want. Meanwhile the evil but delicious white bread also turned out great & will be enjoyed with abandon.

Just after cooking was complete a French couple in their dinghy came over to ask if we had any weather forecasts. We invited them in & I don\’t know how they resisted my offers of baked goods as the whole boat smelled delicious, but they took nothing but information. His mother is flying in from Germany to Hiva Oa, and they are supposed to meet her there July 2. The rough wind & sea is not predicted to subside significantly until July 4th. The mother is in a hotel on Nuka Hiva for 2 days, so they will try to contact her there & get her to postpone her arrival in Hiva Oa or take a hotel until they can safely cross & meet her there. I was impressed to hear that this mother will sail with them for 2 months, all through the Tuomotus finally departing from Tahiti. Good on her! It is always tricky timing to meet guests when you must first respect the weather. That is why we will only have non-sailor guests aboard when we know we can be in a marina & plan to stay there long enough for it to make sense for a visitor to make plans. Many boaters have put themselves at risk trying to meet a pre-arranged schedule for guests.

Just after Barbara & Eric left, we saw two new sailboats on the horizon, heading towards this bay. Scott is quick to get on the radio to welcome them & give them guidance on where to anchor. Today is absolutely the strongest winds we have had. Both boats are just arriving from the Galapagos. One is an Oyster 66 feet long called Looks to be Mom, Dad & 3 mid-sized children aboard with a hired captain. The captain reported they made the passage in 15 days with good conditions despite their mainsail ripping in the past few days, forcing them to sail with head sails alone. He also reported 60 knots of wind as they approached this island, which is a speed I hope to never see! In hindsight, I am grateful for our light air crossing rather than to have had overly strong winds. Things break a lot in strong winds. I know I\’ve said that before, but it is true. Even here at the anchorage we have had to make sure every possible item that could blow away is well secured or stowed away.

I know how discouraged I felt landing here after our 1 rough day from Hiva Oa. I hope the crew on new arrival \”Elvis the Gecko\” (looking forward to learning how that boat name evolved!) are able to get some rest despite the boisterous conditions here at anchor. The 2nd sailboat left shortly after making a tour of the anchorage. There is a 2nd bay south but our understanding is that it is less protected, but perhaps it does not have the notorious strong winds sweeping down off the mountains that we have here. But it appears they are just heading out to sea, not hugging the coast, so Lord knows where they will end up. We made the acquaintance of another family in the Galapagos that is en route to here, about 500 miles away still. I am praying that all who out at sea will be safe. Please join me in sending good vibes to all our fellow sailors.

For now we are 7 boats here at anchor. At the most there were 12. We don\’t plan to step one foot out into the open sea until we see the weather reports and feel it calming down. Although not the most relaxing anchorage due to the strong winds, it is safe & protected from swell. And at the moment the sun is shining, although that does not mean it won\’t rain in just a minute.

Mary just radioed an invitation for dinner. Yippee, no cooking! I will bring my oat cakes & wine. The couple from a boat called \”Red Herring II\” from New Zealand are coming as well. It will be a fun time no doubt. Social diversions are much better than staring at the wind speedometer & being a big edgy.

Later…just as I was about to prepare lunch for Scott & I, 2 Finnish guys we met in the Galapagos hailed us from their dinghy. We tied their dinghy to Beach House & invited them onboard. Apparently word has spread that Scott is a good resource for weather info & many boats are getting antsy to move on, but concerned about the strong winds. We shared all the weather charts & forecasts we\’ve uploaded recently. They are not planning to stop at any other Marquesas Islands but head next directly to the Tuamotus. We shared thoughts & plans about which islands have the safest entrances & loaned them a book to take notes from overnight. We also exchanged email addresses. It will be great to get recent info from them at each Tuamotu island they stop at – what the wind & sea state are, how easy is it to enter the pass to get inside the fringing coral reef to the more protected anchorage sites of the atolls. Their English is excellent which was good since our Finnish & Swedish is non-existent. We first met them at the tortoise reserve on San Cristobal, Galapagos. They arrived into Hiva Oa only 2 days after us (although they left 7 days before). And we crossed on the same exact day from Hiva Oa to here at Fatu Hiva (only 3 hours behind us). Since their boat is only a 31 foot monohull (named Chaconne) they have done pretty well keeping up with our 51 ft catamaran.

It was 1:00 pm & I was starving by the time we finished discussing weather & trip plans and Scott offered to show them our underwater slides & videos. They had nowhere to go & I had thought to invite them for lunch one day anyway, so threw together a nice platter. I sliced the entire small loaf of my freshly baked bread, laid it on a plate with ham & cheese slices, put mustard & mayo on the table, poured iced tea, passed around a few of Linda\’s decorative napkins & voila! An impromptu lunch! Tres jolie!

Right after they left, David hailed us on the radio to help him with a test of his Automatic Identification System which we did. We noticed another boat heading this way & it is now entering the bay so we are on close watch to make sure it lands safely away from all us already anchored boats. It is a 140 foot schooner. Really beautiful, extremely \”high tech\” (s/v \”Kaori\”). So the neighborhood is really tilting upscale today with 2 large fancy boats. Quite a lot of activity for our little bay!

Only 2 hours until dinner at \”Giselle\”. Time flies when you are having fun. And I am very happy to report that we are having fun in spite of the howling wind of 25-30 knots. The rain squalls have been a bit less. Hopefully we can time our dinghy dash to David & Mary\’s boat & not get drenched either way.

Cindy & Scott