0615: the Captain woke me up - Land Ho!
This Island of Ua Huka is 20 miles ahead - just a faint shadow on the horizon. 26 days at sea Matey. If crossing the Equator makes us Shellbacks than I wonder what crossing the Pacific makes us - Seafarers? Anyway - we did the crossing in 26 days - could have done it in 24 but we slowed down once to cross the Equator in the daytime and once to time our entrance to Nku Hiva in the daylight.
The entire crossing was done in 2 tacks. There were no major issues with the boat. No injuries to crew. And we laughed every day!
A very successful crossing - I would say.
Total Miles for the Crossing: 2880 nm
Average Speed for Crossing: 4.5 knots
Just served up the last helping of the granola. Sure hope I can get the oven working so I can make some more as this was one of the better provisioning items on the boat - tasty and nutritious and did not require cooking! I cut up the last 2 grapefruit to accompany the sausage and bacon scramble. There are three tomatoes left - fresh salsa and nacho chips for lunch. Porketta with wild mushroom risotto for dinner. All that is left in the freezer - a bit of hamburger and bacon. All the fresh fruit and vegetables have been eaten. I squeezed out the lime juice from the last limes - can always add it to our water for a bit of flavour.
Provisioning worked out well. Except for the bad suggestion on the carrots and the forgotten watermelon, we had very little wastage. The meals turned out well - despite not having an oven. So the boys did not get all of the home made baking that was promised. There is always the next leg! Maybe this will entice Armon to stay on a little longer.
0900: We can begin to see some of the topography of the island. Several funerals on shore - caves formed from vents in the volcanos.
1200 Noon Positon: 8* 52’ S adn 139* 41’ W
SOG: 5.2 knots
COG: 250*
Hardly a cloud in the sky.
Distance Travelled in 24 Hours:
Distance Travelled to Date:
Distance to Go: 26 nm
Just passed the island of Ua Huka. We are going against the grain by not going to Altunoa first. It will mean that we will probably have to beat into the winds to return to the other southern most islands but we are used to that. The forecast for the next couple of weeks calls for light winds so it shouldn’t be so bad.
The Marquesas are the southernmost islands in French Polynesia. The are Polynesian by origin and survived by being sea farers. They still have limited contact with the outside world and as a result have held on to a lot of their traditions and customs. It is described by many that the Polynesians own the land, the Chinese own the stores and the French have the power. It is because of the French that their lifestyle is subsidized - health, crops (copra - dried coconut meat), education and small loans. The locals are still known to trade fresh fruit and vegetables for lipstick, music tapes, tools, fishing lures, t-shirts and anything else. It is not your typical tourist attraction - you are a guest in their country. And they are not trying to change that.
17 45 Arrival in taiohae Bay on the Island of Nuku Hiva on the south coast.it is a large bay that is sheltered from the prevailing winds.
Position: 8* 56’ S and 140* 05’ W
The flag is French. time to raise it along with the Quarantine Flag.
The currency is the Pacific Franc.
This is the main administration centre for the Marquesas
As we drop the hook and get settled into our surroundings I cannot help but stop and think about all that has happened to get us here. First and foremost - I must thank my Captain, my partner and the love of my life. David was instrumental in making this our dream in the first place and instrumental in making it come true. And we are not done yet!
Then there is our family and friends who not only kept our spirits high when we needed it, but continue to look after our land possessions, communication and paperwork for us. We will be forever grateful. And then the extra weight of the family issues that they had to carry as we were not around to assist - only in spirit. Thank you everyone for all your spiritual and moral support, well wishes and enthusiasm for what we are doing.
Today is a beautiful day and we are truly blessed.
We did it!
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