Namani in mid Pacific between the Galapagos and the Marquesas (photo by E Capoe)
NaMaNi on Maupiti
Namani on the home stretch between New Caledonia and Australia
Weighed anchor in Taihoae Bay at noon today (31MAY) and are now sailing towards Fakarava in the Tuammotu Archipelago. Total distance is about 550 nm, so we hope to take about 5 days to get there. Beautiful sailing currently, beam...broad reaching under starry skies and an almost full moon. Had a very nice couple of days in Taihoae together with Topze. All is well aboard stay tuned...
One of the rare occasions with a halfway decent internet connection here in Taihoae, Nuku Hiva... have posted a new photo album with some pictures of our month in the Marquesas under this link (Picasa). We plan to leave for the Tuamotus tómorrow after some final provisioning today. Stay tuned...
After another very nice day yesterday (Saturday) with Samba, E Capoe and Topaze (four boats incl. Namani and eight kids between them!), we left the "Baie du Contrôleur" this morning with a bit of a heavy heart. We would have loved to stay a few days longer with the other boats but in order to make Nicky's and Papa's flight back to Germany from Tahiti on 17JUN *and* to leave at least a week for staying in the Tuamotus on the way to Tahiti we had to start to make tracks...
Left Ua Pou early this morning (Friday), together with Topze and Merilelu, to sail 30nm to the north for Nuku Hiva. What looked like something between a close and a beam reach on the forecast turned out to be a beat to windward. Nice conditions and a nice sail though. Here in Hanga Haa (one "finger" in the larger "Baie du Contrôleur" on the southeastern end of Nulu Hiva) we found E Capoe and Samba again.
Well, we did finally bid farewell to the Manta Rays in our favorite bay on Tahuata in the southern Marquesas and weighed anchor there yesterday at 5 pm local time. We had a beautiful night sail under starry skies (reminiscent of the Galapagos-Marquesas passage) and arrived in Hakahetau Bay on the northwest corner of Ua Pou around 08:30 am local time this morning. Caroline, Chrstophe, Tosca and Gabrielle on Topaze already got here a day earlier and until this afternoon we were the two only boats in the anchorage.
Nana and Caroline from Topaze went ashore this afternoon to get some fresh fruit and vegetables. As it turns out, the little store in Hakehetau is not the place to go to, but Fatima's house, a bit up into the mountains. Caroline had talked to her the day before on the waterfront and had been told to come to her house this afternoon. Want pamplemouse (the soccer ball sized grapefruit that we've become so addicted to)? No poblem - she just steps off the back porch and picks some from a tree. Fresh bread? She's just baked a few loafs and parts with one each for Namani and Topaze.
We moved today - a whole 4nm to the south to Hapatoni Bay, still on Tahuatu. Beautiful scenery again, this time steep woody slopes rather than a palm fringed white sand beach. This bay also has a little village that had its annual procession today for what we believe is Mary's Ascension (what they call "Mariä Himmelfahrt" at home in Bavaria where it is celebrated on 15AUG).
After sitting out a "rain day" in the Hiva Oa anchorage on Sunday, we sailed a few miles SW on Monday and are now anchored off the western shore of Tahuata in Ivaiva iti Bay. A beatiful anchorage (we can clearly see our anchor in 10m depth) with a nice beach and great marine life - away from the "big city Atuona" on Hiva Oa ;-) This morning Kary from the Finnish boat Merlelu came over to tell us that there were big Manta Rays feeding at the entrance to the bay. We grabbed our snorkels and fins. jumped in his dinghy and enjoyed an awesome swim right among a group of 6-7 big Mantas.
Still in Hiva Oa, sitting out a rainy day before moving on to Tahuatu, a small island just to the south of us. Went on a tour of the island in Marie Joâs pick-up truck, together with Karen, Larry, Katy and Kent from Panta Rhei. A 2-hour drive across Hiva Oa to its NE corner to visit the âBig Tikiâ, an 18th century religious site with large carved stone figures and altar-like platforms. Looks like the high priests of the time knew how to keep everyone busy....
