Magical Marquesas

The Marquesas have been little short of magical. Thousand foot cliffs dive into the ocean as often as beaches dot the Costa Rican coastline. Lush valleys cut into the rugged interior of the islands filled with coco palms, mango trees, banana trees, grapefruit and lime trees, breadfruit trees, and other trees bearing delicious fruits I still don’t know the names of. The trades blow steadily at sea, but most anchorages have been surprisingly well-protected. The air temperature hovers around the mid-eighties while the water is a perfect 83 in the ocean and a delicious low 70s or so in the inland streams. And these lush, stunning islands are inhabited by under 10,000 people in total (or so I’d guess). Even Taiohae, the capital city of the group, has just 2 small grocery stores, 1 bank, 1 police station with a handful of employees, and under 2500 inhabitants. I’ve yet to come across a local who didn’t return a greeting or give a friendly smile, and despite the tragic language barrier the Polynesians still come off as some of the nicest people in the world.
Remote. Dramatic. Stunning. Lush. Warm. Such are the best words I came come upon to describe these islands. Their remoteness has been their greatest blessing, and at times feels like my greatest enemy (only because all communications are via satellite and thus very expensive, including the slow internet connection here). Being 700 miles and a $700 flight from Tahiti has prevented the tourist invasion from reaching these islands. Nature still reigns supreme. The interior of many islands remain inaccessible, the beaches are deserted (partially due to the nonos which tend to terrorize cruisers but frequently leave me alone—I guess I must smell really bad), mangoes fall to the ground to rot, coconuts are swept down gentle streams, packs of wild horses roam freely, and the locals still smile at us voyagers who do pass through.
After our stay on Fatu Hiva and stop in Atuona (where I posted the last blog if memory serves) Avventura called at the island of Tahuata, returned to the northwest coast of Hiva Oa, checked in at Oa Pou, and sailed up here to Nuku Hiva. At every anchorage there has come a time when I think it is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever visited. Each place has its own striking, unique beauty. On Tahuata it was the calm clear waters of Hanamoenoa Bay with its shimmering white sand beach lined with coco palms and without any inhabitants. Here we snorkeled with a vast array of tropical fish, and once thirst set in we opened coconuts on the beach, squeezed in some fresh lime juice from a tree inland, and quenched our thirst before returning to the inviting waters to cool off once more. The beauty of Hanamenu Bay, Hiva Oa came from stealing dozens of fallen mangoes from the herds of wild horses who fed on them, from bodywhomping the head high waves at a beach nearby, and failing to overcome my fickle fear of heights some twenty-five feet up a thirty-five foot high coco palm. Instead we settled for the milk and meat of freshly-fallen nuts. Here Mike came across our first wild breadfruits and we were introduced to the tasty “Polynesian potatoes.” Here also we savored Trinda’s homemade key lime pie aboard Katie Lee before sailing away in the black of night for a great overnight run to Oa Pou where we arrived in water where I could see rocks on the bottom 95 feet down according to my depth sounder.
Oa Pou saw the crew of Avventura wipe the dust off their surfboards and paddle into a few small lefts at a break right beside the anchorage. We also sought local advice and went on a couple unsuccessful adventures in search of better waves (I’m sure there must be a wave in the last bay on the north end of the windward side of the island, though we never did make it there.). The first wave search was by dinghy to the gorgeous, empty bay just east of the anchorage at Hakaha where we bodywhomped small shorebreak in crystal clear water. The second adventure took us on a hike, and when we apparently took a wrong turn we ended up on the road to the very bay we had visited by dinghy. Instead of returning we hiked up to the cross for a splendid view of the anchorage and town before calling it a day.
A nice daysail brought us to the island of Nuku Hiva where we made landfall in Comptroleur Bay and dropped the hook in the middle finger of the bay where, over a century and a half earlier, Herman Melville deserted the whaling ship Acushnet and lived amongst the locals in the valley of Taipivai. From these experience came Moby Dick and Typee. We anchored well off the small town all by our lonesome and spent just 24 hours exploring the surroundings. We hiked up what is perhaps the most beautiful valley I’ve come across, cut by a large stream and filled with coco palms between two steep sides, and visited our first old Marquesan sacred site. In a grassy clearing in the hills above the valley 3 structures were erected out of lava rocks, all platforms where religious ceremonies must have taken place, and all adorned with tikis, stone carvings of the Marquesans’s gods, and strikingly similar (especially according to Thor Heyerdahl, see Fatu Hiva) to the larger stone figures of Easter Island. Back down at sea level I collected a bottle of sand from both the black sand beach at the base of the bay and a white sand beach half way out the west point where we also collected cowry shells and I saw my first Marquesan wavy-top shells (the only place other than southern California I can remember coming across them).
The past few days we’ve spent anchored off the capital in the bay of Taiohae. The first day I ventured ashore and hiked up the hillside to another Marquesan sacred site before carrying on up a small path, collecting mangoes and breadfruit along the way, and ever winding higher till I reached a glorious view of the bay below. Before long the path connected with the main road and I walked higher till the road began to curve off towards Taipivai and a car came by heading back to Taiohae. I stuck out my thumb and the truck pulled over (I have hitched rides about 7 times in the Marquesas, and have never had a car drive past when I stuck out my thumb. Twice I was picked up without sticking out a thumb. The people are so friendly you don’t think twice about accepting or asking for a ride from a total stranger.) and I hopped in the back, returning to sea level in fifteen minutes after a two hour uphill hike. Since then my time has been mostly spent working on Avventura. I spent a day and a half repairing the mainsail, re-stitching areas where the stitching chafed through on the crossing (my fingers are still numb); learned my tuner is broken beyond the point where I can fix it; changed the fuel and oil filters, and in the process discovered a leak in the engine’s cooling system which I traced to a leaky hose in the back of the ship’s water heater which took nearly 6 hours to diagnose and fix. My to-do list remains long, but it feels like time to move on so tomorrow we’ll weigh anchor and head around the point to Daniel’s Bay where I can knock off a few more items.
The Marquesas have exceeded all of my high expectations, and I have enjoyed my time here thoroughly. The lone drawback seems to be the lack of surf. We have heard there is a wave at Daniel’s Bay and are anxious to see if we find anything; but mostly I look forward to the reef passes of the Tuamotus where there should be waves. The plan is for 3 nights at Daniel’s Bay before making our way down to the Tuamotus (500 miles away), with perhaps a stop first on Oa Pou’s leeward side. Plan is to stop at as many as 6 atolls: Kauehi, Faaite (surf), Fakarava (surf), Apataki (surf), Ahe, and Rangiroa (possibly surf) before heading for Tahiti. I extended my visa today and now have until August 15 before I have to be out of French Polynesia. I plan to use every bit of that time exploring the beauty of these islands. As my SSB Radio will be out of commission till Tahiti at least I cannot guarantee I will be able to keep in touch or even update position reports, but I will do my best. Till then fair winds and following to seas to everybody on the water and Pura Vida.

PS This was written in haste and not spellchecked or re-written, so please accept my apologies for any errors in advance. It’s after 9 p.m. which is late for us “cruisers.”

Wreck Bay Heaven

I´ve now been anchored in Wreck Bay for going on 17 days and am in no hurry to move on. The anchorage is among the most beautiful I have come across with sapphire water and unobstructed views to the sea floor 30 feet beneath "Avventura´s" hull. The water is so clear that on one moonlit night while returning from dinner ashore you could see the entire hull six feet underwater in the dim moonlight shining through a thin layer of clouds. The cruisers I´ve met here are as nice as any I´ve come across and as varied a lot as you´ll find (boats from South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, to name a few)--most in transit to the Marquesas and points further west.

The bulk of my time has been spent surfing, reading, writing, and relaxing with some boat work thrown in for good measure. The surf here has been a pleasant surprise with its consistency, size and shape all exceeding what I had been expecting. Just yesterday I surfed 4 different spots for a total of 7 hours. The surf was 6 foot, a mix of southwest and north swell that turned on every spot on the island. After a morning session with the Kiwi Nick off "Pina Colada" at Canons Mike and I took the dinghy up the coast with the South African trio of surfers off "Robyn´s Nest" to the Manglacito where we surfed six foot perfect, fast lefts without another soul in sight. The wave broke off a desolate stretch of coast covered in green vegetation climbing the barren hillsides towards the blue skies above. The wind was slightly offshore and there was a hook in the reef where you were guaranteed a chance at a tube. One of the South Africans, Dave, a sixteen year old, is a good surfer and was pulling into impossible tubes and somehow coming out, though he did take a couple hard wipeouts. When the "Wavehunters" boat arrived with a dozen surfers we started making our way back to Wreck Bay, stopping at Isla Lobos where I had previously snorkeled with Sea Lions. This time we surfed a little hollow lefthander breaking directly off an islet of jagged rocks. If you fell on the takeoff you´d become ground-up seal bait, but we all made the drops and got a dozen fun and fast waves before calling it an afternoon and returning to Wreck Bay. Once back at the Bay I said good-bye to Nick and Patti on "Pina Colada" (we had become pretty good friends and they were sailed for the Marquesas yesterday afternoon) and I capped off a day of surfing with a stop at the hollow, shallow left of Tongo Reef where I surfed for an hour by myself and another 30 minutes with one local on consitent and fun overhead surf.

The Galapagos has lived up to an exceeded all my expectations thus far and I´ve yet to sail past the first island (San Cristobal). I am taking my time here because I have been warned that this both will probably be my favorite anchorage and that it is very difficult to fight the wind and current to return here. Thus the plan is for another couple weeks here before moving on to the other 3 or 4 anchorages I am allowed to visit in the islands. Tentative date for departure for the Marquesas is April 15, wind, weather and fun permitting. I am uploading pictures to my site (www.flickr.com/photos/avventura) as I type, but it is a slow connection so I don´t know how many of the 75 will make it on there, but it should be enough to give you a flavor of my last month of travels. Sorry for the lack of updates but internet here is slow and unreliable...More when I can.

Pura Vida!

Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos

Heaven on earth. That’s the only short way to explain my experiences in the Galapagos thus far. It’s been non-stop action and activity since arriving here, so much so that this is my first time using the internet since arriving on Tuesday, February 20. So now let me go back…

After far too long on-the-hard in Puerto Lucia Avventura was dropped into the water around 1300 on February 15. After spending a couple hours at the fuel dock re-attaching the jibstay and taking care of other minor tasks Mike and I departed La Libertad at 1500 and motored westward. Unfortunately the wind began on the nose and soon died, not to return for 3 days. On Sunday a light breeze picked up from the east-northeast and I set the main and poled the jib out to windward, sailing Avventura wing-on-wing for the first time since I’ve had her, making 4.5 knots with just 8 knots of wind, but a 1.5 knot current which helped us the entire way to the Galapagos. It was a great feeling to be sailing once more, sailing away from the worries of land and the hectic rush to get the boat ready for the crossing with all the problems that entailed; but alas, it was not to last. By sunset the wind had died and the sails were spilling their air with great regularity so it was back to motoring for the night. In all we sailed just 12 hours on the crossing and used 55 gallons of diesel (thankfully it’s only $1.02/gal here) from La Libertad to Wreck Bay where we arrived in the morning hours of February 20.

On approach I could already tell I would fall in love with Isla San Cristobal. The water was as clear as I have seen it, and when I dropped the anchor you could see it hit the sand and a school of fish swarmed around the boat as I backed down. Shortly after the hook was set and Eagle Ray swam above the anchor chain some thirty feet down, and seals circled the boat looking for a perch to rest on (luckily we don’t have one, unlike the handful of catamerans here where the sea lions are able to climb up onto their swim steps and rest). By the afternoon I had attempted to check us in only to be told to return manana, and after a brief rest it was time to surf. Now up for launching the dinghy, and doubtful that there would be any surf, I retrieved my 7’ 2” and paddled across Wreck Bay to the south point off the Navy Base where a left point break forms off the rocky coast (el Canyon, or Canons—I’m not sure which). I was surprised to find the surf head high and extremely fun. I hadn’t brought a leash, but luckily I was able to hang on to my board.

Water clarity amazing. Wildlife stunning. Seals everywhere, but in a comical way, not annoying. And even some fun surf. While surfing I met a fellow-cruiser, Nick, a Kiwi on Pina Colada who we’ve been surfing with ever since.

Now before this gets long I will shorten the rest so I can get back to exploring the island. Have taken two tours on the island. The first was a land tour where we first stopped at the volcano atop the island. Inside its crater there’s a freshwater lake, and from the rim there are 360 degree stunning views of the surprisingly green island. From the crater we drove down to a breeding site for Galapagos tortoises and saw a dozen scattered around a neat little trail which brought you up close with the landscape of the island--lava and hard soil with hardy light-green vegetation, many of which have small flowers and are home to numerous birds. Tortoises are the most archaic looking creature I've ever seen. Even more so than iguanas. Relics from an era long past. Then went up to another beautiful lookout over the island, La Soledad, overlooking the west side of the island. The clarity of the water makes the coastline look amazing with its offshore reefs and color variations. Once back at the boat I went surfing at Canons once again with Nick. Caught 4 fun waves before it shut down with the high tide. It was a nice way to end a great day. Mike and I then capped off the day with a dinner ashore with Nick and his wife and the folks on Dream Weaver (who we met in Costa Rica and Panama). It was an amazing day.

The next morning Mike and I joined Nick and his wife and took a taxi with our boards to the southwest coast of the island--a beach called la Loberia. The entire south shore of the island is covered in light green vegetation clinging to the volcanic hillsides. The trail down to the beach wound along the rocky shoreline with a beautiful contrast in the round black lava rocks and the deep blue of the sea. After a short walk we arrived at a perfect half moon bay--perhaps the ideal beach. The white sand was fringed by vegetation on one side and a light green sea on the other. The inner waters of the bay are shallow and calm, being protected by an outcropping of rocks which chop the bay in half. Beyond the rocks lies the surfspot, a steep, hollow A-Frame wave that is fast, but provides short rides before you have to pull out in front of the exposed rocks. The surf was 6 foot and consistent and I got plenty of amazing waves; but the location was even better. Sitting in the lineup and looking ashore to a gorgeous beach--the only white break in an expanse of sharp blacks and greens beneath the blue sky, and no signs of human habitation (excepting the 15 people in the water and 15 on the beach). After surfing a couple hours (the water was noticeably cooler, at least 5 degrees, on the south side of the island) we walked back to town, using the airstrip as a shortcut (imagine doing that in the States these days). In the afternoon we took our dinghies (Mike and I, and Nick) around the south point of Wreck Bay and down the coast to Tonga Reef, a shallow left point break with fast, hollow waves that lead into a lava rock shoreline. I had some amazing rides including a couple nice tubes, though the surf was half the size of the morning, and had a blast.

In the Galapagos you are only able to anchor in 5 designated ports, and can't travel freely about, so tours are the only way to see the islands. So yesterday, February 24, Mike and I took a snorkeling trip to Kicker Rock. We took a panga with Dream Weaver, and the crew of Asylum out to Kicker Rock, a little islet a half mile offshore or so and a handful of miles from Wreck Bay. It was the perfect day for it with little wind and plenty of sunshine. At Kicker Rock there is a big islet and a smaller islet detached by about 30 feet with depths over 50 feet between them. We snorkeled in the gap and around the small islet. In the gap four to six foot white-tipped reef sharks and "Galapagos Sharks" were swimming around along with Eagle Rays and a couple Sea Turtles along with plenty of fish. It was the first time I've snorkeled with sharks and I was able to get a few pictures with my digital camera which I will post when I can. On the sunny side of the small islet the life forms growing on its steep walls and the fish circling made for great snorkeling. Sealife was plentiful and the water was crystal clear. After Kicker Rock we returned to the mainland and Isla Lobos, an island detached by a short channel with sea lions everywhere. Here I swam with the baby sea lions and snorkeled a bit more. The sea lions were quite playful and surprisingly not scared of humans or aggressive in the least. I also saw my first marine iguanas here, though I never saw one actually in the water. In the afternoon we surfed some small waves before falling asleep early.

This morning we surfed La Loberia and had some fun, though small waves. The weather here is amazing. 85 degrees, sunny and warm. Water 81 and crystal clear. No rain yet, though this is the rainy season. Will be in the Galapagos for up to two months in the 5 ports we are allowed to visit. I won’t be checking e-mail very often here, but will reply to everyone when I can.