7/29/2006
Marquesas to Hawaii – Homeward Bound
We had a great two-week visit in the Marquesas the first part of June. As in our first visit in 2001, we made landfall at Fatu Hiva at the southern end of the island chain and reaffirmed this as one of the most spectacular landfalls of our voyage. The landscape is VERY dramatic with brilliant green vegetation and tall rock spires surrounding the small bay. The harbor is now named the Bay of Virgins after the missionaries objected to the original, more phallic name.
Fatu Hiva was much as we remembered from our first visit except they have added a concrete quay with protecting breakwater (on the left side as you enter the bay for those cruising friends who have been there). We again did laundry in buckets looking up at the incredible landscape but were disappointed that the bakery that made the fantastic bread we remember from 2001 had closed.
We strolled around the town and stopped at various homes to look at the local woodcarvings. Fatu Hiva has some of the best carvers in the Marquesas and everyone was busy making tikis, wooden bowls, etc to be sent to Papeete for Fete in July. In one home we visited Paul was asked if he was a mechanic, when he said yes, they asked him to look at their chest freezer that was not working. Not having the correct tools, we returned the next day and Paul was able to get it working again and we were rewarded with a beautiful wooden bowl in thanks. Word quickly spread, and as we walked through town, people would stop us, ask if Paul was a mechanic and he would be asked to look at their non-working items. Besides the freezer, Paul was also asked to look at a broken power planer that he could not fix and when they brought out the broken DVD player, Paul drew the line and said his mechanical skills did not extend to electronics! He easily could have been kept busy for weeks.
When we arrived in Fatu Hiva we were pleased to find our friend Leonid from Kazakhstan on his very small 22-foot boat that he built himself and launched on the Caspian Sea. We had first met Leonid in Colon, Panama and helped him explore his options for transiting the Panama Canal and getting his boat to the Pacific. It was great to see him again, learn of his 40-day passage from Galapagos and more about his life in Kazakhstan before he set off for Samoa.
After four great days we set off on an over night passage to Nuku Hiva at the northern end of the Marquesas. Taiohae Bay was filled with 40 sailboats and it was great to visit with friends, enjoy the Agricultural Exposition and buy fresh vegetables for the first time in over four weeks. The excellent Saturday morning market was as we remembered but seemed to be starting even earlier in the morning. In 2001 getting there by 5:30 a.m. was good but this year you needed to be ashore before 5:00 to have a good selection of French pastries or the freshest fish. We would make the early morning trek with coffee in thermal mugs then sit on the curb enjoying our coffee along with a fresh croissant or small quiche. Paul loves Tahitian pamplemouse, similar to a grapefruit but sweeter, and he acquired them whenever he could while we were here. Even after all we ate while in the islands, we left for Hawaii with over 20 pamplemouse!
We treated our selves to a tour of the island with new friends and had a great time. It’s always a fun for us to see the interior parts of the islands we visit and learn more of their history, culture and local flora and fauna. We had quite the international group including a Brit, a Danish family of four and a Swedish couple who had just sailed down after spending the winter in Victoria. Great to share stories of adventures and fun to meet someone who had just come from where we were soon heading. And the two kids from the Danish boat Jonna (10 and 13 years old) added a playful atmosphere to the day; we have always enjoyed the fresh perspective kids add to any experience.
As Taiohae Bay was quite rolly and uncomfortable, making on board projects challenging, we sailed around to Anaho Bay on the north side of Nuku Hiva for a few days before leaving for Hawaii. It was much more relaxing to be in a calm anchorage while we finished our projects and preparing Altair for sea. The anchorage was stunning and a large waterfall emerged high up after a night’s rain, then disappeared within 24 hours as if by magic. It was an interesting mix of boats in the anchorage, Altair and another cruising boat on the experienced end in company with three single handers who had just left California a few months before. While doing laundry and gathered around a beach fire, we shared our cruising experiences and realized how much we have learned during the past six years.
The last morning before we left, the Aranui arrived to collect copra from the locals and deliver some supplies. The large freighter carries freight and passengers between Papeete and the Marquesas and Tuamotus visiting once a month. It makes one swing through dropping things off, then a second circuit picking up freight such as the copra. Recently the Aranui has been bringing tourists looking for a different view of the islands than offered by small cruise ships, in June there were 100 passengers on the Arauni, a much greater number than the handful we had seen five years ago.
We left Nuku Hiva on Tuesday 20 July in rather boisterous conditions. The South East Trade Winds were not very established this year so instead of having winds aft of the beam to push us along until we crossed the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) north of the Equator, we had Easterly to North Easterly winds on the beam or forward of the beam for the entire trip. Not as pleasant as wind from behind as the brochures advertised. This passage was not our favorite, beating to weather with water over the decks for days and several gear failures but as they say what does not kill you makes you stronger. Our first crossing of the ITCZ (an are of light winds) was fairly quick but then we diverted south as there was a low-pressure system that we were concerned might turn into a tropical storm. Fortunately the weather system did not intensify but the detour added three days to our passage.
We arrived in Honolulu in the early morning hours on Tuesday 11 July, a passage of 20 days 13 hours. We had a great ride down the Kaiwi Channel between Oahu and Molokai and past Diamond Head under a full moon. It was nice to have the full moon for some light as the winds were 25-30 knots with higher gusts and the seas seemed huge at times. There were a few especially big sets of waves 16 to 20 feet high. A friend, Jonothan Saunders, is working as captain of a large motor yacht here and he had given us the buoy and light configuration for the entrance to the Ala Wai harbor. With his information combined with our memories from racing here on Cassiopeia ten years ago we felt comfortable entering at night, which we normally don’t do with unfamiliar harbors. It was great to be tied up to a dock again and after a few hours sleep we called US Customs. We easily cleared in with Immigration, Customs, and Agriculture, gave up our remaining few onions and last pamplemouse. We then sanitized our fridge with Clorex as directed and Altair is officially back in the United States for the first time in almost six years.
We have been tied to the Aloha Dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club for the past two plus weeks enjoying their wonderful hospitality, which includes great showers, an ice machine, internet access and local calls all at no additional charge. In fact the first day we took two showers each. We have thoroughly been enjoying our visit here catching up with a number of cruising friends we have not seen for a few years as well as meeting new friends. It’s fun to be at the edge of the Waikiki craziness although we have not put in much time on tourist activities but rather concentrating on boat repairs and projects, socializing and trying to catch up with email. Hawaii is just a nice place to be.
We are planning to leave in the next day or so for Seattle on our last ocean passage of this voyage. The passage should take three to four weeks and we hope to be back in Seattle before the end of August (fingers crossed). While we are excited to be coming home, life will certainly be different and we will be sad to leave the cruising life but happy we have so many cruising friends who live in the Pacific Northwest.
Cheers – Suzette and Paul
Altair on the Aloha Dock at Hawaii Yacht Club
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
29 July 2006
