Friday, April 30, 2010

Snorkeling in Manihi

Hello All,
We made it to the northern end of the Atoll yesterday. The channel is well marked almost the whole way. We came about 1 mile past the buoys to find some good snorkeling at the north east end. I had Tobias on the bow looking for coral heads to dodge and lucky we didn't have to dodge any. This morning I got on my gear and went and scraped all the barnacles off the prop and cleaned up the hull a bit. Tobias swam to the beach and found some good coral heads to explore. I did some maintenance on the boat, work before fun and this afternoon all 3 of us went to explore some coral heads in one of the passes near by. There is a few more we will check out tomorrow that look awesome. Tonight we were invited over to Curious for a few drinks along with a Danish boat that was near by. It was a good time had by all. This place is so amazing, we have enjoyed every minute of it. We will leave here on Saturday and head back over by town and probably leave Sunday or Monday. Where we are going is not cast in stone yet so I will keep you all updated.
That's all for now.
Bye

PEACE

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Having fun on Manihi

Hello All,
We have had a lot of fun the last few days. Steve and Trish took us out to the pass yesterday to go snorkeling. We took his dingy because it is about a mile from here and mine is just to slow. We caught it right when the tide was coming back in so we got dropped off on the ocean side and and drifted back into the Lagoon. It was like about a 1/4 of a mile from one end to the other. The coral and the fish were so colorful, it was fantastic. When we got back Steve and Trish invited me over for lunch and Trish offered to wash my clothes in her washing machine, she is a star. Tobias made some friends here on a few other boats so he hung out with them for the afternoon. Okay now for the breaking news. I took on an extra crew member. We met Delphine the other day, she was on another boat anchored by us. She needed a lift to Tahiti but the Skipper had changed his plans about his cruising route and wasn't heading to Tahiti for some time so she came over to visit with us and we hit it off. She moved on the boat yesterday and went right to work. She baked us banana bread from Moms recipe and it turned out awesome. She will be with us for about 3 weeks. Delphine and I took the dingy to town this morning and bought some baguettes and just walked around the little town. She is very nice and has sailed a lot in her life and she can speak french YAY! So the boat will be a little crowded for a few weeks but we will make due.
Tomorrow we will head up the atoll about 10 miles and anchor by what's called the blue lagoon. We were told it is world class snorkeling so it should be a good time.The wind came down 2 days ago so the lagoon looks like a mirror at night. This place, is so beautiful and the water so clear, it is like reading it out of a book. This is truly paradise.
That's all for now. I will talk to you all soon.


PEACE

Monday, April 26, 2010

Still in Manihi

Hello All,
Been having a good time here. We went to town today and checked out the pass we went through to get in here and we hope to go snorkeling there in the morning. Today was a bit rough because of the wind, so we decided to wait for settled weather. Tomorrow is suppose to be better so we will see how it goes. There was a BBQ on the beach tonight with all the cruisers, there is like 6 boats here now and we had a nice time visiting with them all. We may head up the atoll Tuesday to look for a better anchorage. We were told by the locals there is some very nice water further up the atoll. We are having a good time here and there will be more to come I am sure. I will keep you posted on the events and tomorrow I may have some news for you. It's still in the works but will let you know when I know. lol That's all I can say for now will talk to you all soon.

PEACE

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Made it to Manihi Atoll

Hello All,
We made it here this morning at 10 a.m. Friday April 23, we had to slow the boat down a bit to get here at slack water to make it through the pass. When we got here I came in but didn't see any boats around, the wind was blowing 25 so most of the lagoon had big wind waves. I really didn't know where I was going so I turned around and went back out so I could look at a chart or something. On our way out a man on a wharf was waving a VHF radio in his hand. I called back and he said welcome and come on in and follow the markers to the north, he said it is well marked, I said okay I will check it out. So we came back in and over a bar that made me a little nervous and so we headed north following the channel markers. I was beating against the wind and the waves, it was terrible. After an hour and a half we finally made it all the way till we got to the last channel marker and found no place to anchor, it was all exposed. On the way back I figured I would head around to the south side and see if I could find something there. That's when Tobias spotted a few sailboats over on that side. They were up against the palm trees for wind protection. So we made it over there and we saw Steve and Trish on Curious. They have been here a few days exploring around. We got anchored up and realized that we were dragging over coral. We tried to get the anchor back so we could find a new place to try and every ones Atoll nightmare, the chain had wrapped around a coral head and we were stuck. We messed with it for a bit and then took a break. Steve came by to ask how everything went on the crossing and then I told him we were stuck. He offered to go get his dive gear to go get the chain off but I told him we would try again. We messed with it some more and it finally broke free. We moved to a better place, so I thought, the anchor is not dragging but it feels like the chain wrapped around another coral head. I will keep an eye on it and see if it doesn't come loose with us bobbing around. To make a good day even better, I checked the oil before we came in here and I found more sea water in the oil. This time I didn't start it first, so I just pumped the oil out and put new in. I will be making a call to the marine outfit Monday and see what they can tell me. This is driving me crazy. The wind is suppose to blow up to 35 knots the next few days so we will hang out here till it lets up a little.
It's getting late and I am really tired so I will talk to you guys soon


PEACE

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Good Crossing to Tuamotos

Hello All,
We are having a good crossing so far. Winds have been excellent and the weather sunny and warm. Last night we did encounter 2 squalls with some rain but it wasn't to bad. I took some sail down so we wouldn't get blown over and rode it out pretty good. This morning is partly cloudy and the wind is 15 knots. We are making about 5 to 5.5 knots. We should be getting into Manihi Atoll by Thursday afternoon which will work out perfect because we want day light to get into the lagoon.
Well that's all I know for now so I will talk to you when we get in.


PEACE

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Heading for Tuamotus Atolls

Hello All,
We are underway to the Tuamotu Atolls. We left Daniels Bay this morning and are on a beam reach making 5.5 knots. The sky is clear and all the stars are out. We saw a awesome sunset tonight and hope the sunrise is just as beautiful. We hiked up to the waterfall yesterday, the trail to get there was like something you write about in a book, it was beautiful. It took about an hour and a half to get there. We had to cross a few streams but all in all the hike was pretty easy. The water fall was pretty dry right now but the canyon where it is at is undescribable. I got some really good pictures and I will post when I can find fast internet. After returning to the village we met a local family. They both spoke pretty good English. They invited us for coffee and after a few hours of chatting they broke out some homemade fruit wine. It must have been midnight when we said good bye. This morning we went back and had coffee with them again. I gave them a signed Alaska flag and we exchanged emails and we signed a guest book they had. I think that was my best time and the most beautiful place of the Islands. I guess we saved the best for last.
We should be arriving at Manihi Atoll by Thursday afternoon. I am kinda sad to leave the Marquesas but am looking forward to the next adventure. I have never seen an Atoll so this will be exciting.
Ok that's all I know for now. I will talk to you all soon.

PEACE

Friday, April 16, 2010

Back in Taiohae Bay

Hello All,
We made it back to the bay Yesterday afternoon.We had an excellent sail back here,wind was 15 to 20 knots.On the way we caught a good size Yellow fin Tuna,we finally got a fish YAY.Tobias cleaned him out and we kept him covered in salt water till we got back.Tobias cut him into fillets on Steve and Trishs boat.we brought some back to have for dinner and left the rest with them.They have a neat thing called a refrigerator.We will have dinner with them tonight and have some more fish to eat.
We will leave here tomorrow and head for the next bay over,Daniels Bay.There is a really good hiking trail there that leads to the 3rd tallest waterfall in the world.We have been told its dry right now due to lack of rain but i guess the hike through the forest to get there is fabulous.We will leave for the Tuomotu,s sometime sunday,it should take us about 5 days to get there.The wind is suppose to be 15 to 20 knots so should be a good crossing.
I will write in a few days and let you guys know how its going.



PEACE

Thursday, April 15, 2010

In Anaho Bay

Hello All,

We arrived in Anaho Bay Tuesday afternoon. The winds were light coming up here so I motored the whole way. There was only one boat in here when we arrived so it was nice and quiet. There is a little village here with no roads leading to it so there is just a few families that live here.
We took a nice hike today of the mountain to Hatiheu Bay. It took us about an hour and a half to do the trek. There is a small town there that is connected by road to Taiohae. It is a beautiful bay and I took some good pictures of the little town. When we returned Tobias went for a hike to a beach on the east side of the island and I came back to the dingy and filled up our water jugs from a tap by the beach. The water is excellent so I got everything topped off.
We will leave here tomorrow for Taiohae and gather up a few more things for our crossing to the Tuomotus.
That's it for now, I will write more when we get back.

PEACE

Monday, April 12, 2010

Hanging around Taiohae Bay

Hello All,
We had a nice relaxing weekend here.Saturday night we had dinner with a German fellow and his wife.They actually took the trip that I want to.They went up through Japan and the up to Alaska and wintered there boat in Homer a few years ago.He said Japan was awesome and the people there were helpful and kind.He said it was very reasonable to travel there because they give breaks to travelers.We had them over to our boat last night and visited some more.
I think I will do laundry today and see if my propane bottle has been filled yet.I dropped it off Friday,they dont fill them on the spot here,some one in town fills them and then brings them back.
Steve and Trish are gonna go check out a few bays that are close by and then return back here by the end of the week.I think we will be leaving here on Saturday and go to the next bay over from here,about 5 miles away,and check it out.There is suppose to be good drinking water there too so we will get all topped off with water while we are there.
Well thats all I know for now so I will talk to you guys soon.

PEACE

Sunday, April 11, 2010

In Taiohae Bay

Hello All,
We have had a great time so far here.We arrived thursday afternoon after a slow sail 5 miles west of Hakahaa Bay.Taiohae Bay is the largest town and the capital of the Marguesas Islands.We found a spot to anchor close to the dingy wharf.It was a bit hard to find because when we got here there was at least 40 boats here.It is a favorate spot for cruisers for sure.Will and the boys were here from Dawn Star and so was Steve and Trish on the Curious.Here we all are again lol.We didnt do much because it was late in the day.Tobias jumped in for a swim after we got settled and swam to a boat we met on Hiva Oa.Infinity was the boat he went to visit,it is a 120 foot research boat with 16 souls onboard,mostly young men and women from all walks of life looking for a little adventure.They pay to be on the the boat so it is basically a charter vessel.I have met all of them myself and we all hit it off.They were happy to see us come in and we rounded the boat as we came in under sail and yelled and waved hello.Infinity left yesterday for the Tuamotu's and so did Dawn Star.The Curious will be here till the end of the week so I hope we wont be to far behind.I am waiting for some mail to come in so until then we will be checking the place out.We got up at 0400 and went to the Saturday market on the wharf which consisted of all the local fishermen bringing there fish in to sell.It was pretty amazing,all different kinds of fish and some fruit and vegetables.Tobias managed to talk one of the locals to take him out monday morning to go fishing so I hope he gets a big ol' tuna.It is so fun learning the language here,french and polynesian,the locals love when you try so hard to speak to them.These people besides my family from Alaska are so kind and helpful.My mom was asking if we were getting any fruit from the Islands and it is so amazing,When you see something you like in someone's yard,bananas,bread fruit,mangos or what ever,you just say hello in Marquesaen (ka O ha) and point at what you want and you have a back back full of what ever it is.These Islands are so unspoiled even in this day in age.I would like to think Hawaii was like this 50 years ago.It is like France is saving these Islands for another day but I dont mind it at all..Cruisers mostly visit these Islands because it is so expensive to fly here from Tahiti.So in turn , locals are not num to visitors.I feel like a broken record when I say we met more locals today that invited us to a BBQ and gave us fish and dessert.One women spoke very good english and taught us a little french.Tobias is doing very good at it and I am lagging behind as always.Tomorrow is another day so we will see what happens.
Intel then,I will talk to you all soon




Good bye (Au revoir)

or Marguqesan( Oh Pa)


PEACE

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Arrived at Nuka Hiva Island

Hello All,
We got to the Island yesterday after noon (April 6th). We are on the southeast side of the island right now anchored in Hanga Haa Bay. We ran into Will and the boys from Dawn Star when we came in so we anchored by them. They came over for dinner last night and told us where a good water fall was and where there was some stone Tikis. There is a little town here we looked at briefly, but my main goal was to find the ancient Tiki site. I have been looking for Tikis this whole trip and today I finally got to see some. It was a bit of a hike but a good trail to them. After that we went looking for the waterfall. We found a awesome waterfall but I think we took a wrong turn some where because the guys told us there was a pool under it and the one we found didn't have a pool. So after walking about 4 miles in the hot mid day sun we were looking forward to a swim. Oh well, that's the way it goes I guess. I think we will stay here one more day and walk around the village. After this we go to the next bay to the west, Taiohae Bay, which is the largest town in all the Marquesas.
I will write more when I get over there and let you guys know whats going on.
Talk to you all soon.

PEACE

Sunday, April 4, 2010

In Hakahau Bay,Ua Pou Island

Hello All,
We have had an interesting few days since I last wrote.We left Tahuata Island in the evening to make it to Ua Huka by morning.The wind was blowing over 25 knots all night and seas were 6 feet.I only had the staysail and a double reefed main up and we were making 7 knots at times.The speed was nice but the ride sucked.We got to Ua Huka at 7 am to find that the anchorage was full of swell and the wind was blowing up the valley.So we decided to head for Oa Pou Island which was 26 miles away.We arrived here at mid day and saw that our friends,Steve and Trish were here.They were tied to the wharf Med Moor style for protection from the swell coming in the bay.Med Moor is where you are tied stern to a sea wall or a dock with your bow anchor out.We were looking at doing the same but with just 2 of us it would have been very hard to do.Steve and Trish saw us coming in and gave us a hand getting the boat tied up by theirs.Not to long after we got settled a guy in a little 4x4 came down and yelled over to me and asked if I wanted a driving tour of the Island.I took him up on the offer and he picked me up Friday morning for the tour.He is a retired english teacher that came over here from France to teach and never left.He showed me around the the town and took me to some of his friends that do wood and stone carvings.After that we started the tour down some very rough roads to see the eastern side of the Island.This is a very mountainous Island and the views of the bays were awesome.We had an open fire picnic at the last bay we came to with fresh fish and lamb.It took about 4 hours to do the tour and he brought me back to the boat.He asked me if I wanted to rent the car for Saturday and take my friends for a tour.We had dinner with Steve and Trish that night and asked if they would be interested and they agreed.So yesterday he dropped the car off and we all bailed in and now I was the tour guide for the day.I took them to all the same places he took me and we had a very good time.When we returned I saw that Will Cameron and Brenden on the Dawn Star,the east coast guys, had arrived and they were tied right next to me.So here we are the 3 of us once again.We had a bbq on the beach last night with fish wine and beer.I was trying to think if it could get better than this and so far I dont see how it could.
We will leave here tomorrow and either head for an anchorage on the west side of the Island or head for Nuku Hiva which will be the last Island of our Marquesas tour.
I will try to get some pics loaded up at some point.I just need a good internet connection so bear with me.
Thats all I know for now so I will talk to you guys soon.


PEACE