Another day...or two

Still here in Hiva Oa. Not going far or fast. We're happy to be able to slow down and take things a bit slower. We've decided to stay another day or two to take in some local festivities.

We have found internet here, but it is very slow, and expensive, so for now, we're still limited to text updates. We'll keep an eye out for faster internet, when we can bring you some local images. I'm sure you're on the edge of your seats!!

Shopping day tomorrow...which is always fun. Everyone has fruit growing in their yard here, so there isn't fruit in the stores, so we must chat with the locals in an effort to trade for the yummy local bananas, starfruit, guananana (??), papaya, etc. Veggies are also a rarity out here, and we're quickly learning that if we see something we like, we should snap it up, instead of waiting for another day, when it will surely be gone. But...the stores are incredibly well stocked here, if expensive, so we have no doubt
we'll be able to survive a few more weeks!

More boats

Although we never thought it possible, even more boats have slipped into the anchorage. We're packed in like sardines, but everyone is friendly, and with our bow and stern anchors out, there is little movement, so not much to worry about, as long as the conditions remain mild...

John and I discussed our crossing over our morning tea and coffee on the terrace (read: cockpit), and tried to summarize the passage. Surprisingly, the 3000 miles took only 23 days, less time than our last passage from Mexico to the Galapagos which took 25 days for 1700 miles. Crazy. We were also pleased that we didn't suffer any major breakdowns or difficulties. Although we had lots of chafe, where lines and sails wore through due to the constant friction. Here's a summary:

1. Monitor Self-Steering lines had major chafe, and one of the blocks needs to be replaced. This was our hardest working crew member, and steered for the entire 3000 miles.

2. Steering pedestal bearings wore out, as evidenced by new squeaking noises.

3. Genoa furling drum broke - for the last few days of our passage, we could not sail with a partially furled sail - it was all or nothing. No big deal. Winds had calmed down, and we were happy with the full sail.

4. Engine overheating - the engine was running a bit hotter than usual (190 degrees). We ran at a lower RPM to compensate. We checked our cooling system to be sure we didn't have a blockage. We now need to dive to make sure that there isn't growth on the intake, and check our (new) heat exchanger, to be sure it is operating correctly.

5. Mold - the front v-berth is converted to storage on a big passage, and it is not very well ventilated. As a result, mold and mildew formed with
abandon. Thankfully, I was able to scrub the mattress cushions, and they have come out ok. Not sure if we'll be so lucky with the comforter...although we don't need it down here anyway.

6. Fishing gear - well, we lost several lures, and one fish ran away with an entire set of line and lure. Oh well.

Not bad at all. Nothing debilitating!

Hiva Oa - Chillin'

We've decided that French Polynesia is the ultimate holiday destination. We're scoping out the cute little family-run hotels to find out where we'd like to stay next time we're here.

The anchorage is absolutely packed. At least 24 boats. All VERY close. And at least half are French, or more. No other Canadian flagged boats here, and only one other American. We feel a bit silly not being able to speak french, but we're getting a crash course. Speeking the local language of
Tahitian/Polynesian seems a daunting task, but we're trying out a few words!

The island is incredibly lush - very green and tropical. It has rained every day we've been here, but it is a warm rain. It does elicit a bit of a Chinese Fire Drill response on Renova, as we rush around closing hatches and portholes, and bringing down laundry, in hopes of keeping some semblance of order. But it has been wonderful to get some of the caked salt off the decks and gear, and we're grateful. Also, there is a tap of delicious mountain water beside the dinghy dock, that is also attached to a crude shower...what a glorious treat to stand beneath a running tap without worrying about how many gallons are being flushed down the drain. Finally, squeaky clean again!!

Once again we managed to bring a full aquarium of underwater species with us - crazy looking barnacles, and we spent a good amount of time yesterday scraping and scrubbing our hull. At least she looks clean above the water line. Because we spent 23 days heeled over to the same side, the green-brown growth was right up the side of the boat. Yuck.

Checking in here was surprisingly simply. Customs dropped by the boat, and filled in a few forms and checked out our liquor cabinet. And today, we stopped into the Gendarmerie, where we filled out a form, and then took it to the post office, where we bought a 70 cent stamp. That was it. Less than half an hour. What a treat!!! We'll have to do more paperwork when we reach the capital city of Papeete, but for now, we're done.

That's all for now. We're off for dinner with a young Norwegian couple and their 11 month old baby! What troopers!

We made it!!

At 4:30 this afternoon, we dropped our bow and stern anchor at Hiva Oa in Tahauku Bay. We're closely anchored here with about 16 other sail boats from around the world. No other Canadian Boats in the anchorage.

We have about a 4 foot ground swell here, and this is considered a good anchorage. It sure is a long way from BC.

This is French Polynesia, a colony (not sure if that is the right word) of France. We will be flying the French flag here, as a courtesy, and also will try to find local French Polynesian and Marquesan Flags.

Already, after sipping cocktails in the cockpit, we realize that this could be the ultimate vacation destination. Lots of cute, small houses, which surely house B&B's or small hotels, yet quiet and unassuming. The scenery is stunning...lush green hills rise steeply from the water's edge. We haven't even got off the boat, and we wonder about real estate prices. Hmmmm....after all, I am also a citizen of the EU!!

We've already met another boat in the anchorage, and got the low-down on the dinghy dock, checkin proceedure and local veggie market. Amazing how friendly cruisers can be.

As I write this a cat has come in and tried to anchor next to us. And we thought we were already too close to our neighbors. As it turns out, he has moved on, and dropped his hook elsewhere. I hope he wasn't too concerned with John's evil eye!

Sleep will come easy tonight. In part, because the cocktails are tasty, but also because the swell is only minor compared to the past 23 nights.

Betting!!

For those that are interested, we arrived in Hiva Oa on Saturday, May 1 at 4:30pm.

Here are your guesses for our arrival time:
Amy: April 30/May 1
Christa: May 1 at midnight
Nola: May 2
Sylvia: May 2

Looks like Christa takes the cake!! Wohoo!

Pacific Crossing - Day 23 - Land Ho

[May 1]

Noon Position:
Lat/Long: 09°51'S / 138°40'W
24 hr distance: 120nm
Distance to Go:

We currently have cocktails chilling in the fridge and expect that we'll be dropping the hook around dinner time. We have the motor giving us a little push, to be sure we're in before dark. Thank goodness (not quite John's exact words, but you get the idea).

Today is a good day. For the first time in 23 days, we can see land!! Hiva Oa showed itself on the horizon mid-morning, and shortly after we spotted a sailboat in the distance. It is the only other boat we've seen this whole passage. Shocking. Not even a freighter or container ship. If it wasn't for the evening 'net' (check in for puddle jumping boats via radio), we would feel pretty alone out here!

Lots to do tomorrow. We plan to stretch our legs, check into the country and complete necessary officialdom, do some laundry and EAT fresh food!! If we find internet ashore, we'll check in and let you know how wobbly we are! Over the next week, we have a few boat projects (of course, something is always breaking around here), and I'd like to catch up on uploading photos, and a few delayed blog posts. So please stay tuned.

Thanks to everyone for keeping tabs on us, reading the blog and for sending us encouraging emails along the way. We really looked forward to hearing from you and your emails brightened our otherwise monotonous days!

[labels: landfall, passage making]

Pacific Crossing - Day 22 - Counting Down

[April 30]

Lat/Long: 09°39.46'S / 136°40.15'W
25 hr distance: 121 nm
Distance to go: 140 nm

We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! With only 140 miles to go, we expect to arrive at Atuona tomorrow afternoon. We can't wait, and we're already anticipating sleeping without rolling out of our bunks, a long shower, and enjoying our celebratory meal ashore. With ice cream. And beer. Hmmmm...

The wind continues to come from the East (not the South East as we have seen for our entire passage until the last few days), and we are still running under two headsails, or the spinnaker, depending on its strength. Not as fast as the first couple of weeks of our passage, but we're still managing almost 5 knots most of the time, which is fine by us.

[labels: landfall, passage making]

Pacific Crossing - Day 21 - Fishing is not the same as Catching

[April 29]

Lat/Long: 09°35.15'S / 134°38.07'W
24hr distance: 112nm
Distance to go: 260 nm

We sailed under spinnaker for most of yesterday, turning the motor on when the wind died in the evening. Once again we flew the 'chute' (spinnaker) this morning, but we're now running under the large genoa, poled out to port side, and our stays'l on the starboard. We're happy to be making around 5 knots.

We're looking forward to landfall...only a couple more days now, Wohoo.

We continue to fish...but we don't seem to be having much luck in the catching department this week. We brought in a big flying fish yesterday, but neither of us could fathom eating that which has been stinking up our decks for the last couple of weeks. No thanks. So...we're obviously not going hungry out here! :O)

Thanks for all your comments and emails in the last couple of days. I suppose we must have been sounding pretty down and out. In all reality, we're doing fine out here...couldn't really ask for better conditions (even if it can be uncomfortable), and we're making excellent time. I suppose we've got enough time on our hands to be a little overly dramatic!!

[labels: fishing, passage making]

Pacific Crossing - Day 20 - Under Spinnaker

[April 28]

Lat/Long: 09°21.14'S / 132°45.24'W
24hr distance: 106 nm
To Go Distance: 372 nm

After 19 days of steady 15-20 knot winds from the South East, we've finally had some change. Yesterday the wind started to lose its strength, the boat slowed, and after several days of sailing under a poled-out genoa and staysail, we decided to bring them both down and hoist the spinnaker. Unfortunately, and we somehow managed to put a rip in the thin sail cloth. No problem. We have tons of fuel, so we simply motored through the night.

First thing this morning, I repaired the spinnaker, and we're now cruising along at 4 knots. Hard to watch our average speed decrease, after these weeks of steady progress at 6 knots. A couple months ago we would have danced for joy at 4 knots!! Funny what a fickle pair of sailors we are. The good news is that along with the wind, the swell has also calmed down considerably. I'm about to mix up a fresh batch of cookies, and bake some bread.

We've been out of bread for almost a week, and yesterday we finished the last of our potatoes. All that's left for fresh food is watermelon, a couple limes, and onions. But our fresh supplies kept better this time, and we still have lots of canned goods about. I'm pretty sure that we could have bought enough BIMBO (think: Wonderbread) bread for the whole passage - it just never goes bad. Eerie. We just finished our last tube of Pringles, so we'll have to be careful with our remaining chocolate, or we could have a crew meltdown!!

[labels: sailing, provisioning, passage making]

Pacific Crossing - Day 19 - Getting Closer

[April 27]

Lat/Long: 09°13.41'S / 130°58.48'W
24hr distance: 125 nm
Distance to go: 473 nm

We're ready. Ready for the rolling to stop. Ready to walk on land. Ready to eat fresh veggies. Ready to have someone else cook for us. Ready to have clean bedding. Ready for new reading material. Ready to sell the boat.

[labels: passage making]