Land Beautiful Land

We are now anchored in Nuka Hiva. This is a small island in the Marquesas, a blip in a very large ocean. When we arrived to Fatu Hiva from our 23 day, 22 night passage all we could think about was sleep. The smell of earth wafted off of the land and the sound of endless waves splashing was replaced with the bray of wild sheep and goats. The hills extended upwards at a height that was impressive, un till you saw the little white specs that danced on the sheer face of volcanic black rock and lush greenery. The little fly specs where goats. It went from impressive to magnificent and it took my breath away, compounded by the long sea voyage and landing on an island that was truly a tropical paradise. The colors on the cliffs went from green to deeper shades of green and were accented with towering black pinnacles. Probably the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen in my life and it was made all the more impressive by not having seen land for over three weeks. All we could think of was sleep but after our long stretch of solitude it was a no brainer: we were going exploring. We had started talking to one of the other boats on the passage, they passed us within 23 miles but we never saw them. We knew they were there, talked to them on the net and had developed a tentative acquaintance. We gave them a call and told them we were going into town and would give them a ride so they would not have to put their dinghy in the water. Elusive, another husband and wife team had also left from Puerto Vallarta in a J Boat, basically a racer, and they had made the passage in an astonishing 18 days!

We walked from the dinghy dock onto the only road in the village, saw a building that had a open porch and what looked to be some colorful posers on the wall. We thought maybe it was the tourist center and we went up to see what there was to do in this town. It is pretty disappointing to leave a country where you have finally mastered the language and arrive in one where you know not word one. We struggled through the discourse, mostly with the plump Polynesian’s broken English since we not only know no French but we have no French phrase book. (This is just one of the many things that I will realize that I should have brought with me.) We find out that the building is not a tourist center. (Duhh!) It is a hospital, or as close as they get out here on Fatu Hiva, it is a clinic with a nurse. There is no doctor. it is open to the sea breeze and we can’t really see any indication that it is a dispensary. We walk on. My ideas about what make a town are being challenged and I am seeing this place from a different light.

The street is paved and clean. All the trees seem to be some sort of fruit or flower tree and they are all dripping. Limes, Coconuts and other fruits are everywhere. there is hibiscus and bougainvillea growing in wild profusion and wild zinnias spread out on the side of the road like so many daisies in an open field. It is like a fairy tale. As we walk on we find another group of yachties and they tell us about a waterfall that is up the road, we decide to check it out and are soon plunging through the thick moist air under a dense canopy of greenery. It is so lush. Brett and I swim in the cool waterfall, a mild trickle of fresh water that cascades down a two hundred foot black lava rock face and ends in a small pool, only twenty by thirty feet cut into the stone. It is delicious after the long walk to float in the water and relax, knowing that tonight we will sleep through the night. Tomorrow is a carbon copy of this day. We were so eager to get to shore that we didn’t bring a thing: camera, water, etc. So we will have to return, since this scenery begs to be photographed.

In the evening we get together with some folks from three of the other boats and there end up being three guitars and one mandolin on the boat. It is a ton of fun. We are singing and playing and they taught me some tricks so that I can start practicing on my guitar. We are up so late that I am feeling a little waterlogged the next day and have a hard time getting going but it is such a pretty day that my grumpiness soon melts away.

On our third day in Fatu Hiva we decide that it is time to do some water exploring. We head out in the dinghy and start looking for a cave that Randy on the net told us about. It is a submerged cave that has human remains in it. We are fascinated. We troll along the coast and look for the the cave but all we can find is these crazy tunnels that are carved out of the lava rock by the surging waves. The waves smash into the holes and thunder comes out. Death on a stick, mate. We joke that the human remains are probably pretty fresh and we might be able to scavenge some snorkel gear if we go into these caves but we know better that to mess with the mighty ocean on her terms and I have no desire to get pummeled into a cave with no exit sign. On the bright side the tour of the coast is spectacular. There are waterfalls that reach down into the blue water and what is not covered in thick shades of green is black lava cliffs that are jutting straight into the sky with vertical layers of blackness. It is like fantasy island.

One more day to do the dreaded laundry and then it is time to head out and start exploring more places. We still have not checked into the country and we need to get to Hiva Oa, there is a place to check in there and fuel. We are desperate for fuel since we have had to run our generator almost every day to keep up with the demands of our fridge. We hear that Willow and Bohdran are going to be at a village on Tahuata and so we head over there to see this new place. When we arrive we are immediately approached by Greg from Willow (the mandolin player), this couple is our age and they built their own boat and are interested in getting a potluck going. So we quick tidy up the boat and Fearless becomes the center of the party. Chinook, who left Puerto Vallarta two days before us is also there so we invite them as well. Brett puts up the Christmas lights and the festivities begin. It is a great success. Everyone is very impressed with Fearless: how clean and nicely put together she is. It definitely makes you feel good that people can come on the boat and she looks like a show boat. She is great for a party and it goes on for a while.

The next day Brett and I go into town with our friends from Chinook and we walk up to a overlook of the bay. There are mangos everywhere. They are littering the ground and we scavenge the ones off of the ground and have mangos for days. The best ones are the ones that landed in the grass: they don’t have any bruises. I have a crazy pleasure from gathering my own food. There is something very primal about it. Walking along and finding sustenance. I do not like mangos, but these are delicious, nectar of the gods. A gift from the earth and they are free! This is very nice since we still have not gotten to a bank and have no Polynesian money. While on Fatu Hiva I was able to trade some gum and some candy for fruit but my stores are low and it is nice to put something fresh into the pantry.

We went snorkeling after our long walk to cool off and saw a school of marble rays, these are so elegant in the water and they seem to fly instead of swim. They are similar to a sea ray, except that they have pointy wings and spots on their backs. The bottom here volcanic rock with lots of sea urchins, a little living coral and tons of very colorful tropical fish. There is a very dramatic wall that goes 30 feet straight down and is covered with life.

the next day we are planning on staying a while but Chinook leaves and they let us know that there is a military skiff in the next town. Since we are still not checked into the country and we are not in a town that is on the way to a check in port we decide that it would be prudent too move along and get on our way to Hiva Oa so that we can check in and get official. We pull up and get on our way but when we are a third of the way there we talk to some folks (Solace, who left at the same time as Chinook and is coming from Hiva Oa) that there is a wicked surge coming into Hiva Oa, they are dredging the harbor right now and while they were there they had to move their anchor twice for the dredger! Well, that sounds like a good enough reason not to go. So we ended up in Tahuata. further down the island and close to Hiva Oa, so if we are approached by the authorities we could reasonable say that we were on our way, heard they were dredging and are waiting to go in…. This anchorage has no town, so we are mostly having pot lucks with Chinook and Solace and spending our days snorkeling or doing chores. The snorkeling here is really nice, lava walls but with a sand bottom and lots of live coral. We saw a marble ray and a white tip shark. Very cool. I have gotten too much sun and am now so crispy that I have to wear 44 SPF, all day on your tummy with the tender butt in the air is a recipe for disaster and I can barely sit right now. Thank God for Aloe.

And after the magic number of three days of potlucks and swimming it was off again, we really do need to get official! We decided against Hiva Oa, everything we heard about it was bad and Nuku Hiva was only a eighty mile sail, a simple overnighter. We caught the trades there and got there early. We spent today checking in and tomorrow we will get our fuel taken care of. I was so ready for civilization and am slightly disappointed. It is a one road town with a post office, a bank and a gendarme (the place that you check into the country.) I had my first restaurant meal since we left Mexico, it was so delicious! Fresh fish in coconut milk and lime juice with fresh veggies: the Polynesian equivalent to ceviche, but so much better. But that will be our last meal out for a while. It was sooooo expensive; forty two dollars, the American dollar does not get you much here! But it was beyond excellent to have food that I had not prepared myself for a change.