After lifting the anchor, OBM steered MaRe out of the bay and put the autopilot in TRCK (Track Mode, in which the autopilot steers MaRe exactly to the selected WPT, compensating wind and current drifts.)

Shortly later, while we still looked at the steep caldera walls at the western side of the bay, a group of about 10 dolphins came to MaRe from PRT side. They swam for about 5 – 10 around her bows. OBM watched them with a lot of delight; she doesn’t see dolphins as often as I do. But I still like to watch the incredible animals.

We are motoring along the N coast of Hiva-Oa. On STB we are in the haze the shape of Fatu-Hiku. A small insufficient charted island 16 NM N of MaRe.

The broken off vertical walls of the shore line show the many layers of lava, which flew down from the craters of the former volcanos. I often think about how it was here during thousands years when the volcano were still active and especially the moment when they blew off their tops.

With about 7 KN of TWS a gennaker would be right sail. Therefore, as we are not on a long distance sail, we use again the engines.

As for a gennaker I’m already in touch with Doyle NZ. Doyle NZ is a merger of Doyle Sails and Bout & McMaster. Andy P., the sail maker who will make my new gennaker, did his apprenticeship at the former Bout & McMaster. Thus, I expect a good quality. I hope to confirm the order in the next 2 weeks after shipment and tax clarifications.

I was introduce to Andy P. by the daughter of the founder McMaster who is the best support person of PredictWind. (Although I’m still using PW, I dislike their buggy OffshoreApp more and more. This morning or took me about 10 attempts to upload the previous narration. Do I get now the rate single attempt upload?)

My eyes follow often the coast line towards the west. The rust-brown volcano wall get an increasing shade of grey with the increasing distance.

How will the bay and the village Hanaiapa will be?