Yesterday it was a very rainy day which started already in during night. It is “scheduled” to last at least until today early afternoon.

It was not a rain, which lasted non-stop for hours but it was very frequent on-off rain. When it was on, it was anything from light drizzling to very dense rain with visibility of only a few hundred meters.

The wind is not strong but the turbulences in the bay caused by the high “walls” of the mountains lets the boats at anchor change directions very often. Sometimes it happens that to neighboring boats don’t turn in the same direction. I assume that there is tidal current in the bay, which is narrow and strong enough to turn boats more than the wind.

To be able to sit at the cockpit table we needed to close the STB enclosure. Gusts blew the rain “around the corner”.

The temperature is pleasant.

However, due to the strong easterly winds of 20 – 30 KN outside and the big waves created by these winds, there is quite a swell rolling into the bay. For us on a catamaran is not so much, but the monohulls get moved a lot.

This swell stirs up a lot of sediments and lets the water look yellowish. The mechanical pre-filters of the water maker gets all this stuff out and we give good potable water in the tank again.

Yesterday we talked several times about that we were lucky to go into the village for food provisions already the day before. It spared us a few showers while walking…

Tino, the sail maker of Maintenance Marquises Service did again an excellent job.

Background
Yesterday when we tacked in 18 – 23 KN of wind through the Canal du Bordelais, I suddenly saw that the end of a batten looked out of its pocket at the leech. Doyle-Raudaschl simply made the end of the pocket for the battens not strong enough for chafing of the battens they provided. This , although I had no tension applied to the battens.

Tino looked at the problem and had 2 ideas, which combined should prevent a batten chafing a hole at the end of the battens pocket. This for all batten pockets. Additionally he made very tight fitting “socks” for the end of each batten. These 2 countermeasure should be fine. He used a rather thin but very strong material for that.

And now the most important part in terms of me being made very happy by his work.

He leaves tomorrow morning for 2 weeks family vacations in Pape’ete. Thus, he fixed my sail especially today.

Tino, merci beaucoup! Bonnes vacances!

At 1330 we dropped the hook again in Baie Tahauka, Hiva-Oa’s main bay written Atuana as the main settlement on this island.

We found today a spot a little bit deeper in the bay. At about 4 m we dropped the hook and have MaRe 25 m of chain to dance with.

Shigeo just made a banana shake – we had many bananas which needed to be eaten – and added about 4 handful of nuts-raisins-mixture. Tastes pretty good.

Now we have a coffee break with cookies. Then final clearing up of the boat; the jib sail needs to get its cover.

After a comfortable breakfast, we left the Hanamoenoa Bay at around 1000 and went straight outside of the bay to gain distance for going upwind, which meant back into the bay, to set the main sail.

I decided to go with reef 2 on the main as I expected strong winds in the canal.

With the main sail up we headed first dead N to set genoa (only 3 bars) and the 8 m2 jib to make tacking easier.
Then we sailed on a close hauled course as high as possible. Typically we achieved with main and genoa a bit reefed a 45 deg AWA. Pretty good for a cat. (With full sails 40 deg and a bit of luck 35 deg).

With 8 tacks we were through the Canal du Bordelais and are heading now into the Baie Taaoa (Baie de Trailers).

Now we can step by step increase the AWA, gain speed, and have a few bumps less.

By 1500 we should be at anchor.

Last night around mid night, I got an anchor alarm.

As I knew the Anchor Pro app is the only app running on my tablet, I could immediately exclude a missing GPS signal with a high probability.

I also didn’t feel and hear any strong wind while in bed. Thus, I was wondering and immediately fully awake.

Looking at the display, I saw MaRe’s position was indeed already about 25 m outside the permitted circle of 50 m and it was moving constantly. A dragging anchor drags in steps, thus the boat is always at a certain position, at least for a few minutes. However, the constant move of the position excluded the possibility of a dragging anchor. The only situation where a boat keeps drifting as indicated on the Anchor Pro screen is a complete loss of chain connection to the anchor pretty close to the boat. We are drifting without chain was the conclusion I draw in fraction of second.

In the next fraction of a second I was out of bed and in the cockpit.

What I saw was all the boat around me are there, and MaRe’s position within the group as it should be. Safe! No broken chain. Weak wind.

Looking at Anchor Pro screen I saw MaRe still drifting. GPS signal was there. Alarm – very noisy! – was temporarily silenced.
I thought about stopping the app fully, with unsetting the anchor position, and start a new anchor alarm setting with the anchor position from the history file of the app. I was just about doing this, when MaRe’s position on the screen jumped from an anchor distance of about 150 m to about 5 m.

The about 5 m distance from the anchor location reflected pretty well the situation of MaRe’s position within the group of boats around her.

A SW bug!!!

This time a serious one. (There are a few bugs in the SW.) The first serious one I found in 4 years with an 1 1/2 years COVID-19 enforced sailing break in between.

I still will use the Anchor Pro because I know it and over the years I learned I can rely on it.

…. in the Hanamoenoa Bay at the NW current is Tahuata Island.

But back to the approach we had to this bay.

After gybing, it first went well, but then the wind turned too much towards N for it’s to head NW.

As MaRe runs very well with only the genoa, we took the main down and had a broader sailing angle range with winds from broad reach direction.

Then SV REYKJA called on channel 16 to asked about wind conditions at our place. We asked them about 2 weeks ago about anchorage conditions in Hiva-Oa.

Just behind the cape we got gusts of 27 KN. Unfortunately only in gust because MaRe runs very well with such winds. Even in a gust she accelerated to 8 KN STW.

About 10 min later no wind at all and suddenly from NW with 4 Bft varying in directions and speed as crazy.

Thus, for the last about 2 NM we used the engines.

There were already 6 other boats at anchor in the bay but we found a good spot to drop the anchor at about 8 m and have MaRe 50 m of chain. Testing the hold of the anchor with 1800 RPM showed the anchor sits well.

The land at the bay it’s uninhabitated. There is a long sandy beach – by far the longest I’ve seen in French Polynesia so far – with a pretty deep row of palm trees mixed with a few other trees.

I’m curious for what we will see when we go on land.

Boat is cleared up, a bunch of mails are written, from the pantry comes a torturing smell, thus my stomach will soon get something delicious to work on.

Yesterday, we did the properly most often done activity at Hanavave, the hike to the waterfall.

From the tiny harbor it’s one way about 3 km. Half of it is concrete road, half dirt road and trail.

The landscape is bizarre and beautiful at the same time. Volcanic rocks, naked, steep, huge and then the by far much larger areas with vegetation up to the top of the mountains, which are almost always covered in clouds. The forest up there must cloud forest. Coconuts palms must be a different type than the ones seen at islands with sandy beaches. They grow here in altitudes of 100 – 200 m and very far away from a shore. Partially they might have been planted fire cobra production which is still done these days

We left the village on its only road out, the road to Omoa, which is about 15 km away from Hanavave. Towards the end of the village the street goes uphill very steep, in a right curve there is a signboard “Cascade / Vaieenui 1.5 km”. We kept walking up the steep street and when it became almost flat, there is another sign “Omoa 15 km / Vaieenui 1.5 km” there the dirt road starts. Along the road we saw that there are a few animals are kept. But it’s only on very small scale.

After a while, the road crosses the stream coming from the waterfall where we want to go. A few stones in water allowed to cross it without wet feet.

Then the dirt road became a “grass road”. All kinds of weeds grow inside and outside of the now much narrower road. Tractors seems to use this road only very seldom. Once a year?

We passed ruins of house and then the dirt road was at it’s end.

But to left a trail started being marked with stones placed on top of each other. This kind of sign will indicate us the way to the waterfall. The trail was partially pretty steep and at one point secured with a steel rope. However not difficult to walk.

Then suddenly we reached the waterfall. Water falls down from about 40 m above but very soft because it is spread over a rather big rock surface.

Down in the pond, which looks deep at on side we saw in the shallow part, crayfish fighting with each other and eel like looking fish of about 50 cm length. The surrounding is jungle but not tropical rainforest, just wild and untouched. Interesting to look at.

The way back was nothing special, just the way back. However, when we got out of the forest, the bizarre, but beautiful landscape was to be seen again. This time from another direction and illuminated with sunlight of a different angle.

Reaching the village we crossed the stream again to walk another street towards the center of the village or harbor. We passed again well maintained houses where one was outstanding nicely designed.

Also here, like in probably on all other islands and villages, electricity is made by diesel generator. Usage of solar power was not seen. A pity.

Towards the end of the street we took, a boy and a girl stopped us and asked us to turn around. As they followed us we understood it was a dead end road.

The kids walked a bit with us. Curiosity got lost when they met their friends.

Arriving at MaRe we enjoyed the undisturbed panorama view from the cockpit towards W.

I continued with my bread and chocolate chips cookies making and we were again fascinated by the wonderful, cloudless sunset.

At 2300 wanted to leave.

We pulled up the anchor at shortly after 2300 to leave Fatu-Hiva for Tahuata, where we want to go into the Hanamoenoa Back before we must return to Hiva-Oa.

After we got out of the land coverage of Fatu-Hiva we got 3 – 4 Bft. Unfortunately a bit too far from S to directly sail to the western side of Tahuata. Thus, about 1/2 h ago, we gybed to get enough distant from the SW corner of Tahuata to finally sail N again.

Last night I recognized that the mooring light is dead. The tricolor lamp showed recently a tottering contact.

Thus, I climbed the mast – 16 m above deck – and checked first the correct power supply up there – not that easy as the mast top always moves. As power supply was given, I took the double lamp down with me. It turned out that the LED bulb of the mooring light was at the end of its life time. Replacement was needed. The lamp of the tricolor light was still good. Thus I check for possible tottering contacts and made some improvements here and there. Then up again and mounting the lamp again. First test was positive. The tottering contact can only be checked finally while sailing and MaRe rocks a bit.

After our lunch – we are the third time the pork and breadfruit we bought yesterday – we went on land just to stroll around a bit.

Rather than saying “bon jour”, people use “kahoa”, which sounds very friendly.

At the very beginning of the village a man addressed it’s with curiosity who we are, where to be from, where to go to, etc. It seems he is a bit lonely because his daughter lives with his grandkids in Pape’ete. That’s also a part of the relaxed life people can live in this village.

We also had a look in the little “magasin” to see what they are selling. It’s all what is needed for daily life no luxury.

What is really eye-catching is the spruceness of the streets and the properties. A strong contrast to Panamanian villages I saw. It simply feels good walking in such an environment.

Also today people started talking to us. For me it’s talking to people in my bumpy French but feeling how words are coming back. Apropos “coming back” it’s also nice to tell the people that I will come back in August with my OBM.

Although I’m used to live on s big volcanic island called Japan, this island has a landscape not be found in Japan. The mountains, parts of 2 calderas in each other, are really impressively steep and craggy.

Later, after being back at MaRe, a boat with 2 locals came by and offered as fish they just caught. We actually watched them. They asked for bartering fishes for alcohol. That’s something I don’t really like. We refuse strong alcoholic drinks and gave them a pack of wine and 2 cans of beer. In return wet got fishes and would have gotten even more should we not have stopped them. One of the man had an injured finger and the tape for the dressing was already loos. He asked if we have some tape; so I played the doctor I’m not and put some additional tape around his finger. He invited us to his restaurant for tomorrow but we declined because we got the fish.
It was simply nice to talk to him and maybe will visit his restaurant with OBM.

This evening,we had an undisturbed view until the western horizon out of MaRe’s panorama window.

Once in a while a gust comes out of the valley into the bay. Then MaRe swings into another direction giving always a different view out of her panorama window

What a live.

After a few hours at anchor to watch MaRe’s swinging at the anchor, and a good and solid breakfast with potato salad with chorizo pieces inside, 2 eggs sunny side up, and 2 fried sausages and a good cup of tea, we felt ready to go on land.

Just before we got the tender into water, a boat with 4 locals came by to tell us their names and informed us that today is a small market in the village and we should please come.

Later we learned that the reason for today’s market is the supply boat Aranui 5. It passed us last night from behind and stopped in the morning at the main village of Omoa. From there it made a schedule stop over at Hanavave, the second biggest village at the end of the Bay of Virgins. As the Aranui also carries passenger who make a cruise through the Marquesas etc., these passengers go on land and the market is for them to buy local products. There are also other supply boats which carry passenger, and whenever such a boat makes a stop over the little market opens.

When we docked the tender at the wall in the tiny “harbor” we needed a stern anchor as the swell rolling in would have pushed our tender against the concrete wall. A young lady indicated that the position of our tender is fine when the landing boats of the Aranui 5 come in. Watching the activities in the harbor for a little while, we started our walk into and through the village.

An elderly lady started talking to us. Where from? First time here? Etc. Then she asked us if we would like to have bananas. We said “yes” because fresh fruits are always welcome. We followed her to her house and she gave us quite a bunch of bananas.

We continued our walk through the street and saw, like in the Gambiers before, well maintained houses. Then we met the French guy, who was in the boat with the locals who told us about the market. Walking and talking with him we learned that he travels on boats as crew members around the world and lives since about 6 month in Hanavave, Fatu-Hiva. He does carving work and sells it to tourists. At the market, we left him at his table with his products displayed. Standing close to an football field watching kids, boys and girls, playing football. The corners were marked with a bit older kids sitting there and goals were marked the shaddocks. The quiet big number of young kids showed that the island’s population is increasing.

While watching the kid’s game, a lady addressed us through the window with the normal questions. Then she asked if we want to eat something. “Why not to eat something local”, we thought. We choose the meal of pork and breadfruits and got 4 bananas as a free dessert. The pork looked very unusual. Small pieces of pork in something black. The pork and breadfruit tasted very well. But something in the taste of “black stuff” around the pork pieces tasted familiar to me. It took me a while until I recognized it. It tasted like a sausage from my childhood made of pork blood. This was the “black stuff” around the pork pieces. We hardly could eat a quarter of what we received because it filled our stomachs immediately. Thus, we considered it as take-out and brought it back to MaRe for dinner.

We continued strolling around and watched people playing “boule”. The traditional French game is very popular in French Polynesia. 2 ladies played really very skillful.

Then we got back to the road and walked towards the end of the village, crossed the stream with very clear water. Further up the stream there is a waterfall we want to hike to in the next days.

Thereafter, we turned around towards the harbor to return to MaRe.

We got a first impression of a wonderful small village why very friendly people, at the end of the beautiful Bay of Virgins.