We spent over a week on Tahuata Island, which is just to the south of Hiva Oa. Tahuata is small, with about 27 square miles, and mountainous, and only 700 people live there. We stayed at three places on the western side of the island. Our first stop was Hanamoenoa Bay which is the … Continue reading Tahuata
Technical problems
I have found it difficult to keep the blog how I want it. I seldom have access to internet, but I can upload files by satellite. I can easily upload text blogs with a single image. The system chokes and fails in different ways if I try to upload more images. So, I’m going to … Continue reading Technical problems
Drip,..
Drip, drip, drip… We make Hapatoni Bay, Tahuata Island late in the afternoon. There is still enough light to swim with mask and snorkel to look at the fish and check on the anchor. The anchor is buried nicely in a sandy spot, but there are some big rocks I’m worried about. If the boat … Continue reading Drip,..
Hanamenu Bay
Atuona was interesting. We got fresh baguettes and a slab of tuna at the local gas station. We played frisbee on a well-kept soccer field right off the beach where the breeze gave a steady lift to the disc. We even went to the local Friday night music event at the tin roof, open air … Continue reading Hanamenu Bay
Landfall: Hiva Oa!
After 23 terrifying, sleep-deprived, wonderful, boring days at sea, Akela made landfall at the island of Hiva Oa (population 2500) in the Marquesas group of French Polynesia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquesas_Islands> There were low clouds, so we couldn’t see the mountainous island until we were 25 miles away. With a light wind behind us, we didn’t catch our … Continue reading Landfall: Hiva Oa!
Three weeks at sea
Max and I have been under sail now for three full weeks and we’re only a few days away from our destination of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas island group in French Polynesia. We have sailed in stormy weather, the doldrums and the southern trade winds. At this point, there is little to say. We … Continue reading Three weeks at sea
Two weeks at sea
Two weeks ago today was the last time I saw another person besides Max. It was the cheerful kid at the gas dock who warned us of the coming bad weather and told us to "be safe out there." Happily, we have made it this far with no injuries or serious failures. We haven't seen … Continue reading Two weeks at sea
Halfway to Polynesia
After 11 days of nonstop sailing, we are half way between San Diego and our destination of Hiva Oa. We are still sailing in high winds with only storm sails, but today is different! Our issue of the day came about as we were eating breakfast of chorizo-egg quesadilla. We were wedged in belowdecks with … Continue reading Halfway to Polynesia
Sail Akela 