can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Free & BrEasy - New Superlatives Needed



Waking up on the first morning in anchorage at Tuamoto Bay, Hiva Oa, we were greeted with a cockerel crowing. Had the boat beached in a farm yard? Later in the morning the cockerel was still going. In fact he had been joined by a few mates! On our safari ride into the 'interior' a few days later, we realised that the island is

populated by literally free range wild hens guarded by their mistrusting cockerels. We went on Safari in a bumpy open sided truck to see the big three: wild chicken, wild goats and wild horses. We missed out on the very shy wild boar which are still hunted from horse back. Every so often the stony track would be replaced by a concrete road and John, our guide, would shout Mitter and Road or Narkozy Highway' named after the French President who gave them the money! There is even a Jacque Chiraque roundabout.


But the chronological order is wrong. What do all sailors do when arriving at a port after a long passage? The previous afternoon we had no sooner anchored than beers were in hand celebrating our longest ever passage. By agreement we do not drink alcohol on a passage. Alejandro and Michael then behaved badly and went ashore for more drinks and dinner at Alex's restaurant which was in a wonderful wooden house perched high above the anchorage with an impossibly steep road with at least two turns that could only be negotiated by a three point turn in a 4x4. As Alex advised us 'best to close your eyes here'. Alex had arrived on the island some 30 years previously with the French Foreign Legion and noticed the women were beautiful so stayed, as did Gaugin 70 years previously. Alex turned out to be the local 'fixer' and kept turning up wherever we were. To misquote Arlo Guthrie 'You can get anything you want at Alex's restaurant' except for Alex!

The anchorage was astounding with a coconut tree fringed black sand beach leading to a green wooded valley surrounded by green mountains deeply etched with valleys.

The next day we sauntered around the headland to the main village called Atuona. The village is dominated by Mont Temetiu which is well over 3000ft high and nearly always with its head in the clouds. Walking up the hill to the cemetery we found the graves of French Impressionist, Gaugin, and the poet / singer J. Brel. Brel is remembered well by the locals and they show off his plane which he regularly transported locals needing medical attention to Tahiti. Gaugin is very much less well remembered due to his somewhat devious reputation! We then found a bank to get local currency and sat in a bar drinking and eating, again! How wonderful after the constraining life on a boat!

Next day saw Roger and Alejandro hoisted (at separate times!) to the top of the mast to replace the Screecher halyard and check out the rigging, particularly the main sail halyard sheave as we are getting excessive chafe and having to cut off 6 inches from the end every few days. We still don't know what is causing the chafing but will need a new halyard soon at this rate! We eventually arrive back at the Safari! We met up with the lovely Norwegian crew from Saphyr and were driven across the mountains to the North side of the island up and down scary hair pin bends which we were by now used to. The island is very fertile and every type of tropical fruit tree grows wild or is occasionally managed in little homesteads. On the other side of the island were more picturesque bays to feed our hungry digital cameras and an ancient religious site with stone carved Tikis which are linked to the much bigger carvings on Easter Island. The spirit of the Tikis still lives on in the Mosquitoes who found Alejandro particularly flavoursome! After an enormous meal (for both the mosquitoes and us) we headed back bumping along on a now very familiar track.

A strange fever had hit the world ARC fleet. To get tattooed or not to get tattooed! This island is reputed to be the home of tattooing with sharp bits of tortoise shell originally used instead of needles! Most of the local population proudly show their intricate designs which are very becoming. Alejandro was struck with the fever and eventually succumbed by ringing Alex who fixed a tattooist. Roger and Michael were not stricken and headed for a 5 hour hike into the rain forest to find a mythical waterfall. After hours of jungle trekking our intrepid heroes failed to discover the lost waterfall but did manage (only just as we followed a dried river bed too far!) to find a petroglyph or large boulder with ancient carvings. Returning we found Alejandro proudly showing a very artistic tattoo around his leg just below the knee.

The only problem - no beer for three days!

After stocking up on Mosquito bite cream and saying goodbye to the ever hospitable Alex from world ARC, we were ready to head off for the next adventure. Leaving Hiva Oa, Mont Temetiu shook his head free of clouds to say goodbye. A short 9 hour sail in perfect conditions brought us to the Bay of Virgins, Fatu Hiva. According to none other than Robert Louis Stevenson, this is the most beautiful anchorag in the world. We are beginning to run out of superlatives. There are only so many ways to describe Paradise! The Bay is surrounded by tall green jagged peaked mountains with strange rock pillars. The shore leads to a valley with a fabugasmic (new superlative) water fall, reached by a jungle path. At the bottom of the waterfall there is (of course) a cool deep pool for the shower deprived sailor to swim in. We all dived in happily and were so elated we walked for 2 hours up a steeply climbing track just to get the perfect view of the waterfall in its mountain setting. That night, Alejandro went fishing in the dark and caught 10 fish which proved to be very tasty. Top that! I think we will and confidentially expect to have to invent more new superlatives in the next few weeks!



Previous | Next