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Starblazer - 08/04/2014 – On the move again



First of all, belated Birthday greetings to nephew Ian and great nephew Jack.

We stayed overnight in the main anchorage on Ua Pou then went ashore in the morning to find the shops. There were actually two mini supermarkets but one was so well hidden that we only spotted it on our way back down to the harbour. We had a cracking sail to Nuku Hiva, only about 25 miles away, it did make a change from motoring. Taihae bay is large but also deep but we found a suitable spot and set the anchor. The next morning, at low water, we spotted a reef a short distance away though not a problem until we were hit by a severe squall! The reef seemed too close for comfort so we upanchored and motored off to find another suitable spot. We finally dropped the anchor in 12 metres, deeper than we like but we can put out nearly 80 metres. There is a discontinuity in the chain and the windlass sometimes declines to handle the final 15 metres.

One positive benefit of the squall, and a couple of heavy showers overnight, was half a bucket of clean water plus another full bucket of not quite so clean water in the dinghy so I did some more washing!

The reception ashore was great. It started with a greeting from a group of women who hung garlands around our necks then they performed some dances. After that we were invited to try a large, colourful selection of local fruit and watch coconuts and breadfruit prepared. From there we went across the road to a large open sided meeting area which was laid out for our meal. The entertainment was stunning, a group of men danced energetically then a group of women joined them and sang and also danced. All this was accompanied by loud, rhythmic drumming. The meal itself was a large collection of dishes to choose from, featuring the Marquesan specialities. It was very good.

On Saturday we moved to Controllers Bay, about 5 miles along the coast from Taihae Bay but far calmer and very peaceful. In fact there was only one other boat there, our friends on Chez Nous who followed us in. We invited them to dinner. John BBQ’d fillet steaks, tomatoes, baby aubergines and peppers to perfection while I made breadfruit chips. We had a lovely evening.

Early on Monday morning we set off towards the Tuamotos, about 500 miles away. We have been sailing well since then, notching up a day’s run of 133 NM. The wind is forecast to die out, however it has been better today than it was yesterday. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed that it lasts. Dinner on our first night at sea was delayed by a Tuna which decided to grab one of John’s hooks as he was pulling in a tangled mess of two lines, each with several lures. We had proper pork chops with potatoes, carrots and green beans, the tuna is filleted ready for tonight.

Boat maintenance in exotic locations has continued. I’ve replaced one of the zips in the sprayhood, done lots of washing and cooking while John has done an engine oil change and spent half a day tracking down the problem
with the bow thruster. He has also had to replace the fresh water pump with one he repaired. He took our 9 fuel cans and got them filled on Thursday. When we went back for another180 litres on Friday morning they had run out of diesel for boats until Monday afternoon. This morning we received the good news that our new engine for the generator has already arrived in Tahiti. This will allow us to use the watermaker again, until then we have to be cautious with water. Our kind friends on Chez Nous have given us 50 litres of water which, together with the water from Celebrate, should see us safely to Tahiti.

Joyce

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