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Mischief - A little bit more Mischief Log 12



Day 23 Thursday 22 March 2018

0530 up for Morgen Dop then up anchor and away back to Hiva Oa to pick up Jean, Trevor's wife, from the airport. We motored due East with the wind on the nose and an increasingly rough sea but it was much better earlier rather than later as the sea in the canal really picks up during the day. But it was warm and sunny.

We dropped anchor within the harbor and rowed ashore to go into town to do some victualling and get a haircut whilst Trevor went to the airport. The haircut shop was shut - it only opens odd days, then not all day, and it wasn't an opening day. Then another £140 in the shop later (mainly beer this time thankfully) we were taken back to the boat by the shop owner in her 4x4. She was particularly chatty and wanted to know our names etc. Turns out she was 65 but looked very early 50's if that, which she put down to not drinking alcohol, eating well and plenty of sex, or was that wishful thinking, I don't recall. Lovely lady.

We set off again at 1300 back to Baie Manamoenoa for the night and had steak on the barbeque for tea. We were supposed to go over to Amara for a "dinghy drift" but no-one fancied it for no particular reason so we stayed on board and had a swim. Jean gave Trevor a haircut, well really a complete head shave whereupon he slavered his head again with factor 50 sun block and looked precisely like Uncle Fester from the Adams Family, remarkable.

We discussed where we were to go the following day as the original plan was to go south to Fataiva, but on current forecasts that would mean a 40+ mile beat to windward in large waves. As it happens, the yacht Christine came back from that area and said it was crowded and not particularly pleasant so that made up our minds that the best option was to go 65 nm north to Ua Huka and the Baie de Vaipee or 'Invisible Bay'. Untenable in a SE wind, dangerous in fact, but as we were expecting an E or NE wind for the next few days it should be alright and allow a beam reach all the way over. This option would allow us to head back 35 nm downwind to another small island of Ua Pou and then north again for our scheduled rendezvous on Nuku Hiva on 28th avoiding any upwind sailing at all.

Invisible Bay is difficult to identify until you are almost on top of it, as the name gives lie to. There is a landing stage and we are told it has the best museum in the Marquesas. The people are supposed to be very friendly and there are a couple of stores there - lets hope there is an Irish bar as we have searched high and low but can't find one anywhere; any bar would do lets be frank.

Day 24 Friday 23 March 2018

0625 main up at anchor and we are away towards Ua Huka and an Irish bar. Unfortunately as the anchor came up it had a sizeable head of colourful coral attached, a real shame. Our penance came literally five minutes later as a huge rain squall engulfed us with 30 knots of wind and plenty of rain. The squall clouds over Hiva Oa as we passed were amazing colours including dark blues and purples and at least 50 shades of grey.

The sail over was initially quite squally, cloudy with occasional sunshine. We were doing 7 knots in the typical NE 15 knot trade winds on a course of 340. A cracking sail with sparkling seas ETA 1600. We put a second reef into the main early on and the boat was a lot more comfortable whilst maintaining the same speed.

At 1230 Dave won the Blue Peter badge for spotting the outline of the island shrouded in cloud. We immediately had a bite on the rod line and Dave jumped up to reel it in but whatever it was on the end of the line was not about to yield and continued to take more line. The clutch on the reel couldn't cope and was burning out then whoosh, it was gone with the entire lure with it. Whatever it was was too big for us without any shadow of doubt.

We nearly sank the dinghy as well as we had towed it behind us as various waves broke over it and there was a real danger the peinter line would have ripped out. We had to reach over the back with the boat hook to knock the bung out to allow the water to flow through which solved the problem in the short term.

As we were approaching the Invisible Bay Dave requested everyone to keep a look out for the entrance. Jean straight away claimed she could see it regardless of the fact that she was looking behind the boat, and who is to say she wasn't right, it being invisible? But actually it was quite easy to spot as there was another boat at anchor, Tintamara the Norwegian family boat. As advertised, the entrance was really rough but it calmed down once inside the small keyhole shaped anchorage, and we dropped anchor alarmingly close to sheer cliffs on 35 m of chain in 3 m of water, 10:1 scope which was overkill but taking no chances!

Immediately, Marcus from Tintamara came across in his dinghy and gave us a run down on the island and facilities as they had been here for a couple of days already. He confirmed the fact that there was indeed no Irish bar, nor a bar of any description for that matter, but he had been gifted an industrial sized box of pamplemouse, and mangoes galore. As we planned to eat ashore he also confirmed there was no restaurant either so he kindly invited us all over for dinner - I rather hope he had cleared that with Catherine first!

After a difficult dinghy transfer to Tintamara we enjoyed a lovely evening and had a cassolette which was really good - one for Mischief menu in the future I think.

Apparently there is to be a 'Ladies March' tomorrow morning early as it is Ladies Day on the island. The Mayor is set to pick us all up at 0600 and take us to the start up a big hill and then we walk the 5k to the main town of Hane. A great way to meet some locals and get some well needed exercise.

Day 25 Saturday 24th March 2018

0530 alarm to get ashore for the 0600 pick up for the march. We had four inside the 4x4 and 6 in the back to take us up the hill to meet the ladies. They had already started by the time we arrived but we soon caught up and everyone was 'Bonjouring' everyone else as we walked down the road with each group of ladies clad in red T shirts, playing loud music, many pushing prams. Dave was complaining that some of the walk was uphill, not as described but he had no choice but to continue in his squeaky flip flops.

The road twisted and turned uphill and down along coast roads and through tropical rain forest arriving eventually at the town centre on Hane where there was half an hour of exercises to music which I took part in - more of a salsa session than calisthetics. There was hot and cold food on offer and we had a plate each of chicken on rice that turned out to be most of a chicken boned - really nice but at 0830 in the morning was a bit much! Then there was a fishing competition both from the rocks with rods and offshore in a number of colourful speed boats which reported back at noon to weigh their respective catches. Some of the fish they had caught offshore were huge, one really ugly one weighing in at 20kg (a Grouper I think) but the number of fish caught was astounding! There must have been over one hundred of varying sizes, mostly big. Meanwhile back in the communal building, the ladies were threading beads making bracelets and playing Bingo!

The Mayor's wife then took us in her pick up to a local store to get some provisions and to another one on the way back to the boats to buy some beer purely out of generosity and gave us a load of fresh mangoes from her garden. We had difficulty again getting back to the boat in the dinghy as the harbor wall was not too dinghy friendly but we managed only getting slightly soaked. The fishermen were there on the harbor wall gutting and filleting the fish they had caught during the competition throwing the remains into the water and the sea was alive with black finned sharks fighting over the entrails etc. No chance of going in swimming with that lot going on, besides the water here is brown and uninviting.

We reciprocated Tintamara for dinner on board and I made the beef stew we had the other day which was easy to prepare in the pressure cooker with potatoes and peas. A really pleasant evening again with the Norwegian family. They were going to try to find somewhere to go horse riding on the island tomorrow, good luck with that - horses don't like me very much always trying to tread on my feet and bite; whilst we were off to Ua Pou for further adventure.




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