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

Menu

Lydia - Lydia's Blog. 28 March - 3 April. The Marquesa Islands



Monday 28 March 16.
3am "Call the Hands" and weigh anchor with least possible noise. We wafted
almost silently like a ghost out of the Stephen's Bay, the beautiful little
Tahuata anchorage
leaving behind the half dozen or so other yachts whose masthead anchor
lights looked like so many fireflies dancing across the water as we drew
away setting course for Ua-Pou, the Marquesa island about 75 miles to the
north west. With only 5-7 knots of an ESE wind and a gentle sea we set full
main and motorsailed hoping the wind might increase. As luck would have it
the wind remained slight so we continued motorsailing towards our
destination. At 7.30am the visibility was so good we sighted the spectaclar
outline of Ua-Pou at by then 32 miles distant while still being able to see
Tahuata from whence we came and Hiva -Oa. We made such good progress that we
entered the little harbour in the Baie de Hakahatau at Ua-Pou and anchored
at 12.30pm. The geography of the island turned out to be the most
spectacular of all of the three Marquesa islands we visited. In the centre
of the
island stood a tall jagged peak almost continuously covered in cloud. Just
to the east of it was a vast solitary oval shaped rock plug with what
appeared to have sheer sides. The slightly lower hills/mountains were
equally
craggy and precipitous. They made an interesting contrast to the physical
geography of the much younger volcanic islands of the Galapagos with their
more gently curved high hills.

The main town faced south at the end of the bay. A mole had been built on
the west side of the small bay to provide a place for the inter-island cargo
ships to moor to. In fact we saw the local inter island combined
passenger/cargo ship come in to unload stores for the island while we were
anchored. Work was going on to make another jetty for commercial use in due
course. We had to be careful how we anchored as there was little room and
the yachts arranged themselves in roughly three rows requiring stern anchors
to ensure we all faced the southerly entrance to the bay. Compared to Hiva
Oa the dinghy dock was much easier to secure to and did not require a stern
anchor. We went ashore to explore the facilities which were adequate but
meagre. We returned aboard from our recce to witness Carango, an Amiel
yacht with 4 friendly ex cavalry officers on board make a hazardous
anchorage just ahead of us.
Shortly before Donald and Alvaro had gone in our dinghy to help an elderly
French couple who appeared unable to furl their foresail and were in danger
of being swept onto the rocks on the side of the bay. Alvaro got aboard and
helped save the situation. It is not always easy sailing short handed as you
can seldom anticipate all the challenges the sea and fate can throw at you.

In the evening we went ashore again and started to walk in the direction of
the
centre of the little town where we had heard there was a small restaurant. A
local couple driving a somewhat battered pick up stopped and offered us a
lift in theopen back
to take us to where he said we could get something to eat. As we were being
driven along in the inky blackness not quite knowing where we were being
taken, it did cross my mind that while we might be going in the direction of
dinner there was the question of whether we might be the dinner. However we
were dropped off at a
simple but adequate little restaurant where we ate pizzas al fresco while
some local young men practiced their Hakas to the rythm of a deep base
upright drum and the young women then practised their dancing for some
forthcoming local event. After a most enjoyable evening we returned on
board. It was so hot and humid that Steve and I elected to sleep under the
stars on the decks by the shrouds to ensure we did not fall over the side
while turning over in our sleep.

Tuesday 29 March 16.
After a sleepless night being concerned about my ear and hearing problems as
a result of my dive in the Galapagos, I made the very difficult decision to
return to England early to see an ENT specialist. Once Donald confirmed that
our first stop in the Tuamotus Islands would be Rangiroa I arranged my
flight from there. That afternoon we went ashore, bought more provisions,
viewed the church built in the 1980s which had the prow of a ship as the
pulpit and like the church in Resolution Bay where we worshipped on Easter
Sunday, its lecturn was in the shape of a tree carved out of local wood.
Later that evening we joined the friendly Austrian crew from Chilli Bee and
our old friends from Norfolk sailing Into the Blue at the same little
restaurant
where we had been the night before. We were again were delightfully
entertained by the local
young people practicing their Hakas and dancing.

Wednesday 30 March 16.
At 8.30 we weighed anchor and had a lively sail north to the main island of
Nuku Hiva with winds of 20-25 knots from ENE with a reefed main and partly
furled yankee making 7 knots. By 1300 we came to anchor in the lovely large
sheltered bay of Taiohae with the main town Vaitu strung out along the shore
and going up behind into the foothills of the mountains surrounding the
southern
bays. Having anchored and preparing lunch we had a pleasant surprise with
Sylvia, (who is a radiographer taking time off to join her aunt and uncle on
the Austrian yacht Chilli Bee,) swimming over to welcome us to Nuku Hiva.
That evening we dined ashore at a pleasant little restaurant on the
waterfront where our two ARC Rally Control officials were residing. We were
joined by two members from Corango as sadly the skipper was unwell.

Thursday 31 March 16.
First thing, Donald went ashore to collect his laundry and some last minute
shopping. We weighed anchor at 9am and motored over to the Fuelling jetty.
Here we had the tricky manoeuvre of dropping the anchor and then motoring
astern to within a few feet of the concrete jetty and securing to a single
bollard before heaving the heavy fuel line aboard. After successfully
fuelling, we weighed anchor
and motored round to the larger Baie du Contoleur two bays up to the north.
There we met up with a number of other ARC yachts already anchored in the
bay. After a swim to the little sandy beach close by on which a friendly
little local family were having a BBQ, we found that the visibility in water
was too cloudy for snorkling. After lunch we took the dingly to the end of
the lake with the plan to walk to see a local Tiki worship place and
possibly a waterfall. We had not gone far down the little road to the local
village when we met up with the younger members of the crews from Wishanger
and Into the Blue with one tired member being led on horseback by a
friendly
local. They all looked pretty exhausted since as they explained they had
started at 10am to view the waterfall but the journey had taken the best
part of three hours each way in the heat of the day. They did advise us
seeing the Tike site, about and hour away, with its carved idols like the
ones we had seen during
our expedition in Hiva Oa. In due course we came to a little village with
shacks/houses on either side of the road, may with 4x4s beside them. The
Tiki site was well signposted from the road though the track to it
zig-zaging up hill was not. The site when we finally arrived was a little
smaller than the one on Hiva Oa but laid out in much the same way with very
similar stone carved statues. On our way back we came across the village
meeting place laid out just like a Maori Pa in New Zealand. It comprised a
grassed flat area like a large bowling green with several statues placed
about apparently randomly. On three sides were covered shelters with carved
Tiki pillars opening on to the green. As we went by we heard drumming and
singing so went to pay a visit. It turned out to be a local family of 10 who
were just playing and singing and enjoying themselves and made us most
welcome. On our way back to the dinghy we disturbed a colony of land crabs
playing in the road but who scuttled back to their holes on hearing our
approach. They had white shells about 8 inches wide and pincers with black
legs. We got back to Lydia just as darkness was falling.

Friday 1 April 16.
We were all up at 7am with threatening overcast skies. By 7.50 we had
weighed anchor having secured the outboard on board and the dinghy astern.
We motored out of Baie du Controleur and as we did so we saw sheets of heavy
rain sweeping in which we had just missed. We motorsailed on past Taiohae
bay and on for a couple of miles or so to Baie Tai Oa, (Daniel's Bay.) On
our left side mountains rose almost sheer to 2-3000 feet while on the right
side was a hill rising to about 1000feet. Ahead we could see the end of the
bay where a small river flowed in on the right and the shacks of a small
settlement were visible above as steeply sloping rocky beach. Once we were
fully in to this inlet there appeared on our right one of the most beautiful
bays we had seen, completely sheltered on all sides. To complete the
picture there was a sandy beach at the end of this bay with a clear grassed
area behind and bungalow up on the hill a couple of hundred yards from the
shore. We anchored with only one other yacht in the bay plus a tourist
launch. It began to rain and we could see about 15 tourists taking shelter
on a path along the rocky north shore. Our plan was to do the two hour hard
tramp to view what we were told was the sixth highest waterfall in the
world.
It is difficult to do justice to the beauty of this little bay off the main
inlet. We had been told that it had once been used as a film set, hence the
foreshore being cleared, levelled and grassed.

Once we had our dinghy ashore we ventured up to the bungalow to ask if we
might leave our dinghy tied up on his beach. The very large friendly
Polynesian man, (Michael) welcomed us but suggested it might be quicker to
get to the waterfall if we went by dinghy to be dropped off in the other bay
rather than walking round the edge of his bay which the tourists had done.
If only we had followed the tourists! There was a brief lull in the rain so
we took advantage of this to go round in the dinghy to the little settlement
on the other bay.
However when we got to the shore it became apparent that the waves were too
large to land the dinghy on the rocks, so Steve, Alvaro and I got out of the
dinghy getting soaked but with our rucksacks dry we clambering up the rocky
beach while
Donald returned to Lydia. The rain then came down in ernest. In fact it
became a deluge as we tramped soaked to the skin along the rough path
through the little settlement which appeared deserted. The path became more
and more waterlogged and more difficult to follow as the rain became heavier
and
heavier. We could hear the roar of the river to our right. As the path
turned left we came to the place which in normal times it was clearly
possible to
ford. However, the stream had now become a raging torrent and rising all
the time. We could see the path on the other side, presumably going on to
the famous
waterfall but at this point we had no choice but to turn back. As we tramped
back with water now well above our ankles on the path, a large watersnake
suddenly wiggled away a foot from Alvaro. This caused us concern but we had
no choice but to carry on until we had reached the shore where
Donald had dropped us. We found shelter in what was probably a communal
eating place with tables and benches at which point we had lightening and a
massive thunder storm any of us had experienced, all very exhilerating as we
watched the river rushing
by and rising ever closer to the settlement. We radioed Donald to request he
collected us but he suggested instead we return to Lydia's bay by the path
the tourists had taken. We explained we could not cross the river so we
agreed to wait until the storm had abated. If we were downcast in failing to
reach our waterfall, we were now rewarded by seeing no less than ten
waterfalls cascading dramatically down the almost vertical mountains
surrounding the bay.
We ate a memorable lunch as the rain thundered on the tin roof almost
drowning out conversation. At one point a local with tatooes all over his
face and body and looking just like a Maori of old, came galloping up
bareback on a horse leading another. Once he had tethered the horses he came
over to chat and explained (in French) that
he had planned to take his family to see the famous waterfall but like us
had been blocked by the river.

Once the storm had abated Donald gallantly came out in the dinghy to rescue
us. We chose a spot on the beach with the least waves and waded out waist
high to throw or rucksacks into the dinghy before swimming out to Donald and
clambering aboard when he was clear of the waves. Real Adventure Training!
After a shower on deck when we returned to Lydia we weighed anchor and
motored out of the bay to get back to our orginal anchorage by the main
town. When we first arrived the water in the bay has been the same colour as
the
sea but brown just where the little river entered the main inlet. Now the
water in both our little bay and the whole inlet was a muddy light brown
with flotsam and jetsam in the
form of coconuts, branches etc all bought down from the numerous cascades
feeding the roaring torrent that the original stream had become. Once out of
the bay we were hit by an Easterly wind of 25 gusting 35 knots and driving
rain such that it was impossible to see more than a quarter of a mile ahead.
We were grateful of the Raymarine chartplotter and Navionics charts.

Just after 5pm we finally anchored in our old position in Toiohae Bay and
the main town. We felt that we had been trully "had" by All Fools Day but
had thoroughly enjoyed every minute. After all the excitelent we decided on
a quiet dinner on board and bed rather than attend and ARC arranged "Happy
Hour" ashore.
.
Saturday 2 April 16.
The day started showery but by mid morning had turned sunny again with the
storms having blown
themselves out and gone elsewhere. In the morning we went ashore for
provisions for our forthcoming 500 mile voyage to the Tuamotos. The outboard
broke down but Donald finally repaired it with the help of the redoubtable
Ben from Wishanger. In the afternoon we went ashore again this time to view
the ARC arranged exhibitions by the local population of handicraft making,
sampling and making of various local foods such as starfruit and breadfruit
which was first cooked over a slow fire then pounded with a lava stone
pestle with water added to become like dough then served in coconut milk.
All the time a little guitar ensemble played and sang Polynesian songs and
music.
Local wood and stone hand carvings were on display. It was clear that the
local community had gone to much trouble to arrange these things for our
benefit and we all greatly appreciated their kindness. As we returned to
Lydia we saw, "Tenacious" the 3 masted Sail Training ship for the disabled
belonging to the
Jubilee Trust hove into sight and anchor in the bay. She was joined by
another 3 masted schooner probably also for Sail Training.

At 5pm in a large hall by the waterfront Cameron (an Englishman who sailed
here 20 years ago and had been sailing in the Maquesas, Tuamotos and Society
Islands ever since,) gave all ARC crews a most useful and interesting
presentation on the various islands we might visit in the Tuamotos. By 7pm
the hall was arranged in tables around a central display area and food
bought in. In the meantime crews were offered cococnuts whose tops had been
cut off while we watched and given straws to drink the milk inside. In due
course we sat down at the tables having bought our own beer/wine with us and
selected our meals from the various local foods provided in the buffet. The
locals had purposely decided not to name them in case some of us dare not
try them! After formal speeches of which few or any of us understood a word
owing to the acoustics and poor sound sytem we were enraptured with displays
of various versions of the Haka by virile young men after which we were
invited to participate. Then the women folk and girls gave attractive
displays of local dances after which ARC ladies were invited to participate.
The evening ended with the lights being lowered and the band playing gentle
dance music to which ARC couples happily danced to. As we returned to Lydia
under a starlit night we saw "Tenacious" out in the bay completely floodlit
with golden light. One could see all the rigging as well as the ship's out
line and masts bathed in this gold light. She almost looked like a ghost
ship from a romantic film. The schooner in contrast had deck lights shining
down from her three mast tops and was a more subdued sight.

Sunday 3 April 16.
We rose early to go ashore to get last minute shopping, (fly spray as small
fruit flies plague us and any fruit and vege we could still get.) One of
Carango's crew attended the Roman Catholic service in the Cathederal, (which
alas we had failed to visit) and reported an attendance of over 300.
Apparently the one priest on the island was in another valley holding a
service so the Host was not consecrated. We returned via Corango who kindly
offered their "Charlie's Charts" (detailed guides to many of the islands in
the Tuamotos) for us to photograph. Once all back on board Lydia weighed
anchor at 12.45pm and with full main, yankee plus half staysail we set
course for the Tuamotos. With an Easterly wind of 12 knots we made 6 knots
over the ground. We sailed gently all day in calm seas and lig, warm winds.
At sunset, almost for the first time in our voyage from St Lucia to the
Marquesas, we were not sailing into the setting sun but about 35 degrees to
the south. The moon was in its last quarter so it rose late and we thus had
once again a star studdied night with the constellations of Orion, the
Southern Cross, Plough and Mily Way all visible as clear as a bell.

With all good wishes from Donald and the crew of Lydia,
Nigel

Previous | Next