At anchor in baie Omoa on Fatu Hiva, one of the Marquesas islands in French Polynesia!
Crossed 4 timezones while sailing 4005 nautical miles over the Pacific ocean in 28 days from Panama, an average speed of 6 knots. Fastest sail in a 24 hour period was 180 nm, an average speed of 7.5 knots. And the slowest sail: 84 nm in 24 hours and that is 3.5 knots average.
We wanted to spend a few nights in the next, very famous bay of the Virgins in Fatu Hiva but there where many boats and with wind gusting off the mountains we chose to move on before dark.
The supply/cruise ship Aranui 5 was in port to supply the island so we anchored outside. You can get a ticket from Tahiti onwards on this supply come cruise ship. Only 1100 euro for a ten day trip around the islands . Fun uh!
A pleasant 3 km walk to town with all facilities. It’s nice to eat pastries and French bread. Also I am excited about pomelo and mangos . The pomelo or pomplemousse are fabulously healthy and tasty.
The village of Omoa is nestled in a valley between two little lush mountains . The weather is kind to us and the anchorage is calm enough so landing the dingy at a protected warf in the south corner of the bay is easy. Here there are a handful of metal identical fishing boats, small, grey, mostly attached to bouys a short distance from the concrete . A telling sign of potential Big swell . We drop our picnic ancor a few metres from the wall and tie to the mushroom thingy. The idea is that the dingy doesn’t whack the concrete. There is a female petroglyph to greet us, the first of many. We walk past well kept gardens and colorful homes behind chainlink, surprisingly, there are lots of dogs and chickens this could be why. Trees are laden with pomplemoose, star fruit, and mango. Sections full of banana too. Papaya and lemons too! Paradise? It’s all immaculate. Along the main road we meet the odd pedestrian, bicycle, electric moped , mum with buggy, this village life, reminding me very much of Auroville in southern India . Two shops , a post office where we got our SIM, one policeman who we dutifully greeted , and a museum which was closed.
We follow the road to the water source, a gravity fed system .On the way bee hives and wracks of coconut flesh drying ,the road strewn with fallen coconuts. Lush forrest on either side dropping to the river below with the peaks above. A few wild cocks and hens are scuttling around the semi cultivated edges of the road, and where the road ended we met a slight girl with a blue plait who was bringing some walkers bird watching . She first invited us, in fair English, to join her small group of bird watchers .We had walked enough already tho. She warned us to mind the traps and follow the main path. The traps are for wild boar it seems or rats . The rats are a pest ,threatening their indigenous bird population. Rats were accidentally brought from another island and they are spoiling the balance of the ecosystem.
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We had a lovely experience at the boulangerie. Although the word boulangerie is a little grand for this room with a freezer and small table . We were able to use euro to pay for our sticks which was generous of them ,we later learnt that you can get local cash with your card when you spend at the supermarket. She was very welcoming ,we left with a bag of lemons, and two mango . When she heard there was two other boats in the bay she gave us three coconut breads from her freezer and told us to give them out.
We happily passed by our neighbours with the light and lovely coconut bread. We received two pomplemoose in exchange so we were super happy. Our first of many I hope as they are yum. I m not sure how easy it is to get vegetables but a pomplemoose a day goes a long way. I hope.
A new to us, bay to anchor. On Thursday we landed in intermittent drizzle which stopped long enough so we could walk along mainstreet past pomelo, mango and other fruit trees up the immaculately kept road towards the lush green mountains on the horizon. For the first 700 yards ,a one story house set back in each acre . A school and a church simple in cream and windsor green ,no glass in the windows. After a while the shacks are replaced by coconuts and pomelo ,papaya and bread fruit, cocks and beehives along the way to the airstrip. We did nt get as far as the airport.It is uncommon that you find an airstrip up a mountain! We proceeded along the road to Atouna for a couple of miles and stopped for a rest by the side of the cut out road, the sides in places looking dangerously ready for a landslide. Walking back we passed the Hydro Electric plant and an open pipe gushing delicious water into a man made rock box with a pipe leading out . We also passed,again, the two men working on the road in their noisy tractor type vehicle. It was raining heavily when we returned to the coast. We found shelter in an open sided high roofed building looking out on the bay. There was a boyman resting there with his mobile. It rained hard.
bananas lemons