Position: At out present speed the GPS says we will spot the island of Fatu Hiva, French Polynesia, in hours. Our position is:
09 52.98S 136 04.51W
*Note: I am told you can copy and paste these coordinates into google earth and it will show you where we are.
Mileage: 305nm – 159 nm = 146nm
Number of miles to go: 159nm to go of approx. 3850nm. We are almost there.
Fish count: The count remains the same. 4 Mahi Mahi, 2 Cero and 6 tuna. One Marlin that we were happy got away! We are going to put the fishing rods out tomorrow and see what we get on the way into the islands.
WE ARE ALMOST THERE
They say that you can see these high volcanic islands well out to sea. It should be quite exciting to see land after so long at sea.
Everyone is in good spirits aboard and all systems running well. We are still struggling with getting any SSB connections. We were finally able to connect to a station here in the Pacific. There is a station in the Tuamotu Archipelago, but it is busy most of the time. We will keep checking and trying through the day.
Good news about England making the semi-finals in the football World. We will have to get to the big island of Hiva Oa and find a TV to watch the game?
THE MARQUESAS ARCHIPELAGO (ILES MARQUISES)
The Marquesas are the northern most group of islands forming part of French Polynesia and they have their own distinctive setting and style. The total population is about 6,000, the descendants of proud and war like Polynesian tribes that once numbered approximately 100,000 when Captain Cook visited the islands in the eighteenth century. Sadly, after this time the indigenous population was decimated by western contact and diseases brought from Europe.
The Marquesas consist of ten islands, numerous rocks and islets that are spread in a Northwest to Southeast orientation over a 3,672 square kilometer (1,418 square mile) area. The southern group of islands comprise of Fatu Hiva, Mohotani, Tahuata, Fatu Huku and Hiva Oa (the largest). The northern group consists of Motu One, Hatutu, Eiao, Ua Huka, Ua Pou and Nuku Hiva (the largest). These high, volcanically formed islands have steep, black, cliff-edged coasts indented by many valleys. Their sharp outlines are generally clearly visible from at least 20 miles at sea making them a navigator’s ideal landfall.
WEATHER
the islands lie within the trade wind belt. The winds are predominately Northeasterly 80% of the year, but swing East and Southeast during the rainy periods. The rainy season begins in March and continues through to October. So we will be starting our visit in the rainy season. Southern trade winds are not as steady as those in northern latitudes and tropical storms are very infrequent.
FATU HIVA (FATU-HIVA, FATUIVA, FATU’IVA)
Our proposed landfall is the southern most island of The Marquesas. Fatu Hiva lies about 35 miles south of the big island of Hiva Oa. With its heavy rainfall and lush vegetation, it is the most beautiful island in the Marquesas. Featured in Thor Heyerdahl’s book of the same name, it is the only island without an airstrip and is therefore the most unspoiled. The central range of mountains runs north to south, reaching 3,150 feet at the south end. The eastern side is steep, precipitous and pounded by heavy surf. Only on the western lee side, are there useable anchorages. The most practicable anchorage for small vessels is Baie des Vierges (The Bay of Virgins).
Note: This bay was originally called The Bay of Penises, and when you see a picture of the unique pinnacles of black volcanic rock in this bay, you will understand why. When the first missionaries came they made the locals change the name to something they thought was more appropriate.
From a sailing standpoint Fatu Hiva is the first logical stop in the Marquesas. It has been reported that some cruisers have stopped at the island and then continued in a Northwest direction to visit other islands without running into problems with official authorities. The local police does not belong to the Police Nationale or Gendarmerie Nationale and these forces alone have the authority to register arrivals and report them to headquarters in Papeete (Tahiti). For many years cruisers arriving in the Marquesas have been required to enter at specified locations before proceeding elsewhere and OFFICIALLY THESE REGULATIONS HAVE NOT CHANGED.
This is the only island where tapa cloth (produced from the inner bark of trees) is still being made. This time-consuming process is interesting to observe and serval of the crafts-women are pleased to demonstrate how it is done. The source of the bark determines the colour of the tapa cloth. Off-white bark comes from the mulberry tree, medium brown is from the breadfruit tree and dark brown comes from the banyan tree. Because many cruisers visit this bay, the inhabitants ahve become market wise, demanding realistic returns for their tapa.
More on the Bay of Virgins tomorrow.
END
