Position 4 deg 25 S lat/ 136 deg 31 W long

I am on the 4 am to 8 am night watch. I usually spend this long watch reading, star gazing & stretching with dynobands in the cockpit - anything to stay awake! Tonight the skies are clear, the stars are plentiful & the glowing moon provides a nice nightlight.

After the milestone of passing the equator (celebrated with champagne & chocolate cupcakes), we are all now ready for terra firma. We went through a lot of squalls a few days ago with rain & good wind. However, the last squall was really packed with winds & waves and required a lot of fast maneuvering that put us all on the edge. After a good dinner of scallops, rice & peas, we had recovered but it just reminded us that we are ready to put the hook down & stay in one place for a little while.

We are excited about our newly revised landfall: Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. There we will find more goods & services, a very comfortable anchorage and a maildrop where we will pick up a month of mail & a couple of care packages.

The Marquesas are the most northerly archipelago of French Polynesia. The dramatic coastline (pictures coming later) of cliffs, needles & peaks up to 4,000 ft is the result of waves crashing up against the rock, unmitigated by sheltering reefs or lagoons. The islands get a small number of visitors so we are expecting a warm welcome. Our 1st stop, Nuka Hiva, is the largest island in Marquesas: 127 sq. mi.; 2,500 inhabitants. It was formed when 2 volcanoes, stacked one on top of another to form two concentric calderas.

We first check in at the local gendarmerie to get our personal & boat passports stamped and post a refundable bond (equivalent to a flight to the U.S. - their assurance that loafers don't stay in their paradise forever). We will then enjoy a cool, local Hinano beer from the veranda of one of the local establishments. We plan to spend our time on Nuku Hiva with a lot of physical activity. We will hike to Vaipo Waterfall which Yves Cousteau measured (from a helicopter) at 1148 feet,  making it one of the tallest in the world. We will explore the island's numerous archaeological sites - dating to 1600 AD. We plan to do some snorkeling, check out the beaches & rent horses. We look forward to abandoning our little galley & eating some fresh food at the local restaurants. And, we will take advantage of the local boulangerie & have daily baguettes that are price controlled throughout French Polynesia at 40 cents.   We will need to spend some time on the boat to fix things here & there & make the boat ready for Bob & me as a two-person crew. Anne & Peter will be 'jumping off' in the Marquesas & traveling to Tahiti before their return to SF.

We are brushing up on our French & trying to pick up a little of the Marquesan language: Au revoir/apa'e.…Courtney