10:27.8516S  138:40.0595W

6.-9. Mai 2013

Baie Hanavave, Isle Fatu Hiva

Isles Marquises, French Polynesia

The wind was favourable, so on our second try, we had a very comfortable sail to Fatu Hiva. We got there just in time to watch the evening sun bathing the coast in a radiant light which enhanced the magical scenery.

The next day unfortunately, we spent most of the time under deck. The water pump (salt water intake) of the starboard engine had started leaking and we couldn’t fix it during the sail, the lose bolt had turned out to be desintegrated metal and two out of the four bolts just fell of – with their main thread still stuck in the case.

What we thought was extremely difficult to reach and fix in place turned out to be impossible. When the guys came back from their hike, we had to unmount the engine and lift it up, and take some parts off in order to dismount the water pump, fix it, and then put it back in place.

What a day!

But the following day we made sure we did a little hike ashore and were rewarded with a stunning scenery. We found lots of limes and grapefruit on the way, and one papaya. Strangely, the mango season is already over here. But we could have gotten some at the other village.

We took some time to welcome a couple of boats we had met in Panama and the Galapagos. Nice to hear the other people’s stories of their crossing!

The other only things left to do would have been a hike up the steep hill for a breathtaking view of the bay, or to the bigger neighbouring village 7km over a windy up and down hill road and a dive at the huge wall. We went snorkeling close to the boats in the mornings and saw that unfortunately, the quite strong winds that had come up, with squalls and a bit of a choppy sea  caused fairly poor visibility and it wasn’t inviting for diving at all. And the village is about a 3 hour hike or a 15 dingy ride (with lots of wind and waves) or a 2 hour kayak paddle away. Apparently, there’s also a water taxi. However, with Michael’s still sore and sensitive back, none of the above appeared to be the best medicine.

So we decided to leave this gorgeous place after only one ‘real’ day of getting to know it.

However, we’ll keep fond memories of this wonderful place on earth.