We sighted land just after day break, first Hiva Oa, then Fatu Hiva , our passage was almost
finished.
The islands are quite dramatic in appearance, standing
very high, with sheer cliffs down to the sea. Waves crashing against the shore
warranted a double take, to make sure they weren’t waterfalls, such was the surf
produced.
We made our way around the coastline, looking for the
entrance to Baie Tahauku. It was very well concealed and without the charts, we
might well have missed it.
Judging by the number of masts appearing as we neared, it
was also a popular anchorage.
I was pleasantly surprised by the anchorage. I had
expected just a bay and nothing more. But the hills had lovely houses dotted
here and there. It was lush and verdant, the scenery was stunning.
Huge escarpments shrouded in clouds, impressive indeed.
You can see where Paul Gaugin got his inspiration from.
We found a slot amongst the 20 odd other boats and
anchored (fwd and aft).
Rob & Sheralee had told us earlier that day, that
they had decided to leave the boat here.
I can’t say I was surprised, it was always an open ended
arrangement, but a 23 day passage is not really ‘fun’ (unless you are a
sailor).
They had acquitted themselves admirably, coping with the
sailing and lifestyle change demands and that is not being patronising, it isn’t
an easy life. It is a testament to their determination.
You have to be more disciplined than you are at home (yes
I know discipline and Janice just don’t go together), but when it could turn out
to be a matter of life or death (I am not exaggerating here) such as a gas leak
which has filled with bilge with explosive gas, because someone forgot to turn
the gas off and there had been a leak, or having no water, because the water
pump hadn’t been switched off and there had been a leak which emptied the tanks,
then on a 23 day passage it is dangerous. That isn’t including the inconvenient
disciplines, like always putting the toilet lid down, so that when the boat is
hard over and your towel falls off the rail….need I say more??
Such as, always putting things back in the same place, so
that they can be easily found, especially in the dark. Or not being able to put
the fans on when you are boiling hot, because the batteries are too low. Let’s
not mention not being able to have a cold drink (I daren’t even think of ice)
because there is no refrigeration.
All of which is not only restrictive and inconvenient,
but also tedious and wearing, constantly being pulled up for forgetting, which
as one gets older, becomes more frequent. Add all of that to the discomfort of
being in perpetual motion 24/7. Yes, even when you sleep!! The boat never stops
moving and neither do you. It also makes it difficult to get into a position
that is conducive to sleep.
As for the peace and quiet, if you actually analyse it,
there is never any peace and quiet. If you are sailing (which is the quietest
time) there is the rush of the waves against the hull, the wind in the sails,
although it the sounds in that instance are pleasant, they are still sounds.
Then on the night when you want to sleep, there is the noise of the shrouds or
halyards, the banging and crashing of the waves against the hull, the creaks and
groans of the boat with the stresses being imposed on her as the wind picks up
etc etc.
Now don’t get me wrong, compared to many boats
(especially racing boats) Beaujolais is very
comfortable and lenient. Racing boats don’t even have doors (not even toilet
doors) !!!
Many boats don’t have refrigeration ( I’m spoilt, what
can I say), nor the luxury of a large cockpit with a tent to keep you dry or out
of the sun. So while it is not an easy life, on many boats it would have been
much more of an ordeal. Passages, especially long passages, are definitely for
sailors (I do not profess to being a sailor, despite coming back year after
year).
It will be very different not having them around and will
take a bit of getting used to, but I am glad they were with us and I certainly
think they were the right couple to do it with.
But I digress.
It meant we had to go ashore, clear in and then get them
taken off the crew list, before they could go ashore. Well that is the normal
procedure. However, we were reliably informed that the Gendarmerie was closed
until Monday (today being Saturday) but they weren’t too strict about going
ashore without having first cleared in.
As time was passing and R&S had to find an hotel, we
hurried ashore. There are no cabs, it’s a hike into Atuona (longer than we thought as it turned
out) so we dinghied ashore and headed up the road.
The trouble with mountains, is that the roads never go
straight up, they meander. By the time we finally reached Atuona we were in need
of a cold drink and a rest.
The town is very nice, clean, orderly with excellent
roads, but very few bars, hotels of cafes (that we could see) and certainly none
that were open (and it was only 3pm on a Saturday). I saw two ladies sitting on
a wall, so went over and asked if they knew anywhere we could get a drink (thank
god I speak French) They told me there was a shop just up the road and an hotel
on the way out of town (we passed it coming in). I thanked them and we headed up
to the shop.
Sheralee had taken details of pensions out of the lonely
planet guide book, so we asked the cashier if she knew where they were.
As we headed out of the shop, guzzelling ice cold coke,
one of the ladies I spoke to (Claudine) was walking up the road, she smiled,
seeing we had got our drinks. I went over and thanked her again, then asked if
she knew the pensions we were looking for. She said she could recommend a place,
very nice, with a pool and very quiet. The price of 10,500 cpf per person
(US$105) was a little more than R&S had budgeted, but it included breakfast
and dinner. So she called the owner, Alex, who came and picked us all up, drove
us back to the boat to pick up their luggage (it is just as well they decided to
leave it as it turned out) and then drove us up to his house way up on the hill
overlooking the bay. Stunning views and very peaceful.
We had intended to go and have dinner at the hotel on the
outskirts of town, as they served pizza (also we hadn’t seen anywhere else to
eat) but Alex asked if we particularly wanted pizza, as he served dinner and
drinks.
His pension/bar/restaurant is in a fabulous location,
high above the bay, though the drive up is somewhat stimulating to say the
least.
They have a lovely pool you can use and as I mentioned
earlier, the views are simply stunning. They are open everyday for lunch or
dinner but it is necessary to ring or e-mail to book. Like most of the
establishments, they also provide a free taxi service to and from the
restaurant. For those cruisers heading this way, his tel. is +689 234817, or you can e-mail on
pension {DOT} hivaoa {CHANGE TO AT} yahoo {DOT} fr.
So we spent
a lovely evening drinking by the pool and had a super 3 course meal for 1500
cpf. (US$15) ( excellent value when compared to other establishments in
Atuona).
He then drove us back to the boat.
I have to say I slept very soundly for the first time in
weeks and I am sure Rob & Sheralee did too.
