Day 23 - Arrived Fatu Hiva, Marquesas

Clarabella
Gerard Coulson
Sun 17 Jun 2007 01:29
Date: 15 June 2007, 1200 local time (GMT -9)
Position: 10:27.8S 138:40.1W
Day's run: 112nm
Course: 260
Distance to run: 0 nm

YIPPEEEE! After sailing 3005nm we've arrived in the small Polynesian island of Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas!!!!! I can't tell you how good it feels to be hear with boat and crew in one piece and still smiling!

Our trip took 23 days exactly and we avergaed an ultimately unremarkable 5.4 knots, the light winds in the last winds took our average down from 5.7. We had no significant damage to the boat or her gear, for which I am very grateful!

The waterline and about a foot above is covered in a very, very hard to remove orange algae type stuff, and the counter in the stern is a forest of very large goose barnacles.

Seeing land after 3.5 weeks of seeing only sea was amazing, and the little island we amde landfall on is very green and very mountainous. The little village by the anchorage had Polynesian dancing - hip swaying, flower garlands etc - 2 hours after we arrived, when the monthly supply boat (together with very fat and very white american tourists on it) pulled in.

We have terrific gusts in the anchorage, and no shortage of rain. But it is great to be here!