10:27.8S 138:40W

Time                    17.00UT 06/03/2010

Passage time            16 days 3 hours

Distance to destination 2950nm

Distance travelled      3003nm

Average nm per day                       186.2

Average nm per hour                     7.76

Adrian our 4^th crewmate was back in the UK doing a great job as our weather man and router. His update yesterday was for a low to track above us SW to be followed by 2 or more days of high pressure and no wind. The low brought great sailing conditions and saw us flying along under Cruising Chute and Mainsail at up to 10 knots. We hoped that Adrian’s windless high would not come until late evening or the following morning at the earliest...but no such luck. By mid afternoon the wind had veered and then died altogether leaving us with no option but to motor slowly the last few miles so as not to arrive at these unlit islands in the dark. Dawn saw us 5 miles NE of Fatu Hiva and by 8.00am local time we had dropped anchor in the beautiful Bay des Viereges on Fatu Hiva. Within minutes a local guy, Marc passed with his wife Blondine in their aluminium rib after an early mornings fishing and then returned to say hi and when told that we had caught no fish at all on the crossing promptly gave us 2 Bonito for dinner tonight and an invitation to his house so he could give us some fresh fruit, limes, lemons, bananas and grapefruit.  Marc professed a liking for red wine so I gave him a bottle of Chilean Red.

A quick look around the boat shows that she is in good condition after the crossing although above the waterline is covered in weed and growth. Below the waterline is clean having been continually scoured by the friction of the water.

So it’s sushi and BBQ fish fillets for dinner, plus the first alcohol for 17 days, fair reward after a long but fast passage.

3003 nm sailed in 16 days and 3 hours. We would have liked to use the engine less but given the time constraints for homeward flights, together with our promise to the girls not to fly the cruising chute at night, we had little option. It has been a relatively uneventful passage, some really fast days and nights under full sail and some awful rolly days and nights in light winds.

The incredible starry nights will live long in the memory as will the seemingly endless, empty ocean. A total of 3 cargo ships and 3 fishing boats was the sum total of company en route and no other yachts.

It’s been great fun sailing once again with Chris and Glenn, good crew, good fun and easily pleased as they ate my cooking most nights.