This
is reputed to be the most dramatic anchorage in the World! It's almost
impossible to capture with a small domestic camera.
On
31 March, there was a tragic accident on the beach at Hanamoenoa Bay. We had
gone ashore for a campfire and singsong when Patrik, a young crew member on
Thetis, removed his finger ,whilst chopping up coconut with a machete. He was
taken to their infirmary at Hiva Oa and then flown to Papeete where we
understand he is comfortable.
The
next night we motored a few miles down the coast to Hapatoni, a small village on
Tahuata. The village shop actually had frozen prawns so we had a very pleasant
supper. The crews of A Lady and Voyageur were there, the former ecstatic as Bill
on Crazy Horse had repaired their generator.
We
then sailed South to Fatu Hiva, our first windward sail since
December. It is about 45 miles but we had to motorsail the last 3
hours.
The Anchorage at Fatu
Hiva
Coconut Drying in the Village
The
effort was well worth it as the anchorage was stunning. The 3rd April was Mike's
65th Birthday and we were invited to supper onboard Asolare. We made the
starter, Confit de Canard and Claire and Mark produced an excellent
sailfish which Mark had caught earlier and frozen
Earlier
in the day John and Graham walked for several hours to a waterfall, eventually
finding it with guidance notes from Peter who had been there 2 years
earlier.
Today,
the 4th, we returned to Hiva Oa simply to get internet access to phone
home.
