We arrived in the Marquesas at 0400 on the 26th March. Winds had been very light for the last few hours and this and the presence of local fishing vessels meant that we dropped the spinnaker for the last half hour and motored over the finish line having taken 18+ days to cover 3000 miles. We had lost the moon so it would have been unsafe to enter the main anchorage. We dropped the hook for a couple of hours in Atuona Bay and found our permitted anchorage about 0600. We were welcomed in Polynesian style with garlands of flowers.

The anchorage is stunning with sharp rises in the landscape and wild green foliage. It reminded me a lot of Madeira with the red soil and greenery.

View to the Anchorage

There were significant problems with fouled anchors in the harbour and I had to dive twice to try to locate missing anchors.

On the 27th we were treated to a "Haka" dance and music display. If you follow Rugby, you will be familiar with the wardance performed by the New Zealand and Samoan teams to intimidate their opponents before each match.

We had been pre-warned about the high prices in French Polynesia, but some examples were crazy. Fortunately we have a couple of months supply of basic foodstuffs onboard so we will only have to buy a few fresh items to supplement.

Today we set off to explore other Marquesan Islands before heading for the coral atolls in a week or so. We  expect to arrive in Tahiti about the 26th April.