07.56S 127.19W
JENNY
Alan Franklin/ Lynne Gane
Sat 22 Mar 2008 10:58
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We are getting closer to Niku Hiva I'm pleased to
say, we have a lack of water at the moment due to the watermaker packing
up, one or two boats have offered to hose us down when we arrive so that we
don't make the place to smelly with our unwashed body's. No worries we have
plenty of water with salt.
Currently we are 763nm from our destination
travelling at between 5 and 6 knts in light Easterly airs.
The Pacific Ocean is by far the largest ocean on
the planet its area is greater than all the land masses put together bordered by
the Americas to the East and Australasia and Asia to the West the ocean is a
vast expanse of water empty of all but the smallest spots of land.The first of
these on our journey from the Americas is the Marquesas (the Galapagos is part
of Ecuador) which is one group of islands in French Polynesia all told
there are about 20,000 islands and atolls in the Pacific.
After the Marquesas we will continue our voyage to
the Tuamotuan Archipelago which is made up of coral atolls surrounding large
lagoons (some of the 12mlsx 9mls) no more than 45ft high, if fact you see
the palm trees first and we have to be pretty close otherwise we miss them,you
may remember them because Mururoa Atoll is where the French carried out their
nuclear testing,the southernmost Tuamotus is Pitcairn Island,home of the Bounty
mutineers and further East Easter Island which is in the most isolated
position in the whole Pacific.Our next stop is the Society Islands named by
Captain James Cook in honour of the Royal Geographical Society (he was sent
there to observe the planet Venus and plot its position), the administrative capital for French Polynesia is Papeete in
Tahiti the main island in the Society group.
We will visit the islands of Moorea,Bora Bora and
Raiatea all of which are South Sea Islands as you would imagine them,high
volcanic peaks,whits sandy shores protected by reefs with the brilliant clear
waters of a lagoon unlike the Marquesas which have no protective reef and the
Tuamotus which are only a few feet above sea level.Some of the reefs have
well defined passages into the lagoons on others its a case of eyeball
navigation and somebody (Ellie) up in the rigging telling us where the shallow
waters are.
After that we go on to the Cook
Islands,Tonga , Fiji ,Vanuatu and then Australia .
I hope this gives you a little insight of the ocean
we are crossing and the sights yet to come,by the time we reach Australia in
August we shall be more than half way round the world and some 12,000nm
+ into our voyage. Please look at
an atlas you will get a better idea of what I am explaining.
Happy Easter to you all
Peter Jenny Ellie Alan
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