10:27.88S 138:40.10 W Fatu Hiva, French Polynesia.
Lisanne
Eric Alfredson
Fri 5 May 2017 05:05
Fatu Hiva, Thursday May 4th, 2017
Hi Lisanne friends,
We arrived Fatu Hiva at midninight on Tuesday after almost 17 1/2 days at
sea. The wind died on the last evening so we had to motor during the night. We
got in at the anchorage and got a good spot near land where it was only 16m
deep. Guess if it felt good to turn the engine off and have an “anchor
dram” with Caribbean Rum ? We were quite proud of having crossed the
longest part of the South Pacific, 3000 Nm. Now the Paradise Islands are waiting
for us!
On Wednesday morning we woke up and could see what Fatu Hiva looked like.
We had to look twice to take in what we saw. What stunning beauty ! Fatu
Hiva is an 1100 m high volcanic island with dramatic scenery. Steep mountain
peaks and lush rainforest. There are around 800 inhabitants of Polynesian
origin. They all speak french so we try our best to remember our long forgotten
school french!
Eager to do some physical exercise after many days of sitting still we
hiked up to one of the high peaks where a large cross was erected. It was pretty
hard climb and we were exhausted when we got down again. It rained for a large
part of the hike and it rains on and off all the time here. So we cannot leave
the hatches open on the boat even if it is around 35 C both in the air and in
the water. The swimmimg is not really cooling you down either.
At sunset we were invited to our Oyster friends at Meteorite for
sundowners. It was really nice to talk to someone else than the crew for a while
and hear all the stories from the crossing.
Today we were invited to a local family who had cooked a delicious lunch
consisting of fresh fruits, tuna, goat (they are everywhere here, climbing the
mountains), chicken and breadfruit. We traded fresh grapefruit, lime and lemon,
bananas and spices against some canned food, old ropes and toys for the
children. You don’t really need money here the locals prefer trading against
useful things instead.
We then went to search for the waterfall but got lost in the jungle and
were completely soaked by the continous rain so we had to give up. Mike and Klas
made a second attempt later and found it and reported of amazing beauty.
We are now preparing for our departure tomorrow to the next Island, Hiva Oa
where we will clear in and hopefully get some shopping and laundry done and
maybe also internet connection. Maybe something has happened in the outside
world since we last were connected three weeks ago ?
More reports will follow and hopefully also some pictures.
Regards from the Lisanne crew in Polynesia.
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