World ARC - Day 73 - 22nd March - Looking forward

Nina
Steve and Lynda Cooke
Wed 23 Mar 2016 11:25
10:26S 135:41W

World ARC - Day 73 - 22nd March - Looking forward

We have an estimated arrival time (ETA) of Thursday 25th in the morning. Just over a day to go, after 3,000 miles and three weeks of sailing Nina ever on towards some specks on the chart.
The past few days have been pretty uneventful as we have gone through our daily routines. Clothes have been washed and hung out on the improvised line across the back of Nina. This either gives us an extra knot of speed or half a knot of drag depending on your point of view. Importantly it means we have fresh clothes to wear during the passage.

More time has been spent going through charts, books and blogs to plan our time in French Polynesia. We will be starting in The Marquesas then going to an area of coral atols before ending up in Tahiti at the start of May. After three weeks at sea it will be great to see land again and to have the opportunity to explore the islands. We are also hoping that the French element of French Polynesia means the food will be good but their remoteness means this could be a forlorn hope. A regular ship arrives in the Marqusas from Tahiti to restock the shops about every three weeks. We believe one is due on Thursday and another possibly on Saturday - maybe they have heard that the ARC fleet is about to descend on them!

So far the wild life has been disappointing with only a few seabirds around. One came and landed in the sea next to Nina yesterday and watched us sail by. He seemed to like this so repeated the exercise half a dozen times before flying off to the south. Forecast arrival in Hiva Oa is on Thursday afternoon so the vintage Cava has gone on ice in anticipation. Unlike the Atlantic crossing there is no reception committee here with rum punches and fresh fruit so we are preparing our own celebrations.

Everyone is well on board and morale is noticeably rising as we strain to see landfall.