1 year and 10000 miles away 09.54S 139.06W

Salsa af Stavsnas
Ellinor Ristoff Staffan Ehde
Thu 20 Jun 2013 17:32
Amazing how much we can accomplish in one year. How many places we have visited, how many nice people we have met.
We celebrated yesterday with pizza, coca cola and beer, on board of course. There are no facilities here at Hanamoenoa in Tahuata. Just a white beach, palmtrees and the ocean.One year ago the 19th of June, we left Malma Kvarn, just south of our bay and took off towards west. Now we are in a remote place in the middle of the Pacific.
We made it here from Fatu Hiva yesterday, sailed about 40nM. Caught a very big Mahe Mahe on the way, it was a real fighter. Would not give up. And we almost lost all the line,bait and fish. When Ellinor runned to the aft to stop the line from feeding out she could not stop it so she took the line in her hands. Not good, the line made aloop around one of her fingers and as I came back I was afrait she might be hurt and I grabbed the line to free her, the fish made a move and I burned my hand, it is amazing just burned a straight line across my fingers. Well the reeel was a mess by then so I got a pair of gloves and pulled the fish in cm by cm. It striked back furiously and finally we got it by the side of the boat and could take it up with the big hook.
The sailing was great. I watched the big white sheets and thought about how these sails have carried us across oceans. Sails are one of humans biggest inventions.  As I write these lines, Manta Rays are swimming around the boat.
This bay is almost empty and we have heard there is a lot of marine life to see.
Happy Midsommar!