08:56.624S 140:09.778W

Tuesday 18^th June 2013

Distance run: 7nmiles

The swell picked up in Taiohae Bay over the course of the next few days, so on Saturday we lifted the anchor and sailed a few miles along the coast to Hakatea Bay (popularly known as Daniel’s Bay after a Marquesan chap who used to live there and was friendly with cruisers).  The entrance to the bay was narrow, with a steep cliff on one side and a rocky outcrop on the other over which the waves broke enthusiastically.  Once inside, however, the sea was calm with just a tiny hint of a swell that worked its way in by bouncing off the steep cliff.  There was only one boat already there, so we had plenty of choice of where to anchor, and were soon settled in very dramatic and picturesque surroundings.  The only downside was that the water was not clear, but hey, you can’t have everything!

S-F in Daniel’s Bay, Nuku Hiva

The landscape is quite dramatic.                                                                               The entrance to the anchorage is virtually invisible from the beach.

At the head of the bay was a yellow sand beach, and on Sunday we took the rib ashore to explore.  There were no houses, but signs that there had once been.  A couple of horses seemed to roam the beach, together with a cow or two.  We decided there must be a way through from the smaller bay next door, which must be inhabited.  We took the rib round to said smaller bay, and went for a wander along an unmade road with houses on either side.  We saw no one until we came across a lady taking in her washing who called out ‘Bonjour’.  When we replied, her partner appeared and we chatted in a bit of French and a bit of English.  We asked if we could buy some fruit – they had a large garden area with trees laden with fruit.  We came away with bananas, mangoes, papaya and pamplemousse.

The bay next door – very picturesque.                                                                    We wandered along this unmade road.

Garden boundaries were marked by shrubs or fenced off, and well kept.

We bought fruit from this young Marquesan.

We have been keeping an eye on the weather as it is time to move on to the Tuamotus, and it seems a good time to leave would be Thursday morning, so tomorrow we will go back to the town anchorage to do some shopping, and all being well we will set off for the four-day trip on Thursday.