Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva Island, Marquesas
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Tue 15 Apr 2008 00:20
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08:55.002S 140:05.916W
On Wednesday (4/9), we left the bumpy anchorage on
Ua Huka Island, and had a nice thirty mile downwind sail to Taiohae, the
main bay on the largest Marquesas island, Nuku Hiva. Along the way, any
time we rocked the slightest bit, or hit a wave sideways causing more than the
usual boat motion, several of what had become fully ripe
bananas fell off the stalk we had tied to the side of the dodger (covered
structure that together with the windshield keeps rain, spray and wind out of
the cockpit) and bounced down onto the seat. After the first few fell off,
it basically rained bananas for the rest of the six and a half hour
sail. We finally gave in and stripped the last of the bananas off the
stalk, tossed the stalk overboard and hoped to see a couple of rally boats in
the anchorage we were headed for because we knew they would make a good banana
dumping ground. By the time we arrived, we had a pyramid of 70-80 bananas
stacked up in the cockpit. We made it into the bay (picture 1,
view from our anchored boat), spotted Andante and Tallulah Ruby (both British),
and as soon as we got the dinghy in the water, Don visited both boats and
ditched at least thirty bananas. That left us with thirty or forty, which
wasn't bad considering we had started out six days before with close to two
hundred. Tallulah Ruby was so grateful that they gave us five tuna steaks
from the fish they had caught the day before. Well... we're not entirely
sure if they were really grateful for the bananas, or just feeling
sorry for us and our completely fishless state of being (our fishless
predicament is well known throughout the fleet).
Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva is a very large bay, the
largest in the Marquesas, and the one-road town at the head of the bay is also
the largest. Even so, there isn't much there - two small
grocery stores, a crafts center, a bakery, a cathedral, a pizzeria. We
went out to the pizza place that night with the crew of Andante, and Michael
from Lady Kay. Our waiter/waitress's gender was again unidentifiable, but
now I believe we understand why. We have learned from several sources (my
father, and several other boaters), that it is tradition in this area for a
family to raise the 3rd?, 4th?, 8th? (sources conflict on this point) son as a
girl - regardless of sexual preference. So there you have it. Our
waiter/waitresses were not really Polynesian transvestites after all, but are
the 3rd, 4th or 8th sons raised by their families as girls according to
tradition. Well, the families have done an excellent job as we found
their 3rd/4th/8th sons to be extremely well camouflaged.
We stayed in Taiohae Bay until Saturday (4/12),
using the time to catch up on civilization related stuff like banking on the
internet, ensuring our taxes will be paid properly, grocery and fishing gear
shopping and a little bit of sightseeing within the town. After
polling successful fisherman on other rally boats, Don is convinced that a wire
leader and some new lures will do the trick. We'll find out soon because
we are scheduled to leave on our next four-day ocean passage starting
Tuesday.
Don was loaned out to Andante for the better part
of a morning to help repair their water maker. He was successful (of
course!) and Andante couldn't be happier. This is the boat with an average
aged crew of 70, and they were growing weary of the ugly choice
between no shower at all or a salt water swim. This was
especially true for Ann, the only woman on board, who was threatening to desert
unless conditions aboard improved. Andante had been without a water
maker for several weeks - it died on the long trek from the Galapagos.
Yes, this is the same brand new boat (Island Packet) that lost its autopilot
during the longest sailing leg on earth. Hopefully their luck will improve
as they head further west across the Pacific.
Pictures 2 through 6 were taken during an afternoon
stroll through the town:
Picture 2 - Entrance to the cathedral.
Picture 3 - The cathedral's carved wooden doors -
further evidence of Marquesan wood carving expertise.
Picture 4 - A lovely (another favorite word used
quite often by the Brits) park full of flowering shrubs and stone tikis, with
Don in the foreground and a marvelous scenic backdrop.
Picture 5 - One of the carved stone tikis left over
from days gone by. According to Cyril, tikis were carved and put near
places of worship for the purpose of protection (protection of the people by the
Gods).
Picture 6 - This structure happened to be by the
side of the road. We aren't sure what it's purpose is or was, but liked
the tiki-like carving.
Anne
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