10:29.8S 138:40.0W Arrived at the Marrquesas!
Meryon.bridges
Tue 27 Apr 2010 04:50
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Ares arrived in the Marquesas at 13.30 local time
(10.5 hours behind UK Summer time), after completing the crossing of 3000+
miles of the Pacific Ocean. It's taken us 20 days and 3 hrs which is a
pretty good time for us. We arrived in a spectacularly beautiful bay of
dramatic volcanic scenery in Fatu Hiva, originally called the Baie des
Verges. This name deeply offended the early missionaries who changed it to
the Baie des Vierges.
Perhaps this requires some explanation. The
native Polynesians named it for the dramatic rock spires that populate the
valley behind. Unfortunately for the missionaries this gave "The Bay of
Penises", a concept too lewd for their delicate sensibilities so with the
introduction of a single letter, they transposed it to "The Bay of Virgins"
- boring lot!
The original name seems better to us, but then
perhaps this view is coloured by the Norwegian boat next to us which has a
couple of very lovely girls aboard.
We plan to be here for another day and then work
our way up the chain of islands to Nuku Hiva over the next five
days.
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