We set sail from San Diego on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. Manna was ready to go. New solar panels, Highfield dinghy, new steering cables, and rebuilt water maker. We were ready to cast off the dock lines and return to the magnificent Marquesan Islands.
Our 23 day passage was much more challenging this time, with frequent squalls and a massive ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone). We flew our jennaker quite a few days. Our new ATN snubber sock made deploying and retrieving our pretty sail a breeze.
Wildlife sightings were rare. We saw a frolicking whale one day out, other than that only sea birds, which we sometimes had to shoo off of our shiny new solar panels. We did have one boobie travel with us for several days on the bowsprit, so all of its poop only hit the anchor, which was fine by us.
Our arrival in Hiva Oa could not have been timed more perfectly, mid afternoon on a Monday, May 12. It was wonderful to finally drop the anchor and stop moving.
The next morning we went to Atuona and cleared in at the Gendarmerie (police station) easily on our own, without having to hire an agent. FP now has an online form to fill out in advance of arrival which makes clearing into the country quite easy.
The sweet floral smell of terra firma and the beautiful views were wonderful.
