Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Fata Hiva, Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou…. just the
idea of the Marquesas as a sailing destination was so foreign and
incomprehensible when we first plastered our living room walls with charts of
the South Pacific five years ago. 3,000 miles and 22 days sailing from San
Diego gave us time to read chart books, our trusty Lonely Planet guide book,
and Soggy Paws internet compendium (http://www.svsoggypaws.com/).
Travel, especially by car, boat, or hiking, involves navigation and
cements the details of a place in one’s mind. As we carefully planned our
anchorages, provisioning stops, and sightseeing, the wind and weather, as well
as advice from other sailors, kept our itinerary fluid. Sighting the cloud
shrouded volcanic peaks of Hiva Oa for the first time suddenly made the
Marquesas a real place for us.
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| In Hiva Oa Anchorage...Manna is the 2nd boat from the right |
We visited nearly all of the islands in four weeks, sailing
to the southern group first, checking in at Hiva Oa. We arrived late on a
Saturday afternoon, with enough daylight to safely anchor. We saw a boat,
Dazzler, from California, who was part of the SSB radio net that we checked in
on nightly during our passage. It’s such fun to meet the crews of boats after
hearing their voices on the radio. Dan informed us that a Danish boat was just
preparing to leave the anchorage, so we waited and had a great easy spot to
drop our hook. Dan and Jilly motored over in their dingy with cold beers to
officially welcome us to Hiva Oa. The warmth, camaraderie, and helpfulness of
fellow cruisers is one of the most enjoyable parts of cruising life. We
reminisce with other sailors about how often we did not even meet our neighbors
on land, yet sailing lends itself so easily to getting to know other people
quickly. The hospitality is amazing. We find ourselves having time to chat with
our boat neighbors, come quickly to someone’s rescue, or invite a crew we just
met to coffee or dinner.
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| Fellow boaters who spoke French help us connect with local carver and family |
We were anxious to head to town on Sunday morning, Curtis
craved French pastries and we wanted to go to church, especially to hear
Marquesan worship music. After our first solid night’s sleep in three weeks, we
woke up rested at dawn, 6 am, which was easy even for Curtis due to the time
difference which is 2.5 hours behind Pacific Time. After coffee, we quite
efficiently got our 95 lb dinghy off the foredeck using our halyard and
spinnaker pole, which is an emerging skill for us. We lowered the outboard onto
the dinghy transom, and it started up fairly easily. We found the brand new dinghy floating dinghy
dock, secured our line, and took our first steps on terra firma up the winding
hill from the anchorage to town. The 2 mile walk in the sunshine, with hibiscus
flowers, chickens, and even a cow tied alongside the road by it’s horns, felt
wonderful. We quickly found a grocery
store open and bought our first baguette and butter. It was about 9:30 am, so
we continued through town to find the church.
There were no signs, but we soon spotted a large, elegant building with
slatted windows, which was the Catholic church.
Most churches in the Marquesas are Catholic, as French missionaries were
more successful than their English counterparts at converting the natives to
Christianity. There were two men standing outside near an empty table, away from
the church near the parking area. I asked, in English, what time church
started, and they looked at me like I was clueless, which I was. One replied,
quite curtly and loudly, that church was completed. I asked what time it
started – 8 am. There is no second
service, everyone was long gone. This was our first lesson in time here, people
rise before dawn to work while it is cooler. Most shops and businesses open at
7 am, then close from 11:30 – 2:30 pm, then some reopen for a few more hours in
the late afternoon. Time is languid here, much like the internet speeds.
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| The local Pamplemousse (grapefruit) is juicy, sweet, and delicious! |
Hanging out with other cruisers, especially those who spoke
French, became the key to unlocking the best of the Marquesas for us. It is truly humbling to be in a place where
you don’t speak the language. French writing and signs are somewhat easy to
comprehend, but not being able to talk or ask questions was a new experience
for us. So if you plan to visit French Polynesia, I would highly recommend
learning some French before you arrive.
We met many Canadian cruisers from the Vancouver area, who had spent
time in Mexico before sailing to French Polynesia. Canadians learn French in school. I did get
to practice my rusty German with some Germans and Austrians who were visiting
on the Aranui cruise/cargo ship that travels from Tahiti and stops at all of
the major islands in French Polynesia. www.aranui.com.
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