RTW Leg 13: The Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia

We arrived into Nuku Hiva, sadly without the horns blaring and bunting out as the captain had dreamed of, but oh, so, so glad to be on land after three weeks at sea. Sadly, land and the crew’s bodies didn’t mix well. The captain and first mate were stumbling around on the pier as if they were trying to navigate their way home after a night in the Edinburgh Wine Bar in the 80’s. Land legs as opposed to sea legs is a ‘thing’ and it took time to adjust!

Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas with Broadsword in the foreground

This island is probably one of the most beautiful places we have been to so far, and I’m not just talking about the geography. The islanders themselves, are just so kind and gentle. A big contrast to the slightly weary Galapagos Islands and their endless conveyor belt of tourists. The French Polynesians smile and say hello, they are helpful, happy and they laugh a lot.

We had arrived on the island at the same time as our lovely Swiss friends Dominique and Guylene from Kaiwane 2 It’s one of the great things about this sort of trip. The people you meet on the way all share the same spirit of adventure gifting new friends to share your memories. Guylene and I had heard that the church service on Sundays was an experience you couldn’t miss and off we went the following Sunday. The voices and the music were just incredible and well worth the early start. The captain refrained from going as he reckoned he would be hit by lighting at the front door!

Less National Velvet, more City Slickers or Blazing Saddles.

On doing a bit of research of the available places and things to do. We heard about a trek on horseback up onto the caldera of the island volcano where we could stay out overnight and return the next morning. The 1st mate’s imagination ran wild with thoughts of safari tents and moonlit dinners with awesome views over the island not to mention that it would all be so romantic. The captain had always told the her that he would treat her to the odd night in a hotel after months of living in what is essentially a floating caravan! The yearning for a bed that didn’t move and was static (must be where “static caravan” comes from) was high on the list of the crew’s wish list. The First Mate needs to be careful what she wishes for!

The Captain, First Mate, Dominique and Guylene were met by the brother of the tour owner. He drove us high up into the mountains and screeched his pickup round hairpin bends which had huge vertical drops above the coast line and nothing to stop us going over the edge. We stopped at another brother’s house to pick up a fairly reluctant Staffie cross terrier and continued up into the mountain where the countryside changed from trees and rocks to long expanses of green prairies and pastures. The change was utterly dramatic and we were now within the volcano’s caldera. We eventually arrived at a very basic little shack with a beautiful garden. All different types of fruit were literally dripping off the trees. Our horses were all saddled up and waiting and we were introduced to Alphonse, another brother of the owner. It was obviously a big family. Alphonse was to be our guide and we set off for a glorious day of riding, chatting and stopping off and looking out over spectacular viewpoints. The reluctant Staffie ran alongside us the whole way as he was with us as protection from the wild boars which are the most dangerous thing on the island.

Michelin Stars? I award none. Michelin Tyres, a fair few.

After our ride we came back to Alphonse ‘s shack. On asking what was happening next, we were told that he would be making us a meal and then we would be staying overnight in his house. Before this we were given a sack each and told to pick whatever we wanted from the trees. The house was…, let’s just say it was authentic. There were mattresses on the floor, holes in the ceiling, a fag butt in the ashtray by our bed. The bathroom …. well, there are simply no words really. Just think about the loo in the film ‘Trainspotting’ and then consider the sink and shower that would accompany it.

Note the complimentary tube of toothpaste on the right hand corner of the shelf.

It didn’t help that on getting into bed and into the provided sleeping bags, that the Captain whispered that he doubted the sleeping bags had seen the inside of a washing machine since the late 1970’s! The First Mate was brave but told the captain that he needn’t think he was going to get a full night’s sleep, as she would be making him accompany her on any trips to the loo. We had supper, which despite everything was delicious. We had brought some wine with us and it was a truly lovely evening, eating raw fish in coconut milk, beef stew, rice and plantain drinking our wine from our chipped mugs.

The next morning it was time to head back. So, we set off in the pick-up, with sacks of pomelo, limes, lemons and bananas, (payment was absolutely refused.) The reluctant Staffie was thrown in the back in addition to an extremely reluctant, noisy piglet in a sack. The return drive down to sea level was just as treacherous, if not worse with the added downhill momentum!

Taking the path less traveled by.

A few days later took a big trek up to a waterfall which was situated round the coast. A much quieter bay with just a few families living there. On our way through the handful of houses, we met a lovely lady who asked us is we would like a meal when we came back which we duely booked and then set off up the valley. With added intel from Nick, Sophie and the boys, after two hours we reached the sign that said ‘Go No Further’ and just kept going! The intel was also; when you find a muddy rock pool, scramble up and over and under some big boulders then you will find a crystal-clear pool that you can swim right to the back. We were basically the Famous Four! It was so exciting being able to find something which so few people knew about and we are incredibly grateful to ‘Quick Step.’

Guylene and Dominque provide scale and perspective in a world that blends Jurasic Park with Avatar.

We spent a lovely couple of hours swimming in the beautiful waterfall pool. (Thankfully the First Mate was completely ignorant of the large eels that inhabited it but the fresh water shrimps did enjoy nibbling on feet! Then we came back down to be greeted with fresh bbq’d tuna, plantain and fresh pomelo juice. The next day the Captain went back to pick up some carvings we had seen being made. The family who had the wood carvings had a skinned pig hanging up near the fire. They promptly gave the crew a huge hunk of meat from the pig. Again, no payment was asked for. It’s amazing how those who have so little, can give so much.

Generous to the end. This hunk of pork was in a pot within the hour for a curry that night.

Then we set off to the island of Hiva Oa. Very similar to Nuku Hiva but the swell in the bay was even worse than the other bays we had been in. The best thing though was that it gave us a chance to see Yvette and Alex from the Blue Beryl. They had limped into Hiva Oa a week previously with just their jury rig. An amazing feat for them after being dis-masted in the South Pacific. Yvette was still struggling with PTSD after the accident but was getting a bit better day by day. She needed to keep herself busy so we lent her our washing machine to get through the piles of washing that they had accumulated and she was delighted. Alex was keeping himself busy by sourcing a new mast and dealing with all the press coverage that they had got in Holland. TV and newspaper interviews had made them into reluctant local celebrities but it has been great for getting the crowd funding to help them get back on their feet. It was so lovely getting to know them better.

Yvette and Alex, glad to have the Pacific crossing behind them.

Sadly, this is where we had to say goodbye to Dominique and Guylene on Kaiwane and also to Anders and Annette on Horizon who we had sailed with since Panama. Or as we affectionately call ourselves the Three Amigos. Kaiwane’s sail drive has broken on a neighbouring island and Broadsword had to tow them into Hiva Oa in less than calm conditions. They will now probably be a month behind us, but we are ever hopeful that we will be catch them at some point.

Kawanie II under tow from Broadsword. Good debates had about salvage rights.

The Captain and First Mate have changed but I’m not sure if they have gone native or feral, probably a combination of the two. They now openly sniff their armpits to grade how smelly they are if expecting any social interaction. They announce if they going for a poo and are pretty laid back in the bodily smells and noises. The captain’s hair is well on its way to his Robert Shaw, in ‘Jaws’ look, the resemblance is quite uncanny! And…. they have tattoos. Yes, you heard correctly, we have gone to the dark side and yes, we are hypocrites. We have been rude about tattoos for years but if you are going to do it, French Polynesia is the place. When in Rome…as they say. The First Mate was terrified about telling her parents and rightly so, the silence on the end of the phone was deafening!

Moana wields his tools of torture, as Laurence Olivier says "Is it safe?"

The Captain would like me to tell you all that not on one, but two occasions someone has remarked how he looks just like David Tennant! The First Mate thinks this is just ridiculous and quite annoying because all he loves telling everyone about it.

John just of night watch.

There is much excitement though as the crew have just booked their tickets home in mid August to mid September. The ferry for Coll is booked and we aim to spend a couple of days either side of Coll to catch up with family and friends.

We left Hiva Oa heading toward Fakarava in The Tuamotu Islands, a four day passage with quite annoying weather. A real mixed bag of wind and no wind, sails up and sails down, tiring and frustrating. Captain and First Mate getting the old passive aggressive moods going again! The Captain had gone through every sail plan and then the wind was perfect for the gennakar sail, or as we like to say, The Big Red. So up it went and we were going along very nicely when the wind rocketed up from 15 knots to 25 knots. Broadsword “broached” which can be best likened to driving along and doing a handbreak turn. The Captain was fighting for control at the helm and loosing the battle as the boat heeled over dangerously steep with the gennaker hitting the water*. The sail was forced against the spreaders from behind and we wondered how on earth we were going to get it down. First Mate’s bottom lip was on the verge of its usual wobble as the Captain fought to try and turn the boat round and out of its precarious position. Sadly, it took too long to coax her round and the sail got ripped. Extremely scary and sad to know that yet another visit to a sail loft is in order to get it repaired.

The big red down but not out. Finding the rip and repairing.

We then neared Fakarava. Our first atoll which started out in life as a volcanic island, grew a coral reef around it and then the volcano sank leaving behind the coral reef or atoll. Each atoll has a “pass”, orginally a river down from the mountain where the coral could not grow in the fresh water. The pass is your door into the atoll, a narrow gap through which the sea rushes out as the tide ebbs and rushes in as the tide flows. Timing is everything to get into them and its best to hit them at slack water on a rising tide. Predicting this is complicated by weather, the moon, sea state and swell. All in all, a nerve-racking experience for first timers. We arrived at first light and readied ourselves for the entry. The wind had picked up to 27 knots with steep angry waves and we radioed a yacht that we could see coming out and they reckoned it was fine. But as we got nearer to the entrance we could see standing waves. Think Corryvreckan and you’ll understand. We took our chance and went for it. The boat that we radioed went out and saw the standing waves and came straight back in again. But they did have lots of children aboard and it was a lot harder exiting than entering.

What did the fish say when it swam into a wall?

We now find ourselves in completely different surroundings. Fresh fruit and vegetables are extremely rare and its almost a competition to see who has the best stores. The supply boat only gets in once every three weeks. But the sea is turquoise , the sand is white and the amazing sea life make up for it……….

……and …we are still married!

P.S. Follow us on No Foreign Land to see where we are LIVE and the route we have taken:

Ed Note: For armchair sailors: A tricky and dangerous situation that was difficult to recover. If a sail is over powered, you can go down wind to get the wind behind and reduce the apparent wind, or turn into the wind to stall. I was unable to do either. OR you can spill wind by releasing the sheet to the clew. I was fighting the helm so fully occupied and did not want Lucy near the sheet as it was so heavily loaded it could have caused her terrible injury. I managed to get the wind behind and this is what backed the sail onto the spreaders but we were then more or less in control and now waiting for the wind to reduce to give us a chance to get the sail down. All very exciting but not to be recommended.