UTC/Local: 0100/1530
Latitude: 08 49.284 S
Longitude: 140 03.839 W
We all had a great night's sleep last night. With the exception of a passing squall around midnight that had us scurrying to close hatches, we enjoyed the relatively calm waters of D'Anaho Bay, on Nuka Hiva. The anchor alarm didn't go off once. The bay has a little cove etched out of one side so as I look out the windows, I see land 360 degrees around our boat. Russ says it feels like Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe. This bay has the only coral reef on Nuka Hiva. Surrounding the bay are a combination of mountains, from desert scrub low-lying hills to spiring peaks. The shore line is forested by tall coconut palms (not quite Emerald Bay).
After a few boat chores, we all got in the dinghy to do some exploring. There is a pass cut through the coral reef for dinghies to get safely to shore without having to do some crazy shore landing. We did see one sting ray scurry out of our path as we approached the shore. The tide was way out so we had to drag the dinghy quite a ways up the beach. Crabs scittered across the sand and exposed coral reef. It's much easier to drag the dinghy with four people dong the dragging than with just the two of us. The grounds around the bay look as if they have been well cared for by the local residents. Fruit tress, palms, and flowers have been planted along grassy beach meadows just above the beach. Fallen palm leaves and coconuts have been raked off the pathways into piles which are periodically burnt. Smoke from fires rises from different locations along the bay. There are a few families that live here, but there is also a little pension and an open-air church.
We met three young men on shore from Vancouver who are sailing on a boat called Mojombo. They were carrying their surf boards to the bay just east of us. It was the first bay we passed before getting to D'Anaho. It is open to the sea and they were hoping it would be a good place to surf. We ourselves walked over the little saddle to see the Bay. Along the way, a father and son on horseback passed by us. They had large satchels of something they had collected. We also met another Marquesan family, who had come over from Taiohae (south side of Nuka Hiva) for the day. They drove to the Bay to the west of D'Anaho and hiked over a path to D'Anaho. They explained to us where the path was that would take us over the hill to the Bay that has some stores, restaurant, post office.
When we returned from our excursion, the tide had come back in. Jess and Garyn had returned a little before us and were in knee high water with the dinghy chatting with a couple of cruisers. Guerremo and Isabella on Tin Tin are from Spain. The other boat, a catamaran, Endless Summer with Steve and Monjula is from Emery Cove Marina...can you believe that! They were moored closer to Trader Vics on F dock. Monjula had a thermometer and we all found a place where there was a warm current of 92 degree water. It was like a hot tub. We sat for over an hour in the shallow waters talking about our Pacific crossing experience and our plans for the future.
Garyn and Jess decided to go back to the trail the Marquesans had told us about and hike over the hill to the other bay. Hopefully they will bring some bread back with them. We can all go back again tomorrow. We weren't sure if the stores would be open on Sunday. Russ and I, feeling like salty prunes, made our way back to the boat where we took fresh water showers and are just lounging around until we bar-b-que the tuna we got in Autona on Hiva Oa. Today is the first day where I'm thinking....this is good, really good. This is what I thought or hoped paradise would be like.
All is well on Worrall Wind.
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