Worrall Wind Update 7 - Marquesas Islands

Day 7 - Marquesas Islands, Hiva Oa, Thursday, May 13, 2010

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Another rolly night! Russ doesn't feel secure leaving the flopper stopper up all night in the event we start to drag anchor, it's one more thing to take down and put away. So before we went to bed, we took out the flopper stopper and flopped all night....although I'm not sure we wouldn't have done that anyway in this bay.

8:00 a.m. This morning the tide was out and the surf seemed a little smaller than yesterday, so Garyn, Russ, and Jess ventured ashore in the dinghy. I just couldn't get up the courage for a surf landing and decided to stay onboard. Our anchor is secure and there is no one else in this bay. I watched them from the Lido deck through the binoculars and they made a run for it when the swells looked smaller. Just before the beach a wave caught them, however and broke in such a way that the nose of the dinghy dug down. The next thing they knew, they were in the water not sure what happened. They were able to stand with the water at waist level. They all made it to shore a little soggy and retrieved the things that flipped out with them. Garyn's sunglasses were the only casualty. Russ was able to restart the motor, so they pulled the dinghy to the high tide line and disappeared into the jungle for a look around. There were several Marquesans observing this beach landing from the church community center. It must have been good entertainment. I'm looking forward to their photos and descriptions.

11:00 a.m. I saw the trio returning from jungle. There were two small children, a boy and a girl 5 or 6 years old following them to the beach. The little boy's back had a huge tatoo on it. They had undoubtedly heard the story of the landing and were curious to see the take off. The kids "helped" drag the dinghy down to the surf. Garyn, Jess, and Russ walked the dinghy out as far as they could. Russ jumped in first and started to paddle on either side to keep the nose pointed into the surf. Garyn and Jessica were in the back and side kicking. Next Jess climbed in and grabbed the second oar. Both she and Russ were paddling, and Garyn was still in the back propelling with his kicks. Finally, when the surf line was cleared, Garyn climbed into the dinghy. They continued to paddle for a while. I thought perhaps the motor wouldn't start, but then I could hear it purring and they put away the paddles. They made quite a team and looked very organized. I'm sure the locals were impressed or at least not as entertained as on their arrival. Again, I was glad I had chosen not to go. I really don't think I could have heaved myself up into the dinghy like they did. I usually have a difficult enough time when I have fins on and get in after snorkeling in much calmer waters.

Upon their return, we unloaded the dinghy, drained it, and put it up on its davits. They brought bag two bags of fruits...pamplemoose?? which is like a cross between a grapefruit and an orange. It's a big greenish citrus, and two other orange fruits (mangos we think), not sure what they are. They bought the fruit for $3.00 at the snack shack, where the operator also collected a contribution to see the Tikis. They enjoyed their walk through the jungle. Russ said it really sounded jungle like with birds cawing and shreaking. Jessica said it was like a little suburb with landscaped little gardens in the middle of the jungle as they walked through this part of town. The town had an electric power plant, post office, and modern telephone booth. We have not seen many people with cell phones, but the town does have a cell phone tower, and Garyn gets reception. They saw stone tikis and platforms of old ruins, and thoroughly enjoyed the walk and being on shore.

Right now, they have all crashed and are resting after their exhausting adventure.

0330/1800
We weighed anchor after dinner this evening at 5:00 p.m. and are now under way to Ua Huka (pronounced Wa Huka). It is a beautiful Polynesian evening, warm with a gentle breeze of about 9 knots of wind coming from the east, and a gentle six foot swell from the same direction. Our boat speed is 4.5 knots on a starboard broad reach with a course over ground of 320 degrees . We could just see Ua Huka in the sunset lit sky about 60 miles away. At this speed, we should be there sometime tomorrow morning around 8:00 a.m. Garyn and Jess have the 8:00 - 2:00 watch. Russ and I will have the 2:00 - 8:00 watch. Jessica is a great addition to our sailing team and feels not queezy for the first time today. Yeah. We are all excited to be unhooked and saiing!

All is well on Worrall Wind.

Worrall Wind Update 6 - Marquesas Islands

UTC/Local: 0330/1800

Latitude: 09 45.825 S
Longitude: 138 52.766 W

Update:

The wind did not subside until after dark last night, so we did not venture on shore at Hanamenu. We did enjoy laying on the deck and watching the stars last night. They shone like little diamonds in black sky and were animated back and forth as the boat rocked and rolled. The wind changed directions all night long and our boat proximity alarm continued to sound each time we entered new territory within our proximity circle. By morning we had filled in an almost perfect circle around our anchor. We held fast, but it was not without a lot of anxiety. We could feel the wave action all night as we circumnavigated our anchor. Sometimes the swell was on our nose, some time from the side, some time from the stern lifting us and sloshing water against the back stateroom where our heads were presumably sleeping. Garyn and Jess moved from the V-berth to the midship berth sometime during the middle of the night.

When we awoke at 6:00 a.m., we were the only boat left in the bay. All others had left...wonder why? The bay now was reasonably calm as the sun was coming up. We enjoyed our breakfast of cereal and ripened bananas on the dewy deck. Rather than go ashore, we decided to take advantage of the calm seas to motor to Puamau Bay. We weighed anchor by 8:00 a.m. and it came up easily. After it had held fast so well all night in every direction, we were anticipating some difficulty getting it up not knowing if had wedged or wrapped around something. But it came up easily and we motored out of the bay leaving the bay quiet and empty.

We headed due north then east passing Hanaiapa Bay which is supposed to be the most protected bay on the island. It looked inviting, but we decided this was one of the stops we would leave off of our trip itinerary. Several of the boats that were in the Hanamenu were anchored in this bay. As we approached Hanaiapa there was a small squall that went right over the top of us. We didn't experience any rain, but the wind accelerated to 34 knots on our nose. We were motoring and our speed over ground was only 3 knots as we plowed through swells 9-12 feet high that were splashing over the bow and sending rivers of water down the deck. I was trying to take pictures of a waterfall cascading from one of the cliffs when the waterfall blew side ways and vaporized in the wind. Just prior to taking a right turn into Baie Puamau a pod of dolphins played off of our bow wake. We were a little concerned that there were no other boats in the bay and hoped it wasn't for an unknown reason other than perhaps the eastern swells that would make for yet another rolly night.

2100/1130
We anchored in 30 feet of water about 200 yards west of the wharf area, pointing out to sea. The wind had died down to about 6 knots and a six foot swell from the east rolled through the bay. Relative to last night, it seemed pretty mild to us. Negotiating the surf into the beach may be a challenge however. There appears to be a little jetty on the wharf that we may be able to tuck behind and land. Garyn and Jess are going to give it the first try while Russ and I stay on board keeping watch. When they return, we will give it a go. This is the one place we really do want to get off of the boat as this is supposed to be the location of one of the most extensive archeological sites on the island and the largest tiki in the world. According to Charlie's Charts there are "massive terraces, petroglyphs, and various statues....spectacular place to visit."

2300/1330
Garyn and Jess tried to get ashore, but the surf was too big for a safe landing. Now back at the boat, we are thinking that either very late today or early tomorrow morning we will give it another try.

0330/1800
We never got to shore today. We will try again early tomorrow morning. The waves were too big. We did enjoy watching the surfers though. There were about seven adolescent boys who appeared to be having great rides after school this afternoon. We lounged around soaking in the beauty of this bay with its crashing surf, glistening palm trees, goat speckled mountains, and billowing clouds. It will be disappointing if we can't get ashore, but we need to move on tomorrow.

Russ and Garyn put out the flopper stopper for tonight. This slick little gizmo is two pieces of sheet metal about 5 feet long and two feet wide, hinged at the bottom. The top of each flap has lines that extend up to the whisker pole hanging out over the beam of our boat. This flopper stopper dips about 10 feet under the water. When the boat rolls to starboard which is the lee side of a swell, the sheet metal cuts down like a blade through the water. When the boat starts to roll to the other side, it pulls open the flopper stopper like a clam shell creating resistance to the roll and helps to flatten the roll, stopping the the flopping. It doesn't work particularly well when both the wind and the swell are coming from the same direction. It works best when the the boat is pointed into the wind and waves are perpendicular to the beam. It seems to be working farily well this evening.

Our plan is to leave tomorrow night about 5:00 p.m. for a 12 hour evening passage to Ile Ua Huka. Now it's time for dominoes.

All is well on Worrall Wind

Worrall Wind Update 5 - Marquesas Islands

Day 5 - Marquesas Islands, Tuesday, May 11, 2010

UTC/Local: 0100/1530

Latitude: 09 45.864 S
Longitude: 139 08.396 W

Update:

We awoke early in preparation for leaving Autona. Russ made a couple of trips in the dinghy to shore to drop off the used oil in jugs that we had changed while crossing the Pacific. A man saw him emptying the oil in to the recycle drum and came over and asked if he could have the oil. Russ explained to him that it was used oil. He indicated that he knew that and it was ok. Russ gave him the 7 containers of used oil. He later came over and gave us a fresh baguette which with a little butter and jam we called breakfast. The night before, Russ had given a cruiser a ride from shore to his boat in our dinghy. The cruiser was in his 70's and experiencing some TIA symptoms. He was returning from seeing a local doctor who set him for a scan in Papeete the following day. As a thank you, he gave two bunches of very green bananas. It will be a couple of days before they are ready for breakfast. Garyn and Jess went ashore and did a little laundry. I pulled down all the dry laundry from the back deck and cleared the deck of clutter for sailing.

A couple of boats had moored behind us the day before and we were a little concerned that one of them may have anchored over our stern anchor.
When we were ready to leave, Garyn, in the dinghy followed the stern anchor line and was able to pull it up by hand. Russ reeled in Garyn and the dinghy. We took the stern anchor from Garyn and secured it, took the motor off the dinghy, raised the dinghy, pulled up the bow anchor and were under way by 9:00 a.m.

2100/1130
We are on our way to a Bay called Hanamenu and have just passed Point Tepupuhi. We've been having a great broad reach sail down the straight between Tahuata and Hiva Oa, sailing at 6.8 knots. This is Jessica's first day at sea. She is wearing a seasickness patch, but is still feeling a bit queezy...doing a good job holding it together

2200/1230
Shortly after passing Tepupuhi, the wind died. We took advantage of the calm to eat lunch. When it was apparent we still weren't going anywhere, we turned on Lehman. A little further to the north, we passed Cap KiuKiu, and hold your hats! 33 knots of winds and 4-6 feet of wind waves right on our nose with less than two miles to Hanamenu. I hurried downstairs and closed ports and hatches that I opened to glean a little moving air when were windless. Now we are taking splash right over the cabin top. This wind may make landfall in Hanamenu a challenge. We'll see.

0100/1530

We motored into Hanamenu where there were six other boats anchored. We set down the hooks facing out to sea as there is a strong onshore breeze, more like a north wind blowing 18-25 knots. Our anchor seems to be holding tight but we are riding a bucking bronco in this anchorage as the wind and the sea keep coming at us. If this keeps up, we will be holding anchor watch tonight. About 1/2 an hour ago, three of the boats that were in this bay all left together and headed straight out, perhaps to Nuka Hiva. Seems a little late in the day to go anywhere, other than a night passage. There are three of us left in the bay. Our little wind generator is spinning like crazy making 5-6 amps per hour. Our solar panels are making 10 amps. We are using about 20 amps right now with refrigerators, computer, and radio transmissions.

Behind us, is a lovely little beach with palm trees. There is reportedly a nice fresh water spring. When and if the wind calms down, we will dinghy to the beach later this afternoon.

All is well on Worrall Wind.

Worrall Wind Update 5 - Marquesas Islands

Marquesas Islands - Day 5

UTC/Local: 0200/0430 May 10, 2010

Latitude: 09 48.224 S
Longitude: 139 01.918 W

Update:
We got up early this morning and headed into Autona by 8:15. It would have been sooner, but once again we were worried about our stern anchor that seemed to have drifted a bit. So we watched and waited, and debated whether to go in to shore or not. Our neighbors on Khashyan (Happiness in Hindi) who had been so helpful the day before were departing, and a small shift to our starboard would not make a big difference, so we headed in to Autona.

We had heard that the Gendamarie was only open to clear in cruisers until 9:00 a.m. So we hustled to get into Autona, a mile or so walk before the purported close time.

We got to Autona, just before 9:00 a.m. Once we got there, they told us they were open until 10:00 a.m. Some of the cruisers relayed that only the captain needed to go, other cruisers reported that everyone needed to go. In the end because we want to leave tomorrow, everyone went and got there before 9:00 a.m. The check-in went smoothly, and we were out of there in 20 minutes. I think they were glad to see all of us. The story seems to change daily.

Anyway, we checked in. After check - in we had to go to the post office and buy a stamp to affix and send our doucmentation to Papeete. Jess and Garyn went to the Gaughan cultural center. Russ and I explored the town and bought some fresh food as we went. Each store has a little different inventory.

Stop 1 - no produce, but snacks and variety items. Russ got a coke and 4 gallons of oil.

Stop 2 - met other cruisers with a truck. Windryder would take oil back to Dingy Dock. We met Ed and Cornelia on A Capella who said to say hello to us from Dave and Marcia on Juniata, and Patricia and Jack on Whoosh who asked if they could sponsor us as commodores for the Seven Seas Cruising Association. They said anyone who made it this far should be sponsored. we are delighted of course.

Stop 3 - ATM

Stop 4 - Veggie truck in front of the park. We got some tomatoes, cucumbers, egg plant, and green beans.

Stop 5 - Tuna truck in front the of the park. We got a kilo of fresh tuna.

Stop 6 - Another little grocery where we got hot freshly baked bread and two dozen eggs.

Stop 7 - Another little grocery where we got onions.

Stop 8 - Another little grocery where we got celery, 4 potatoes, and a frozen chicken.

We didn't see any lettuce or bananas but were pleased with our purchases. No we needed to walk back the mile + to the harbor in the late morning heat lugging our goodies.

We met Garyn and Jess at the post office at 11:00 and hiked back stopping at a little pension/restaurant along the way. We enjoyed fresh vegetable salads and an island fruit compote for dessert. It was nice not to have to cook a meal. Thirty plus days is a long stretch for me.

When we got most of the way back, Garyn and Jessica wanted to strike out to find some petroglyphs. I wanted to get back to the boat, cool off and take a nap. Russ and I returned to the boat, took cold showers, and were putting away the groceries when Jess and Garyn returned...hot, tired, and hadn't found the petroglyphs. As I was putting away the groceries, I discovered that one of our refrigerators had not been turned back on and the pancake syrup had leaked all over! What a mess. There went the nap!

Russ returned to shore to pick up the oil and do some laundry in the communal sink. We didn't want to use our water supply to wash the sheets. He returned with the wet laundry to report that the dinghy anchor had gotten stuck in the rocks. Garyn, Jess, and Russ returned to shore to unsuccessfully dislodge the anchor. While they were gone, I hung out the laundry and am pounding out this update. Russ has returned to the dinghy dock to see if he can employ a local diver to retrieve the anchor.

Never a dull moment. We could all use a little rest and relaxation. We plan to leave tomorrow and sail to the north side of Hiva Oa, so it will have to be after that. Russ just returned. Happiness! Another dingy had dropped his anchor on ours and they had tangled. Fortunately, the other boat owner was willing to dive to retrieve his anchor and ours. So once again,

All is well on Worrall Wind.

Worrall Wind Update 3/4 - Marquesas Islands

Marquesas Islands

Day 3/4 Marquesas Islands - May 8/9, 2010

UTC/Local: 0100/1530 May 9, 2010

Latitude: 09 48.221 S
Longitude: 139 01.919 W

Update:

End of Day 3 - Saturday, May 8, 2010:

We arrived in Atuona Harbor on Hiva Oa, mid morning. The harbor is protected by a short break water. It's very small for the number of boats that need to moor here for check-in. In order to squeeze as many boats in as possible, boats must have both a bow and a stern anchor so that they do not swing. All of the boats face the harbor entrance. Theoretically, all of the boats should be lined up in rows with a fairway in front and back. It was much messier however than the theortical,and it was quite a challenge trying to find a place to anchor. Some of the boats on the outside edge were anchored almost horizontally to the rest of the fleet.

The technique we used was to try and find a fairway, turn upwind into a likely position, drop the stern anchor in the fairway, motor forward to the middle of the next fairway and drop the bown anchor, then snug them both up. We tried unsuccessfully in one location (weren't comfortable with how close we were to the other boats), and finally went to the very front of the anchorage, close to the outer edge, where there was one other boat between us and the cliffs - a big 56 foot Nordhaven, where there was room. We dropped the stern and then the bow, and it felt pretty good. We watched as the boat moved from one side to the other and when we were satisfied, we weren't dragging and had a good distance between our two neighbors, we settled in for the afternoon. We raised the yellow quarantine flag and said hello to some of our Puddle Jump comrades who were also in the Harbor. Windryder and Demelza were in the Harbor.

We did a few boat chores and relaxed for a while. About 1:30 Russ took Garyn over to shore for his 10 mile hike to the airport via the road or a shorter distance up some vertical path. Jessica's plane was due to arrive at 4:30. It was 90 degrees and humid. It was not going to be a pleasant walk either way he went. Russ returned to the boat and we continued to cleanup and fix little things. We were both dripping with sweat. It's amazing how many things can go haywire on a boat. Our shower sump wasn't working, the engine needed servicing, the back deck needed a cleanup, laundry needed to be done, things that came unscrewed and unglued, needed to be rescrewed and reglued.

We were surprised at 4:30 p.m. when we heard Garyn call us from shore saying that he and Jessica were at the dinghy dock. It seemed to us that he had barely left. Jessica's plane had come in an hour early to this little shaved mountain top landing strip. She had several offers from people for a ride into town, but she said no, she was waiting for her husband, She was afraid to if Garyn had taken the path instead of the road, she would miss him. Garyn got to the airport at 4:00 p.m. and were offered a ride by a local back down the hill. So it all worked out well.

After hugs, stories, and a couple of cold beers, we had a champagne dinner on the Lido deck after the sun went down. Russ had set the proximity/anchor alarm pretty close, so it continued to go off throughout the evening. We kept checking with visuals and seemede to be ok. So we all went to bed. Garyn and Jessica were awakened when it started to rain and they got a cool midnight shower, but overall we all slept pretty well.

Day 4 - Sunday, May 9, 2010 - A relaxing Mother's Day - NOT!

It is gratifying to wake up and still be where you think you should be. Boats were beginning to leave the harbor for other destinations. The boat behind us, one of the ones that had moored horizontally, was also setting rigging and cleaning up, getting ready to do something. On board were three Italians, two men and 1 woman. They seemed pretty adept at what they were doing so we didn't pay much attention to them as they motored a little forward, a little backward, raised sailss, bagged sails, etc.

After breaksfast, Garyn, Jess, and Russ wanted to walk into town. It was already starting to get warm, and I still had a lot of little projects to do, so I volunteered to stay behind and watch the boat.

They all got in the dinghy about 9:30, and I sat on the Lido deck relaxing and drinking my second cup of coffee, and planning my day. It seemed to me that our stern had moved a little farther than it had been, but the line was still tight. I came downstairs and did some laundry, and brought it on deck to hang and dry. The Italian boat that had moored horizontally in the fairway was getting ready to leave and had pulled forward on their anchor discovering that our stern anchor had crossed over their bow anchor.

Fortunately, they could speak English enough so that we could communicate. The captain of the boat wanted me to untie my stern which he had alreay dislodged,and our stern was now drifting toward our neighboring boat on our starboard side. I expressed my reluctance to letting go of the stern anchor. I hurriedly got on my sailing gloves, cleared off the lido deck of chairs and tables, grabbed the bow thruster, and started the motor (or tried to start the motor). After a couple of tries I gave it up, and went back out to discover that the Italian boat was now drifting into us with their beam less than two feet from our solar panels on the stern. I gave a "Too close" yell.

While they tried to manuever the boat, our solar panels were now catching in their backstays and grabbing at their fishing gear, I released the sternanchor line so that we would swing away from them. We did and they cleatred. I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't been on board. Yipes!

When I tried to winch in our back anchor, it was now apparent that I was totally dislodged. Two of the crew members, got in their dinghy to push our stern into position while I winched. When that didn't work, they pulled the anchor up and tried to reset it. The first time, it obviously did not set.
The second time, we thought it was set. It was a close call. They were anxious to get under way, and left, but I was anxiously watching the stern continue to pull sideways and there was not enough tension on the stern line so I knew we were dragging.

I got on channel 16, and called some other PPJ boats Windryder, Demelza, and Worrall Wind mobile for assistance. NOTHING HEARD! Now what? I went back out to check the stern anchor which had not set. Our stern was now sideways and perpendicular to our neighbor. We were clearning their boat but I didn't like having only one hook down and not able to start the motor. I yelled to our neighbors who were just getting in their dinghy to go ashore, and asked if they could help. They are now my newest best friends! Those guys reset the the anchor 4 times and on the 4th time it finally took. They could see I was getting exhausted with the anchor winch, so one of them came on board to give me a hand. By 1:00, 3 hours later, everything was back under control and I was pooped.

Russ, Garyn, and Jess arrived at 2:00 p.m. after having explored the tiny town of Atuona and spending $20.00 on cookies and coke. They asked if I had a relaxing time on the boat? .......

We finished up some projects in the afternoon. Russ got the shower sump limping along. There is something wrong with the float. Garyn and Russ got the water turbine back to a wind generator. Russ worked on getting the engine to start. Just before dinner, Garyn and Jess gave me a Mother's Day gift. Mothers Day? I had completely forgotten. But it was a great reason to use the satellite phone and call my mom. Hope everyone out there had more relaxing Mother's Day than I did.

All is Well in Worrall Wind

Worrall Wind Update 2/3 - Marquesas Islands

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Day 2 - Marquesas Islands, May 7, 2010

When we left Fatu Hiva, we could see the white caps just beyond the lee of the island. After the fierce winds through the night, we raised our main with a double reef, raised the mizzen for stern balance, and pulled out about 1/2 of the jib in expectation of the blow. Turned out that 1/2 of the jib was too much once we hit the wind line. Once we turned off the wind to a brorad reach, eased off the main, and pulled in the jib to about 1/3 handkerchief, we had a great downwind sail all the way to Tahuata.

We sailed to the west side of Tahuata which is the lee side and anticipated that the wind would subside. Well it didn't! Instead the wind blew over the peaks and funneled through the valleys with increasing velocity over 30 knot gusts. I got really nervous at one point, when I was hard to port trying to get the wind behind us and the boat continued to round up and head straight for the cliffs of the island.

Since we were far enough offshore, there was no immediate danger, but we couldn't take many blows like that one without getting way too close to the cliffs for comfort. We rolled in the jib, furled in the mizzen, and turned on the iron genny (engine). The wind continued to hit us randomly from all direcetions. We passed several coves until we reached Hanamoenoa which is reported to be one of the three best beaches in Polynesia.

We pulled in and set our anchor in white sand in about 30 feet of water about 3:45 p.m.. There were five other boats in the bay and some snorkelers in the water who checked our anchor after we set it and gave us a thumbs up. The water was clear and inviting. It tdidn't take us long to get on our fins, masks, snorkels and go overboard into the 80 + degree water.

In order to get into the water for snorkeling, we first lowered the rubber dinghy around to the side steps, and used the dinghy to put on our gear. It makes a swim platform for us. After a lovely swim where we saw la wide variety of reef fish, we came back to the boat and did a little bottom and side clean up. Garryn made his way around the waterline with a plastic putty knife and scruffy. Not too many barnacles. The aniti-fouling paint did a good job. And maybe the bowline drag helped too.

After fresh water showers on deck, we pulled out the barb-b-que, drank red wine, and had beef kabobs for dinner as the sunset. After dinner we turned on the audio book, layed around in the dark listening and enjoying. About 8:00 p.m. I could hea,r both Garyn and Russ making sleeping noises...snoring. Time to go to sleep. We'll finish the book tomorrow.

Day 3 - Marquesas Islands, May 8, 2010

We had our best night sleep yet. There were some winds, but not as fierce as the night before, we were confident in our anchor set and those of our few neighbors, so we all slept very well.

After a few morning chores, attaching window shade screens, preparing the stern anchor for Autona, swabbing the decks, and putting the bar-b-que away,l we were ready to weigh anchor about 7:30 a.m. Knowing that it would be an upwind beat around the north west corner of Tahuata through the straight to Autona we decided to motor. The wind is on our nose as are the ocean swell.

Once we arrive in Autona, we will go into serious boat cleanup and repair mode. Jessica arrives late this afternoon. Garyn is already cleaning up the V-berth stateroom, and looking forward to taking Jessica back to do some snorkeling at Tahuata.

All is well on Worrall Wind.

Worrall Wind Update - Marquesas Islands

Day 1 and 2 - Marquesas Islands

UTC/Local -9.5: 1930/1000 a.m.

Latitude: 10 18.970 S
Longitude: 138 49.524 W

Conditions:

After a lovely, albeit windy, day in the Bay of Virgins, we are headed 303 degrees toward the island of Tahuata. This island lies just a few miles south of Hiva Oa, and we will reach it late this afternoon. We thought it would be better to anchor here in a bay with just a bow anchor than to negotiate the required bow and stern situation at Autona at dusk. The wind is blow 19 knots, wind waves of 1 meter and east south east rolling swells 2.5 metters high every 10 seconds while in sets. These sets rock the boat from rail to rail. In between set the boat is bounding along at 6+ knots.

By dusk last night, there were more that 20 boats in the Bay of Virgins. Many of them with the yellow quarantine flags hoisted indicating they had not yet checked in. We followed suite and raised our yellow flag on the starboard spreader with our French Polynesia flag just below. About 1/3 of the boats had no flags, and another 1/3 of the boats had the French Flag. We saw no other French Polynesia flags other than ours in the anchorage. Since this is not an official check in location, we were concerned about making landfall here and having to pay a fine for making landfall without the required check in, but didn't seem to have to worry about that. There were a lot of very tired looking sailors taking refuge here before moving on.

Day 1 Garyn lowered the dinghy into the water and while he was checking out the motor and riding around, he noticed a large gray shark the size of the dinghy following along side. Our desired to take a swim was immediately squelched. Garyn and Russ took a hike earlier in the day yesterday, Day 1, up to the cross on a pinnacle earlier in the day. Later in the day, Russ and I went back to shore and explored the little town of Hanevave which is at the end of the bay nestled between giant pinnacles. It was a tidy little village with a concrete roads. Houses looked like modulars set on pier foundations. Each of the 20 +/- houses had a garden with several types of plants and fruit trees. Some had pigs tied on tethers to one of their hooves getting fat for roasting and chickens strutted around the town. We saw one teenager carrying a large rooster in his arms. The rooster looked pretty content and wasn't worried about becoming dinner. Dogs and cats were in nearly every yard. The Marquesans girls and women we saw were wearing shorts and tops, the men no tops.

We had heard there was a little store, and saw some folks carrying things in their sacks, but didn't see the store ourselves. We said Kaoha (hello) to folks we saw and many responded either in Marquesan or in French. We stopped and talked to one young man who had a baby. He had seen Garyn and Russ earlier in the day as they hiked the road to the cross. He was one of the workmen who hauls one huge bag of cement up the hillside and extends the concrete road to the next village or wherever they want the road to go. This project will probably last the lifetime of the young man we were talking with. He introduced us to his son who looked less than a year old. We saw a couple of vehicles parked under ports, but none that were on the road.

The village had what looked to be a school/community center, church, volleyball court, soccer field, post office, breakwater with dinghy dock, and a restaurant that looked closed, but with a religious shrine erected in the front. We were told by other cruisers that there was a lady named Justine, near the socceer field, that would prepare a traditional Marquesan dinner with enough notice for cruisers at a price of about $11.00 each. We did not take advantage of this opportunity as we found out too late in the day and would not be there the following. But it sounded like it would have been fun and interesting.

Instead we had spaghetti on board, turn the clocks to Marquesan time. It was dark by 6:00 p.m. when we did this. The days on this side of the equator are growing shorter. By 8:00 p.m, we were all sleeping, not soundly, but sleeping. The boat had just a gentle rock, but the winds were fierce and would whip down from rock pinnacles and deep valleys from a couple of directions, stretching our chain, and often causing us to heel to one side. By the time we finally went to bed our anchor alarm had gone off at least 2 dozen times over the course of the afternoon and evening. Russ had set a pretty tight circle, so we weren't too concerned as we watched the gps screen - boat position draw a wormy looking pattern from the anchor. When we went to bed, our alarm remained silent indicating to us that we had tested nearly every direction downwind from the anchor and were still holding. It was nice to know that we weren't dragging, but didn't have the same confidence in the other boats in the anchorage, many of whom had come in and anchored in front of us.

Between all of us getting up a couple of times and checking our position and other boats relative to us, we got through the night with no problems. Garyn reported that he heard voices(real ones :-), and there was a boat that was trying to drop anchor right next to us and drop back. That didn't work out for them. They finally dropped way to the back of the fleet and dropped anchor. In this particular bay, there is a sandy shelf close to the head of the bay and slightly around the bay on the south side. If you don't drop the line on this shelf in 70 feet or less of water, your alternative is to drop anchor in 100+ feet of water. We carry 300 feet of chain, and to get the right scope, we prefer to drop in shallower water. We were anchored in about 60 feet of water.

When we awoke this morning at 6:00 a.m., we quickly had some cereal and coffee, secured everything for our passage to Tahuata. We turned on the motor to give us an assist in pulling up the anchor against the strong winds pushing us away from the anchor. I was at the helm, Russ and Garyn doing the anchor work. The anchor came up with no problems and by 7:30 we had headed out of the bay for Tahuata. It's been fun sailing in this direction. We hand steered for the first hour or so past the lee of Fatu Hiva because of the variable winds. Once we were well under way, we put Hydie to work and have been giving her periodic help when hit by large offsetting and rounding swells. The clouds are starting to build covering the sun and the temperature has dropped a little from 88 degrees.

We figure that Jessica is on her way to Tahiti now. We will see her tomorrow in Autuona about 4:00 p.m. We understand that we will probably not be able to do an official check-in in Autona until Monday or Tuesday. So we will either hang around there for a few days or go to one of the other close by bays.

As I close this update, we see the dark outline of islands in front of us. Either Tahuata or Hiva Oa or both. Can't quite tell yet.

All is well on Worrall Wind

Worrall Wind Update - Marquesas Arrived!

UTC/local -9.5 (0100 May 7/1630)

Latitude: 10 27.8557 S
Longitude: 138 40.112 W

Conditions: We are currently anchored in the Bay of Virgins on Fatu Hiva. There are a dozen other sailboats from around the world tucked into this beautiful little bay surrounded by by steep cliffs, coconut palms, and tall rock spires shrouded in what looks like resident clouds.. Originally named the Baie de Verges (Bay of Penises) so named for very erect rocks, the missionaries added an "i" and changed the name to Baie de Vierges (Baie of Virgins. Using my vivid imagination, I can actually visualize both in the formations. Only a handful of people live on this island and it is beautifully unspoiled.

We anchored about 10:00 a.m. this morning and ate our breakfast with a gorgeous views from our lido deck while our anchor settled. The boat is rocking gently...seems still now. While this bay is visually inspirational, 30 knot winds have been gusting through this anchorage every 15 minutes, making us a little nervous about the hold of everyone's anchor including our own. A couple of the gusts have been mini squalls bringing rain.

I had to pull out the bug screens as soon as we got here, not because of mosquitos or no seeums which I am sure there are, but because of these huge yellow wasp like creatures that keep making their way into the boat. After breakfast and some minor cleanup, (I had been up since 1:00 am), I took a nap and stayed on anchor watch, while Garyn and Russ took the dinghy ashore and of course took a hike up to a high peak above the bay to a white cross. Now it's my turn to go ashore. We leave tomorrow for Hiva Oa. This was a short stay, but glad we got to see it.

All is very well on Worrall Wind.

Worrall Wind - Land Ho! Marquesas Arrival

Day 30 - Thursday, May 6, 2010

Whoo Hoo! 30 days and over 3,000 miles, Worrall Wind and crew have safely arrived in the Marquesas. I spotted Fatu Hiva during dawn watch on our radar this morning at 5:00 a.m. within my 20 mile range circle. So nice to see something other than a squall or passing ship. By 5:30 a.m. in a star filled sky lit with a waning crescent moon, I thought I could see a dark smudge on the horizon. Was it yet another squall? My imagination or Fatu HIva? 1430 UT, we had a visual. and decided spending one night in the Bay of Virgins before heading 45 miles downwind to Autona, Hiva Oa.

Worrall Wind Update 29 - Marquesas Bound

Day 29 - Wednesday, May 5, 2010

UTC/Local -8: 2130/0130

Latitude: 09 23.593 S
Longitude: 137 46.789 W

Conditions: We are 80 miles from Fatu Hiva, traveling a course over ground of 220 degrees, 5.7 knots. The wind is blowing about 16 knots from the east and there is a partially cloudy. We are on a broad reach with one reef in the main, no mizzen and a reefed jib, a remnant from our last 20 hours of countless squalls and steep seas pounding us from the east. At a our present pace we should make landfall in the Bay of Virgins on Fatu Hiva tomorrow morning. Yes!

Since our first sneaker squall hit us yesterday, we have encountered one squall after another. After the first one, we didn't reef thinking that it was an unusual occurrence. After the second one which lasted for an hour of gusting 27 knot winds, we hunkered down for a long night. We put in one reef in the main, had about 1/3 of the jib flying, trimmed the sails for a broad reach, and helped Hydie with course correction.

After that second squall, the winds dropped to 3 knots and we basically watched the windex spin in circles in the squalls vaccuum. Then came another and another with lots of rain and steepening seas (9-12 feet about 7 seconds apart)slapping our port side or lifting us over and dropping in us in a trough, rolling us to port as the water broke out from under the boat in a frothing rush. Each time a squall passed we would be windless and unable to direct the boat out from the squall line.

Needless to say, none of us got much rest last night. Somehow, we just didn't think the last 150 miles would be this dramatic. After going through the ITCZ with few and light squalls, we thought we were clear..nope! Anyway, the sun has finally come out this afternoon and the squall line is no longer hanging on top of us.

We were all so distracted and tired this morning, we missed the morning Puddle Jump Net. We will check in tonight. It will be our last check in with the net for a while. And we may not be able to get a radio signal out from the Bay of Virgins because of the tall mountains to let you know of our landfall. If we can, we will, but don't be alarmed if you don't hear from us tomorrow. Just know that we will be enjoying the earth beneath our feet.

All is well on Worrall Wind.