Off again...

Just a short note to say we're off again.  We're leaving the beautiful Society islands in our wake, heading towards the kingdom of Tonga.  We have lots of pretty pictures to post, but it'll have to wait till we have better internet.  We have itchy feet!

A few things not to cruise without...

We recently heard from our friends Tracie and Steve that they are ready to cast off their dock lines and set off on their dream. Its really great to know people whom we met; as they, like us, trudged through a never ending list of boat jobs. Now they've finished counting down the weeks. Lets face it, for all those that do; there are a greater number that start to plan, then don't!

Looking forward to following you both on your blog; Sailing Saga Sea......

http://www.sailingsagasea.blogspot.com/

Anyhow, it got me wondering about which items we are really glad to have on our boat. The things that we feel have made cruising that much more enjoyable. Not big items, just a few little things we bought before we left. The first was actually a present from Tracie...

• 1   A Sprouter... We're big bean and lentil users as it is, but the further dimension of sprouting them means there is always something fresh to accompany our meals. Mung beans are by far the easiest, of course; the butterfly that flutters from this bean like caterpillar is the most commonly seen beansprout. Sometimes they're found flacid in cans, slowly rusting in the bilge, but not on our boat; they're always fresh and in the toilet sink! Everything in it place, no matter how unusual.

 

• 2 Fishing lines, lures and ever bigger hooks... For that matter everything in our fishing bag is being up sized. Only a few days ago a great fish jumped in to the air snapping our 120lb test line (1.2mm nylon) and taking with it our wire leader and only decent no 9 hook. The yellowfin tuna that followed the next day did not get away. But neither was it as big. We do use surgical elastic to absorb the initial shock force but bigger line is on our shopping list. Here's a photo of a dorado we caught on the way to the Tuamotus. He was a beauty; fed us well for over two weeks and made many gallons of delicious soup to boot!

• 3 Our Blender... or as we refer to it the whizz whizz. Banana smoothies are the current favourite. Two bananas one teaspoon of coconut milk powder some ice, water and whizz whizz. Margaritas were how this little blender found its way into our hearts but it also helps with humous, soups and sauces and all manner of drinks. It helps if your fridge can keep you in ice.

• 4 Windscoop... Do not go anywhere hot in a boat without one. I was heading off to the Mediterranean over a decade ago when my parents passed their surplus to me. Its kept me cool ever since. After a decade of use its now in tatters and was on our list of things to sew anew. Fortunately my parents joined us in Tahiti for a holiday. Their first question was, 'have you a windscoop?' learning of its state they brought us a new one together with an excellent extra fan.

• 5 Pestle and mortar complete with spices... Though powdered spices don’t keep on boats, or for that matter anywhere, whole spices do. If you ever want to make curry or almost any meal tasty, whole spices and condiments are what you need. To give you an idea of how often we use our pestle and mortar, it lives on top of the washing up soap. Some of the Spices we use most: Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods and seeds, pepper, methi (fenugreek) seeds and leaves, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, nutmeg, saffron, vanilla and asafoetida, though admittedly that’s already crushed. .

• 6 Pressure cookers. Yes plural; we do have two. One small that on passage is rarely off the cooker top and one large. The small one is particular useful for beans, rice, potatoes etc. We recently met some guys who had worked out exact quantities of seawater, seconds and pasta one needed for al dente pasta that came out ready to serve; that's commitment! though for us, we'd rather use fresh water.

We met another couple who had mastered canning using ball / kilner jars. they showed us a locker full of various meats beans and fish they had canned. We picked their brains on the technique they used. Will let you know how we get on once we've found some jars to use. Dispel the idea that pressure cookers are only good for sloppy stew (though they are too). On a boat where cooking fuel is at a premium and a further barrier between pan of scolding water and skin is often desired, they are indispensable.

So that's our little list. All items costing little but in our opinion worth a lot. No doubt some of you were fearing a boring blog about all our electronic gadgets and gizmo's; but depth sounder, AIS, broken VHF and a cluster of GPS's isn’t really worth talking about.

Archipelago de Tuamotus... (Tummytoes)

Sorry it's been so long... of course we've been having a wonderful time in magical places. Also there's been very little internet available, at least rarely fast enough to be willing to pay for. We've been moving often and so it's nice to be able to take stock now of how far we've come.

More photos from the Marquesas as it took too long to upload them whilst we were still there.

 

 

Jacques Brel's grave; the Belgian chanteur who amongst many other hearty rich songs in french wrote the ports of 'Amsterdam' which David Bowie covered. The flowers pictured lie on the floor all over these islands under the small trees that grow them and the women really do almost always wear one behind their ear; very becoming.

 

 

Several of the anchorages were quite uncomfortable with swells coming into the bays unhindered. These kept our boat in motion in a rather annoying manner, so when we found Anaho bay on Nuku Hiva to be well sheltered we knew we'd struck gold. It didn't hurt that it looked like this and that the walk over the hills was peppered with coconut, lime and Pamplemouse (big sweet grapefruit) trees.

 

We found a bit of time between walks and socialising to improve the dinghy towards being able to sail it.  The Marquesas were varied and beautiful but it was time to push on towards the Tuamotus.

 

 

 

The islands of French Polynesia like almost all Pacific islands are the product of volcanic activity. Darwin was the first to theorise during his Beagle voyage that the radically different high islands and the low atolls were all part of the same process in different stages.

 

The Marquesas are an example of relatively recently formed volcanic activity. A weakness in the ocean floor allows magma to bulge and spill out, gradually building to the surface. There the action may continue giving rise to huge volcanic peaks, craters, lava sides and basalt plugs. Once the volcanic action slows and stops the elements start eroding the island. Birds, ocean currents and winds bring seeds, soil begins to form and life starts to weave itself around the island.

In warm waters coral polyps are brought by currents and affix themselves to the edge of the island. Coral grows from a depth of 50m to the surface at a very slow rate but this is then able to keep pace with the erosion and gradual sinking or melting of the rock back into the ocean floor. As the rock of the island slowly sinks away, the reef around the outside of the island continues to grow up to the surface and build upon the old dead coral. This makes an outer reef where the edge of the island used to be, then water fills the gap as the land sinks and erodes leaving island surrounded by lagoon then reef. This is how the Society islands are which is where we are now.

As the rock continues to sink and erode then often all that remains is the original volcanoes crater in the middle full of water then eventually all that is left is the coral reef around the outside. This keeps growing in pace and as the waves pound the coral then broken coral often builds up behind the reef. This then can form small sand and dead coral islands called a 'Motu'. So an atoll is a ring of coral with shallower sea in the middle and often with sand islands around it's edge.

 

The Tuamotus are such atolls which are at the end of this process. The sea around the atolls is usually very deep so they rise up very steeply out of the ocean. Whilst the islands were still high, they produce lots of rain and therefore streams flow down their sides. Where these enter the sea the coral does not grow so this creates gaps in the reef which we use as 'reef passes'. The currents in and out of these are often strong and depend on tide, wave direction and wind. Traversing them can be an experience! This one was easy to see and the weather was calm, nevertheless we had to motor in against a 3-4 knot current.

 

 

We had only a week or so in the Tuamotus and visited only 2 atolls. They were astonishingly quiet and peaceful. They are sporadically inhabited and farmed by Polynesians who trade dried coconut 'copra' used to make oil and cultivate pearls in their lagoons. It would be perfectly possible to spend weeks on each coral atoll of which there are 76 and rarely see anyone. This is a place to relax.

 
 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful gentle downwind sail onwards to the society islands which was an extremely welcome change to what the trade winds have been throwing at us up until now. These are mostly high islands which have well developed reef around them. The biggest is Tahiti and perhaps as famous Bora Bora which has been called the most beautiful island in the world by some. Duncan's parents Chris and Jean have been visiting us so we've been enjoying showing them around and introducing them to our life.

Marquesan Meanderings

Within 24 hours of arriving another two boats had arrived. After 48 a further four boats squeezed into our small anchorage that already had a fair few boats in it. All had recently made a big passage; whether from Canada, Chile, Mexico or like us from Panama, some but by no means all via the Galapagos. It was like pulling the pin on a party time grenade. Evenings on each others boats late into the night revelling in someone new to talk to; bbq fire pits on the beach where we roasted two chickens amongst all kinds of other treats; to a finale night of a drumming competition in the village. Atuona on Hiva Oa was just what the admiral ordered.

The mountain of Temetiu (1213m) towered above us almost permanently ensconced by a veil of cloud. We decided to set the alarm; somewhat a rarity in our current life, and scale it, or at least get as high as possible. After five weeks at sea our legs needed some exercise and they certainly got it.

We timed it perfectly in that the bakery was already open as we walked through town; proper french baguettes; and there were already plenty of people around to frequently ask for directions. Finally finding the start of the track we picked our way up through the paths in the relative coolness of the early morning. The Marquesans easily tell you 'sure you can go up there, there is a trail which they will point out on the hillside, but ask them if they've ever been themselves and it's a different matter. Consequently the track was far from obvious and at times pretty exciting but we made it as far as we could without turning our hands to rock climbing. 

Atuona was a real highlight of our Marquesan meanderings where we found goats cheese, new friends and fun but after a week there we felt we rather ought to see another island. It was a shock to the system as we ventured out of baie Tahauku. There hadn't been any breeze to speak of inside the natural harbour so we hadn't worried about the windows and were fully prepared to have to motor the 10 miles to our next anchorage. It was a wet and wild ride across to Tahuata and the wind continued to gust alarmingly once we were tucked up into our next beautiful bay anchorage.

 Ua Pou was our next island and is characterised by it's dramatic basalt volcanic plugs. We stumbled upon a rehearsal of a traditional dance/ play in an out of the way village where we were the only boat visiting. The actors and musicians appeared to be largely around the 18-30 age group and were putting a lot of sweat and passion into their performances. Our fellow spectators did not appear to take it all so seriously; children were running about getting in the way, one little girl enthusiastic with her newspaper kite and whenever there was fighting or other such excitement in the performance, the 5 or 6 dogs prowling around would join the melee with howls, pouncing and barking. It was a quite unexpected spectacle.

Now we're at our final Marquesan island 'Nuku Hiva'.  Here we've been cracking on with a few jobs (the dinghy is still wending it's merry way towards being a 'sailing dinghy') and enjoying lovely long walks in the  scenic countryside which ranges from Scottish highland style desolate peaks to tropical and temperate rain forest.

We've been enjoying doing the tourist thing whilst in the Marquesas; we saw the graves of both Guaguin and Jacques Brell, searched extensively for the monument to Herman Melville and have walked many miles.  We managed to get to see the third highest waterfall of the world (there's a bit of a drop off after the first two!) such trips are greatly improved by the excitement of finding fruit trees allover the place and several chilli bushes. 

The Marquesas have been beautiful; the people have been friendly and helpful but we have to leave too soon.  Next stop is the Coral Atolls of the Tuamotus before heading onwards to the Society islands.  Plenty to look forward to!

 

Pacific passage

We were tearing along; rather than reefing we dropped the mainsail altogether. Slewing about at 8 to 9 knots was not how we wanted to catch our first glimpses of land. Once the main was tied up Beryl (our Aries wind vane) was able to bear off on to a dead run.

Ruth went off to sleep and I got the kettle on. A couple of hours later Hiva Oa crawled out of the dawn like a slumbering dinosaur. Her high rocky craggs becoming visible; Land for the first time in five weeks.

We left Isla Mogo Mogo (Las Perlas, Panama) on Saturday evening, the 14^th June delighted to be heading out into the big blue. There were no nerves; just the exhilarating feeling that finally we were doing what we've wanted to do for a very long time.

We had a beautifully auspicious start; reaching along at 5 knots. Only half an hour out a whale sounded near our boat three or four times. We put two fishing lines out and caught Mackerel on each within an hour; yum... When the wind died down later that evening we were barely drifting along, we were pleased to see that we were still going in the right direction at 1-2 knots, the current was wafting us out.

We were expecting the first leg of our trip to be arduous however, and we weren't disappointed. The sea between Panama and the Galapagos islands is characterised by fickle winds and calms. There is talk of this year being the beginning of an El Nino which may explain why there was even less wind than expected.

Our first two weeks were hard work getting nowhere slowly and at times working pretty hard to stem Impetuous going North or backwards. For two weeks we averaged only 60 miles a day with one memorable day tacking into a light head wind with occasional squalls; out one way and then back, reefing and shaking them out frequently, making a net gain of 10 miles over 24 hours! Not entirely disheartened we gradually edged our way into the Pacific and slipped further in to the enjoyment of ocean passage making, despite the unreliable wind.

It was a welcome juxtaposition from preparing Impetuous for a long passage. Endless provisioning and checks upon the various yacht systems. Stark contrast of the serenity of actually being gone. We read, tidied and relaxed between sail changes and steering adjustments. It did get increasingly frustrating however; after nights and days of rocking on the oceans wave with the sails down, sometimes loosing the hard won miles by drifting up and back; we occasionally decided to motor a little. Slowly, but at least in the right direction.

This lasted until we were a few hundred miles north and to the east of the Galapagos. Little by little a southerly wind developed; the sails went up, the engine silenced for good and we slipped away in to the second part of our crossing; the trade winds.

For the first few days we alternated between one and two reefs in the main, staysail and yankee, our daily runs smashed through their previous poor averages. We expected the pacific to be, well, pacifying, relaxing, steady wind, rolling ocean waves, puffy trade wind clouds and weeks of comfortable steady sailing. We'd pulled in the second reef and still roared along over 7 knots. For almost the next two weeks the reefs were never let out. The yankee was furled at times partially, at others fully as we bouldered along; the lee rail awash as we rolled in the excited sea. We stayed dry, if a little hot inside as the occasional breaking wave would break into the cockpit partially filling it.

As we got closer to the equator we benefited from a favourable current. Our daily averages increased beyond what we thought possible; our record was 192 miles in 24 hours noon to noon. For most of the two weeks we were rarely below the 170 mark. Our tactic of waiting later in the season for the trade winds to fully develop had certainly been effective, if not a little too so.

I'd started peering into the toilet bowl with great interest. We were soon to cross the equator, where upon the water would swill the opposite way on route back to the ocean. For a dyslexic such as myself it takes some remembering which way it swills usually so that one can truly appreciate the change. I even thought of a sentence to help me remember; 'Antipodeans go backwards down the toilet.' As we drew closer I would spend time just curiously flushing away. Well you can imagine my delight and slight surprise when about four miles north of the equator the direction changed. As we edged closer still, I woke Ruth not wanting her to miss out on the celebration. 'We're almost at the equator,' I whispered as I gently rocked her to consciousness, 'and the toilet is already swirling the opposite way!'

Though the first two weeks were frustrating, these next two weeks of tearing along with all sails reefed, were odd. We'd look at each other, 'this is not what I expected'. We'd say. Cowering inside, trusting Beryl to keep us going the right way as another huge wave smashed down on our cabin top. A bit would inevitably find it's way in through the companion way. Our watches were fulfilled by keeping an eye on how things were going from inside. Peeking out to check occasionally, then quickly diving back inside.

With little more than 1000 miles left, there was a gradual slowing. We finally shook out our reefs, opened a few windows to allow some air to circulate and relaxed in to the final stage. We managed to put up the sunshade and sprawled out in the cockpit without fear of frequent drenchings. The sea calmed a little and puffy clouds appeared on the horizon. Our fishing luck changed somewhat too. We had lost several lures to the giants of the deep as well as having some hooks bent straight before we managed to bring our first Mahi mahi on board. With our new ingredient, calmer seas and so boat, we launched with relish into a variety of new meals. Sushi being the first.

Also with the calming of the weather our attitude to the crossing relaxed once more in to the enjoyment of the passage. Days spent relaxing in the shade as the gentle trade wind graced us. No longer pounding along, all the sails were out. We rolled on the left over waves and made a steady 6 knots. As the final days slipped away I slowly realised that I hadn't done any of the tasks I had set myself for the long ocean crossing. I am still only on tape three of French lessons. The Trumpet notes and fingering which I specially downloaded before departure remain on the hard drive of a broken computer as the ocean roll has not been condusive to taking said computer to bits to retrieve the hard drive, broken or not. The list of blog ideas has remained a list. In truth we spent almost all the time doing one of four things; cooking, eating, sleeping and reading.

So here we are. After 35 days at sea we have arrived. Stepping back into the world at the stunningly mountainous and beautifully remote island of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas. We dropped the anchor in the bay and are told the Gendarme doesn't work weekends so there's no hurry to check in yet. We'll make our way in tomorrow, relishing the miles potter in to the village to check our legs still work. 

Another country, a new flag, this time we've got the French flag with the French Polynesian flag below it.  There is a Marquesan flag too but we thought making three would be excessive. 

Provisioned!

 The hot sauce is made...

The veg is all aboard...

$8 buys you a lot of aubergines in Panama. 10 litres of olive oil and hundreds of bulbs of garlic will make plenty of baba ganoush when this lot start going off...

It would seem we're done with shopping; Impetuous has not a locker left with space and we both feel if we spend any more time in Panamas' supermarkets; wonderfully cool as they are; we will explode!

So goodbye Panama city, we're off to the Perlas Isles for just a day or two and then we're off across the Pacific; possibly straight to the Marquesas.

Though we will obviously be writing as we're on passage; we both have a back log of titles we want to try to finish whilst on passage, there will be no blogs until we arrive, recover and post something. With almost 4 thousand miles to cover this won't happen until some time mid July.

Though sailors all agree how wonderfully lucky they are to sail.  There seems to be some discrepancy about the love of ocean passages; obviously we will let you know our opinion once we have arrived.  At the moment we are really looking forward to being off shore; with our books, music, instruments, new films (thanks Colin), five weeks of the Archers to catch up with; aren't we lucky, and of course each other.  Not to mention our wonderful Boat.

To Skip or to Jump

The idea came up a long while back and was dismissed straight away. Surely it would seem churlish to go right by the Galapagos islands and not stop to have a look around. To miss these unique islands famed as an ecologists delight; the birthplace of Darwins' thoughts on evolution; may seem outright crazy to you but it's seeming like a more sensible plan as each day slips past.

We're still here, the other side of Panama in La Playita anchorage. We can't set out until the United States Postal Service gets a wriggle on. For some reason our bag of sail building hardware is dragging it's brass rings.

The whole dynamic was brought home to us as we evesdropped upon two boats talking on the radio net here. They were discussing (illegally) extending their stay in the Marquesas beyond the 3 months permitted for Americans. The rules are more relaxed for us so it emphasised the point that we are trading time in the Galapagos for time in French Polynesia. Add to this the fact that the Equadorian guardians of the Galapagos deem fit to charge visiting yachts through the nose for extremely restrictive permits. We just have to wonder...though money isn't necessarily perilously short we really hate spending it. As we have not arranged a special advance permit we may only stay at one anchorage and will have to join tourist excursions if we want to see other parts of our chosen island or other islands.

We think it's great that the islands are being properly protected from the ravages of tourism. Though many visit, the rules on seeing other than the tiny permitted areas are prohibitive for most. Hopefully this allows the ecosystem to remain preserved. This might just mean though, that to preserve it, we won't see it.

We'll probably push off with open minds; we won't have missed it until we sail right by. If we do decide not to go, we just have to remember; there are many more islands in the sea!