Impi is currently anchored off the island
of Nuka –Hiva in an anchorage which is rolling with swell and somewhat
uncomfortable … the Bay of Taiohae.
And in the meantime, we have thoroughly
enjoyed our visit to what currently is my ‘all time favourite’ in the Marquesas
… the island of Tahuata and the beautiful ‘pocket bay’ of Hanamoena.
We had raised our anchor and stern anchor
at Hiva Oa and slipped out amidst intermittent rain and sun finding our way
across the channel known as Canal Du Bordelais along the northern side of
Tahiti in a westerly direction.
Ana and I marveled at the beautiful rock
formations and wondered about the fierce volcanic eruption’s and searing heat
that sculptured this amazing coast line … rock so hot it flowed like rivers … years
and years … weathering to dust and earth …years and years to produce the green
vegetation which stands out in contrast to the vivid colours of these rocks …
On the western tip the small supply ship
which doubled as a ‘mini cruise liner’ for tourists lay to anchor …
Impi negotiated its way between the ship
and land … and of course yet again the coastline revealed its geological wonder
…
And soon we found ourselves approaching
Hanamoena Bay … a bay we were to have to ourselves for a day or two … a bay that sported a beautiful beach lined by
tall palm trees …
Here the water is clear and sparkles in the
sun … at last we are able to make fresh water which we do in abundance and Ana
is able to load the washing machine yet again … I am able to soap the decks,
scrub and spray them off … man, its so good to be in beautiful bays like this!
We eventually lower the dinghy and make for
the beach …
Well, the beach was to teach us another
lesson because as we approached it a massive wave stood up on end and roared
toward us …
As quickly as possible we had the anchor
out and Ana had thrown it over the side with me tying the rope to the bow as
tightly as possible.
The wave descended upon us and one could
feel the power as the dinghy rose up the wave face … Ana overboard and now
holding on the rail for dear life with me yelling for her to keep clear as we
scuttled down side ways towards the sand …
I braced myself and Ana held for dear life
as suddenly the rope took tension on the deeply embedded anchor and with an
almighty pounding sound we broke through the wave face which barreled down onto
the sand behind us …
Now with dinghy full of water and odds and
ends overboard and floating about at the mercy of the sea I grabbed hold of Ana
who still was holding on somehow and pulled her onboard.
A swell picked up as my brain scanned for
survival tactics … engaged the very efficient electric bilge pump we have on
the dinghy for emergencies like this and quickly began to pump the water
overboard … pushed the electric start button and felt the Yamaha roar to life …
throttled toward the swell as Ana lay over the bow gathering in rope which we
quickly tied off … and there it was … a wave peeling over toward us as we yet
again climbed up its face … and this time we were safe as the shorter rope
engaged and kept us this side of its fierce break …
So … here we were debating the situation …
all the things we had done including the recent purchase of our heavy and
efficient dinghy anchor which held solidly despite the power of the sea … the
electric bilge pump which so many have scoffed at which immediately pumped out
the sea water … the electric start engine which sprang to life in an instant
and the powerful 30hp 2 stroke engine which countered the strength of the sea.
All these things prevented the dinghy from being slammed down onto the sand, a
situation which could have been life threatening let alone costly in terms of
damage … yes … our careful planning and fitting out the dinghy had yet again
paid off!
And to think that I was procrastinating
just one week before over the purchase of a heavier more efficient dinghy
anchor … a purchase I now am very pleased to have made!
Here at Hanamoenoa Bay the beach is steep
and the sea approaches with force. Of course the receding sea rushes down the
steep sand and meets with the approaching sea causing a quick and forceful upwelling
that results in a massive wave. One has to be careful, even on the beach as the
force of the water rushing down the sand quickly sucks ones feet away and
within seconds you are swept into the wave which delights in throwing you down
to the sand to repeat its process all over again …
A second approach had us being a lot more
cautious … setting the anchor well in advance of the wave area and settling
back in reverse on a long line. And then I had a long rope with a lighter stern
anchor that I threw toward the beach.
It is then a matter of timing … to jump
overboard and swim for the beach ….
Walking along the beach sand is liberating.
The palms are beautiful and sand feels good underfoot.
Just behind the trees is a structure where
the coconuts are being cured before being loaded for the manufacture of Copra.
And behind this are rows and rows of lime
trees full of limes … and coconut trees full of coconuts … and grapefruit trees
full of grape fruits … oranges and the like … all here and available and free
for the picking …
Jean-Luc and Eva had left Hiva Oa and
anchored alongside us the following day.
We planned to go together in search of
fruit and worked on a strategy to get the fruit back to the dinghy passed the
waves.
And so the time came … all four of us
packed into the dinghy and set off for shore.
Using the same tactics as before we reached
the beach and made for the fruit trees filling several bags full that we then
hauled back to shore.
The girls were laughing as they watched
Jean-Luc in the dinghy looking for a break in the waves, signaling and then
speeding toward the shore whilst I with one bag after the next rushed into the
water and loaded the fruit into the dinghy before Jean-Luc again sped off to
avoid an approaching wave … and so we repeated the cycle until all the fruit
was loaded.
Needless to say we are nicely stocked with
plenty of limes and grapefruits that ‘keep well’ on-board and are really
delicious.
Our good friend Alec from Hiva Oa surprised
us with a visit and brought us a gift in the form a beautiful freshly caught
yellow fin tuna. We invited him and his friend ‘Rasta’ to have a few drinks
with us.
He advised that he was going to spend the
night fishing and had thought we would appreciate as a gift his first catch of
the day. What a humbling experience for us and what terrific people these are.
As they departed from Impi for their
evenings catch, Rasta said we could take a photo of him and he would unravel
his hair for us … something he does not often do … and is quite special since
here is a man who has NEVER had a haircut in all his life.
That evening we had invited the folks
around from other yachts that had entered the bay … Claude and Michelle (a
delightful French couple), Guido and Gillie with their little boy Willem ( A
German couple sailing on an aluminum built Warraham) and of course Jean-Luc and
Eva (our French friends on Reve De Lune).
Jean-Luc had promised to cook on Impi the
following day … his specialty … tuna cooked raw in lime juice … CEVICHE …
And true to his word, the following day
Jean-Luc appeared to cook on board Impi.
He and Ana worked together to produce a
most magnificent lunch.
I must admit that at first I was not keen
to eat fish that was raw … well … apparently cooked only by virtue of the fact
that the lime juice reacts with the meat to ‘cook it’. However, the taste is so
remarkably terrific that I have had Ana cooking it up for me on every occasion
possible and I am more determined now than ever to brush up my skills on
catching tuna … it is simply a wonderful dish with a terrific flavor! Go to http://eat-impi.blogspot.com for the full recipe.
We had decided to explore Tahuata by taking
the dinghy’s along the coast.
The first bay along the way is beautiful
and also sports a marvelous beach with palm trees but is inhabited with the odd
dwelling … the bay of Anse Ivaiva Iti
And eventually we arrived at the beautiful
quaint little village of VAITAHU.
As we approached this village a number of
dolphins swam about the dinghy and were doing twirls and summersaults …
terrific. Apparently the dolphins are
teaching their young to jump up out of the water.
As one approaches the town, the dinghy dock
is to the left (north side) and requires tying the front and setting a stern
anchor to the rear as the swell can cause damage to an untied dinghy.
Looking over the bay from the dinghy dock
is beautiful and as usual the shoreline sports magnificent rock features.
Walking into town from the dinghy dock sees
one meandering along a lovely little lane dotted with beautiful flowers here
and there …
And of course there is a beautiful little
church, which looks ever so quaint in this town …
And then there is a more modern bigger
church, which is best known for its beautiful stained glass windows …
The town's folk were chuckling whilst I
photographed the little church as they were under the impression that I had
mistakenly thought this to be the main church the town is well know for!
Some buildings were incredible … built from
stones and with the most fantastic thatch grass roofs …
And even some walls are clad with woven
grass in beautiful patterns …
Walking about this lovely town shows its
charm in the form of many meandering lanes clad with flowers … it really is
delightful!
One site in the town has a rock with a plaque attached to it ...
It celebrates the naming of these islands here as 'Marquesas Islands' which took place in 1595 ...
And in the same proximity there is some sort of 'shrine'
This notice commemorates the arrival of Admiral Dupetit on a first exploratory mission in 1836.
Back to our dinghy ...
A bit further along and south with the dinghy
we came across a beautiful spot one yacht had chosen to drop anchor at … a
really picturesque spot off Pointe Tepea!
And further along into little bays between
Pointe Tepea and Point Fakaua and into Anse Hanahanaeehi … stunningly beautiful
places to visit.
Yes
indeed, we love this little island of Tahuata … in fact … my best choice of
island so far in all the Marquesas Islands we have visited thus far.
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