Manta Paradise

Can't believe it's been nearly a month we are here, this place is awesome, very lucky to be here. After leaving Daniels Bay and Taiohae Bay we sailed around to the north side of Nuku Hiva to the picture perfect Bay of Anaho with our Brazilian friends on Arthi, what a spot! Beautiful sheltered Bay with white beaches, palm trees and a backdrop I can't describe. We stayed for just over a week and we're lucky to meet some other really nice cruisers and had a great time. Anchored on the east side of the bay all alone we were surrounded by Manta Rays, jumping from the boat we could swim with them as long as we wanted, was really incredible as these were as curious as us swimming right up to us and turning at the last second. Just over the hill there you can walk to a fella who has an amazing little farm and he sells fruits and vegetables, just walking around and you point to whatever you like. These guys know how to grow things that's for sure and it's a massive amount of work but they seem to do it with ease. An hour and a half walk over the other side of the mountain and you're in the next village where there is a tiny shop and very nice local restaurant were we had some lunch, great walk picking mangoes along the way and the next day our legs were quite sore after not doing a lot of walking for a while. People in these parts get around on horses as there are no roads, taking their produce to market once a week and picking up there basic supplies, quite an amazing life they live in this paradise.
From Anaho we sailed to the next island south called Ou-Pou and anchored off the main town in Baie D'Hakahau. Couldn't have had better conditions sailing between the islands with 15-18kts on a beam reach with our friends on Arthi alongside most of the way, Julie manages to get a great photo of them catching a Mahi Mahi which they sadly lost:(. It's a small anchorage requiring a stern anchor and you can tuck in behind the sea wall and the wharf, quite a scene when the supply/ferry came in and was just metres from us docking without a worry, very impressive. Besides the few tourists that were here for just a few hours while the boat unloads it's just us and the 2 other yachts so we seem to be the only gringos around and we were VERY lucky to be here on the main celebratory weekend with 2 days of dancing with the villages competing against each other. First night Friday was more relaxed with dancing and singing and then Saturday a lot more full on with the women still dancing and the men doing the Haka, really lucky to see as this definitely isn't put on for tourists just these guys keeping their traditions going and having a great time doing so, such a happy/scary mob
Now we are still not sure what to do, plan was to go towards Tahiti and fly to work from there and then sail "maybe" back to Marquesas, but now after researching there is talk of a 50% chance of an El Niño by December which could mean a big cyclone season so best we stay around here I'm thinking but we are still struggling to find a suitable anchorage for Julie to stay in the next time I go to work so we will leave in the next couple of days and check out Hiva-Oa as maybe an option, stay tuned

Nuku-Hiva

What a trip!! Was brilliant. Had the anchor down just after dark in Taiohae Bay Nuku Hiva after a great days run with plenty of breeze. After a shower and a bottle of champagne we were both knackered after all of the excitement and got the best nights sleep, didn't wake once. Heard a lot of stories how this anchorage is so rolly but it's been quite fine so far. Beautiful little town, it is the main "city" of all the islands but on a guess there would be less than 200(?) houses scattered around the bay, it's very quiet to say the least, and absolutely spectacular with the greenest of hills stretching up to over 1000m high, awesome. There's about 30 boats in the anchorage with everyone spread out and not on top of one another, it's beautiful, paradise. On Friday we checked in with the gendarmerie, just one guy that does customs, immigration, harbour master the lot. Very nice man, super relaxed French guy that spoke pretty good English couldn't have been easier. We still haven't quite finished yet as we need to provide either a bond or a ticket out of here if something goes wrong or we can pay for a bond letter through an agent which is what we are waiting to do and will hopefully get done on Monday and then we will be free to sail around.
We knew a couple of boats here and one of them was hiring a car Saturday so we joined and did a trip around the island, wow I really can't explain it in words it really is amazing you can see in the photos but they really don't do it justice. And the other thing is the people, so nice, so relaxed it's just amazing and not one bit of rubbish on the ground anywhere!! Fruits growing everywhere also-bananas, coconuts, pomegranates, tamarind, papayas, star fruit, breadfruit, avocado, custard apples, limes, oranges, mangoes and others we had never seen before just growing EVERYWHERE. Then there's cows, goats pigs wild horses also everywhere, these people will never starve that's for sure!! We stoped at this one family's little farm of maybe 4 acres in a valley to ask if we could buy some breadfruit we saw he had growing everywhere. So nice, he gave us some plus pompomous, oranges, limes a couple of coconuts. This place had it all, like nothing I've ever seen- a few cows, pigs, goats, chickens then all the fruits they have with heaps of lime trees going right down to his own private beach in his own protected Bay with a little river going to it he gets his drinking water from and catches fish with the nets he has hung up, truly self sufficient and "rich" as can be. Makes some money selling his fruits locally and shipping the limes to Tahiti, not bad at all.
Yea not a bad spot this Pacific, think we will like it

All the boats we meet ask how long the crossing took and it sounds like we did pretty well compared so I'm pretty stoked with our trip. Here's the times from Isla De Plata Ecuador-
24days 6.5 hours+4.5 hours time difference=nearly 24.5/3554nm=146.05nm per day average, just over 6kts average but we did cover a lot more ground than this going up and down of our rhumb line making the most of the wind as well. Great trip

Update
Internet is very hard to get here especially out of the main town where we have been in Daniels Bay for a few days now so posts may be far between:)

Day 24-Grand Finale, Sunflowers on Fire!!

Wind came up from the East yesterday afternoon and by dark we had 20kts and were flying downwind with the 2 headsails. Julie woke up at 9 in the morning and we raised the main sail. Sunflower was in her element, 20-25kts on the port quarter 120 degrees, 1 reef in the main, staysail and half the genoa, we were absolutely romping along homeward bound (home for a while), just wish we had a drone. Now we are behind Ua-Hua, taken out the reef and still managing 6-7kts and with 21nm to go we may be there just on dark??! Been a great trip so far, will be crazy when it's over, will be happy for sure but also miss these days.
Flags still hanging in there but we WILL put up a new one before entering the anchorage

Day#23-Fecking Chinese

Well they're at it again, rape a pillage I'm thinking, not so much quality but quantity. Thanks Mandy for telling us the last lot were Chinese, it shouldn't surprise me really. So the other night ahead was another great mass of AIS targets on the screen and we had no choice but to go through the middle. Passed a couple within 2 miles and couldn't see any lights? Some were travelling up to 2 knots, what the hells going on? Keep sailing and more targets keep appearing on the screen and on throughout the morning and at daylight pass close to one and it's just a beacon!! This boat has shot a MASSIVE line for miles and miles (maybe 50+?) and each beacon has an AIS transponder, pretty different, I didnt think this was aloud as it's just to identify vessels but I suppose they have their own rules or no rules out here?!
So yesterday we rolled along slowly but still in the right direction although a little north and then a bit after dark the wind just died. After rolling for a while we decided to start the engine and make some water. Anyway no sign of the wind and the tanks are all full, laundry is done, boat washed inside and out and Julie loving the water maker washed her hair for the tenth time but there is still no sign of wind and we've just had lunch!! First time this passage we've had to use the motor for propulsion with no wind, it's a real bummer as we we've been doing so good but at least we can make water, it's something and a calm day without the rolling has been welcome too, and what also makes me feel better was the price of fuel in Ecuador, $1.03 US cents a gallon!! So motoring for 18 hours, 36litres and not even $10!! We did fill up and also a good few Jerrycans so we will still be nearly full when we arrive there hopefully.
Also today while cleaning the deck Julie noticed the hole in her paddle board cover that we thought was caused by the end of the spinnaker pole (cloth is gone from the sun) was actually from a kamikaze flying fish!! Around the hole were a few scales and on further inspection we could smell the stench, a lovely ripe flying fish buried deep inside the stinking hot cover!! Not real nice
Last night was creamy bacon pasta, problem was I think either the carrot or bacon was off or probably both and our stomachs weren't so good soon after. So luckily with the fishing lure out again this morning, didn't even hear the winch take off over the engine but went out and there was a nice Mahi Mahi trailing from the back, biggest one so far, at least 4 big feeds worth so we shouldn't be sick for a while again!! It's funny what you eat on a yacht, especially far from shops. In a normal house with even the slightest inkling that it may be off or doesn't look good you chuck it and jump in the car and go back to the shop but slowly your attitude changes on a boat and you don't even worry about the expiration dates just go by smell and chance it!! There's no gourmet deli down the road from here that's for sure.
So all else is well, 176nm to go, hopefully the breeze will fill in soon and we can carry on the good run home hopefully arrive around midnight Thursday, only another 30 odd hours!!

Day 21-Week Three Progress Report

The wind has now backed to ENE not the best angle for us but can't complain as we are still heading in the right direction. Today was our worst days run in quite some time, the winds are light and right from behind. Ive got the fishing line out once again but no luck with that either as yet but there's still hope with that one. The good news is we haven't broken anything else for the last couple of days which is always nice. Today I even managed to give the outboard for the dinghy a bit of love in preparation for our arrival "maybe" Thursday afternoon??
Our weeks progress was 1069nm=152.7nm per day or 6.36knot average
3 week progress is 3103nm=147.7nm per day average or 6.15knots
Well let's hope we can get a bit more wind and keep up the good speeds, nearly time to put the champagne in the fridge only 440nm to go!!