Fruit Stall

After 4 planes and a boat ride I was back home aboard Sunflower with Julie in Ua-Pou after 2 days and all was well, so relaxing landing in the islands there's no stress at all. I was on a bit of a mission though we had a lot to do to try to make the weather window to sail for the Tuamotos. We had to clean the bottom, clean anchor chains and ropes as they were all fouled with weed and coral, get water, diesel, stores ect ect as well as say good bye to all Julie's new friends she had made. The people are just so nice here, they really are the kindest we have met to the extent it's really too much!! For instance we did our stores ($1000 of beer) and the owner said he would bring us some fruit the next day to leave with, we turn up at his shop and he has 3 stalks of bananas, 2 sacks of pumplemouses (grapefruit) about 20kg each and a huge box of green mangoes!! We are like wow we can start a fruit stall?! So in the shop there is a fisherman we met when we first arrived and offere
d to take us back to the boat with all this fruit and I said if he's around tomorrow I have some fishing squid skirts I bought for him. So the next day comes and he brings another stalk of ripe bananas as he saw the others were green, a massive sack of avocados, bag of limes and some more mangoes!!! His wife was with him and they are all dressed up after coming from church and then she gives Julie a little box with another gift, matching pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings which she had made!! We are like gobsmacked thinking this is way too much, who gives this much to people they hardly know?!! But that seems to be the Marquesian way, they give you gifts to remember them and how nice they are it really is amazing.
Anyway we managed to get away on time leaving Monday afternoon and sailed across to the next island of Nuku-Hiva and picked up Julie's 1 year visa which had arrived and by lunch time Tuesday we had the anchor up and were on our way to Amanu in the Tuamotos. The forecast was for lightish winds on the beam or just forward of it and that's what we have had, absolutely perfect sailing in relatively calm seas making great miles and should be there in just under 4 days tomorrow after 535nm, happy days!!